Predictions for 2014, off the top and some over

Predictions for the new year cover a variety of topics including healthcare, landlines, rainfall, blogging and publishing.

1. Consumers will continue to debate whether there should be ads on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc., then sigh with relief that phone solicitors no longer call because they disconnected their landlines.
2. Just when you think landlines have completely disappeared, the new version will include a 22nd century version of the home intercom with screens for Skype like communications room to room, or room to smartphone, that revert to security monitors that can be tapped anywhere the user has internet access such as the office or on vacation.
3. During 2014, there will be a resurgence of blogging as self-published authors seek to develop an audience for their self-published books. Blog posts will be posted in all social media venues until the noise level reaches ringing in the ear level.
4. Self-published authors will continue to rise while a sub-industry quickly develops to assist the reading audience vet the muck from the ready-for-print-fully-edited tomes.
5. 2014 will continue to be the year that healthcare is debated. Audience fatigue will set in sometime mid-year, and by the time school is back in fall session the bulk of the audience will have tuned out, except for those desperate for care who won't understand why it doesn't matter to everyone else anymore.
6. Christmas card sending will experience a resurgence, despite the reticence of 360 Convos to embrace the movement.
7. Workers will investigate how to send drones to the office to do the work and collect their paychecks.
8. Rainfall in the Northwest will reach record lows, as the global warming debate rages on.
9. During the year 2014, no one will invent ear buds (inexpensive) that do not fall apart after six uses.
10. No one will want to see a repeat performance of Miley Cyrus' 2013. 

What do you predict?

Get ready for new year with five minute daily writing spree

This past summer, my friend Ginger sent me an email from her T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide (I know very suspect), but the message came from the heart.

Ginger still uses a 3G Slide.

"Ok you might think i am a wacko but bare with me.

For me will you take 5 min?

2 min write what you are freaked about then cross it out throw it away burn it whatever then 3 to 5 min write a list of 5 thankfuls and then the rest of the time design your dream job. Set a timer and stop when it dings but do it EVERYDAY either first thing in the morning or right before bed.

Please please for me!! I promise you wont regret it."

The things that headline my list are items that cash would take care of: insulating the attic, building a deck, loan payments, planning for next year's national Doane family reunion, paying for college, saving for retirement.

The items that cannot be assuaged with cash swirl around my daughter, the tug and pull of college with all its privileges of independence while keeping full throttle on still being a kid with a parent to fund the adventure and to fall back on.

Other items on my list include accomplishments I want to have, zipping through my knitting stash and creating lovely gifts, propagating my Amazon store and shipping out the piles of books. Cleaning the house. Publishing my own book.

As the new year approaches, I think I may finally take Ginger's advice and start that five minute writing spree.

Goodness knows I have enough paper around me to fully stuff the attic -- now that would be some kind of insulation.

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What will last longer, me, the shoes, or the store that sold them?

My new shoes, available in limited sizes for anyone with $8.74

I purchased a pair of Trim Step tennis shoes at a box store known for good bargains, Target.

I'm known for sniffing out good bargains on end-caps, bottom shelves, and any odd assortment of places stores make interesting to browse.

Here's the 'kicker,' the shoes cost $8.74.

After the bloom of the purchase wore off I began to wonder why I could buy shoes at such an awesome price. They came with shoe strings. They aren't cheap feeling. I stumbled into a shoe design that encourages muscle toning in the legs, improves posture and reduces stress on feet, knees and back. They have that new roll bottom that promotes a healthy, active lifestyle.

I'm all for those kind of auxiliary benefits, especially when it comes in my size.

I did a quick look on the Internet and noted that, today, I could have purchased the same shoes online from Target for $12.24. At the branch where I made my purchase they are now listed for $5.54. At two of the company's other stores, within 10 miles, they were $6.99, $10.91, and $11.74.

