All joking aside.

We need to pick a winner.

Last week many of you entered a joke submission for Martie’s contest. We need a winner. Help us pick ‘em. Vote for your favorite at the bottom, and enjoy a laugh on us!

Michele-

Everyone always says….
April Showers bring May Flowers….
but what did the May Flowers bring?!?!

The Pilgrims!!! Smilie: :-P

LeAnn-

Sign behind an Amish carriage:
“Energy efficient vehicle. Runs on grass and oats.
CAUTION: Avoid exhaust!”

Jane-

True story:
On Gwen’s 5th birthday she asked me how old I was. I told her 49. She looked at me and very seriously said “that’s a big number”.

Nazia-

Q: What has four wheels and flies?
A: A garbage truck

Becky-

A blonde is walking down the street one day and sees a brunette doing jumping jacks on some railroad tracks…..but the weird thing is she keeps repeating the same number….21…21….21…..the blonde says…that looks like fun……so she starts doing it too….21… 21… 21…..then a train comes..the brunette jumps off the tracks and the blonde gets hit by a train…..the brunette gets back on the tracks when the train goes by…….22…22….22

Kristi-

Why do cows wears bells?
Because their horns don’t work.

Kevin-

Doctor: I’ve got good news and bad news…
Patient: Alright give me the bad news first I guess….
Doctor: Well your test results came back… and you have Canary disease.
Patient: Well that sounds pretty bad…..whats the good news….
Doctor: It’s Tweetable.

Kelsey- 

What do blondes call Cheerios?
Donut seeds!

Joanna-

The day finally arrives: Forrest Gump dies and goes to heaven. He is met at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter himself. The gates are closed, however, and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper. Peter says “Well, Forrest, it’s certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must inform you that the place is filling up fast, and we’ve been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The tests are fairly short, but you need to pass before you can get into Heaven.”

Forrest responds “It shore is good to be here Saint Peter. I was looking forward to this. Nobody ever told me about any entrance exam. Sure hope the test ain’t too hard; life was a big enough test as it was.”

Peter goes on, “Yes I know, Forrest, but the test I have for you is only three questions. First: What days of the week begin with the letter T? Second: How many seconds are there in a year? Third: What is God’s first name?”

Forrest goes away to think the questions over. The first thing the next morning, Peter returns to the gate to find Forrest already there waiting for him. Peter smiles warmly and says, “Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers.”

Forrest says, “Well, the first one – how many days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’? Shucks, that one’s easy. That’d be Today and Tomorrow.

The saint’s eyes open wide and he exclaims, “Forrest! That’s not what I was thinking, but… you do have a point, and I guess I didn’t specify, so I give you credit for that answer.”

“How about the next one: How many seconds in a year?”

“Now that one’s harder” says Forrest, “But I thunk and thunk about that and I guess the only answer can be twelve.”

Astounded St. Peter says, “Twelve! Twelve! Forrest, how in Heaven’s name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?”

Forest says “Shucks, there gotta be twelve: January second, February second, March second…..”

“Hold it,” Peter interrupts. “I see where you’re going with this, and I guess you’re right. It wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but I’ll give you credit for that one, too. Let’s go on with the next and final question. Can you tell me God’s first name?”

Forrest replied, “Andy.”
“OK, OK,” said a frustrated gatekeeper, “I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you came up with the name Andy as the first name of God?”

“That was the easiest one of all,” Forrest replied. “I learned it from the song! ‘Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am his own…’”

Valeri Gillenwater-

How do you catch a Unique rabbit?
You neek up on it…
How do you catch a tame rabbitt?
Tame way…

Sandy Douglass Abalos-

 A man was carrying 2 babies, one in each arm, while waiting for a train.
A woman upon seeing those 2 cute babies asked the man, “Aren’t they cute, what are their names?” The man giving the lady an angry look replied, “I don’t know.” The lady then asked, “Are they boys or girls?” The man looking angrier than before replied “I don’t know.” The woman then started to scold the man, “What kind of a father are you?”
The man replied, “I am not their father, I am just a condom salesman and these are the 2 complaints that I am taking back to my company.”

Laura Carroll-

 A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. ”But why?” they asked, as they moved off. ”because,” he said ”I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

Jackie Bush Moore -

This came from my friend Mike. A baby mosquito came back after 1st time flying. His mom asked him “How do you feel?” He replied “It was wonderful, everyone was clapping for me!”

Marie-

A programmer was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him and said, “If you kiss me, I’ll turn into a beautiful princess.”

He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, “If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week.”

The programmer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, “If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I’ll stay with you and do anything you want.” Again the programmer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.

Finally, the frog asked, “What is the matter? I’ve told you I’m a beautiful princess that I’ll stay with you for a week and do anything you want. Why won’t you kiss me?”

