Zombies Ahead!

Here in Austin, Texas, the moto is "Keep Austin Weird". We pride ourselves on standing out :-)
But one person in particular stood out so much that his/her words were put in lights. On January 19th a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street, near the University of Texas at Austin, was hacked into. This hacker happily announced to the driving public that there were "Zombies Ahead".

On his drive in to work Chris Lippincott, director of media relations for the Texas Department of Transportation, got his first look at the warning sign. His reply? "It was clever, kind of cute, but not what it was intended for." I like to think he got a pretty good chuckle as well.

According to the blog i-hacked.com (post: Inside Programmable Road Signs on Tuesday, 20 January 2009), some commercial road signs, including those manufactured by IMAGO's ADDCO division, can be easily altered because their instrument panels are frequently left unlocked and their default passwords are not changed. AND they supply a play by play as to exactly how these signs can be hacked and how to reset the default password. Oops! Watch out zombies! Something worse might be coming!

ADDCO Chief Operating Officer Brian Nicholson told FOXNews.com that the company intends to send out notices to their customers regarding the potentially dangerous security flaw. As of yet, Austin officials do not know the identity of the hacker but I firmly believe that the hacker is none other than the person who placed the post on i-hacked. Add one and one... you will generally get two.

As an Austinite, I simply find it funny. Sure, hackers could pull some potentially catastrophic trick with these things but, in the interest of "Keeping Austin Weird", alerting drivers of the danger of Zombies Ahead is a small drop in the bucket.

For more information about this story, you can visit FOXNews.com and the link for i-Hacked.

Gwynn~

Blog Tag!

Tagged by Warren Whitlock: http://twitterhandbook.com/blog/

Okay... so here's the rules:

• Link your original tagger. (Check)
• List these rules on your blog. (check)
• Share 7 facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird. (Check)
• Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs. (check)
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter. (check)

Now that I'm it, I suppose it's time for the random facts!

1. My mother named me Gwendolyn Dawn just so she could call me Wendy. Everyone knows its Wendy... :-)

2. I have 4 birds and they have this annoying habit of chatting while I'm trying to watch TV. All other times they're as quiet as mice. I think they just love the TV. Then again, they may be trying to intimidate the TV. Who knows?

3. I have lived in approximately 43 states. At this point, moving anywhere is a thought that causes me to shiver in fear.

4. My fingers are double jointed. I can twist them, pull them all the way to the back of my hand, and touch my nose while sticking out my tongue. Oh, wait... that didn't really apply did it?

5. Disney movies make me cry. What a sap, right? In my defense all I can say is they are really touching most of the time! Does that qualify as a good excuse?

6. I love Twitter! It rocks! I suppose that makes me a twitterholic, but I can think of worse things to be addicted to.

7. I attend school 3/4 time, work full time, and tread the path of the single parent. I can whip up mac-n-cheese in 7 minutes flat! Clean the house in a single bound! And finish my homework at the speed of light! Okay... speed of light might be stretching it a bit... but not by much :-)

And now the real fun begins! I get to tag 7 people who are, as of yet, unaware that I am on the prowl *rubbing hands together and smiling slyly*

And the nominees are (drum roll please!):

Venture Level: This is a great blog by Romil Patel! He covers a wealth of information for Advertising, Entrepreneurial Connections, Marketing, Presentations, and Promotions.

The Marketing Spot : This is a great blog for small business marketing ideas and advice by Jay Ehret (and guest bloggers). Every small business owner can benefit from this blog!

Jim Kukral: Jim is a veteran online marketer, web-entrepreneur, speaker and award-winning blogger who focuses on creative marketing ideas and strategies.

Chris Brogan: Chris Brogan has been blogging for several years. His blog is full of information pertaining to all aspects of business, blogging, and social networking.

What Works for Business: Daniel Kehrer shares his view of several different aspects of business including Marketing solutions, retail, and so mush more. I highly recommend this blog!

Click to Client: All I can say is wow! This blog is a terrific place to gain information on social networking and what it can do for you. It also humbly reminds us that social networking cannot succeed unless we are committed to it!

The Franchise King: Joel Libava has been termed the franchise king. And thought his is a name that portends huge responsibility, he takes it well. Joel enjoys the chance to help others realize the dream of being a business owner.

Now I am off to let them all know they have been tagged and are now "it"!

Update: All the wonderful bloggers on my list have now been tagged via blog!

Thanks for playing blog tag and I look forward to seeing you again!

Gwynn~

The Importance of Marketing: Part IV

Low Cost Marketing Strategies

Welcome to the third part of my cheap marketing strategies tips! Today we're going to discuss contests and freebies. I can already hear the groans! Freebies? Are you kidding me? Don't you realize we're in a recession?!?!?!? Well, yes, as a matter of fact I do realize that and I also know that every penny counts - especially right now. However, freebies don't have to be expensive. Think about it... the price of a cup of coffee every day for one week = a $10 gift card to Starbucks. If this free incentive is applied towards a certain purchased amount of your product, you have already gained that $10.00 back!

An ebook also makes a great freebie. And no, it doesn't have to be 100 pages long! Just something that benefits others in some way. Offer a how to ebook... a small business marketing tips ebook... 10 ways to save money in an uncertain economy... the possibilities are endless. You can save money by creating the ebook yourself. Sure it takes a bit of research on your part and even a little of your time, but people like FREE and your time is well spent.

What about a lunch/dinner for 2 on us type of contest? You can pre-buy a gift card to a decent restaurant (not McDonald's! Try Chilies) and offer those who make a purchase from your company a chance to win. Get creative! There are a thousand ways you can increase your sales with very little money.

Gwynn~

The Importance of Marketing: Part III

Low Cost Marketing Strategies

Small businesses must be extra imaginative with their marketing efforts in order to attract customers and get them to open their wallets. Even more challenging is that most entrepreneurs have shallow pockets and shoppers are being more selective as a result of the sluggish economy and volatile stock market. This means that businesses have to get more creative while trying to save a few dollars themselves. So far we have covered WOMM and email marketing as cheap and effective ways to market your business. Another cheap but effective way to market your company is business cards.

Business cards are the most basic and versatile of all marketing tools. Always use them and hand out two at a time, but make sure they are effective. Just like the name of your business, consider choices and design your business card. Does it clearly state what business you are in and what you do? Is it clear and legible?Think of these as inexpensive billboard for your company. Your business cards have your company name, contact information etc., on them. Make sure to include your email and web address. There is a neat feature about business cards, they are two sided. Use the reverse side to list your products, services or even a special offer. Always carry them with you and pass them out. Even if your business is Internet based, you should still have them. If people don't have your web address in their hands, how will they get to your site? Believe it or not, there are web sites you can go to for free business cards. All you pay is shipping! You can also print your own cards from your PC, but professional printing is recommended, and for what they can do, business cards are very cheap. Listed below are a few places where you can get very cheap but quality business cards.

Vista Prints

Free Printable Business Cards

Giggle Print

Bizcard.com

DCP-Print.com


Gwynn~

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