Catalogs.com is looking to hire a full time, in house programmer in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This is a salaried position. Benefits include: Health, Dental, 401K, and paid vacation and sick days. Local South Florida Residents Only
Out of region resumes will be immediately discarded.

Qualifications for the lucky programmer must include:
Classic ASP expert, SQL

The following would be a plus:
PHP, AJAX, dhtml, etc. Web 2.0 interface experience and thought processes
Very savvy in social media
Website/GUI/Graphic development

Please email Leslie@Catalogs.com with resumes.

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So Catalogs.com just secured two major victories in the fight for FREE exposure (and no, I’m not talking about the exposure from a man in a trench coat).

Take #1:

Catalogs.com just secured our first live TELEVISION spot for NBC-6 (aired in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale markets).The Saturday Morning Show featured us on their Father’s Day Segment, where we displayed several cool and interesting Father’s Day gifts on a long 8 foot table. Hours and hours and hours of time was spent securing the products, writing the description/copy, practicing for LIVE television, consuming an entire Saturday morning taping, and then shipping back the products.

End result:

Zero spike in traffic to Catalogs.com, both during the day and after monitoring the entire weekend of traffic.

Take #2:

Catalogs.com just secured our first full page feature story in a regional paper covering Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, the South Florida Business Journal. Headline read "Weston company succeeds by driving traffic to traditional retail catalogs".

End result:

1. Lots of wonderful “blasts from the past” from old co-workers, friends and associates wishing us Congratulations and continued success.
2. Inquiries from businesses who wanted to sell us fancy plaques with the story and masthead showcased.
3. Only one (1) potential NEW client lead from a catalog company based in South Florida, (but in all fairness, the story did only break a few days ago).

Questions that Remain:

· Can local and regional media exposure be the “stepping stone” to secure major feature articles and live broadcasts on a national scope?

· Will national exposure build enough brand awareness to break-even against our costs?

These tough questions will need to be weighed at the end of our fist six (6) months with Catalogs.com’s first public relations agency encounter.

Stay tuned!

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The team spent this week at the IRCE conference and here are some of our thoughts -

• Attendees more pleasant at the IRCE than other shows - maybe everyone's extra nice because we all need business in this down economy
• Social marketing is THE hot topic (yea, I know you already know)
• Companies who have the most ostentatious booths seem the most unhappy
• Our sleeping puppy "Click" was a hit - and freaked out a few people
• Attendees were very interested in talking to us about Internet experiences and retail experiences - from the guy in the elevator to the person in line buying coffee

• A very interesting group for Women in E-commerce had a gathering, recruiting new members
• There is a big push for the development of mobile applications on iphones and other mobile devices both here in the USA and in 2nd and 3rd world countries, where the mobile phone is the only form of Internet available abroad - hadn't thought of it like that
• Great cast of keynote speakers, including Brian Galloway from REI and CEO of NetElixer, Udayan Bose who keyed us in on secrets of capturing ethnic market share by focusing on different, more relatable buzzwords
• Musician Hut's E-commerce expert and President Eric Archuleta's had some positive views on the catalog industry - Catalogs will always have a long shelf life that is so much more valuable than a quick Twitter post or search
• Had a great opportunity to meet some clients of Catalogs.com for the first time including Appleseed's, Mrs. Beasley's, Debby Burk Optical, Casual Male and more of our leading merchants
• Well worth the investment – very pleased with the turn-out. We'll be there next year.

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Exciting news!

We're here at IRCE, the Internet Retailer 2009 Conference & Exhibition in beautiful Boston, MA and are all having a grand old time!

Said to be the world's largest e-retailing trade show, the fifth-annual Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition, presented by Internet Retailer magazine is devoted this year to the strategies and tools that e-retailers can use to thrive in a recession that pulls the rest of retailing down. The timely theme - Rising Above—Not Just Surviving—the Economic Storm.

