It's well known that I am one of the biggest Police fans around. Since they reunited last year, I've been to 5 shows. Most of the time I'm sitting next to some guy who insists on telling me how pathetic it is that all the "chicks" turn out to oogle Sting, and we don't realize what a great drummer Stewart Copeland is, how he doesn't get the respect he deserves, and he's one of the best drummers ever.

Dudes! You're SO preaching to the choir with that one.

I've always been a huge fan of Stewart. And all you have to do to see why is to listen to most drummers today. They do a fair to average job of keeping the beat. Stewart does more than that. The Police started out as a faux punk band, but Stewart's sophisticated rhythms and melodies elevated their music far above their initial ambitions. His work on the hi-hat and off-beat accents gave Police songs a reggae/world feel that was unique in the musical landscape of that time. Heck, they still hold up today.

I also happen to know that Stewart is a nice guy. A genuinely nice guy. A good amount of my friends have had encounters with him, and no one has a bad story to tell about the man. He has a lot of respect for his fans and is really enjoying the ride he's on now. A ride, of course, that is coming to an end this Thursday, with their final concert at Madison Square Garden. I'll be there, thanks to winning a concert on Stewart's website.

If I had a couple of grand lying around, I would SO be bidding on this. Alas I'll have to admire it from afar at Thursday's show, for that's as close as I am going to be getting to this most awesome rock collectible. For the winning bidder, I salute and envy you!

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TAGS: stewart copeland, public television rocks, PBS, WLIW, WNET, the police

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After I attended SXSW earlier this year, I posted a blog entry as a "call to marketers" to cut the crap, that is try to control all the junk that gets handed out at that and other conferences. At this BlogHer, Susan Etlinger posted a similar rant about all the swag that gets handed out here. Rather than be redundant to her post, I'm going to tackle one simple area - t-shirts.

First, the TNT shirt, which was provided in the tote bags. I thought, this is strange, a conference where we celebrate our uniqueness, and they're giving out a one-size-fits-all shirt? I opened it up, expecting an "XL", to find it was a "M". I wondered, is it better to NOT do a promotion like this than possibly offend your audience by giving them a product that's too small/too large for them? For something where everyone gets the same thing, like a conference bag, I think that's the wrong way to go. TNT also gave out a CD of the premiere episodes of some of their shows, so I think they could have found something a bit more appropriate and useful to accompany that then a shirt that maybe 1/3 of this conference will fit into. For the record, but not that you care, it does fit me, but I swear it's a men's cut not a women's.

Kathy Sierra spoke at SXSW and laid down the day for marketers - if you want to get the attention of your customers, offer t-shirts in men's AND women's sizes. You'll make friends fast. I've tried to follow that, especially when creating shirts for co-workers to wear at trade shows. We at work range from XS to XXXL, so it's nice to have something for everyone.

I was at the Six Apart party tonight where they gave out in the gift bags teeny tiny American Apparel shirts in size large. A size, BTW, that fits my eight year old. To their credit, they were also giving out shirts in the suite in all sorts of sizes.

I can't tell you how annoying it was to be begged to take t-shirts at TechEd that were a men's L or XL. Where was Kathy Sierra when you need her?

BTW, BIG kudos to the recycle room sponsored by Zwaggle where people can give up the stuff that they don't want from swag land. They've got piles of stuff already, and it's only the first day of the conference. I've visited, but unfortunately, I keep picking up stuff people left behind. Got to make some contributions myself, as I don't need to drag all this junk home. Maybe Susan wants some of it? I should ask her.

TAGS: crap crap and more crap, BlogHer08, SXSW, swag

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When I first started looking at how my company could give back by selling on eBay, I had to look no further than across my street for some inspiration. That's where my good friend Andrew Wise lives. In his non-soccer dad and frustrated rock drummer life, he's the Vice President of Consumer Products at A&E Television Networks (AETN)* and the architect of their very successful eBay Giving Works store.

Since launching their store in April 2006, AETV facilitated 4 major cause-related auctions raising over $125,000 for Starlight Starbright and The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Recently, between chasing after his very active children and equally hyper dog, he sat down to talk to me about how he took what was a fun idea and turned it into a new revenue stream for his company and an avenue to support some really worthwhile causes.

