To be persuasive we must be belivable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful. - Edward R. Murrow

SpotMixer is an online video ad creation tool put out as a service by One True Media. For all of you small to mid-sized companies out there without a huge television advertising budget, it is another online tool that cuts costs nearly in half. You do need some time, an eye for what is good as opposed to tacky, and some willingness to do it on your own, but this is another tool to level the playing field when marketing your business. A post at Sociable a few months back describes Spot Mixer in detail.

SpotMixer has announced an agreement with Google whereby SpotMixer will be "selected as the first 100% 'self-creation' tool in Google's TV Ad Creation Marketplace." As described by Google, "Google TV Ads is a flexible, all-digital system for buying more accountable and measurable TV advertising. Using the familiar AdWords interface, you can launch a TV advertising campaign in minutes." The idea will be that businesses will be able to create their Google TV ads with SpotMixer "giving smaller enterprises just as great a chance to be successful with television ads as larger companies with big budgets to outsource their ads."

SpotMixer allows creation of video ads on the site for free and 6-month plans start at $59 per month. Being a lawyer, I actually read the terms of service and would suggest you do the same. For example, an account allows the creation of an ad for one business only. If the business has multiple locations, only two locations can be advertised. I do not know whether these same restrictions will carry over to the collaboration with Google. SpotMixer also retains an all encompassing license to "member creations." Apart from these considerations, it is fun to mess around with SpotMixer and explore different ad ideas. These are two tools worth looking at.

As far as I'm concerned, progress peaked with frozen pizza. - John McClane, Die Hard 2

The International Technology Law Association is holding an ITECHLAW Media Webinar on June 26, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. Registration is required.

The webinar promises to address some of the most pressing questions in the digital age. Questions such as, "Should governments mandate how ISPs deal with customers who engage in peer-to-peer copyright infringement?" The webinar will include legal experts from some of the top law firms in the world. It should be informative.

If you read a lot of books you are considered well read. But if you watch a lot of TV, you're not considered well viewed. - lily tomlin

Entrepreneurs from around the world listen up. Yourbusinesschannel.com is set to launch a new online television show where a team of experts provide advice to 25 real entrepreneurs with real businesses. The show will be called the Million Dollar Challenge and is open to "businesses of any size and stage, anywhere." There is an online application and a trailer at the YBC site.

The team of experts will "include Kevin Roberts (global CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi), Dr Ivan Misner (networking guru and Founder of BNI), Penny Power (Founder of Ecademy.com - the leading online business network) and Tom Smith (acclaimed social media expert from Universal McCann)." So, if you are inclined to put your business in the "hot seat," this may be an opportunity to get exposure and advice for your business.

And at the end of the day the Internet is still all about Software. - Marc Andreessen

Well at 10:00 PDT (17:00 UTC), Firefox 3 was to be officially released. According to ZD Net, as of 10:14 PDT, GetFirefox and Mozilla were both down - I got a time out when I checked. The developer blog is up. I can wait and I am not complaining.

Given a little bit more time and research and guts, when I launched my firm I would have done so entirely open source. For the small business person, voice over internet protocol, open source software, and advances in networking over the last five years or so have dramatically knocked down the costs of running a professional office. But, like many new business owners, we were persuaded that long-term contracted, commercial, software applications were better than existing alternatives. We were told by the regional Bells that old-school business phones and service were the way to go. Ultimately we have a mix of both in our office. We could see equally valid arguments for using big box commercial or open source. Except when it came to our browser software. We love Firefox.

I am not technologically savvy enough to tell you why using Firefox is better. Michael Calore at Webmonkey does a good job of that. I can tell you that Firefox loads faster, integrates better, and has a host of add-ons that extend the browser's capabilities. It is just more integrated in a way that is hard to explain.

So, I am patiently awaiting Firefox 3. Checked again, still down ... wait ... a post from Mozilla. Good luck and thanks to all the people at Mozilla who tell us they will start Download Day once the servers are back to normal.

I love deadlines. Especially the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. - Douglas Adams

© denn

Procrastination is a much maligned trait. Abraham Lincoln, ultra-lawyer, told young lawyers never to leave until tomorrow what could be accomplished today while his wife, Mary, was accused of being a chronic procrastinator. Lifehacker contributor, Adam Pash, posted about a recent NPR podcast of a Talk of the Nation broadcast entitled, "How to Be a Productive Procrastinator." One of the guests was Timothy A. Pychyl a professor of psychology at Carleton University and the Procrastination Research Group and a blogger at Psychology Today. I found listening to the thirty-five minute discussion (in the background) while I diligently attended to work here, enlightening.

Dr. Pychyl won my respect instantly because he stated during the show that he does not regard procrastination as being "lazy." In fact, he said he does not like the word lazy. Procrastination may be a part of an unwillingness to complete work because of a need for perfection or fear of failure. It may be that you set unnecessary "intentions" and deadlines and then do not follow through. But, "lazy" is a term usually used to attack others.

I avoided some end-of-the-week work and read through some of the Doctor's posts. Including this one,

"To the extent that we find ourselves thinking things like, 'My life path is controlled by forces I cannot influence,' we are now aware that this thinking may contribute to our task avoidance. Similarly, if we find ourselves thinking things like, 'I am not able to resist temptations when I know that there is work to be done,' or even, 'Taking risk keeps my life from becoming boring,' we should recognize that we're vulnerable to impulsive decisions to delay now and pay later. I think of these sorts of thoughts as 'flags.' They should serve to signal us that we're about to undermine our own plans and goals."

Good show. Great advice. Of course, you could try out Great Moments in Procrastination if your still killing time at work.

Las Vegas is Everyman's cut-rate Babylon. - Alistair Cooke

The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has brought six Microsoft Surface tabletop computers into its iBar ultra-lounge for use and play by bar patrons. Cool. I cannot wait to get out there and try it out.Surface is a thirty inch tabletop computer that features an interface that allows several users to move data around with their hands on the tabletop. I really do not know what practical value that has, but I am not Microsoft.

The chief application is called Flirt. This is described as "an exciting new way to chat and meet people from one Surface to another. Strategically placed video cameras at each Surface add even more energy to the action, allowing guests to interact with old friends, flirt with new acquaintances, and take and send photos across the lounge." Cool. But, my significant other and business partner is probably not into this feature. Guests will also be able to play a variety of games, order specialty cocktails, view videos, and tour Vegas virtually.

The Microsoft Surface team blog has a video and a description of the first days' implementation of the project. Having spent significant time in the Rio, I doubt the tabletop will stay as clean, spill-free, and without ashes, as shown in the video.

I have checked out the schedule at the Rio to see if I could justify a convention trip on the business tab. No dice. The Institute of Internal Auditors have the next big convention out there in July (with the exception of a June seminar on Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities). Neither sound at all interesting (no offense internal auditors - Go Flirt with the other auditors!).