This week, the people at Arbitron lost accreditation for five markets where they use people meters to judge radio ratings.

In Milwaukee, the firm has been able to keep its accreditation from the Media Rating Council, as it has in eight other markets that use the PPM technology.

However, Arbitron has struggled to get a quality sample that could be representative for the entire market:
http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/101809/media-rating-coun

Here’s the tricky nature about ratings, and this is true in both TV and radio: One has to trust in the mathematical science that these firms (Arbitron and Nielsen) keep under wraps, but promise that they are sound. It takes an outside source, like the Media Rating Council, to offer an accreditation behind the ratings scientific method. That accreditation is there to make us feel better – think the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

I’m not sure I like the idea that a few hundred people and their listening habits is reflective of the entire population of southeast Wisconsin. But that’s the system we have.

It is not uncommon in the U.S. for companies within the industry to regulate itself without federal oversight. That in itself is a little scary, however, it seems, that industries with federal oversight have their own problems (i.e. Wall Street, banking industry).

Ratings are important because it can set the advertising rates for a period of time. In TV, the latest ratings period starts on Feb. 2. How the respective outlets do, will affect how much it costs for airtime for most of the year. Radio has other rating periods that do the same thing.

But if the numbers can’t be trusted by the service that TV and radio stations pay for, how then can a value be put on airtime? If you are an advertiser, this affects your marketing budget and ultimately, the bottom line.

If you are just a casual listener, it affects you too, as the ratings affect the type of programming and advertisements being delivered.

So, are people meters working for Milwaukee radio? We’ll just have to trust Arbitron, who can’t get it right in Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Portland and other cities.

Remember that one party, you know, that one where you don’t remember much but your friends keep telling you about wearing a lamp shade and some bad karaoke?

That’s right, we don’t remember it either. But your friends do and they put it on Facebook a couple of years ago. It is o.k., no one remembers old posts on Facebook. You know, the ones that were there before your co-workers, your boss and your parents were your friends.

Timeline is going to bring it all back.

You will have 7 days to clean up the Timeline on your Facebook page. You see, the social network that we all use for “free” will be making this “great” change for you and 750 million of your global friends.

Here is some background on the change from Tech Crunch: http://techcrunch.com

Over the next few weeks everyone will be using Facebook Timeline. It is a forced format change for individual profiles on the social media network.

Luckily, Facebook created the Activity Log where you will be able to set who can see which posts. This shouldn’t be a problem for the people who are on Facebook constantly, but for casual users, get ready for a shock.

My early guess is there will be a lot of complaining. When it comes down to it, people don’t like to change their habits.

The announcement that the NBA lockout was ending and we will, in fact, have a NBA basketball season actually made me happy.

With the afterglow of a great baseball season fading and the Packers only giving us a one day a week sports fix (but what a great ride), I really missed the beginning of the Milwaukee Bucks season.

I know it’s hard to feel sorry for millionaires arguing with other millionaires over how to divide up billions, but let’s not forget about all the other businesses and employees that are impacted by not having NBA basketball in Milwaukee. Like the NBA or not, thousands of restaurant, hotel, Bradley Center and transportation workers have definitely felt the pinch of not having a season up until now.

This shortened season should be a wake-up call to all of us on how devastating it would be to lose the Bucks franchise and the NBA in Milwaukee. I really hope fans don’t hold a grudge and stay away because of the work stoppage.

I, for one, am looking forward to going to Bucks games in January and enjoying some of the other great local entertainment before and after the event.

I just hope I am not alone!

More often than not, everything we do in our collective society is done in terms of a connection with someone else. We create our own network of individuals for our family, friends and professional colleagues.

It’s a pretty simple and basic way to look at how we exist.

In this digital media world, technology has brought us even closer. The Università degli Studi di Milano teamed up with Facebook for a check on the classic “six degrees of separation” theory of how we are all connected. The, “somebody who knows somebody, who knows somebody,” concept is far from new, but the latest research proves that those engaged in social media – 721 million on Facebook alone – are closer to four degrees of separation.

See the report here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396732,00.asp

“We found that six degrees actually overstates the number of links between typical pairs of users,” Facebook released in a statement presenting the metrics obtained in the study.

As you spend the time this Thanksgiving thinking about what you are grateful for in your life, reflect for a moment on the connections you have made and what they mean to you. Think about the ways you communicate with those around you, and the means in which you interact with them.

Technology has allowed us to reach out and connect with neighbors around the globe, and hopefully allows you to keep the most important ones close to your heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Regis Philbin’s last day as co-host of “Live.”

For a man who wanted to make his original mark in late night television, he’s showed all of us, and certainly the execs over at ABC, how much star power can be found on the morning talk show circuit.