EG: What motivated A&E to get involved with eBay charity auctions?
AW: We opened our eBay store for three main reasons: to compliment our existing distribution channels; to combat counterfeiting of our products by providing a legitimate branded eBay store; and to promote our television programming. The majority of our sales come from DVD's - either from our shows, or they are licensed (ex. Monty Python, Major League Baseball). We manufacture and distribute the products across all of our retail channels. For us eBay serves two strategic purposes - eBay provides alternative distribution for our end-of-lifecycle and excess products, and, we utilize eBay as a promotional vehicle.

eBay casts a wide net and promoting a television show on eBay's home page is very powerful. We found that facilitating a charity auction around our hit shows would be a great give-back to the viewers/fans and also raise proceeds for a good cause. Everyone wins in this scenario!

EG: What was your first charity auction? Did the winning bid come in about where you expected it to be?
AW: We worked with Criss Angel to allow a fan to bid to appear in an episode on television. All proceeds went to Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. We had no idea where this could go (we weren't ready to qualify bidders) - it was sort of an experiment in the power of eBay, but both eBay and Criss were amazing to work with.

We secured homepage placement on eBay.comand we widely promoted the event on-air and online. The bid closed 10 days after launching at $17,100!! We were floored as was the charity. Even better was that a father won this for his 10 year-old son, a huge Criss fan. Overall, it was a great experience and the beginning of much more.

EG: What auction has gotten you the most surprising results (and I'm not necessarily refering to what brought in the biggest payday)?
AW:The Gene Simmons Axe Bass Guitar started at $50 and quickly went to $78,000. We brought in AuctionCause about half way through the event to qualify the bidders and the bass ended up selling for $9,000. A few Gene fanatics got carried away and Gene predicted that!

EG: What item have you sold for charity that you wish you could have been bidding on?
AW: Well, since I am a musician, I would have loved the Axe Bass - it was designed by Gene himself and it is truly a gorgeous instrument!!

EG: What has the reaction been like from people at A&E about your store? What has the feedback been like outside of your company?
AW: We have received positive feedback all around. Our store provides incremental revenues and marketing opportunities, which are always good.

EG: What advice do you have for others considering doing cause-related auctions?
AW: Cause-related auctions can be a great win-win-win scenario. The winning bidder gets what they want, the charity is provided with additional funding, and we were able to obtain promotion for our programs. If structured correctly, this can be a powerful marketing tool, while also doing a good deed.




*AETN is comprised of A&E Network, The History Channel, The Biography Channel, History International, The Military History Channel, The History Channel en español, Crime & Investigation Network, A&E HD, AETN International and AETN Consumer Products.

TAGS: aetn, andrew wise, ebay giving works, criss angel, starlight starbright, elizabeth glaser pediatric aids foundation

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One of the MANY great things to come out of BlogHer Business last month for me was my discovery of a really cool site, the DC Goodwill Fashion Blog. You may think, what does Goodwill have to do with fashion? Ah, my dear, that saddens me, because you are missing out on some incredible potential finds. A lot of people give a lot of things to Goodwill, and among those things may be diamonds in the rough! As a veteran thrift shop shopper, I know first-hand the joy that comes from finding that $400 designer purse for $25, or the vintage dress for $50.

And so does Em Hall. As the writer of the DC Goodwill Fashion Blog, she shows how you can be fashionable, while staying in your budget and helping others all at the same time. I met Em Hall at BlogHer, where she spoke about the creation and growth of her blog, as well as DC Goodwill's Ebay store and am thrilled that she consented to be interviewed for "WhatGives!?" - she was so kind, and generous, that this is going to be a two part interview - here's the first part...

IT Girl: How did you get started at Goodwill, and how did you come up with the idea to create the blog?

EH: I originally began as a volunteer at Goodwill, way back in 2005. I then was hired as the Corporate Development Assistant, a position which I held for a year. In June of 2007, I became the Retail Marketing Manager and stepped into a department where the VP of Marketing already had the idea to have a blog for Goodwill. We just weren’t sure initially what it would look like or what it would do. When I suggested a fashion blog, our VP loved the concept and thought that it would fit in perfectly with some of the other elements of our web 2.0 strategy that were already in development.

IT Girl: How are you using the blog to position Goodwill in a different light?

