From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

Several new laws have gone into effect beginning today, July 1, 2009. Of them is making it illegal for drivers to text or email while behind the wheel. The fine for such an offense: $20. Yikes. Who is that going to deter?

List of new laws in Virginia*:

• Ban reading or sending text messages or e-mails while driving.
• Allow voters to wear political T-shirts, buttons or other apparel to the polls.
• Prohibit stores from selling novelty cigarette lighters to those under 18.
• Require localities that collect guns as part of buyback programs to attempt to sell them to licensed dealers before destroying them.
• Allow courts to suspend the driver’s licenses of teens who miss 10 consecutive days of school.
• Impose a 10 percent tax on pay-per-view movies in Virginia hotel rooms, with the money divided evenly between the general fund and a pool of money that provides incentives for filmmakers to shoot movies in Virginia.
• Bar public access to a statewide database of Virginians with permits to carry concealed handguns. The public still could get information on concealed carry permit holders at each circuit court.
• Bar payday lenders from offering different types of loans in an effort to get around tough new restrictions placed on the short-term, high-interest loans.

* Source: WVEC.com

Community, Social Media BlackBerry, driver's license, driving a car, driving law, email, handheld, iPhone, law, MMS, Pre, Smartphone, SMS, texting, Virginia

Community, Social Media, Speaking #NMC09, @NewMediaConv, Cavalier Yacht Club, convention, Facebook, FriendFeed, Google, inbound marketing, internet marketing, JASEzone, LinkedIn, new media, New Media Conventions, PR, public relations, search engine optimization, seminar, SEO, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter, VA, Virginia Beach, Wi-fi

From Wired.com -

MIT Chasing Down Phantom Traffic Jams
MIT mathematicians have developed a model that aims to explain phantom traffic jams - those backups which occur for no apparent reason - in the hope engineers could design build better roads to minimize the odds of them happening.

Very cool, smart guys. Can you please come to Norfolk (VA) and study the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel?

Community, Environment, Technology Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, HRBT, Massachussetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Norfolk, traffic jam, VA

Did you happen to see the amazing speaker lineup for September’s New Media Conventions event? Wow!

Get your tickets now. Don’t wait.

• Keynote: Keith Parnell from JASE Group Marketing & Advertising
• Session #1: The Role of Public Relations in Social Media, Michelle Rogerson from Reina Communications
• Session #2: Successfully Monetizing Your Blog, Julie Maloney from Momspective
• Session #3: How to Benefit from the Power of Google, Kurt Noer from Customer Magnetism
• Session #4: Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign, 14 Characters at a Time, Renee Alexander Hamilton, Operation Smile

Community, Social Media 140 smiles, blog, convention, Customer Magnetism, Facebook, Google, JASE Group Marketing & Advertising, JASEzone, Julie Maloney, Keith Parnell, Kurt Noer, LinkedIn, Michelle Rogerson, Momspective, New Media Conventions, Operation Smile, PR, public relations, Reina Communications, Renee Alexander Hamilton, RSS, seminar, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter

New Media Conventions

Agenda

Community, SEO / SEM, Social Media blog, Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club, Facebook, FriendFeed, Google, Hampton Roads, JASEzone, LinkedIn, marketing campaign, new media, PR, public relations, search engine optimization, SEO, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter, VA, Virginia Beach, Wi-fi

Stay tuned for the excitement! New Media Conventions is coming to Virginia Beach this fall. Check the New Media Conventions website for more details. Make sure to sign up for the email list to get details as they are unveiled.

Community, Social Media Advertising, analytics, blog, branding, Chesapeake, conference, convention, Delicious, Digg, Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed, Hampton, inbound marketing, internet marketing, JASE Group, JASEzone, Justin Hitt, Keith Parnell lead generation, LinkedIn, Marketing, marketing plan, microblog, Naoma Doriguzzi, new media, New Media Conventions, new media marketing, Newport News, Norfolk, online advertising, online marketing, photograph, Portsmouth, public relations, ROI, RSS, search engine marketing, SEO, Social Media, social media marketing, social network, Success with Technology, Suffolk, summit, traditional advertising, traditional marketing, Twitter, VA, Viddler, Video, Vimeo, Virginia, Virginia Beach, vlog, Williamsburg, YouTube

Earlier today we were able to dodge the rain drops and get over to the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival. The neighborhood of Ghent was as beautiful as ever. And the art and artists were exceptional as usual.

