Daniel Dessinger

Month: April 2007

  • My Crazy Week

    I wish it were over, but even at 7pm on a Friday evening, it isn’t even close. Heather is in our home office as I type, working on our taxes.

    A couple crazy things happened this week. First, I was pulled over by a police officer on Wednesday evening. He informed me that not only are my license plates expired, but they belong to a Mazda. The problem with that is that my car isn’t a Mazda. He was kind enough to explain to me what I needed to do to get my plates changed, and then proceeded to write me a ticket. Thanks a lot, buddy.

    So I drive to the county subcourthouse the following morning and get my new license plates – no biggie. Then I stop by the city municipal complex to pay my ticket, only to find out that I didn’t wait long enough. Apparently, I have to wait three business days before attempting to pay for a ticket. Huh! That’s what I get for being prompt.

    Now it’s Friday, and a severe thunderstorm just passed through our area. We had golfball to baseball sized hail outside the house. I didn’t expect it to actually hail that badly, so I didn’t have either car in the garage. Now we have a cracked windshield and holes in our hot tub cover and our outdoor umbrella. I’ll have to check the roof tomorrow. At least one tornado touched down in Fort Worth and the storm is now east of Dallas.

    Here’s hoping the weekend goes better.

  • CBS Solves My Dilemma with InnerTube

    I just read on Search Engine Land that CBS has announced that they will be posting full episodes of shows on web portals like MSN and AOL. This is great news for me, since I have despised InnerTube since I first attempted to use it. InnerTube is the name of the player CBS currently uses on their website to play full episodes of NUMB3RS, NCIS, How I Met Your Mother, etc.

    Let me be as blunt as possible: CBS’ InnerTube is by far the WORST media player among the top 4 major network websites. ABC’s is probably the best. FOX uses MySpace, but since they refuse to provide episodes of House MD online, I give them the cold shoulder. NBC’s media player is middle of the road.

    And then there’s CBS. I tell you, I have gotten so frustrated with CBS for their stupid media player. Unlike every other network, it’s shows drop off and require restart over and over and over until you just want to throw your laptop against the wall and curse CBS until you’re blue in the face. Well, you get the picture.

    So now that they’ll be distributing their shows on other web portals, I can only hope that they don’t infest those portals with the scummy InnerTube. Here’s hoping each portal utilizes some sort of media player that actually works. Yeah… that would be nice.

  • Joost 0.9.1 is Gone Forever

    Without consulting me, Joost just threw up a new version – 0.9.2. My apologies to those who just recently received invitations. Your invites may still work on the newer version. I just don’t know. Please post a comment here if your invitation is not working and I will see what I can do about getting updated invites.

    Thanks.

  • Sunita Williams Runs Boston Marathon in Space

    The Independent reports that Sunita Williams, the woman who will soon hold the record for NASA astronaut for the longest time spent in space, is slated to run the Boston Marathon next week as she orbits the planet Earth. She qualified by running in last year’s Houston Marathon, and she will attempt to make the 26K mile run tethered to a treadmill.

    You know that the only reason the picky Boston Marathon approved Commander Williams is because of the unbelievable publicity it would generate. It’s not like she can win when facing completely different terrain than the 24,000 other runners.

    We all love a good space story. Whether it’s the woman running in space or water discovered on another planet, we just seem to eat up anything extraterrestrial.

    Some people might say that’s pathetic. I consider it a sign of our continued childhood sense of awe and wonder at the universe.

  • Our Joost Invitation Winners

    We have our winners! I drew two names at random, and the winners are:

    Olivier Viera

    Andrew Rogers

    Congrats, you two! Hope you enjoy. Your invitations are in the mail.
    Stay tuned… We might have one more contest for Joost invitations.

  • To My Firstborn

    I have wondered about you for 20 years. I have hoped that I would do right by you, and feared that I would not be able to help but fail you. I have wondered who you would be. I have wondered if you would be like me. I have feared that you will receive all the attention, and the next will feel forgotten.

    You are the greatest gift, though you barely exist. You have existed in my heart for years. I have written to you and for you in my journals these past ten years. I have thought much about the life I will prepare for you.

    I will not turn you into a task. You will not be my list of do’s and dont’s. You are mine. You come from me. I will honor your life with my fullest attention.

    I will not make you an idol. I will live a balanced life, and show you how to do the same. You shall have everything that is mine. Nothing will be withheld from you.

    I wait to meet you face to face with great anticipation. Your arrival will mark a miraculous moment in my life. You will teach me what I have forgotten: to see the world with eyes of wonder, fear, astonishment, and joy. You will draw from me latent wisdom and understanding.

    I have not met you, but you are no stranger. Flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. You are a part of me. I am a part of you. When you suffer, I suffer. When you rejoice, I rejoice. Your suffering cannot go unnoticed by me. Your hopes and dreams are more precious than a lifetime of fame. Your success is my success.

    You will live with possibilities I never knew. I will encourage your creativity, your curiosity, and your passion. You have my blessing to be exactly who God made you to be. And I will be every bit the father you need to make the journey. And should I fail, your heavenly Father will cover you and protect you with his love.

