It's been a while, and rather than prattling on for ages, I'm going to post a few links.

This first one is for the new DigitalGrit newsletter, The 30,000 Foot View. It's monthly, and you really need to subscribe. You'll just be so much smarter if you do. Seriously.

The second one is for TeamGrit/Avon. What the heck is that, you ask? It's a group of awesome women at DigitalGrit who are going to be walking 40 miles to fight breast cancer. We need to raise some serious funds to make a difference and you can help. So get out your credit card and support us! (<- pink)  Everyone knows someone who's been touched by breast cancer -- let's work together to change that.

Much more news ahead. Stay tuned! (And enjoy your weekend!)

Two quick notes: First off -- tons of job openings. We're growing FAST!

Secondly, we're on Twitter! Dig our tweets.

We have about a gazillion job openings. You need to check 'em out. If you're into Web marketing, SEM, SEO....this is the place to be. One of the Best Places to Work in America, Best Places to Work in NJ, Forbes Enterprise Award Winner, blah, blah, blah.

Nevermind all that, take MY word for it.

Job opps are here. Interns welcome too. (Coffee-making skills not required.)

Post a comment if you have questions about life at DG -- I'll respond.

(BTW, what does it mean when your mood is "recumbent?" Is that like the bike at the gym??)

Just wanted to share...I looked it up yesterday, and the proper, AP-stylebook  manner to refer to a collection of pages on the Internet is...(drum roll, please)

"Web site"

Two words. Capital W. Remember it. Type it. Live it.

Are you on LinkedIn yet? I've been on that site for a few years now, and it's in *maybe* the last 3-4 months that I've actually found some value in it.

It's kind of like MySpace for the extremely career-minded. And up until recently, it was seriously booooorrrrring.

Now they've added a jobs section and Answers, and it's got some stickiness. I think you can even add a blog to your profile.

It's pretty cool. In fact, I just made a sweet little PR coup via "Answers."

If you're really thinking about finding a new job or moving ahead in your current one, definitely build a profile on LinkedIn. It's pretty darned smart.

(...of course, about 75% of DigitalGrit is on there! Feel free to add me to your network when you sign up.)

Does it take a a genius to figure out that planting mysterious electronic devices on bridges in major cities is probably not your best route to building a beloved brand?

Yes, evidently, it does.

BOSTON (AP via Yahoo!)- Ten blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a publicity campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. At least one of the devices depicts a character giving the finger.

Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless.

"It's a hoax — and it's not funny," said Gov. Deval Patrick.

Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.

Smart. Did Ted approve this one?

The agency behind the brilliant scheme, Interference Inc., seems to have some web problems currently. I'm guessing either Time Warner has ALREADY shut them down, or along the lines of what they seem to specialize in, they're pretending to have a dead site...but they're really just loading lots of nasty spyware onto my laptop.

Lessons from this one:

1. Just because your campaign seems edgy, creative and cool, doesn't mean it's good. Or legal.

2. If you're doing something that you think pushes the "brand standards" - make sure the C-level folks know what you're up to. If you're even THINKING you might be pushing it, get the signoff. Better safe than sacked.

3. Marketing should never, ever lead to federal investigation or a calling of the National Guard. Bomb squads and the closing of bridges should seriously never have anything to do with your campaigns. I mean, unless you're launching Will Smith's latest summer blockbuster, I guess.

This guy on American Idol just said he wanted to be the next American Idol so he could make David Hasselhoff cry.

Now this guy, Chris Sligh -- not the best singer to every audition for the most popular show on television. He says he "most resembles Christa Aguilera." Really, he looks like a better-groomed Jack Osbourne -- pre-transformation, that is. So, y'know, not exactly the prettiest boy in Birmingham that day.

He's a good singer - again, not the best. But he's GOIN' TA HOLLYWOOD!

So, yes, this is all exciting news, but how, HOW? you ask, does this relate to DigitalGrit?

Well, there's an important marketing message to be gleaned from audition of Chris Sligh. Chris knew that he was going into the American Idol auditions with about 50,000 of the best R&B and country singers under the age of 28 that this fine country has to offer. He knew that many of these guys would be better looking, more talented, and more engaging. And that they could easily become a big blur of "pretty good singers" to the judges.

Chris needed to find a way to differentiate himself. Lots of people do that on the show by wearing ridiculous costumes or dying their hair green...but that will tick the judges off, more often than not.

Chris, instead, decided to embrace the fact that he wasn't just another pretty face/voice, and let his incredibly dry sense of humor shine through.

So...it's a little bit about finding your USP - the thing that makes your product unique, and it's a little bit about transparency.

It got Chris to Hollywood. How do you think it will work for you?

So...there's a lot on the talk about best practices for marekting on the new Web, blogging, etc.

I really hope this series of YouTube videos by Dominos -- featuring "The Paris Hilton next door" -- meets the accepted standard, because I think it's HYSTERICAL.

See for yourself!

Thanks to Adam B. for the tip! (Guess I'm adding to the virus, too.)

We're hiring like crazy people in 2007. (No, we're not HIRING crazy people. We're hiring LIKE crazy people.)

Tons of job openings and more to come on our site!

Also -- next "fun" event on the calendar: a Pimp Your Cube contest. I wrote a post that inspired me here.

Happy 2007!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an iPod fan. I'm the only one at DigitalGrit, for the most part, who isn't. (I have a MuVo Micro.)

I love my tunes, don't get me wrong -- it's just the whole "everyone has one" thing that gets my back up. Even though Apple has always been the preferred brand of the truly cool kids, the ubiquity of iPods just brings out my (never-latent) inner rebel.

That said, I'm loving the creative Microsoft's done for the Zune. Some of it was featured in last week's Ad Age (it took me this long to skim the issue) and it's really cool. Nevermind the anti-Apple branding - "Welcome to the Social," which I happen to think is a smart differentiator. This is great stuff, no matter who's behind it.

View the gallery at zune-arts.net.

Three cheers for the "other-guy-pod." Do I think this smart campaign will crack into iPod's 75% marketshare? Probably not. But that's probably why I'll get one.

(Snagged from the official DG blog.)