One word.

Independence

Giving Thanks: Tom Phillips

As we approach Thanksgiving, it's a good time to think about all that we have to be thankful for (apologies for the grammar). It's especially important during difficult times to be reminded of the good things, people, and events in our lives.

To start, I'm thankful for the experience of having worked for Tom Phillips at Phillips Publishing. Tom taught me entrepreneurship, the relentless pursuit of excellence, how to look at things from different perspectives, and to strive for perfection.

On a personal side, Tom was always friendly and had a kind word to share. He really made me feel like part of the family.

I thank Tom for the opportunity to work for him and learn from him. I thank him for the opportunity to learn how to sell advertising, and to delve into what was at the time a new-fangled contraption called the internet.

Today, our more than 24 employees, and many more stakeholders outside the company, benefit from the knowledge Tom provided.

Happy Thanksgiving!

ad:tech NYC 2009 observations

We just got back from ad:tech NYC, and here are our immediate impressions:

1. Attendance seemed lighter this year than in the past; the new venue at the Javits Center may have accounted for that because it is a much larger facility so the crowd may have been spread out over much more space.

2. There didn't seem to be the usual "euphoria" among attendees; there was definitely a sense of calm optimism.

3. It seemed that there were more attendees from the larger media companies than in the past.

4. It also seemed that there were more attendees from up-market agencies and advertisers than in the past.

5. There are still lots of opportunities in the online marketing world. As more budget dollars are directed online, advertisers and agencies will seek out more unique opportunities with established, well-branded and respected publishers.

Okay, I have to add that it was pretty cool being in Times Square when the NY Yankees won the Series. Intermarkets doesn't take sides in any of that, but the collective roar heard throughout Manhattan as the Yankees won on Wednesday night was a remarkable experience.

Hacking, parenting and the Intermarkets Way

As a parent, when your child does a great thing, there's always the conflict between wanting to brag about their accomplishment, while at the same time not wanting to seem like one of "those" parents who endlessly promote their child's every latest move as some form of monumental achievement worthy of the Nobel Prize or a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

But sometimes, you just gotta brag.

Every day at Intermarkets, we strive to achieve greatness within the construct of the Intermarkets Way. This means going above and beyond what is expected, to achieve what should be done.

With a widely dispersed staff, working at various locations across the country, it's easy, however, for us to just take for granted the everyday heroic acts of our team. For me, it's native to not seek out commendations, and that can lead to not sharing them, either. And that's not a good thing.

So today that changes.

And we've got a great example to use as a starting point.

This morning, my colleague Mike S. was doing a routine check of one of our publishers' sites and noticed something peculiar with the Google search code on the site.

After some quick research, he contacted me and explained the situation. Someone had “hacked” into the site’s server and made changes to the site's home page. The site’s servers are the same that host another of our publishers. This set off major alarm bells, even though the issue was not directly related to Intermarkets.

We contacted the publisher and he and his webmaster investigated and found that there was a security issue. The issue was resolved, and the code was corrected.

Thanks to Mike's rapid actions, we saved the publisher lost revenue and identified a security issue that could have affected other publishers, too. We earned the appreciation of the publisher as well as the webmaster.

Thanks, Mike, for your actions today, and thanks to everyone on the Intermarkets team for contributing to our ongoing success, and building the legendary Intermarkets Way.

Like I said, sometimes you just gotta brag.

Survey says...

The vast majority of corporate chief financial officers do not agree with the recent statement by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that the "recession is likely over." According to a recent poll, nearly 70% of CFOs believe the recession will continue.

This is startling because CFOs are the most knowledgeable about where the economy is right now and where it is heading.

The major concern at this moment is that economic policies may be developed based on assumptions that may be in error.

Why this matters is that business and consumer confidence is crucial in reviving the economy.

Intermarkets awards scholarship

Intermarkets, Inc. announces that Daniel C. Yates has been awarded the Intermarkets-Lucido Journalism Scholarship.

We created the scholarship to recognize an outstanding graduating senior in Virginia who understands and promotes the importance of unbiased journalism in the United States media.

Click here for more information.

Daniel wrote a great essay and has shown tremendous leadership and a true commitment to real journalism.

Congratulations Daniel and best wishes to you for the future, from all of us at Intermarkets.

Intermarkets Publisher Gets Slow Jammed by Jimmy Fallon!

Intermarkets manages sales for a variety of Web sites, including the iconic Drudge Report. We're also proud to work with Rasmussen Reports, which must also now be an icon as the site was slow jammed by Jimmy Fallon, check it out here.

Come on Jimmy...how about Matt Drudge, next?