Many thanks to the Hope House staff for your hard work in putting together the arts festival for such a wonderful cause.

Community art, art festival, artist, Ghent, Hope House, Norfolk, Stockley Gardens, Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, VA

The girls and I took a long walk around our neighborhood, Historic Colonial Place, in Norfolk last evening. I took this photo with my BlackBerry Pearl looking over the Lafayette River.

Beautiful!

Community, Family BlackBerry 8100, Colonial Place, historic neighborhood, Lafayetter River, Norfolk, Pearl, VA

I attended an event last night that included panelists and audience participants from many different verticals. Each member in the group was an entrepreneur at heart and by living the life. Each member has a passion for entrepreneurship so much that sharing those experiences is imperative to portraying their vision.

When we entered the panelist event room after a half hour or so of casual networking, I snapped a few pictures (see photo below) with my BlackBerry to send up to TwitPic >> JASEzone >> Twitter >> FriendFeed >> Facebook.

While I was doing so, a friendly woman sat down next to me. Here’s how our quick conversation went -
New Friend: Who are you here with while taking pictures?
Me: No one. I’m just taking them to send to TwitPic to get onto Twitter to share with my network of friends and colleagues.
New Friend: Really? [short pause] What is Twitter?

Since the event was getting ready to start, I spent all of 20 seconds explaining Twitter to her, its purpose, and its popularity. She seemed interested, but not really very interested.

Not thinking much more about our quick encounter, the Twitter conversation entered my thinking again when my new friend raised her hand during the panel discussion to ask a question. Her question was not what intrigued me; her introduction actually astounded me. She introduced herself as a “marketing” entrepreneur in Hampton Roads that has owned a marketing agency for over 20 years.

Huh?! Are you serious?! And you’ve never heard of Twitter? Do you do online marketing at all? Do you know what inbound marketing is? Have you heard of social media marketing? Immediately I had 30 questions for her running through my head.

Here’s the lesson for my readers: Question your marketing / advertising agency. Don’t take for granted they know your audience, much less know where your audience lives.

I’ve talked about this lesson a lot on this blog and on my vlog at Coffee with the CEO. Read through here. Watch a few videos. Don’t let my new friend be your marketing guru. Because they’re not, not matter what they say. Call our team at JASE and let’s get your organization on the right (successful!) track.

Advertising, Community, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Social Media Advertising, advertising agency, BlackBerry, blog, Coffee with the CEO, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurs Forum of Hampton Roads, Facebook, FriendFeed, inbound marketing, JASE Group, JASEzone, marketing agency, marketing team, online marketing, social media marketing, TwitPic, Twitter, Video, vlog

Tonight’s Entrepreneurs Forum of Hampton Roads event should be very informative. I will be there with eyes (and ears) wide open. Succeeding with Partners is the topic; panelists include Bob Golden of The GBS Group, Glenn Davis of Comverge, Mark Bernecker of Corporate Recruiting Partners, and Stacey Wanish of 757JobsNow.com.

Succeeding with Partners
Anecdotes suggest that having a business partner is a recipe for disaster. Studies have proven, however, that a business run by partners will experience accelerated growth. Come hear our panelists discuss the benefits of having a partner.

Date: May 13, 2009
Location: Town Center, Williams Mullen (sponsor), 222 Central Park Avenue, 17th Floor, Virginia Beach, VA
6:00 PM - Networking
6:30 PM -7:30 PM - Panel discussion
$5 Admission fee
Free parking
RSVP TO: kbrowning@williamsmullen.com, 757-499-8800

Business, Community, Entrepreneur 757JobsNow.com, Bob Golden, Comverge, Coprorate Recruiting Partners, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurs Forum of Hampton Roads, GBS Group, Glenn Davis, Mark Bernecker, partnership, Stacy Wanish, Town Center, VA, Virginia Beach, Williams Mullen

I had the great privilege of speaking at last week’s South Hampton Roads Museums Forum meeting.