EH: Oh, wow. The blog does so many great things to introduce Goodwill’s mission of training and employment, PLUS our great merchandise, to a new audience. Our online audience is decidedly younger and more affluent than our typical shopper, which is a great new market for us to tap into as shoppers for both our eBay and our brick-and-mortar stores. Additionally, the blog has been of great interest to the media, who enjoy the sometimes tongue-in-cheek approach it takes to shopping at a resale store like Goodwill. Other fashion bloggers have gotten really excited about the blog, too, and many of these online interactions have gone offline, resulting in new relationships and a greater presence for our organization in the greater DC community. We’re getting to the point where it’s becoming hip to shop at Goodwill, especially for vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces one can’t find anywhere else.

IT Girl: Did you encounter any resistance from the higher ups in the organization when the blog was getting started?

EH: As I stated above, my boss actually already had the idea of a blog in mind when I joined the marketing team, so there was no resistance on his part! Certainly there was a discussion with the CEO about blogging and how it could be used as a valuable marketing tool. I don’t want people to think I sit around surfing the ‘net all day, although there is definitely great utility in the online social networking in which the DC Goodwill Fashionista participates! And that gets to another fun part of the blog, which is that it’s all about a persona, and not about me as Em Hall. This allows for more fun and creativity in the writing and also means that the blog can carry on after I’m gone, while also reinforcing the Goodwill brand. It’s cool to have a more fashionable alter ego out there raving about Goodwill.

IT Girl: Some bloggers find themselves struggling for content, but you get to use the clothes as content. How did you come up with that strategy?

EH: When we first determined that the blog would be treated as a product, we decided to schedule out the blog content for each of the days of the week that I blog. Monday is general fashion information and trends. Tuesday is the Goodwill Good Buy of the Week, which is a piece or pieces that are featured in depth, then sold on eBay. Thursday is more of an editorial day, when I pontificate on some topic relation to the fashion industry, or retail, or even our mission more generally. That day has generated some of the most passionate comments and I really enjoy writing it. And Friday was added in January with a feature called Blog the Blogger, in which the DCGF interviews another fashion/lifestyle blogger. That’s a popular day, too. Whenever I’m a bit stumped for content, I go back to that schedule, think about the mission of the blog and of Goodwill and something comes to me!

Check out part 2 with Em Hall later in the week!

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Whenever I talk with people about my life, I somehow always come back to the different volunteer activities that I am involved with. Whether it's talking about coaching my daughter's soccer team, or helping out at a Girl Scout event, these things are what defines me. There's nothing that connects me to my family more than being a role model for my kids and showing them how giving matters.

So you may say, that's nice, but I don't have the time. Reality is, we all have time, 24 hours of it per day. How we choose to spend it is what matters. The name of the game here is creativity.

Say you work a regular 9-5 existence. You're not always able to be at your kid's school, but you want to help the PTA. Talk to someone and ask if there is anything you can do in the off hours. Maybe they need someone to write the newsletter, or stuff envelopes over a weekend? That's your opening. When our PTA hands out the list of activities they need help with, they note which ones are most suited to working parents. That's the teamwork that gets them volunteers.

Another great example is a surgeon friend who works 6 days a week in 12 hour shifts. Yet, she volunteers at a local animal shelter. They need people for overnight hours, and that's when she has the free time. They used to use staff members on overtime, and never could fill the time. She approached them, and found the opportunity she needed and took it. She inspires me to think creatively and always strive to do better.

Oh, and if you're the one looking for others to help, here's a suggestion. We have a committee at school that only meets in the morning from 9-10am. I can never make it and don't know much about them as a result. The message they send is "we're not for working parents, we don't want your help." Yet they struggle with not getting enough people to help with their activities. If you are looking for people to help with your cause, BE FLEXIBLE. Suggest meeting alternate between daytime and evenings, weekends and weekdays. Don't turn away an able bodied person. Find something for them to do - you never know what they are going to bring to your cause.

Rule #2 - FIND...a way to help....FIND... the time

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Let's say you're sitting there, reading this blog. You've started eating better, thinking greener, and want to do even more. How you can expend that energy that's just busting at the seams to do some good?

The first thing is to find a cause close to your heart. Let's call that Rule #1 - if it matters to you, it will matter to you.

