The world around us

Today we got started in earnest in organizing our stuff for our move. I put several ads in online classified sites and within a few hours received several replies and visits and even sold a few items. We’ve still got a long way to go but at least we’ve started the process, which itself has been a tough thing to do as there has been so much other stuff going on. It’s actually quite a tough thing to not get emotional about ones things and to be able to sell them for ridiculously low prices that we’re going to end up selling them for, but we really don’t have an option at all. It’s a buyers market after all!

As soon as we’re done with this move, I want to go for a nice week long vacation, do something completely different, maybe even go in for one of these Crewed Yacht Charters where one can completely lay back and not do any thing and not worry about anything. It definitely sounds extremely tempting and I definitely do want to experience one of these yacht charters, but not quite sure when we’ll actually be able to go for one. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, or maybe it should be the goal we work towards to make it happen.

As we’re progressing in the world of technology, ironically we seem to be losing touch with the art of writing letters. Phones have become so important to us that the art of writing letters has almost been lost. I still enjoy writing letter, although I don’t write them as often as I should. Everyone should get some personal mail along with catalogs and bills in their Mailboxes, something to perk them up from the run-of-the-mill routine of the day. I know I really enjoy getting hand written letters and cards, more so now when they are getting quite rare.

Your personal identity is important information online but marketers are more keen to learn your browsing habits and what you were searching for online instead. Monitoring technologies that are able to track and predict future shopping behavior are becoming increasingly popular with advertisers. These behavioral targeting methods are the key to getting better results in marketing campaigns. In the US alone, marketers are likely to increase their spending on behavioral campaigns from $575 million in 2007 to $1 billion in 2008.

“As long as I’m seeing relevant advertising and as long as I am receiving free content, I am a pretty happy person,” said Bill Gossman, chief executive of behavioral targeting firm Revenue Science. The company’s clients have included media outlets from Reuters Group Plc to Walt Disney Co.’s ABC News and Gannett Co. Inc.’s USA Today.