The 2009 State Games of North Carolina set for June 19-28 in Charlotte

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – The 2009 State Games of North Carolina, which are often described as North Carolina’s Olympic Games, will be held in Charlotte from June 19-28. The State Games, North Carolina’s largest multi-sport, amateur athletic sporting event, are an Olympic-style sports festival designed to promote personal development through physical fitness and health. In most cases, competition is arranged by age and skill level to ensure that the events are fun and fair. The 2009 State Games are projected to have an economic impact of between $4 million and $5 million.

“The State Games of North Carolina offer participants a challenging, fun way to compete and improve their physical fitness and overall health,” says Chuck Hobgood, president of North Carolina Amateur Sports. “We invite residents of North and South Carolina to participate in or volunteer with this year’s State Games, which promise to be our largest and most exciting to date.”

All residents of North Carolina, including military personnel and college students, are eligible to enter the State Games provided they have lived in the state for 30 days prior to the first day of competition. Additionally, in 2009 the games are open to South Carolina residents for the first time. Registration is now open for the 2009 games, and those interested in participating are encouraged to register online at http://www.ncsports.org.

Organized and hosted by North Carolina Amateur Sports, a 501c(3) nonprofit charitable organization, the State Games of North Carolina is a 23-sport, Olympic-style festival designed to promote personal development through physical fitness and health. The State Games of North Carolina are the largest sports festival in the state and one of the oldest and largest State Games in the nation. Additionally, the games are projected to be the largest event held in Charlotte during the summer of 2009. The games’ alumni list includes Trot Nixon (Cleveland Indians), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Wendy Palmer (Seattle Storm), Julius Peppers (Carolina Panthers), Greg Ellis (Dallas Cowboys), Jerry Stackhouse (Dallas Mavericks) and David Fox (1996 US Olympian).

North Carolina Amateur Sports is a 501c(3) nonprofit charitable organization that annually organizes the State Games of North Carolina, Cycle North Carolina and the Be Active Challenge. NCAS is dedicated to the promotion of the spirit of amateur sports, physical fitness and health to all ages and skill levels through the participation in organized events which enrich the state of North Carolina. For more information on NCAS and its events, please access http://www.ncsports.org.

Facebook responds to user feedback

Last week I posted this entry: The New "New Coke" -- Will Facebook Heed its Users' Feedback?

It appears that Facebook is listening after all. The following was posted on Facebook's blog last night:

Responding to Your Feedback

by Christopher Cox

Since we launched Facebook's home page design, we've received thousands of e-mails, Wall posts and comments from you along with direct feedback from all of our friends and family. If you've already given us feedback, thank you. Hearing what you have to say, whether criticism or praise, helps us build a product that serves you better.

Whenever we build something new or tweak something old, our motivation is the same: to help you share with the people you care about and find out what's happening with them. Before we launch any new product, it first must pass a process of design, development and testing with a more limited user audience. If those results are satisfactory, we then release it for all of you to use. We know that no amount of testing is as valuable as what you have to say. For this reason, we will always look to you, our users, to tell us what is working and what isn't so we can continually make improvements.

Here are the top four things we've been hearing from all of you about the changes, and the areas where we're focusing on improvements immediately and over the next several weeks.

Add more control and relevance in the stream
One of the great parts of Facebook is the ability to share and consume different types of content, such as photos, videos and notes, all in one place. We've heard from you that you want even more variety and control in your stream, and for it to update automatically. Some specific improvements we're making are:

• Live updating: One of the most common requests is the ability to see your stream update automatically. We will be adding the ability to turn on auto updating in the near future so you no longer need to refresh the page.
• Photo tags: In order to surface more photos you might like to see, we'll be adding photos tagged of your friends to the stream. This will happen in the coming weeks.
• More choices for applications: We've heard feedback that there is a lot of application content appearing in the stream. We will be giving you tools to control and reduce application content that your friends share into your stream.

Currently, the content filters on the left screen allow you to select the types of content you would like to see. Over time, we'll continue to give you more control over what's in your main stream and how you consume it. We have the eventual goal of building filters that summarize this activity so you can see a more condensed view of what's been going on. We're also thinking about ways of filtering out some of the Wall posts and content directed to specific people to focus more on posts shared with everyone.

