Pushing Tin (or Highlighter Tape)
- one of my favorite movies "Pushing Tin" - which has absolutely no relevance
whatsoever to today's topic, other than the "pushing" part.
Sometimes when you have multiple products on your web site, it's hard to know where to put your
focus. If we had a large staff, or even a staff at all, I'd have one person putting up google ads for our Obama, Hillary,
McCain IQ solitaire, maybe I'd direct that person to put some of the IQ Solitaire software up on ebay and write
an ad for craig's list as well. I'd have another staff member searching for educational toy stores, especially in Minneapolis
and Denver where the Republican and Democratic conventions, respectively will be held in August. But
being a small company, I had to focus my attention elsewhere.
Since we have received several inquiries about highlighter tape this week, I decided that it
would be best to "push" that product. So I printed up some address labels for are really down-town brochures
from Lee Products, some order forms I had created some weeks ago, and put them in a cute transparent, polka dot
Chinese take-out box that I got at Michaels along with some highlighter tape samples. I put on a cute turqouise outfit,
got in the car with Scooter and trapsed out to some of the schools around Newport Beach. Being from Minnesota
originally, it's amusing to see California schools whose doors open up to the outside (like in "Karate Kid") and that have
lockers that you can see from the street. They have cute names around here too, being close to the ocean and all.
My favorite is Mariner's High School. They must call themselves the "Sea Bees" because it's painted on the side of the
building somewhere. Cute.
Well, since the printing the labels for the brochures along with the order forms had
taken so long, it was close to the end of the school day, and I never did get to give my free samples to the Sea Bees.
But I did drop off samples in two other schools. The secretary at the Catholic school seemed a bit leary of my samples and
added that she couldn't promise anything. (She must be used to people asking for big favors when they approach her desk.)
The student receptionist at the other school was ready to have me walk to the teacher's lounge to place my samples there before
an asute mentor beside him said it would be fine to leave the samples at the desk. (I'll let you know if I get any response
either school.)
At least it was great to get out of the office and get on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and
watch the sailboats in Balboa Harbor on my way to dropping off the samples. It's all a great experiment anyway, isn't
it, as to what works and doesn't, but it was a lovely California day in which to experiment while I passed blooming bouganvilla
and a myriad of other spring flowers and bushes that we just never had in Minnesota.
Teaching With SitePal Avatars
That
cute animated girl on our home page? - an avatar from SitePal. We talked about her in a previous blog (see January
14). Annie Avatar, as I call her, was fun to choose (kind of an alter-ego, wanna-look-like-her dream come
true.) The only problem with the avatars that I see is that they all could use a speech clinician/pathologist for
their "s" problems. Apparently, the technology has trouble perfecting the "s" of avatars such as
Annie.
However, these avatars have just acquired a whole new career path - one other than marketing products. According
to an email I received from the SitePal.com, Dr. Brian McFarlin of the University of Houston has examined using
SitePal avatars for use in his online class. So now we have avatar teachers and they seem to be doing well!
"During the 2006-7 school year, Dr. McFarlin implemented a SitePal speaking avatar as an informational element within
the curriculum for two of his classes.
Dr. McFarlin reported that grades were 21% higher in those classes in which
he employed various technologies, including SitePal. He also received praise from his students, who said that the SitePal
character was a welcome addition to the program and helped to improve their learning experience."
The complete
study is available by clicking
here. Dr. McFarlins's study was also published on Scientific Daily on March 25th, 2008. To see the release, go
here.
As a result of this study, the email I received also announced a 30% discount package that is being
offered for a limited time. The contact information listed was:
sales@SitePal.com or 877-300-6030 to learn about the special package.
So, if you are teaching an online course or need to instruct
your customers on using your products, check into getting a cute avatar for yourself. (You can even design one to look
like YOU!) Just don't be disappointed with the "th" for "s" subsitution.
Happy Trails
to Until We Meet Again
(and if you recognize those words, you might check for a few gray hairs)
Cheers,
Billie