Catalogs.com has a booth all set up and is one of 350 exhibiting companies. Last night we enjoyed the 3 hour cocktail party and have been listening to the roster of 179 expert speakers, absorbing every word they have to say. Featuring a brilliant cast of keynote speakers, including Brian Galloway from REI (Recreational Equipment Inc) and the founder and CEO of NetElixer, Udayan Bose, who discussed keywords and how 10% of keywords count towards 80% of overall conversion. Bose also keyed us in on the secrets of capturing ethnic market share simply by focusing on different, more relatable buzzwords.

E-commerce expert and President of Musician's Hut, Eric Archuleta, gave a memorable speech focusing on the fact that it's not always important to be #1. Simply put, he cares more about buyers than visitors and cited examples on why it isn't always best to be in first place - walking into a mine field for example, driving into a speed trap, or being the highest paid employee in 2009 are all instances where you don't want to be the first to jump in, and the same thing applies to purchasing keywords on Google. It isn't always best to be #1 on Google, and you don't always have to purchase the top keywords in order to thrive.

My favorite quote of the conference this far dealt with Archuleta's views on the catalog industry. He claimed that catalogs continue to have an incredible impact because while a catalog sits around, consumers have a chance to save up. The longer a catalog sits around, the more chances you have of people thumbing through it and visiting it over and over again, ensuring that catalogs will always have a long shelf life that is so much more valuable than a quick Twitter post or a search on a computer.

Which reminds me of another highlight...

Twitter, could it become another search engine?

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Tomorrow I will be joining three other Catalogs.com'ers who will be attending and exhibiting at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition, and I personally am really looking forward to joining in on several workshops and discussions.

Our whole team is very excited about meeting new people (and especially running into existing clients) and revealing Catalogs.com new programs & demonstrate the benefits of catalog shopping online. We have new ways for companies to cost effectively promote themselves, and can't wait to share our info.

We plan on attending the 8:30 am workshop “The Latest Info that All Retailers Need to Know about Search Engines.” Also interested very much in the “Getting Deep into Analytics –If you can understand what your analytics Program"

Another workshop that is of interest is "The Web’s Growing Importance – and what it means to Chains and Catalogs.” Obviously the IRCE should have asked Catalogs.com to be the main speaker! We could talk their ear off with solid examples!!!

Other sessions which are of interest include "Want a Better Site? Ask Your Customers”, "Building Your Brand Online " , "When there are so many marketing vehicles, which gets the Credit for the sale.” And one I really want to hear, “Tracking Keywords to Determine ROI”.

Please feel free to Twitter me, or my colleagues on www.Twitter.com/catalogs

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As I was searching for office supplies and back to school items (I like to get started early), I stumbled upon a strange yet comical item that I just had to share.

Bargain Post-it Notes

As a result of today's economic challenges, we have all come to love leftovers, especially when it's my prized brisket, so American Science & Surplus is extending the love of leftovers to office supplies.

How much does the average business spend a year on bright yellow squared post-it notes? Office Depot charges $37.89 for a Postit pack of 24...add that up amongst x number of employees and that's a lot of dough being spent on post-its.

These Bargain Leftover Post-It Notes are not only a great steal of a bargain, but they embrace the current eco-philosophy to waste not, want not.

These post-it note sheet pads were pharma-giveaways to promote a breakthrough Rectal Gel.

Yes, I said Rectal Gel. You got a problem with that?

These post-its are dirt cheap, who cares if they come with a side order of advertisements for some butt cream on them? The larger 4" x 6" fifty sheet pads are a buck each and say "Stop the seizure. Fast." , while the smaller 2-3/4" x 5" pad reads "Protect what Matters" at $1.95 each. Both sets feature a memorable little fire extinguisher logo, giving users the subliminal promise of rectal relief as well as economic relief.

What a great deal.

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I'm a sucker for two things - a good giveaway, and a good cause.

So I was completely psyched when I heard that the online retailer, AllAmericanDirect.com, was launching their second Laptops for Flat Tops Giveaway that gives military families a chance to win two state of the art laptops fully equipped with webcams to help improve long-distance communications while their loved ones are serving America the beautiful.

After phenomenal success with their first contest in April, AllAmericanDirect.com is even more excited to salute our American soldiers by giving them the means to actually see their family's smiling faces while they are stationed thousands of miles away. The winner from April’s contest, Heather Woolf exclaimed -

“This means so much to us—especially for our 6 year old daughter. Just being able to see his face makes us feel more connected.”