We talked on social media, how social media fits into an inbound marketing campaign, how inbound marketing fits into an online marketing campaign, and how online marketing fits into an overall marketing plan.

Catch the video and slideshow of the seminar here: Social Media’s Role in the Marketing Plan.

Many thanks to Holly Carson at Keep Norfolk Beautiful for the invite.

Brand, Community, Marketing, Social Media blog, Brand, Facebook, Filtrbox, FriendFeed, Google Alerts, inbound marketing, internet marketing, JASEzone, LinkedIn, marketing plan, organic search, pay per click, Radian6, Social Media

Missed the Norfolk Electronics Recycling Day?

EARTH DAY eCYCLE EVENT

Bringing back this popular event again, Keep Norfolk Beautiful will be hosting an eCycling event during their celebrations on May 3rd from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. This event is open to all Hampton Roads residents. Contact Susan Ash at the Ernie Morgan Center for more details.

A list of items that will be accepted are as follows:

• CPUs, Servers, other Computers
• Monitors (CRT and TFT Based)
• Computer Mice, Printers, Cables, Modems
• Computer Speakers, Scanners, Electronic Peripherals
• Networking Hardware
• Power tool (Corded or Battery Powered)
• Televisions, VCRs, CD Players, DVD Players, Remote Controls
• Calculators, Cell Phones, Telephones, Radios, CB Radios, Stereos
• Fax Machines, Answering Machines, Copiers
• Walkmans, iPods, MP3 Players, Computer Game Items
• Audio/Visual Equipment
• Cables and Wires (Assorted, ok if knotted)
• Microwaves, other small kitchen appliances
• Misc. Electronic Equipment
• Non alkaline batteries (Rechargeable or lithium)

Items that will NOT be accepted:

• Explosives
• Ammunition
• Medical Waste
• Radioactive Materials
• Acid (Unless it is in a battery)
• Compressed Gas Cylinders (propane, refrigerant, etc.)
• Air Conditioners containing Freon
• Asbestos
• Smoke Detectors

Businesses needing a certificate of destruction or recycling, and/or has a quantity of electronic items that is more than what would fit in a F-150 pickup bed, please contact Synergy Recycling right away at hrrecycling@synergyrecycling.com or (757) 339-4010.

Community, Environment Earth Day, electronics, Ernie Morgan Center, Keep Norfolk Beautiful, Norfolk Environmental Commission, recycle, Susan Ash

Nicole and I love to get out in our neighborhood during the evening hours and walk. We say it’s for the exercise but I think, for both of us, it’s more to enjoy the fresh air and to walk the beautiful Lafayette River shoreline.

Earlier this week we were walking, occasionally chatting with neighbors passing by, soaking up the warm spring air and listening to a mix of tunes from my BlackBerry I had tucked in my pocket. We were about 3/4 of the way through our trek and a really cool Stevie Ray Vaughan song, Chitlins con Carne, enveloped us like only his guitar can do.

Nicole looked at me with half a smile and said, “Hey, that’s ‘your’ song.” I smiled back at her.

I knew what she meant but I asked her anyway what she was talking about. I wanted to hear her reaction. She explained that the song we were listening to was my song now and it doesn’t matter that one of the ‘greatest guitar masters ever’ actually owns the tune.

Nicole is an accountant by trade, and a very good one, by the way. I tell you this because she doesn’t live in the marketing and branding world like I do. So she really had no idea that she just paid me the greatest compliment any brand manager could ever receive. She recognized that song as the theme song for my Coffee with the CEO videocasts and podcasts and has now subconsciously associated one of Stevie’s great tunes with my brand. And not just my online brand, my overall personal brand.

I smiled again back at her, blushed, and walked on towards home with a grin in my soul. My brand lives. My brand lives even in those that would love me if I didn’t have a brand.