Who would have thought a show that opened every morning with stories about what the show hosts did the night before could be so popular for 28 years? Yet, I for one, have loved Regis’ self-deprecating humor, his fabled talk in the third person and never-ending mispronunciations of his guest’s names.

But, it’s not so much his long-standing career that I admire the most. It’s his tenacity. Over the past few years, Regis has had a number of health issues that would set any number of us back. Regis has shared and even embraced his health problems with humor, grace and fortitude. My goodness, he’s 80 years old, a year younger than my mom, and yet, he has got to be the poster child for how to grow older. He works four days a week, goes out on the town almost every night, and only recently put down his tennis racket. He could let his younger co-hosts challenge his guests in sports, exercise demos, dancing, or what have you, but not Regis. He does it himself no matter how foolish he looks and it usually is pretty funny TV. He does not look at his last day on “Live” as retirement, but rather as moving on. Watching him is testament to the phrase, “use it or lose it.”

The next time you pass on a night out with friends, a chance to try something new, to act your age rather than how you feel, to choose protocol over laughter and obligation over family, to say “not now”, rather the just “do,” think about Regis. Quality of life would appear to have a lot to do with believing in life and living it.

Recently, the developers at Google turned on the feature for businesses and organizations to join Google+. The emerging social media platform from the search engine giant is going head-to-head in a battle for relevance with Facebook.

There was one major flaw with Google’s latest rollout – there is no verification system in place. If I wanted to, I can create a Google+ page for the gas station I go to, or the dry cleaners I use, or something more high-profile, say a certain multi-billion dollar operation.

On Nov. 8, someone else had the idea and “Brandjacked” the largest bank in the land. The Google+ page for the Bank of America featured a clear satire with a colorful twist on a few perceptions of the organization following the Wall Street bailout and recent fee issue. The page was taken down on Nov. 15, but not before 342 people “+1′d” it (Google’s version of a Thumbs Up), according to comments on the report here.

Google+ asked individuals to refrain from using single-user pages for businesses when it launched the platform earlier this year. The company then worked on developing the pages for celebrities, charities and other organizations. They had time to put a verification system in place. They simply didn’t do it.

I have to question if it was a lack of time, feeling the pressure to get the new tools out there, or if it was greed and not wanting to hire personnel to wade through the electronic applications. Or, simply all of the above.

When an organization goes into the development of a simple website, we usually suggest taking the time to outline what the main functions and offerings the site will have. We take the time to identify the audience and what their needs are. If one just studied Facebook for let’s say, an hour, you could see what kind of information people like to share and respond to. Does Google have the blinders on so tight, that they wouldn’t take the time to simply look at what their competition is doing?

The ball has been dropped and is just sitting there, live on the field. It remains to be seen who will scoop up the ball and run with it. Facebook is clearly winning this game.

The latest volleys between Google and Facebook are showing a number of strengths and weaknesses in each of the social media platforms.

Google+ launched business pages on Tuesday, allowing firms and organizations the opportunity to better connect and have conversations with potential customers. A number of high-profile businesses were first adopters, launching a page this week. However, Facebook still has the power in numbers, and it will be interesting to watch if the benefits of conversation outweigh the possibility of higher search engine rankings.

There are some positive and negative aspects between the two outlets from the perspective of a business:

Mass Conversation: Advantage Facebook

Despite the quick growth of individual accounts when Google+ was first made available earlier this year, it was hardly a Facebook killer. Facebook has hit record milestones in the number of people participating in social networking on its site. If a business wants to reach the masses, Facebook is still the place to be.

Search Engine Optimization: Advantage Google+

Currently the Google search engine does not index every page within Facebook. A business making frequent and relevant posts should be able to get an organic boost in search engine rankings by participating in conversations on Google.

User Administration: Advantage Facebook

Many different people within an organization can share administration duties for a page on Facebook. Currently, a page on Google+ is associated with a current user. If multiple people need access, they have to log into a single person’s account.

Video Chat: Advantage Google+

Identifying a weakness in Facebook, Google+ launched a Hangout feature, allowing groups of people to participate in a video chat. For businesses wanting to quickly share information, they could host a video conference pretty easily using the tools located within Google+.

The Bottom Line: Advantage Facebook (for now)

There’s just no ignoring the fact that millions of people have made Facebook their top choice when it comes to sharing information with their friends and family members. Organizations cannot ignore the possibilities of being able to connect with a niche target audience among Facebook’s ranks.

Google+ has some intriguing features that were sitting in Facebook’s blind spot. However, if Facebook continues to make advances, like its own video chat option launched earlier this year, it should remain the top place to be for many. In my opinion, I believe we are at the point where 95% of all businesses should have a presence on Facebook. Unless there’s an incredible untapped opportunity, I don’t see the need for many businesses who are just starting in the social media world to be aggressive on Google+. However, the way in which we communicate changes pretty fast. If Google continues to add advancements, it could change the dynamics. We may just have to wait and see for a little while longer.