Personally, I think this a fantastic cause. I, myself, have had immediate family members in the military and wish that “the internet” and webcams had been invented way back when they were serving. My first uncle (my mother’s brother) speaks 7 languages fluently and has served in many overseas missions. He retired as a Colonel in the Army intelligence division and served in both the Korean War and Vietnam. He has lived all over the world, how wonderful it would have been to see his face and wish him well all those times he was far, far away.

The second contest goes live today, June 1st, so sign up for that Laptop for your Flat Top today.

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Can you keep up with middle school kids?

My office employees and I are getting F’s.

I recently challenged 2 highly educated co-workers (holding a BS in Business Management/Accounting and a BS in Business Economics) and myself (with an MBA in International Business) to take a test that my daughter was recently given in middle school. My two co-workers (and I) all got F's! It wasn't our finest hour, and the three of us all felt like we were rejects from an episode of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

The test in question was for a geography final. The examination was administered on-line, with the teacher, literally standing behind my daughter's back peering over her shoulder as she was forced to mouse over the correct answers. Not only was the test ridiculously difficult (as my co-workers and I will gladly attest to), but she was not allowed to fill in the answers that she knew, and then come back to the ones she didn’t know. She wasn’t allowed to erase and change her mind after thinking about it. I question if computers should be used, at all, in administering tests. They inhibit a child's natural test taking strategies and instincts while adding even more unnecessary anxiety.

Do YOU know every freakin capital in every country in Asia? Go ahead, I dare you to identify all of these capitals.

My co-workers and I, could not.

Personally, I am fed-up with the amount of homework and the difficulty levels of the finals kids are given today, and really question if this much “busy work” is necessary. My daughter is coming home with 3 – 4 hours PER NIGHT of homework, and furthermore... is knowing the capital of Laos (which is Vientiane, FYI) really that important when you're in middle school? As of yet, she hasn't decided to major in East Asian Studies and is too young to head to the Far East to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.

It's been a tough year and I will be so glad once summer comes and all three of my kids can say Sayonara to school.

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I met Herschell Gordon Lewis back in 1994, when my husband and I launched a necktie catalog and turned to Herschell for some marketing guidance. Back then Herschell was quite the character and has become the ever-so popular author of 31 books and the quintessential marketing genius of today. What I love about Herschell is that he writes from his heart, tells it like it is, and could care less about who he offends. In an article in Chief Marketer.com last month, Herschel made a claim that few historians will be able to argue with … that the Fifth Age of Communication is right around the corner...

Herschell notes, the First Age began in prehistoric times consisting of cavemen drawing on walls and monks scribbling manuscripts. The Second Age commenced in the early to mid-15th century with the invention of movable type with the linotype soon to follow. The Third Age marked the birth of the wireless transmission thanks to Marconi and Tesla, and the first commercial radio station went on the air in 1920. The Fourth Age stems from the 1980s, when the Internet made one-to-one marketing on a mass basis possible...and ahh, ain't Google grand?

Herschell brilliantly reflected that with the maturation of each Age, the dominant medium changed, but did not eliminate the others, interestingly enough. People continue to copy by hand, publications still exist, and books continue to sell by the billions. Broadcast stations are loaded with commercials, and cable stations offer a fare to suit every taste or lack of taste. Is a Fifth Age possible?

Herschell's pretty sure of it, since a viewing of the recent remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still where Keanu Reeves stars as an informational android with a USB-plug in his head.

The idea fascinated me, could brain-to-brain communication really exist? I guess we're on the right track, a story in Business Week commented on the current "electroencephalography" trend, where sensors read the brain's faint electrical signals, and the wearer can change the image on a computer monitor just by thinking it. Emotiv has taken gaming a step further by selling the first-generation gadget, Epoc, for about $300, promising to deliver mind-inspired game play like nothing ever seen before.

The Fifth Age may be closer than we, or Keanu ever imagined.

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No matter what, apply pressure if there is blood splurting out from anywhere.