My kids are so important to me, and I want to do whatever I can to help in their lives. So I volunteer to coach soccer and have been a baseball coach. I'm active in the PTA and other school causes. I raise money for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network because that's something I've personally been affected by.

You may think big - "Cancer is bad, so I'm going to work for the American Cancer Society". That's great, but also know you can work with smaller chapters, and groups like Gilda's Club to make your efforts more personal and regionalized. Often times, working with a small group has that much more impact and gets the good going faster.

It's also important to realize that you can't do everything. Even if you want to help, sometimes, because you've got enough on your plate, or the cause isn't just right for you, it's not going to work out. I was asked to serve on a committee at school that I wasn't altogether happy with. I did it because they really needed people, but in the end, my work was not as good as it should have been, because the "care" was not there. Remember, with giving, you can't fake it.

So, stick to what you know, start small, and see where it takes you!

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Recently, I picked up my daughter from a friend's house after a playdate. I had run there after work and had 15 minutes to make it to pick up my other child. The mom asked if I had a minute to stay and chat, and I said, yes, although it would literally be a minute.

She proceeded to prattle on and on about how tired she was because she was so busy. WHAT she was busy doing, I have no idea. She has two kids in school full time and is a SAHM. All I know is that she is BUSY. Fine, none of my business what she's doing, and that's ok. What wasn't ok was she then started in on me because I am CRAZY to volunteer for as much as I do, and I have to take time to look out for myself.

Excuse moi! You can call my kid ugly, but don't you even think about messing with my missions!

For the record, I volunteer on a regular basis with Girl Scouts and youth soccer, and seasonally with the school PTA and Food Allergy and Anaphalaxis events. I do it because I CARE. Because my time, precious tho it may be, makes a difference when I use it to support something I care about.

How can I get it through this woman's head that my involving myself in these activities and causes is good for EVERYONE -me, my family and the people who are supported in these activities? The answer is that I can't do it conventionally, but I can be sneaky about it. I can start by using this blog to tell you about how you can make a difference by giving your time to causes that you believe in. How is doesn't take nearly as much time as you might think. How you can get others to support your cause and volunteer. How easy it is to make a difference - to your family, your community, and beyond. Stay tuned, there's something in this for everyone!

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As the parent of a child with food allergies, I'm always happy to see someone spreading the word about the good work done by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. This week, NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice will feature a showdown between country music star Trace Adkins and vociferous Brit Piers Morgan for the title.

During the live 2-hour finale airing this Thursday, March 27 at 9pm Eastern, Trace will perform the song “You're Gonna Miss This” with his band. Immediately following his performance and for two weeks after, people can go to iTunes.com and download the song, with proceeds going to FAAN.

Additionally, NBC will be giving viewers a chance to lend a hand and support the charities attached to the show's finalists. Beginning Thursday, March 27th viewers will be able to donate to the two finalists' charities by a text message promotion.

Founded in 1991, FANN is largest charity in the U.S. dedicated to helping and advocating for the 12 million Americans with food allergy. Discovering FAAN was a God-send to my family when my daughter had a life-threatening reaction 4 years ago. I cannot imagine where we would be without them, both in terms of the education they provide and the advocacy that they take on. I'm especially glad to see someone like Trace Adkins put them in the spotlight.

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I really feel like I'm going to earn the designation of BAG LADY around these parts, but here I go...

I've never been one to fret about using reams and reams of paper and plastic bags when I go to the supermarket. I always felt that reusing them once or twice was justification enough to get them. Ignoring the pleas and helpful urgings of friends, I resisted purchasing those $.99 market canvas bags and went on using store provided paper and plastic.

Until the moment I met THE BAG.

Yes, it was at Trader Joe's, a place I have come to acknowledge as the home of all great inspiration. I was at the checkout when I looked up and saw it. The bag. The coolest bag ever.

I was struck with the sudden desire to start using reusable bags and the lust for a NEW COOL THING. Since it happened all at the same time, I was consumed, and had to give in. 4 bags, please.

Now, shopping takes on a different tone. I have COOL REUSABLE BAGS. I'm eschewing paper and plastic, and looking awesome at the same time. I can't say I always remember to put them back in my car, but when I do, it's a God-send. They allow me to put all my groceries in fewer bags, saving me trips between the car and the house, which when you have kids is worth it for that alone.