Brand, Coffee with the CEO, Community, Family accountant, BlackBerry, Brand, Chitlins con Carne, Coffee with the CEO, Colonial Place, Lafayette River, Marketing, Norfolk, personal brand, podcast, professional brand, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Sky is Crying, VA, videocast

NEW THIS YEAR! Norfolk residents are also invited to bring their documents to the Saturday event for shredding! This service is offered for free by Cintas, who will shred the documents on-site. All shredded material will be recycled. Shredding services available Saturday only at the WHRO Studios drop-off site. Plug Into Electronics Recycling! Saturday, April 18th, 8am to 4pm WHRO Studios (49th St. & Hampton Blvd.) Join us Tuesday, April 14th to Friday, April 17th, 10am to 4pm Acceptable electronics recycling items include: Cables & wiring Computers & parts Copiers DVD players Electrical equipment Fax machines Hair dryers/curling irons Microwaves Monitors Phones Personal Digital Assistants (PDAS) Printers Radios Stereos Switches Tape/CD players Toasters TVs Video equipment Video game players Other electronics may be accepted, call KNB at 757-441-1347 to confirm. Less than 10 electronic units/systems will be accepted free of charge. Organizations with more than 10 electronic units/systems to recycle should contact the collection company, Recycling & Disposal Solutions, at 393-4737, or email hrrecycling@synergyrecycling.com to make arrangements. A fee will be charged. Free for Norfolk residents. Proof of residency required.

Community, Environment electronics, Keep Norfolk Beautiful, Norfolk, recycle, VA, WHRO

From Ad Age (print magazine):

“There is a whole other side of Mardi Gras that non-New Orleansians have never seen. It is very family-oriented and looks more like the world’s largest tailgate party.”

“I wanted to see if I could reduce my followers’ negative brand linkage (Mardi Gras = crazy and flashing) and/or increase their positive brand linkage (family and tailgating).”

My question to you is, have you seen or heard of this? What family experience do you have with Mardi Gras?

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Brand, Community Brand, Family, LA, Mardi Gras, New Orleans

JASE Group is featured in the current Inside Business, The Hampton Roads [VA] Business Journal, March 30th print edition.

Recognized for being named marketing and advertising agency of record for a local Virginia Beach business, JASE is a full-service advertising, marketing and information technology agency specializing in social media, branding, advertising, marketing and next generation engineering.

Norfolk-based JASE Group, an advertising and marketing agency, has been name the agency of record for Ballyhoo Home Improvement in Virginia Beach. JASE will be responsible for all creative and strategic brand development, traditional and online advertising, collateral design, public relations and marketing initiatives with emphasis on inbound marketing, search engine optimization, web and blog development, and online social media presences for Ballyhoo.

See the full press release here.

Advertising, Brand, Business, Community, Marketing, Social Media Advertising, Agency of Record, Ballyhoo Home Improvement, business journal, collateral, Creative, inbound marketing, Inside Business, JASE Group, Marketing, Norfolk, press release, public relations, SEO, Social Media, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Web Development

I ran across this video on the Hampton Roads Partnership blog. It’s actually a promotional video for the proposed new Midtown Tunnel in Hampton Roads (VA) but the video gives a great simulation of how the tunnel links are designed, built and installed in the river.

Community, Video Downtown Tunnel, Elizabeth River, Hampton Roads, I-264, Martin Luther King Expressway, Midtown Tunnel, Norfolk, Portsmouth, river, tunnel, VA, VDOT

I had the great privilege of speaking at last evening’s Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group meeting. We talked on social media, its role in the workplace and how social networking can be used to generate leads for your organization.

Catch the live Twitter stream here: #swtmar09. 

Pictures, video and more details to come.

Thanks to the organizers, Naoma and Justin, of the event and many thanks to the event sponsor, Exit Realty.

Community, Social Media, Speaking Exit Realty, Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group, internet marketing, Marketing, Social Media

This weekend I did zero blogging. Zero. Wait, I did do a bit of twittering although most of it was from the BlackBerry.

We had three 75+ degree days here in Hampton Roads and we spent most of our time outdoors. It was absolutely gorgeous!

Here a few of the tweets I sent across the airways. Hope you have a great week.

parnellk63: Reading Ad Age while hanging out. Brought up a thought: do you know your competition? Do you know what makes them strong?

Sunday, March 08, 2009, 1:25:55 PM

parnellk63: My gosh, what a beautiful day. God is good!

