Rant Archives » Page 5 of 5 » This Time I Mean It

Facebook Friend Invitations: The New Spammers

June 27, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

It’s time for a rant!

I have to vent!

I like Facebook (one might be able to tell by the time I spend there. Sigh…). HOWEVER, just because I’ve agreed to be a friend does NOT mean I want to receive an invitation (more accurately called “advertisement”) to EVERY FREAKIN’ EVENT someone is doing. (Besides, I thought Twitter was the place for annoying advertisements… Just joking… )

Today, I got the next in a series of invitations to attend a law forum (do I look like a lawyer?) in Wyoming (am I even NEAR Wyoming?) telling me how to improve my failing law practice (I guess since I didn’t know I was a lawyer in Wyoming, it explains why my practice has not been doing well). I have received from this “friend” a new law forum invitation every week and they’re never near me and I always say “NO” (do you think he’d get the hint?).

Why do I continue to get all these Facebook invites?

I apparently have some “friends” who don’t give a damn if I’m interested – or if I can attend – I’ve just become part of their daily broadcasts. I want to keep them as friends but I don’t want to merely be a vehicle by which they promote. Sure, go ahead and promote what you’re doing sometimes. I want to know. I want to help. I might even want to attend. But, be somewhat selective.

In marketing, I learned, it’s about:

Know Me
Like Me
Trust Me
Buy Me

If all you do is send me ads, oops, I mean “invitations,” and you don’t care if I fit, you don’t know me, to be honest, I won’t particularly like you, I certainly won’t trust you – and I can assure you that I will not buy from you. Most likely, the response will be “unfriend.”

If you think it’s something I might like, please invite me. (And I realize we all make mistakes so sometimes it won’t fit.) However, If I just wanted a big ol’ list of advertisements in the morning, I’d get a penny shopper.

I’m sorry. I try to be positive. Once in awhile it just gets to me.

I feel better now. I am returning to sanity.

P.S. Now, please send this to everyone you know, whether you think it would be of value to him or her or not.

“When Combined With a Healthy Diet…”

March 23, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Until moments ago, I was unaware of the term, “to throw a wobbly.”

Looking for a more colorful way to declare, “I am annoyed,” I stumbled upon the expression at a website devoted entirely to idioms and their etymology. (Fellow word geeks unite! Our time has arrived!)

Sure, I guess I could have simply said, “I am annoyed.” There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s clear, simple, to the point. However, fashioning myself as craftsperson of the language arts, I forever seek out-of-the-ordinary turns of a phrase to spice up how I communicate, the intent being to make it more vivid and engaging. Not being much of a cook, I presume it’s in the same manner as a chef would feel if confined to white salt and black pepper. Sure, they’ll do the job; but where’s the fun?

Should you — like me — have been in the dark about “throwing a wobbly;” let me explain. Turns out, it’s not a good substitution for “annoyed.” Rather, it appears to be of British or Australian derivation, coined from the adjective “wobbled” which meant someone was “off center.” So, “throwing a wobbly” can best be described as a petulant rant; somewhat akin to “throwing a hissy fit.” It is however not as severe as “going ballistic.” Now, don’t we feel smart?

Alas, it’s still not the correct usage for what I want so it’s back to being annoyed; or maybe cranky. I don’t know; can one be both? Sure, why not?

Hmmm, I seem to have digressed. The bigger issue is, “What prompted said (poorly described) uncomfortable emotional state?” I shall explain.

[Read more…]

The Common Sense Diet: It’s About Calories – Nothing Else

March 2, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

“Lose 20 pounds in one week! No dieting! No exercise! No lifestyle change!”

I will admit that I’ve been sucked in by such snake oil pitches and pie-in-the-sky promises ever since I was first embarrassed by having to shop in the “husky” section of the boys’ clothing department.

Yet, decades later, such 127-point screaming headline proclamations remain as common fare across the back pages of tabloids; or enthusiastically, breathlessly broadcast on slick, highly produced infomercials featuring questionable “experts” interviewing “real people” experiencing “actual results.”

When we can turn down the magical thinking long enough to strap on our adult brain thinking caps, we know that losing weight is not rocket science; it’s a simple premise; keep your mouth shut longer and your feet moving further and you’ll end up at your correct weight. The bottom line is quite simply “calories in versus calories out.” Period; end of story; mystery over. Spend more than you take in and — voila! — a new skinny you.

Should you need validation of this fact, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report a while ago, that proved that as long as a diet reduced one’s caloric intake, the result was weight loss — regardless of the diet’s make up of fat, protein, or carbohydrate. They asked 811 overweight and obese adults to try one of four different low-fat, high fiber diets. Activity was encouraged, and participants could receive group and individual support to keep them motivated. What they discovered was that craving, fullness, hunger, and diet satisfaction were similar across all four diets; and that all participants lost weight and reduced their waistlines — irrespective of the type of diet they followed. [Read more…]

Does it pass the smell test?

November 25, 2010 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Smell is our most dramatic sense.

As example, it might have been years since losing touch with a friend who always wore one particular brand of perfume. One day, while wandering through the mall, someone passes you adorned in that exact long-forgotten fragrance. As it gently wafts past, you are without delay jolted back to a vibrant, dynamic, long-forgotten recollection. Only the sense of smell transports us so fully. Photos bring back images. Recordings make us nostalgic, smell stands alone in its ability to transform.

Smell is so potent and primal a force that it can induce healing, as evidenced by the increasing popularity of scented candles, essential oils, and aromatherapy. Smell can change thoughts or moods; even triggering us to take actions to which we might normally be resistant. Want to get your kid off the couch? No problem. According to researchers, the aroma of strawberries generates an urge to exercise.

While on the topic of a increased activity, suppose your husband or male partner has become lackluster in the bedroom. Re-kindle that waning passion by combining the scents of pumpkin pie and lavender, at least according to researchers. Conversely, they claim that women become more amorous when exposed to the scents of — I kid you not — cucumbers and the candy “Good and Plenty.” Husbands, I’ll meet you at the produce section; then we’ll hit the candy store!

[Read more…]

Diet Marketing – Why so Many False & Misleading Ads?

February 10, 2009 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

In addition to this blog, I post on a diet-oriented blog I call “Forever Fighting Fat.” Today, my post started out as a rant about Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse, but ended up with me doing research about the marketing campaign behind it. It’s humorous. It’s also worth a quick look.

« Previous Page