About bedtime rituals...

This is timely. My little guy is now in a bit of a rut with the nighttime routine...as in he's habitually dragging out the goodnight process. Source: ebeanstalk.com

Question: 
Dear Ebeanstalk, my 3 year old is prolonging her bed-time ritual for up to 30 minutes. She wants to change her dry diaper, asks me to get her water, read her a story, scratch her back…the list goes on and on and on…Ughhh…I can't take it!!

Answer:
It's quite typical for kids to think of every excuse in the world to stay up a bit later. Here's what I recommend (based on first-hand-stalling-experience).

I suggest you tell your child in the morning or during the day what you will expect…First we will take a bath…then we brush your teeth…then a little drink of water…read one story…then hugs, kisses & lights out. Don't get manipulated into the 'one more hug' game. It's okay to say, "We are done with hugs for the night and I'll save more hugs for the morning."

Ignore all of the other commands and walk out of the bedroom. If she comes out, simply take her back in the room and say it's time for sleep. Again, don't get drawn into the whole night-time routine again…you already did it!! You may choose to give a goodnight kiss/hug again and then walk out. Remember, she may do this a few times a night but stick to the routine and before you know it, she'll be a whole lot faster at going to sleep.

Sweet dreams little one :) 

Viral Marketing: Staples' Facebook Photo Shredder

Interesting viral marketing tactic. Check out this PR post just received from Staples:

Have you or your readers been victims of bad photo tagging on Facebook? UGH!

Perhaps it was that old prom photo sporting your signature big 80's hairdo? (is that you in the attached photo ;)

Or those pictures from the company holiday party you hoped would never resurface? 

Now, you and your readers can have the last laugh, with the launch of the Staples I Shred U! ™ Facebook application from Staples, Inc. 

I Shred U! allows Facebook users to tell their friends how they really feel about those bad photos, by shredding it to bits via a virtual shredder and sending it back with a personalized message. I Shred U! also lets users "trick" photos by giving friends and family a hilarious new look.

Nearly 50k Facebook users have installed the new Staples I Shred U! photo application in the last month. It's being used in 30+ countries, average engagement is over 2 minutes, 70% of the users are women over the age of 25.

Pasted below is a link to the flash video, which provides a quick walk through (sound-free) on how the application works:

http://pubdyn.com/extranet/kelandpartners/

How does the application work?

The application is very simple. Once you have logged into Facebook to access the application, the user can select a photo from one of their albums or a photo that they were tagged in. The user then has the opportunity to virtually shred the photo complete with animation and sounds effects and send it to a friend with a personalized message. Users can also "trick out" photos from their Facebook albums by adding mullets, beards, speech bubbles and more.

Does the application actual delete the photo?

No, it doesn't. The photo is the property of the person who originally uploaded it to Facebook and it will continue to live in his/her photo album. I Shred U! is just a fun way to make a statement about unflattering photos that you were tagged in.

Is there a similar application on Facebook?

No! With more than 200 million active users on Facebook uploading over 850 million photos each month, the Staples I Shred U! application is the first of its kind to allow users to virtually shred bad photoswithout actually deleting the picture from their friend's Facebook album.

 Be creative, have fun, share a laugh, enjoy!

Ad seen on CNN.com

Really, Comcast?

Did your market research show that Crocs were a good incentive - perhaps the cherry on top of your $150 savings?

Wow, this is one odd promotion.