See more Highlights
Right now, we're making improvements to the Highlights section on the right-hand side of your home page. Highlights will update more frequently and will show you more content throughout the day to mirror more closely the content that the earlier News Feed provided.

Find things more easily
It's important that you are able to find everything you're interested in, or we're not succeeding in giving you the right level of control. We're currently working on a few design changes to help you find these things more easily, such as:

• Moving requests to the top of the right column: Friend requests and event invites will be more prominent.
• Easier way to create a Friends List filter: From the filters on the left, you will be able to create a new list of friends with which to filter the stream.

Application bookmarks continue to live in the toolbar at the bottom left of the page. You can quickly access your groups, events and other favorite applications from the bottom bar on any page.

Old vs. New
Since Facebook started in 2004, we've been through several redesigns. Each was built with the intention of making it easier to share and understand what's going on with the people you care about. Redesigns are generally hard to manage, in part because change is always hard and in part because we may miss improvements that any individual user may like to see. We keep in mind that there are 175 million people on Facebook, and everyone uses the site differently. We listen to feedback from our users, data on how the site is used, and our intuitions as builders and designers to create the product that provides the best experience across the board.

With the recent home page changes, we're trying to present the right balance between what's happening right now and what's interesting over a longer period of time. We realize that both are important and getting them both right is crucial for the product to work. In the last few weeks, you've seen us shift the main emphasis towards real-time conversations and updates as the entry point to Facebook. We're working hard to make this stream more valuable, and also to build out the richness and relevance of the Highlights section.

Your feedback means a lot, and we sort through everything we receive. The best way to give us direct feedback—to ensure that we can consolidate it—is through the feedback link on the home page tour. In the meantime, thanks for your support.

Chris Cox is Facebook's Director of Product.


ADDED 11:01 EDT on March 25:
A different perspective from Daniel Ionescu of PC World: Facebook Caves to User Gripes Over Redesign

The New "New Coke" -- Will Facebook Heed its Users' Feedback?

Several years ago, one of my clients asked me to conduct a focus group to learn how he could more effectively market his products and services. I pulled together a group of six or seven people who represented the heart of his target market. We spent several hours together, during which the group expressed strong opinions regarding how this client could improve the value he delivered to clients and strengthen his market position.

When I presented the findings to the client, he said "I think they're wrong." Because the client already had his mind made up, he rationalized his way into thinking that what his clients said they wanted wasn't what they really wanted. Rather than heeding his clients' feedback and listening to the research results, he stuck his head in the sand and refused to budge.

I believe the founders of Facebook may be doing the same thing as we speak. A week or so ago, Facebook released a new home page layout. A few days later Mark Zuckerberg, one of the founders of Facebook, posted the following statement on his Facebook page: "Lots of good feedback on the new streams home page. Thanks for all the encouragement. If you're not into it, try it out for a few more days and tell us."

That doesn't quite match what I have observed. Since the "new-and-improved" Facebook layout was introduced just a week or two ago, several groups and petitions offering users the chance to express their disapproval with the new layout have popped up on Facebook. One such group already has more than 177,000 members. Another has nearly 260,000.

Perhaps most telling is a third-party application which allows subscribers to share their opinion on the new layout by giving it a thumbs-up ("yes") or thumbs-down ("no"). The results, as of today: just over 1,026,000 have voted "No" on the new layout, while over 63,600 have voted "Yes." That is a landslide by any definition. Given these results, and the volume of public comments in opposition to the new layout, I have to wonder if Zuckerberg is hearing what he wants to hear.



This is Facebook's second release of a new home page layout in a few months. Just as users got used to the first new layout, Facebook introduced another one. The majority of Facebook users I have heard converse about this issue think the new layout is hard to use, and they don't like the fact that the site keeps changing. Consistency breeds confidence, and unexpected changes can generate frustration and confusion.