Living in the land of NIKE, heightens your expectation of the cost of shoes. Finding sports, or sports-like shoes for less than ten dollars seems surreal. Finding them in your size is both surreal and of fairy tale proportions.

This leads me to two conclusions: the store selling them has issues and when shoes are less than ten dollars, the economy is tanking.

A superficial search online shows that prices are dropping in a variety of categories. Motorola dropped the price on it's Atrix 4G phone, Walmart plans to drop the price of its Xbox, Nientendo dropped the price of the 3DS, and Price Pinx and Free Price Alerts, among others monitored everyone's fall.

Venture outside of electronics and price dropping is just as prevalent. In August, gas dropped eight cents across Texas. Across the nation and in every neighborhood, home prices dropped.

Taxes, however, did not drop.

Nevertheless, if shoes continue to be available for less than ten bucks, I agree with Business Week, the store selling them, "needs to refine its strategy." The addition of groceries at Target, and the additional five percent off when you use the company-issued debit or credit card have helped revenue, but not the bottom line.

Not enough profit.

Here's some advice for a refined strategy: sell shoes for fifteen bucks.

While I ponder the inevitable, that despite all common sense, taxes will only increase, I shall ponder that thought while walking a mile everyday just to see how long these $8.74 shoes will last.

What do you think will last longer, me, the shoes, or the store that sold them?

'Preductions.' the art of predicting the known

Predicting by deducting

Otherwise known as de-ducking all theories.

The ducks are lined up, so let's get to this week's preductions!

Dorothy Jo, Walgreen's employee of the year will ask, "Do you want a car-charge with that purchase?" Stores that offer fuel will jump on the electric band wagon: Walgreens to Install EV Charging Stations at 800 Stores by Leslie Guevarra.

Cross channel marketing will be like a Lays Potato Chip campaign, you can't eat just one. Shoppers will be encouraged to bundle their purchases, but fresh off the Groupon tide, they will shop for sport, hunting for low ticket items—or value packages—to fulfill pent up anxiety of not spending during bad economy: Holiday Forecast: Marketers Can Expect Cool Profits by Gavin O'Malley.

Advertising campaigns will be like a bad Hollywood remakes as marketers try to re-purpose (plagiarize) good ideas. Muhammad Ali Company Sues Kobo Over ‘Butterfly’ Slogan by Joel Rosenblatt. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” slogan apparently was used without permission in a Kobo ad. (Newspaper that ran ad is sending invoice out before end of day!)

Newspapers will give product away to try and regain audience: Murdoch May Offer Discounts to Win readers to Sunday Sun, by Amy Thomson.

360 Convos asks, "Why don't newspapers try to grow a paying audience by FIRST trying Groupon?"

Australian government to invest in taxing explanations that no one will understand. Gillard to Spend A$12 Million on Carbon Tax Ads, by Elisabeth Behrmann.

360 Convos asks the Australian government, "How about blogging the explanation, or better yet, no tax and save the $12 million."

Bloggers in Australia will rise in acceptance as their an online audience and reach grows during the anti-tax blogging campaign. "People looking for high quality copywriting is (sic) going to increase in the near future." Give Your Blog the Ring of Truth, by Chris Hoole.

Love means you never have to say your sorry. Hacking means you do. (But it doesn't have to cost very much dough). Rupert Murdoch says 'sorry' in ad campaign, admits 'serious wrongdoing' over phone-hacking scandal and apologises in newspaper adverts, by John Plunkett.

360 Convos advises, "Make sure you mean it, once it goes to print you can't change it like a blog post."

Consumers stock up on stamps to register billing complaints as credit cards elbow out Groupon. Deals and discounts come pre-loaded on your credit card. Swipe at the register, pay full price, credit is applied to statement at time of billing. Where The Daily Deal Business Is Headed, by George Anderson. Back-end discounts are never pleasant for consumers.

Leave your own preductions in the comments area. Who knows, your brilliant wit may reappear in the next edition of "Preductions, how to dodge the silver bullet!

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