It would be so cool if television stations were able to get a complete picture of exactly who is watching and when just like I got for my YouTube channel through YouTube’s new stats interface called Insight. Instead, television stations get these daily numbers from Nielsen that are about as accurate as a straw poll.

I had no idea that I have nearly 400 video views a day and that the audience for my channel was predominantly male ages 45 - 54. Will it cause me to fall into the fraudulent trap Nielsen lays before News Directors and General Managers of television stations across the country? Hell no. Is it flattering? Yes.

I can’t believe my Wii tennis match between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has been seen over 10,000 times. Don’t y’all have anything better to do? I can completely understand the thousands of views for this video. Now that’s some history worth repeating. But Prison Booty has been seen more than 26,000 times. Crimony!

I spoke on a panel discussion yesterday about uses of social media at the American Public Power Association conference in Nashville. Pictured are my co-panelists Laurie from Nashville Electric Service and Tony from the nation’s largest consolidated utility in Minnesota.

Power company customers are often forced to be customers because there really isn’t another local power company. That poses some unique issues in how utilities deal with their customers’ concerns. What often happens is customers feel utilities aren’t accountable to their concerns.

Many of the utilities represented in the room shared the typical corporate reaction to launching social media initiatives: fear of perceived legal issues, resources, and general message or image control. When I asked what the biggest obstacle is to having a positive public image most seemed to agree it was the media focusing on angry customer reactions to various things including issues with tree cutting and electric bills.

Angry customers come to the media only after feeling a company doesn’t care about their concerns, and social media offers an inexpensive, controlled platform for those concerns to be heard and directly addressed. Imagine customers venting their frustrations on your blog rather than to hundres of thousands of people on TV or print media. Imagine empowering educated customers to become your biggest advocate with deeper insight into decisions that affect customers. Imagine developing a positive relationship with your customers over time. Imagine being the media you want to see in the world. It’s at your finger tips, and it’s cheaper than you might think.

Here’s a map I made to illustrate socialism’s entrenchment in America. Note the states that take more federal tax dollars than they contribute. Is it time to stop spreading America’s wealth around?

I’m getting down right set in my ways the older I get. The only thing I order at Starbucks is a tall cappuccino, but today was a little different. With four days left to early vote and a week before the Nov. 4 elections, this time I ordered something different and got a nice surprise.

DRIVE THROUGH: Welcome to Starbucks, what would you like us to get started for you today?
ME: Well, I don’t exactly see it on the menu.
DRIVE THROUGH: What’s that?
ME: How about a rocking economy, positive job growth and a side of universal health care?
DRIVE THROUGH: Now that’s a tall order. All I can offer is my vote for change.
ME: That’ll work. In the mean time, how about a tall cappuccino?
DRIVE THROUGH: Would you like to try our pumpkin pound cake?
ME: no thanks.

When I pulled up to the drive through, someone inside loved the order so much, they paid for my drink and upgraded it to a grande. I’ll bet you another tall cappuccino the person who bought it doesn’t make anywhere near $250,000 or more.

I think our trips to the recycling binsat Sam’s have increased dramatically. We are diverting a lot of garbage from our local landfill by recycling. We estimate our yearly contribution to Middle Point Landfill is about 40 bags of trash. Compare that to most of our neighbors who send 10 times that amount to the local dump (about 7+ bags of trash per family per week).

Middle Point Landfill is bordered by the Stones River here in Rutherford County. The landfill does not have a liner to protect ground water contamination, and the Stones River is our local source for drinking water. Most people that do not recycle probably couldn’t tell you where their trash goes. Do you know where your trash goes?

Here’s this batch’s break down:

+ tin: 4.6 lbs
+ plastics: 17.2 lbs
+ aluminum: 2.8 lbs
+ cardboard: 11.2 lbs
+ paper: 8.4. lbs