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 7:06:28 PM

parnellk63: Our bike & skateboard ride around the neighborhood today. - Photo: http://bkite.com/05hsL

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 6:03:35 PM

parnellk63: @TraciKnoppe - Wonderful. Checking on things, getting ready to head out on a beautiful 73 degree day. And you?

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 12:49:49 PM

parnellk63: @TraciKnoppe @amcmoore @gadgets4geeks @3dizzle @janiebehr @daddyclaxton @KimDeanArt @wizzlewolf @smball804 @SharonALavy - Good morning!

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 12:43:35 PM

Community, Social Media blog, Family, sun, Twitter, weather

The Miniature Earth

If we could turn the population of the earth into a small community of 100 people, keeping the same proportions we have today, it would look something like this.

Community, Environment, God, Health, Video earth, population, poverty, world

Here are a few photos we took while walking our neighborhood a while back.

Historic Colonial Place

Lafayette River from Mayflower Avenue

Mayflower Avenue boardwalk on the Lafayette River

Granby Street bridge looking over the Lafayette River from Mayflower Avenue

Sun going down over the Colley Avenue bridge and the Lafayette River

See more photos from our walk on my Flickr page here.

Community, Family boardwalk, bridge, Colley Avenue, Colonial Place, Granby Street, historic, Lafayette River, Mayflower Avenue, photowalk, river, sunset

 Sydni talked Nicole and I into taking her to the new Pretlow Library in Ocean View a while back. It was a nasty, rainy day so perfect for a library visit.

I have one comment for the City of Norfolk - NICE JOB! I was impressed. The decor, the large computer room, the vast book, audio and video selections, the children’s floor and even the Ocean View Museum are all impressive. I finally can brag that our city leaders have spent our tax money wisely, at least with this endeavor.

Community audio, book, children, computer, Mary D. Pretlow Library, Norfolk, Ocean View, Ocean View Museum, VA, Video

JASE Group is featured in the current Inside Business, The Hampton Roads [VA] Business Journal, February 9th print edition.

Recognized for being named marketing and advertising agency of record for a local Chesapeake business, JASE is a full-service advertising, marketing and information technology agency specializing in social media, branding, advertising, marketing and next generation engineering.

JASE Group, a Norfolk advertising and marketing agency, has been named the agency of record for Concrete Concepts in Chesapeake. As part of the agreement, JASE will handle all creative and strategic brand development, traditional & online advertising, collateral design, public relations, marketing initiatives, search engine optimization, web development and online social media presences for Concrete Concepts.

See the full press release here.

Advertising, Brand, Business, Community, Marketing, Social Media Advertising, Agency of Record, business journal, Chesapeake, collateral, Concrete Concepts, Creative, Inside Business, JASE Group, Marketing, Norfolk, press release, public relations, SEO, Social Media, Virginia, Web Development

According to the IDG News Service, Microsoft’s Silverlight technology has been chosen to stream U.S. President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony live on the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s Web site. So you’d better download your Silverlight plug-in if you haven’t already.

The official 2009 Inauguration website is here.

The official 2009 Inauguration blog is here.

Community, Technology Barack Obama, IDG, inauguration, Joe Biden, Microsoft, President, Silverlight, United States of America, Vice President

Nicole met Sydni and I at the Riverview Coffee Parlor this afternoon. What a fabulous, little place.

This sitting room with its couches, comfortable chairs, newspapers, magazines and books make for a very relaxing visit for some chill time. The strawberry smoothie and bagel Sydni had was wonderful. The pimento cheese sandwich on 8-grain bread Nicole had was fresh and tasty. The hazelnut latte I had was great. And the prices aren’t too bad either. Just remember the bring cash or check with you; no debit or credit. I made that mistake today. Oops.

If you get an opportunity and are in the vicinity of the Riverview Theater on Granby Street (in Norfolk, VA), stop in. You will not be disappointed!

Riverview Coffee Parlor
4117 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23504
(757) 622-1365

Community bagel, books, chair, coffee, Colonial Place, couch, Granby Street, magazines, newspapers, Norfolk, Riverview, Riverview Coffee Parlor, sandwich, smoothie, tea, VA