From a public relations perspective, I believe this new layout represents a failure on the part of Facebook to understand what its users want and what they value. If research was done on this issue, I believe it was faulty at best. Finally, I believe the way the new layout was unveiled represents a significant failure by Facebook to communicate with its most significant public. People were only vaguely aware that a change was happening, and they feel like it was imposed on them. Granted, people have the option to stop using Facebook if they don't like it -- but I seriously doubt if that is what the company wants.

I use Facebook regularly and think it is a great concept. With that being said, I believe a huge number of Facebook's users see this new layout as a step in the wrong direction. One person I asked about it said, "I just don't enjoy it" with the new layout.

In my view, this is the kind of public relations mistake that can open a door for a competitor. I believe Facebook would be wise to send this new layout down the same path as "New Coke."

Laws keep some nonprofits from touching their money

WRAL: The North Carolina Symphony has all the money it needs. But in this economy, the orchestra isn't allowed to touch it. more...

Tourism industry prepared to weather recession

WRAL: North Carolina's hotel, restaurant and resort industries employ about 10 percent of the state's work force – more than half a million people. more...

Nortel seeks $45M for 'incentive pay' for key employees

From WRAL.com: As Nortel prepares to lay off 3,200 people, or 10 percent of its work force, the bankrupt telecommunications gear-maker has asked a bankruptcy court to authorize $45 million in so-called “incentive pay” to 92 executives and 880 other employees. more...

Economists question budget's economic assumptions

WRAL.com -- The administration insists it isn't so, but some private economists are wondering if the Obama administration has brought "Rosy Scenario" back to town. more...

Opinion: Why Governors Question The Bailout

by John Hood

With a number of governors signaling their unwillingness to accept all of the federal government’s “help” in addressing state fiscal problems, I was delighted to see Governor Perdue express skepticism about the bailout, too. If “we have to change our laws and regulations in order to comply with federal mandates,” Perdue said, “getting this money may not be worth it” to the taxpayers of the state.

Well, okay, that was Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia.

Among other things, the new stimulus bill brings a massive and dangerous expansion of federal power over state and local governments, far exceeding past intrusions such as No Child Left Behind. But our own Gov. Beverly Perdue chose to laugh the issue off. “I am not a real good driver,” she said during a visit to the White House, “but I will take a pickup truck to South Carolina and be glad to take any of the money that (Gov.) Mark Sanford and the people of South Carolina don’t want.”

Ha, ha. Now let’s get serious and apply some basic math.

All of the money in the federal stimulus bill comes from the states. North Carolinians aren’t going to “get” money from Washington. Thanks to President Obama and the Democratic Congress, they are going to pay a lot more of their own money to Washington in the coming years – as their federal taxes begin to finance the average $30,000 per household increase in federal debt.

For governors such as Beverly Perdue who seem to think more federal borrow-and-spend policies are the proper response to a recession caused by easy money and excessing borrowing, I guess there is no dilemma to resolve. But for governors such as Sonny Perdue, Mark Sanford, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, and Phil Bredesen of Tennessee who see through Washington’s latest fiscal racket, how much of the temporary state aid to accept is a difficult question.

None of the governors is saying he will reject the entire package on behalf of his state. Because Georgians and South Carolinians are no less subject to federal taxes than North Carolinians are, it may not be practical to say no to “federal” infrastructure spending, for example, that merely returns a portion of gas taxes paid to Washington. Nor is it inconsistent for governors to criticize the federal stimulus bill as wrongheaded and nevertheless accept some of the resulting money flow, just as it is not inconsistent for fiscal conservatives to accept government benefits for themselves or their children that they strongly oppose. As taxpayers, they are given no choice but to finance these programs in the first place.

But what about the many elements of the stimulus package that offer short-run gain and long-term pain?

While there was a lot of early talk about shovel-ready construction projects and signature-ready tax rebates, the biggest part of the final stimulus package consisted of expanding Medicaid, unemployment insurance, and other public assistance programs. Sure, the federal government will pay for these expansions over the next couple of years by borrowing hundreds of billions of additional dollars. Later, federal taxes will have to soar to pay the debt.