Yesterday I was upstairs working while my middle daughter was downstairs taking on one of her new chores. She was emptying the dishwasher like a good little girl, working hard for her allowance when all of a sudden I heard a blood curdling scream. I flew down the stairs to see both of my daughter's hands, as well as my kitchen covered in blood. Apparently a glass had broken on the counter while she had her two little hands wrapped around it and it sliced her hand wide open.

I tried to rinse her hands to see how bad the wound was, but it just wouldn't stop bleeding. It was like some horrible horror movie except instead of Elm Street it was a Nightmare in the Linevsky Kitchen. I was home alone in the middle of a CSI crime scene and didn't know what to do. I thought about applying pressure to the wound like I've seen them do on ER, but was worried there was glass lodged in my baby's hands and I didn't want to make it worse. I then called 911 and the paramedics swiftly arrived.

They wrapped her hands in gauze until she faintly resembled the Return of the Mummy, and the paramedics informed me that it's better to apply pressure to the wound, whether it's a knife or glass stuck in there, it can always be surgically removed. Good to know. Another medical error I made was wrapping her hands in towel paper. Concerned with finding something sterile, I was told that a dishtowel would have been better because it was heavier and would have added more pressure.

Then we trekked to the urgent care center and she had to receive seven stitches in one hand. A quick phone call assured me they had ample experience in giving stitches and the woman who helped us at the ER (an 18 year registered trauma nurse at Jackson) informed us that after treating 600 child patients, she never had to hold one down while giving them stitches. I soon realized why. She showed us her entire bag of medical tricks and walked my daughter and I through step by step, explaining what everything was and what it was for. Phenomenal.

What a brave girl I have. She's tough. They didn't even give her a shot of novocaine. They applied a topical ointment to numb the area and once the stitching began she winced a few times, but still turned down the novocaine. She doesn't have a black belt in karate for nothing. She grinned and beared it like Chuck Norris with a bullet wound in the abdomen. I wonder where her incredible strength comes from, I fainted once in college while trying to put in contact lenses.

Her hands are healing and overall she's okay, but the bad news is - she can't play volleyball, swim or battle evil foes at fencing for two whole weeks. The good news? The ER physician told her she never had to do dishes again.

Obviously he's never been to the Linevsky Kitchen.

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This is my post Mother's Day post.

I hope all of my Mommy blog followers had as wonderful a Mother's Day as I did. I was spoiled by every single member of the family and there's even more pampering to be had.

Today I'm decked out in an ensemble that I've already received a handful of compliments on, thanks to this bejeweled Berkeley Top my husband picked out especially for me from the Soft Surroundings Outlet. I'm also wearing an exquisite necklace also chosen by my loving husband, and a fun summer top that is in my fashion queue ready to wear for tomorrow. Damn, he has good taste.

My eldest daughter paired her creative juices with her eco-awareness and created a special homemade spa package filled with nourishing items for my entire body, all made from items found right in the fridge and pantry! She found recipes on the internet for rejuvenating, natural spa products including oregano and basil soaking bath salts, bubble bath and an exfoliating hand and foot scrub that is too good not to share:

Ingredients for Strawberry Hand and Foot Exfoliant

Wash off with lukewarm water and pat dry.

My middle daughter followed her sister's lead in the pampering department with a handmade gift certificate she crafted out of construction paper for a professional mani/pedi at the salon of my choice. Perfect! I can make an appointment as soon as my strawberry hand and foot scrub runs out. Was that sweet or what?

My youngest, not to be outdone by his sisters picked out a beautiful gemstone pendant all by himself and made sure beforehand that I had a proper chain in my jewelry box to wear it on...always thinking ahead.

With gifts this great, I vote we celebrate Mother's Day biannually.

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I read an interesting catalog themed article yesterday from PIWorld.com that reported that:

“...the number of print catalogs with online editions continued to grow from 8,675 to 8,894 over the last year, according to the 2009 National Directory of Catalogs...Catalogs available in online-only formats totaled 2,011, up from 1,868 last year, while catalogs available in print-only formats decreased from 1,574 to 1,347 in the same period”.

