Watch out Snapchat, your evil, more snazzy twin Slingshot is here! Not really though. Facebook recently released a new app that is very similar to Snapchat. However, after trying out Slingshot I'm aftraid to say, that in my opinion, it's a bust. All of my fellow employees back me up as well!

Today I made a new friend on my flight from Frankfurt to Rome but when I climbed into my seat next to the window I had no idea that a treat was waiting for me as I sat next to this elderly couple, who were also on Holiday. I thought I would disappear into my computer and headphones but instead I was reminded how important it is to be able to contribute in this world through your work and how important it is to share those stories; even when you’ve been retired for 17 years.

This past Friday I had the privilege of being part of a group of “experts” at an event that ChicoStart put together called “Spring Training.” It was a bit like speed dating for entrepreneurs and startup companies. There were seven stations with experts in business pitch, funding, strategic planning, human resources, technical, legal and HR/Payroll, and marketing for startups. Each company or individual got 7 minutes to pitch their idea at each station and ask advice or get input. True to the baseball analogy, there were 7 innings, then a 7 inning stretch, followed by 3 more innings where they could go back to a station where they hoped for more input. By that 10^th inning of “overtime” we were all glassy eyed and tired, but what a great time! The participants I interacted with were enthusiastic and engaged, teachable and hopeful!

Today, I was reminded of life’s uncertainty as I realized the unexpected passing of a kind man I have worked with over the last nine months. Even though I have never met him, I feel like I know him, and I’m left with a lump in my throat and a sadness in my heart that I will not be interacting with him any longer.

Cadillac launched a new commercial for the Olympics that really got under my skin! I waited for a week to see if I was still irritated enough to post a “ranty” blog, and I am, so here we go! This ad for the new Cadillac ELR essentially proclaims that the achievements and greatness of the United States of America rests in the fact that we don’t rest. Check it out here if you haven’t seen it.

For months now here at Half a Bubble Out we have been writing and posting blogs about a wide variety of inbound marketing and SEO concepts; from how to create the best landing pages to what makes a good website, how to add keywords to your website, and a host of other topics. Every week each person in our office gets assigned a topic from the core areas we have committed to writing about, and every week we are responsible for coming up with a helpful, informative blog post about that topic. We are huge believers in blogging and have seen the fruit of it in our business. Having said that, if you look at the authors over the past several weeks, you will note that I have been woefully remiss in contributing my allotted blog posts on any regular basis.

I learned something about myself watching the Super Bowl last weekend. It wasn’t a brand new revelation, but it was a deeper understanding of something that resides in my DNA. Simply put it is this: I want people to do well. I want teams to play well. I want competition to look like it really is competition. When games happen like the recent destruction of the Denver Broncos by the Seattle Seahawks I am just kind of depressed afterwards.