At this point in time, it is doubtful that anyone truly questions if technology moves quickly. Digital evolutions have happened in short years, relative to most cultural changes that have taken generations.

The latest word on the street is that Barnes & Noble is preparing a major announcement next week. As the book seller fights for dominance in a digital age, many guess the announcement will have to do with the Nook, its tablet for delivering electronic titles. In September, Amazon.com delivered its Kindle Fire with a $199 price point.

Apple still dominates in the tablet market, even with a $499 price tag.

We are witnessing another format and device power play, as each of these players is positioning to see which one will be the market winner. We saw this with HD DVD vs. Blu-ray, Beta vs. VHS, and a number of others.

It is always interesting to see which one ends up being the prominent player when the final decision is made on what format or product will be used the most. Usually there is a major marketing play for one or the other. Sometimes, that marketing effort is sent to the end consumers, but often, the marketing takes a business-to-business approach. The Blu-ray won the format battle when the majority of film studios and distributors picked Sony’s format over what Toshiba had developed.

So, any early predictions on who wins the tablet battle?

Space, the final frontier.

For years the U.S. government’s move into space and exploring what lies beyond our blue skies has captured media attention and the amazement and wonderment of millions. When NASA sent the first astronauts into orbit, or to the moon, these were moments locked into the collective consciousness of our society.

However, when NASA held a sting at a Denny’s to get a moon rock back from a grandma, well, not too many cameras were rolling nor did the incident grab a number of headlines.

“But at the end of the sting operation, agents were left holding a speck of lunar dust smaller than a grain of rice and a 74-year-old suspect who was terrified by armed officials. Five months after NASA investigators and local agents swooped into the restaurant and hailed their operation as a cautionary tale for anyone trying to sell national treasure, no charges have been filed, NASA isn’t talking and the case appears stalled,” the report from the Associated Press read.

Five months after the set up to nab the woman, we finally get some details so a reporter can write something. Yet, when NASA has another astronaut playing with M&Ms inside the International Space Station, press releases are sent and satellite interviews with school children are scheduled.

If you ask me, this situation stinks, and I’m not even talking about the custody battle with a moon rock. In some ways I agree that the media should be played like a fiddle, used as an effective tool to get out a message. But the news purest in me, the one who values a citizen’s right to open information from the government, is raising the red flag as to how this one was handled. NASA has had some incredible people working for its organization in multiple departments, including communications.

When we work with clients in putting together ways to craft their message, we urge a level of transparency and honesty. This allows the public to weigh in on the information and judge the credibility of the source of the information.

Someone at NASA should have used the sting as an opportunity to educate the public about moon rocks, instead of trying to let this one slip by without any notice or reaction.

On occasion, people may venture outside of the mainstream and make a personal choice that seems against the grain.

We try to put labels on this, the same way in which we try to put labels on everything. It’s Alternative, Exotic, Unique, even Different. This counterculture thinks they have started a new trend or are off and involved in a revolution of sorts. In the digital world, the Hackers, Techno-Geeks, Programmers, and others seem they are creating something new, and will watch the other masses follow.

In some cases, that’s true. New technology emerges, software is developed and user interfaces are designed. However, with the adoption of a resource by the masses, often the unique nature is lost in automatic settings.

Case in point, Facebook has set its user settings at a default, which allows the social media outlet to gather and market personal information including such preferences to certain movies, music, activities and professions. The use of that information is what allows Facebook to have a successful revenue model and keep the “features” free for the millions of users. The settings can be changed by each individual user, but often, the extra clicks one has to go through are just too many.

This past weekend, The New York Times published a report on how defaults are hard to resist. The psychological impact goes way beyond the digital world.

Early on, Google made a deal with AOL to be the default search engine as part of a revenue sharing deal. Because of that move, and others like it along the way, Google has been the early leader and powerhouse in online search. In terms of options, the default is the winner.

There’s a great lesson to be learned here, that could have wide-reaching impact on the bottom line. If an organization or business wants to have a certain result to build revenue, it has to carefully word the choices and make the default option too good to pass up.

New behaviors created out of our counterculture have a way of finding its way to the mainstream. When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak got together in a garage and built a computer, they had no idea of the empire that they would build. Just last weekend, thousands of people stood in line for the new iPhone. Their counterculture move of making a machine, going against business trends of the moment, would lead to what we consider the norm now.

When innovation happens, whether designed or not, the implementation of the default actions can have two effects — either destroy the very nature in which the product or service emerged, or the defaults can reinforce the meaning behind its creation.

When it comes down to messaging, be mindful in how something is presented. Don’t make the truly desired choice be too many clicks away. Strive to become the default, because that is how our society progresses.