Well ladies and gents, this news didn’t surprise me at all. In fact, the executive management team here at Catalogs.com were ahead of our time, discussing this trend and anticipating this imminent move to online catalogs almost two years ago…hence our recent launch of Onlinecatalogs.com, bringing consumers a whole new way to catalog shop!

BUT, just to clarify, the print catalog will NOT go away. It continues to serve a population that has, and will continue to buy, ONLY from print. Certain consumers actually ENJOY SITTING, reading, turning pages and feeling the glossy paper in their hot sweaty palms. Others want to be green, more efficient, seek immediate results and shop and compare, and for these more tech-savvy consumers, Catalogs.com decided to launch it’s onlinecatalogs.com version, just for them. Just as people still enjoy reading a book curled up in bed, shoppers will continue to enjoy shopping with traditional print catalogs.

The secret to success… offer variety and meet the needs of all types of consumers that capture every walk of life. That’s just one of the many reasons why we’re so successful (and yes, I may be bragging… but I have every right to!)

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I have a wedding shower coming up, and was preparing myself for another afternoon filled with old antiquated activities like mummifying the bride-to-be in a toilet paper wedding gown. After checking my email, I was pleasantly surprised when I received a list of fiesty Newlywed-like questions in my inbox - a list of queries related to the bride and groom-to-be i.e.:

Where was your first kiss?
What does he/she keep on his/her nightstand?
Who is his/her celebrity crush?

Holy matrimony, what fun! If you're having a couples shower where guys and gals are both invited, have the soon-to-be-newlyweds answer these trivia questions beforehand and print their answers out on cue cards in true Newlywed game form! If you're having a gals only shower, the groom can be videotaped beforeheand, or he can answer on speaker phone at the actual shower so he's really put on the spot! Get your guests involved by having them guess how many answers they think the bride and groom will match! Whoever comes closest wins, while everyone else wins in the laugh department.

Make the sample questions as sweet, simple or zany as you like. From questions about their in-laws-to-be to how many dates it took for the bride and groom to do the horizontal mambo, if you're planning a bridal shower for a sister, cousin or best girlfriend, this hilarious quiz is a prize for any bridal shower game roster.

I'm even thinking of sending it to my husband for our Anniversary. Any bets on how many answers we'll get right?

*And if you need any wedding supplies, decorations or invitations, check out Exclusively Weddings for more wedding must-haves!

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Celebrate Mother's Day this year by reminiscing about the Top 10 TV Moms that have kept our families entertained for over 50 years. With old time black and white moms to animated favorites, they're all there.

We loved them, we laughed at them and we learned from their mistakes. Take a walk down memory lane and remember all of their good, motherly advice. I'll never forget how Mrs. Cunningham taught me to take one Happy Day at a time.

Enjoy!

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It has recently been announced that the USPS is proposing a Summer Sale for many standard mailers and I think it's definitely about time the US Postal Service recognizes that they need to do something to incentavize catalogers and direct mailers to continue mailing. The constant increases in postage rates for the past several years have made it extremely difficult to reach desired ROI on direct mail pieces.

The DMA - Direct Marketing Association has long advocated seasonal pricing, urging the Postal Service to offer seasonal rates and/or daily rates to increase overall mail volume during slower times. "The current economic climate demands this new pricing strategy to grow mail volume during the slow summer season,” says DMA President and CEO John Greco. “It has taken two years for this to come to fruition, and we welcome its continued progress.”

Still in the works, the proposed Summer Sale will hopefully be established by the summer of 2010 and will offer mailers 20 - 30% discounts from June 15 to September 15 for mail volume over and above that mailer's past mailing. The Postal Service would establish a base mail volume for each mailer derived from that mailer's mailings from June 15 to September 15, 2008 adjusted downward by the current mail trends for that mailer during the first two quarters of Fiscal Year 2009. Any mail volume above that baseline would receive the ‘summer sale’ price. Since the Postal Service must establish a separate base line for each mailer and provide an appeal to each mailer to contest those calculations, it is likely only the 4,000 largest Standard Mailers will be eligible this summer.

For large mailers like Eddie Bauer, this proposed postage savings plan will reap significant savings. Let’s just hope the catalog marketing executives take advantage of this seasonal sale.

Who knows when and if it will come around again.

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