State governments will then be left with a fiscal mess. Does anyone really believe that once UI benefits are expanded to part-time workers, new teachers are hired with temporary federal funds, and millions of middle-income folks are enrolled in Medicaid, state governors, legislators, and local officials are going to rescind these programs? No, public expectations and spending levels will be ratcheted up another couple of notches. The result will likely be either a round of costly state and local tax hikes or reductions in spending on core functions such as law enforcement, resulting in an irrational budgetary mix.

That’s why the nation’s far-sighted governors are exercising caution here, while certain myopic chief executives are making jokes. The former do not believe that fiscal restraint and the traditional, constitutional division of responsibilities between Washington and the states are laughing matters.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation and publisher of CarolinaJournal.com.

Durham-based DependablePC enables small businesses to manage technology costs while improving computer dependability

In today’s challenging economy, small businesses are seeking ways to increase efficiency and eliminate unnecessary expenses. Additionally, small businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on technology. Down time is costly; if they are to succeed, their technology must work properly.

Many small businesses wait until their technology breaks down, then bring in an expensive consultant to help them fix the problem. For seven years, DependablePC® has offered an affordable, pro-active solution which helps small businesses prevent technology break-downs from happening in the first place.

“Our service is pro-active in that we detect and repair problems before they cause down time,” says Jeffrey White, co-founder of DependablePC®. “Many business owners depend on technology to run their businesses. DependablePC enables them to focus their time, energy and resources on building their businesses instead of putting out technology fires.”

For a low monthly fee, DependablePC’s service package includes:

• Around-the-clock monitoring: DependablePC’s staff works behind the scenes to eliminate technology problems that can bring a small business to its knees. When problems occur, DependablePC’s staff contacts the client and resolves the problem.
• Friendly, U.S.-based help desk support: DependablePC’s friendly, U.S.-based help desk staff, which is available between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday, uses its secure remote control service to quickly repair computer problems and answer questions at no extra charge to the customer.
• Antivirus and anti-spyware software included. As part of the monthly service DependablePC installs, updates and monitors your security software.
• Offsite File and Folder Backup Service. 5 GB’s of secure, Web-based storage for critical business files. Critical data files are encrypted and then backed up throughout the day to a secure offsite location.
• Remote Trace and Erase®. If a computer is lost or stolen, it can be tracked for possible retrieval by authorities; includes the ability to remotely erase the hard drive to prevent data from being compromised.

“Our clients no longer have to expend valuable time fixing their own computer problems,” says White. “With DependablePC, help is just a call away.”

Based in Durham, N.C., DependablePC is committed to making technology headaches a thing of the past and giving small business owners real peace of mind about their computers so they can focus their energy on their core business. For more information, please visit www.DependablePC.com.

From Micro Persuasion: The Newspaper Reporter of the Future is Here Today

The word newspaper is really a misnomer today. Or at least it will be soon. Increasingly news is delivered digitally and it's interactive. People are certainly writing newspapers off for dead, but I think they have a bright future (in digital form) and it's right in front of them. more...

Bill would guarantee paid sick leave

From WRAL: A bill introduced in the state House of Representatives on Wednesday would require many employers to provide paid sick leave. more...

The Stimulus Bill and North Carolina

Below are a few links of interest related to the stimulus bill and its impact on North Carolina.

• Under the Dome: Jobs per Congressional district
• Under the Dome: ASU economist: Too much in '10
• Under the Dome: Gov. Perdue names go-to guy on stimulus
• Under the Dome: NCSU economist: Maybe not 105k new jobs

Statements from North Carolina's Congressional Delegation

• U.S. Senator Richard Burr, R (voted against stimulus)
• U.S. Senator Kay Hagan, D (voted for stimulus)
• Representative G.K. Butterfield, D-1st District (voted for stimulus)
• Representative Bob Etheridge, D-2nd District (voted for stimulus)
• Representative Walter Jones, Jr., R-3rd District (voted against stimulus)
• Representative David Price, D-4th District (voted for stimulus)
• Representative Virginia Foxx, R-5th District (voted against stimulus)
• Representative Howard Coble, R-6th District (voted against stimulus)
• Representative Mike McIntyre, D-7th District (voted for stimulus)
• Representative Larry Kissell, D-8th District (voted for stimulus) -- no statement found on Web site
• Representative Sue Myrick, R-9th District (voted against stimulus)
• Representative Patrick McHenry, R-10th District (voted against stimulus)
• Representative Heath Shuler, D-11th District (voted against stimulus)
• Representative Mel Watt, D-12th District (voted for stimulus) -- no statement found on Web site
• Representative Brad Miller, D-13th District (voted for stimulus) -- no statement found on Web site