So that's all it took for me to go green in this one key area. I needed to find a bag that made it cool to reuse. No, I wasn't swayed by the $.02 (seriously) that my local market refunds you for using your own bag. I payed no mind to the others doing the same thing and scorning me for not. It was the cool bag. My friend had a similar experience with the "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" reusable bag where it became a status symbol and she HAD to have one.

Why don't more retailers think this way? Limited edition bags, bags with celebrity images on them, a more direct tie-in to an environmental group that would benefit from the sales of the bag - ideas like this would get even more people going green.

As for me, I'm going to the market tonight. Guaranteed, I'll be the coolest babe there, thanks to my TJ's baggage.

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My BlogHer friend Susan, who authors the most excellent blog The Family Room, recently attended a screening of a new documentary called Autism: The Musical. She wrote about her experience on her BabyCenter blog and asked that people spread the word about this most excellent film.

According to the web site, it's the story of 5 autistic kids who come together to write and produce and perform a musical. It's very real, in that it shows the kids having good days and bad days, and tries to strip away the misconceptions that most of us have about kids on the autistic spectrum.

The movie premieres Tuesday March 25 on HBO. If you don't have HBO, they will be streaming it on their web site free of charge. Now that's a cool thing to do, if you ask me.

My daughter, age 8, aka Little IT, has been in an inclusion class at her elementary school. These kind of classes merge regular kids with kids who need more specialized attention. In retrospect, being in that class was much more of a wonderful experience for her than I could have possibly imagined. Early in the year, the teacher noted to me how compassionate she was when some of the inclusion kids were struggling with things in class. She would often volunteer to read with the kids or help out with math. She was even selected to be in a formal "mentoring" program, spending 2 recess periods per week playing with an incoming kindergartner with autism. I'm proud that she's that way, and hope she will continue to make the choice, whether consciously nor not, to show compassion to others.

I've let her teachers know about the movie and hope they will talk to the kids about watching it. Little IT and I certainly will be. From what Susan said, it looks like a winner.

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Last week, I attended the SXSW Festival in Austin TX for the first time. Before you ask me what cool films I saw or if there were any rocking bands performing, just chill for a moment. I went to the Interactive Festival. No flicks or tunes, just geeks.

Anyhow, that's not really the point of the story. I'm here to talk about the BIG BAG. As a SXSW newbee, I was surprised when after picked up my badge at registration, I was directed to go get my "bag". Cool, I thought, a fun pack o’swag. Uh, no. Not in the least. A huge bag of flyers, postcards, and magazines, oh my. CDs I’ll never listen to or use. Guitar picks (ok, so I thought my kids might like those). And more stuff than I’ve ever seen from a conference.

I was horrified and a little bit ashamed to be a marketer at that moment. Yes, we all want to promote ourselves here, but at what cost to the planet and the backs of the attendees carting this crap around. I later discovered that SXSW organizers encourage people to recycle the stuff by leaving it in designated spots in the convention center if they aren’t going to use it. But isn’t the path REDUCE reuse recycle? Why make the crap in the first place?

Agreed, we want to get into the minds of attendees. Agreed, the conference needs the money that will come from these sponsorship deals. But how can we do this better?

First, how about putting something useful in there? A notebook or notepad, as old school as it seems, is great, because who has anything other than their laptops to take notes on. A pen is also a good idea. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve need a pen here to not have one. I liked O’Reilly’s minibook - they had a game book in there with old school pen and paper games. I saved that.

Next, how about using less paper? A postcard directing me to a web site is better than a full catalog (I’m talking about you, New Riders). Even so, there are a LOT of pieces of paper in there. Card stock does stand out more, but again, is more costly and harmful to the environment. I’m not all that crunchy, but seriously, use your brain and think GREEN.

I left SXSW convinced that there has to be a better solution. I’ve heard other marketers suggest a small slip of paper in the bag directed to a web site, but I want to think out of the box bag. What can we do to get our message across, deliver sponsorship money to SXSW, and still not contribute to the heapload of crap that’s about to descend on the Austin TX landfills? And how can these lessons be applied to other trade shows going forward?

Marketers, the challenge is up to you.

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