    It is not long now. Soon, we will meet, face to face. Enjoy the journey, my beloved.

    — Pappa

  • How I Became a Copywriter: Part Two

    As I mentioned previously, I had no prospects for several weeks. I sent out resumes to every web marketing shop and traditional marketing agency in the DFW area. Three months of writing experience isn’t much to go on, and I didn’t get any positive responses back.

    Then one day, I received a call from Scott. He and Kevin LaFond and Darren VanLaningham (of Vooka) joined forces to create TuZoom, a new web marketing company. They offered me a contract copywriter / SEO position as their first hire. I took the position and spent the next four months writing copy for their new website and developing META recommendations for their largest client. It was pretty primitive SEO stuff, but I was also cramming a bunch of knowledge into my brain at the same time.

    After a while, I felt the need to go out on my own and try freelance copywriting. I had more experience, and landed some freelance work, including press release writing and distribution, articles, web copy, and a brochure. For the most part, though, I tried over and over again to line up work. I cannot tell you how many near-contracts I lost. Most of my problem was my attitude. I didn’t have much experience, but I didn’t want to be treated like a day-laborer. I overcompensated and came on way too strong with most of my prospective clients. I lost at least 10K in deals due to my attitude. It made me sick to my stomach.

    I got to the point where I needed work so badly that I applied for all kinds of writing and non-writing jobs in my area. God must have had a plan for me, because I couldn’t even land a position as an assistant manager at the local movie theater. I felt like a total failure.

    An old friend of mine, Brad Pratt, offered to hire me on as his personal assistant. He owned 30 rental properties and part of a landscaping company. Grateful for the work and the pay, I worked for Brad for about four months as his property manager. Due to some restructuring in the company, I had to leave, but he gave me two month’s notice to help me find something else.

    I went through another round of resumes, contacting every writing opportunity and placement agency I could find. Out of the blue, an ex-copywriting client called me up. I had written nearly a dozen press releases for him the year before, and he had told me that he hoped to be able to hire me when his company was positioned to do so. I had filed that information away and completely forgotten about it. But there he was, on the phone and offering me a job as an SEO Specialist and Copywriter.

    Here I am, officially an “SEO Specialist”, but still a writer and strategist at heart. We have a sweet office space in Las Colinas, and I’m moving towards a public relations / social marketing position. It all involves copywriting, so that would be my overarching title. Pretty much anything that is written by the agency passes through my hands at some point, if for nothing other than a quick edit.

    This is getting long, so I’ll post again to provide some tips about how to become a copywriter.

  • Papaya Clothing Store Website Still Under Construction

    UPDATE: The Papaya Clothing Website is Now Live!!!


    To all the women who have left the 300 or so comments on this blog about Papaya Clothing, your action made a difference! The site is now live and you can shop online from anywhere! Finally!

    The people truly do have a voice. I have received several comments from people claiming to be Papaya Clothing employees, proving that the company took notice of your comments here.

    If you would like to receive a weekly email update of new CultureFeast blog posts, please leave a comment on this post with your first and last name, email address, and the statement, "Add me to your weekly email!"

    We want to keep you all posted on what's happening around here, but we ONLY want to send updates to those who want to be emailed.

    Post your comment today, and we'll add you to the list!

    Thanks,

    Daniel
    Editor | CultureFeast.com

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    I want to hear from the people. For all of you who have been visiting my website, hoping to find more information about Papaya Clothing stores in your area, let me first apologize. I don't know much more than that they have a Papaya Clothing Store in Grapevine Mills Mall and apparently at Stonebriar in Frisco. But let's get to the point.

    I wrote a blog about Papaya Clothing stores and their affordable prices at the beginning of November 2006. That was five months ago. I just checked, and their website is still "under construction." No sign of progress and no contact information is provided on the URL. That's not going to cut it.

    I literally receive as many as 300 visits to CultureFeast.com a day from Google and Yahoo searches for "Papaya Clothing Store" or "Papaya Clothing store locations" or some variation. My one little blog post about the cheap and stylish clothes at Papaya five months ago drives up to 11,000 visitors in a month to my site. That means that someone needs to get on the ball and finish their site.

    So here's the deal. We all know that I own WebSwank, a Dallas social media and search engine marketing company. I'm going to approach Papaya Clothing and show them my site visitor stats and see if WebSwank can't help them launch their website. Papaya is just too hugely popular to not launch and optimize the website as soon as possible.

    That's where you the reader come in. I want to hear from you. If you are looking for information on Papaya clothing online and you come across this blog post, I want you to leave a comment here, telling me what kind of information you want from them. Do you want to shop and buy online? Do you want to know where the nearest store is located? Do you want to know if they're hiring? Do you want to know if they offer franchising options? Or do you just want to know what everybody is talking about?

    Post a comment here. Your voice will count in getting this website launched.