Port of Wilmington to offer direct connection to Central American markets

Press Release from the Office of the Governor

The Danish container shipping company, Maersk Line, has announced that it will begin weekly vessel calls effective Friday, March 6, 2009, between the Port of Wilmington and Puerto Cortes, Honduras and Santo Tomas, Guatemala in northern Central America, with over the road service to El Salvador and Nicaragua.

“North Carolina and our ports continue to be attractive to businesses around the world. Maersk Line is a perfect fit for North Carolina and the Port of Wilmington,” said Gov. Bev Perdue. “I will continue to focus on building up the capacity of North Carolina’s port enterprises.”

Maersk Line is the world’s largest container shipping company and has a significant regional office in Charlotte.

“Maersk’s new service at the Port of Wilmington supports North Carolina’s textile and apparel industries,” said Carl J. Stewart, Jr., Chairman, NC State Ports Authority Board of Directors, “ and will help to sustain the jobs of thousands of North Carolina workers in these and related industries.”

The Port of Wilmington’s proximity to the state’s textile operations increases their competitiveness in the global market through lower inland transportation costs.

“The cost savings on inland transportation to Wilmington will be realized in the delivery of raw materials to the port for export to the North Central American zone, as well as in the return of finished goods to distribution centers in North Carolina.” said Thomas J. Eagar, Ports Authority CEO.

“Taking advantage of this new trade lane offered through the Port of Wilmington also expands the advantages of the North Carolina Ports tax credit to a broader range of importers and exporters,” said Glenn Carlson, Ports Authority vice president of business and economic development.

Maersk is the third container shipping company to begin service at the Port of Wilmington, following expansion of the container terminal. The improvements include a 42-foot navigation channel, berth reconstruction, four 100-foot gauge container cranes and a terminal operating system that allows customers to track their own containers online in and out of the port.

“The state’s investment in improving the port is paying off with new business,” Stewart added.

Column: Making the most of a layoff

by J.D. Gidley / from The Leland Tribune

So you’ve been laid off, and suddenly you have more time on your hands. Before diving into a frenzied job search, why not consider re-entering the job market at a later date, and instead, go back to school? This lull in your career may be the perfect opportunity to expand your horizons and learn new skills and insights. Returning to the classroom is a great way to keep your mind active, enhance your marketability and rejuvenate yourself. more...

Strategic Networking for Real Impact - Introduction

by Frank Williams

Suffice it to say that I am a true believer in networking. In our seven and a half years in business, more than 85% of Pioneer Strategies' clients have been acquired as a direct result of networking activities, with support and assistance from our public relations efforts.

Additionally, whenever I need a product or service I reach out to the people in my network. If I do not know someone who provides that product or service, I ask those in my network for referrals.

Unfortunately, all too often I hear people say things like:
- "I've tried networking, and it didn't work for me."
- "Networking doesn't work in my business."
- "Networking seems like a waste of time."
- "I'm not in sales, so I don't need to network."

These are only a few of the many reasons people have given for why they do not network. I believe each and every one of them is dead wrong.

In my view, if someone makes statements like those listed above, one of the following is typically true:
- They have unrealistic expectations;
- They are doing it wrong;
- They are not networking consistently;
- They have no strategy and are instead networking randomly;
- They fail to follow up.

Networking is a powerful tool for building your business, especially in these tough economic times. In future posts I will discuss strategies and principles for effective networking -- networking for real impact.

Frank Williams is president of Pioneer Strategies, a public relations agency that does business in North Carolina's Cape Fear and Research Triangle regions.