    Thanks,

    Daniel Dessinger

  • How I Became a Copywriter: Part One

    Since Karen asked in a comment to a previous CultureFeast post, I’m going to give you the story. I worked for two years at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. It was a blessing when it started. It paid more than I had ever made before. I felt very fortunate. Over the months that followed, I grew discontent with the same old routine every day. The office was nice. I had the pleasure of working with more than 140 people during that time, and I enjoyed conversations with many of them. But the work wasn’t my thing, and it felt like a dead end.

    My poor wife put up with daily complaining and venting after work. I was so upset because I felt trapped with no way out. After nearly two years, I began to feel hopeless about the future.

    A family friend, Matthew Phillips, had graduated from the Art Institute of Dallas and was working as a web designer for an Internet marketing / SEO company in Dallas. We won’t mention the company’s name (but it rhymes with “Munch”) because the CEO turned out to be shady as hell. Everyone else was decent, and they all ended up going their separate ways, joining or forming other Web marketing and SEO companies in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex.

    Matt knew that I graduated with a BA in English and loved to write, and he kept telling me that I should try copywriting for an SEO firm. He told me it was all fluff anyway, and that I didn’t have to be an expert to get the job done. I was intimidated by the idea, wondering how I could convince someone to take a chance on me, a guy with no professional writing experience.

    Matt left that company and joined Reset Media, a small web marketing and media company in Addison. Through Matt, I met Scott Terrell, the creative director. He told me about several projects the company was working on that might involve quite a bit of copywriting, but he wanted to test me out on another project first. So Scott, Matt, and I met at a Starbucks in Addison and they pitched me the vision for Reset Media. The goal was to write sales sheets, white papers, and new website copy for the company. I taped the conversation so I wouldn’t miss a thing and brainstormed with them for a couple of hours about the identity and brand Reset Media would put forth.

    I drove home excited, feeling for the first time that I was a part of something creative. I labored for several weeks after hours on this project. It didn’t take long to wear out, though. Working 40 hours per week at a soul-draining job and then trying to be creative for a few hours each night was difficult. My wife could see how hard it was on me, and she knew how badly I wanted this internship to work out.

    One day, my wife approached me and told me that she thought it was time for me to put in my two week’s notice at Wells Fargo and pursue writing with all my energy and heart. Something inside of me leapt at those words. Something clicked into place, and I was on my way.

    I worked side by side with the Reset Media guys for two months and created sales sheets, white papers, and a new website for the company (which they decided not to use – and if you see their site today, it has absolutely no search engine optimization value – not my fault). After two months of working in their office as an intern, the company fell apart. One of the two principles went his own way and half of the staff walked out. I was on my own again, with no job, no internship, and no prospects…

  • Nine Inch Nails is the Perfect Example of Music I Outgrew

    After the post I wrote recently about returning to old music, I started thinking about all the bands and artists I’ve listened to over the past two years, and I have to say, I’ve listened to so much. I started wondering if I’ve actually outgrown any of it. There are still times when I listen to angry, angst-ridden music. I still enjoy The Exies, whose lyrics are something like: “We are dirt. We are alone. You know we’re far from sober. We are fake. We are afraid. You know it’s far from over.”

    Nine Inch Nails, however, is the perfect example of a band / artist (since we all know that it’s all about Trent Reznor) I have no use for. I will occasionally listen to one of his non-explosive songs for old time’s sake, but that’s it. And I don’t know who writes the album reviews on iTunes, but here is a perfect quote to explain NIN and why it lacks relevance to its audience:

    His biggest problem is that while he shows considerable skill, even subtlety, in his music, the tortured sentiments of his lyrics are frozen in amber. They’re eternally adolescent and they sound juvenile, even embarrassing, coming from a man on the verge of his 40th birthday. These words work when sung by a young man, when they’re sung with a sense of urgency, but ‘urgency’ is not a word that can be associated with NIN, even on a record like this (With Teeth) that takes great pains to sound visceral and alive.

    Great quote. The iTunes reviewer hit the nail on the head. I belted out Reznor’s songs with everything in me when I was seventeen years old. And hey, that was cool (or at least appropriate). He was one of the few artists who put some of my feelings into music (and vice versa, influenced my feelings with his music).

    Nearly 13 years later, if I’m struggling with the exact same problems I faced at 17, there’s little hope for me. Same for Reznor. Let’s face it: the guy needs emotional healing. He needs to be vulnerable in front of someone who can listen and love him despite all the filth that would inevitably come out of his mouth. He doesn’t appear to be considering that option, however, so we’ll just hope that he grows up at some point, accepts some adult responsibility, and pursues personal growth and healing.

    Still, some of his tunes are catchy, and I occasionally hear one that draws me in. I guard myself these days, however. The seductions of self-pity, self-loathing, and self-obsession are nothing to scoff at.

    Here’s my final thought: I’d just like to see what a guy like Trent Reznor could do if he was emotionally healed and became a Christian. What kind of worship music might he produce? That could be some of the greatest, most powerful music ever. The gifts and talents God gave us stick with us regardless of our heart’s condition. Here’s hoping that Trent Reznor has a change of heart in time to give something truly spectacular to the world.