The programmer said, “Look, I’m a programmer. I don’t have time for a girlfriend — but a talking frog, now that’s cool!”


Debra-
A duck walks into a bar….hey bartender, got any beer?
Bartender: we don’t serve ducks, get out
Duck waddles out, two minutes later he returns.
Hey bartender, got any beer?
Bartender: I told you we don’t serve ducks, get out
Duck waddles out, two minutes later he returns.
Bartender: I told you we don’t serve ducks, next time you ask, I’m gonna nail your feet to the floor.
Duck waddles out, two minutes later he returns.
Hey bartender, got any nails?
Bartender: throws down his towel – NO!
Duck: got any beer?

 

Erin- Two antenna get married.
People say the wedding was bad, but the reception was good. Smilie: :)

 

Sandy-
An East Texas preacher was completing his ‘personal demons’ sermon with great expression when he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” With more emphasis he added, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” He finished with, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” He then sat down. The song leader stood cautiously and announced with a smile: “For our closing song, let us all sing Hymn #365: “Shall We Gather at the River.”

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QR so beautiful, to me………

OK, so this story is adorable. It’s also soooooooo sweet that I don’t need to post a link to what my wife is using to sabotage me this week.

Many of us here at Alphagraphics of Carrollton really enjoy the marketing tools we get to play with here at work. We really enjoy finding ways to connect our customers with their customers. It also starts to rub off on our families as well. Carla’s son had heard his mother talking about how we’re using QR codes to take people to mobile web sites . In a move that makes me shed a tear (as a geek), Braden asked his mother to help him with a project for Valentine’s Day. Seems he had been hearing all about how you can link to video and print them on anything, so he asked if he could do the same.

They shot a short video of Braden wishing everyone Happy Valentine’s Day, posted it privately on YouTube, and then created a QR code link using a generator. They then mailed out Valentine’s Day cards to their family with the QR code on the front. We put the QR code here so you scan (or click) below and have him wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Enjoy!

Braden's Valentine Wish

If you really need to have something to make….Braden approves of these!

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A Valentines Mad-Lib

So here it is. All of those things you’ve been writing down will now hopefully make you chuckle AND win you a $50 gift card in time for the big day! After you read the mad lib using the items you’ve recorded, just leave a comment with each of the words.
Good luck and thank you for playing with us!

Dear Diary,

Last week my honey told me we were going to be doing something out of the ordinary. Wow, I had no idea for the day that was in store for me.

The whole day was a dream come true. I knew we were going someplace special, but imagine my surprise when I found out we’d be taking a (method of travel) to get there. We didn’t just go across town though, we actually went to (city). I have always dreamed of traveling there!

When we arrived, I was blindfolded and imagine my surprise when I found out our meal was being prepared by (restaurant/chef). The dinner was fantastic, but was made even better when the dessert arrived on a silver platter. They lifted the lid to reveal (dessert). My absolute favorite dessert!
Next door to the restaurant was a theatre, we walked in to find that the entire theatre had been rented so that we could view (movie). Can you believe it? As the movie ended my sweetie walked on stage and recited a poem by (poet) to me and gave me my very own (gift).

Well, we’ve made it back home now. And I’m here in bed cuddling with my new pet (animal).

This has been, far and away, the best date ever! If only every day could be this wonderful….

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Ten things you may not have known about QR codes…

Alright, they gave me caffeine and I’m all good now. Apparently I get a little dodgy without it. This weeks post is a little more normal and far less entertaining.


1.Brought to you by Toyota!

The QR code was created by Denso Wave ( a division of Toyota) to help the manufacturer track production of its cars on their assembly line.


 2.Wait, the world owes you how much?

Although they have chosen not to exercise their rights, the design and capture software is copyrighted by Denso Wave. Generous folks over there!


3.Gender bias….

QR codes are more likely to be scanned by women than men! Nice little piece of information when building a mobile site. In fact they are most often scanned by women in the 35-44 yr old category. Don’t they make the most buying decisions too? Hmmmm…….


4.Multi-tasker extraordinaire

Although they are traditionally used to drive someone to a url, they can also be used to:

  • Send a Text Message
  • Dial a phone number
  • Mark an event in your smartphone calendar
  • Populate a contact in your phone
  • Open up a map coordinate
  • Tweet on Twitter
  • Create a new Blackberry IM contact
  • Log you into a wi-fi network (great on a counter card for your customers)
  • Create a free form text document


5.Still growing…and growing

Most tracking services have reported a growth rate in 2011 that is somewhere in the 800-1000% growth range.  Fight it all you want, they are rapidly becoming a fact of life.


6.Show me the money!

Most scanners are expecting two things when they scan:  Mobile content and an offer or discount. Just putting one on your material isn’t enough. Take the time to consider your audience and your goals when developing them. Then consider how to keep the message mobile and compelling (quick hint- Alphagraphics of Carrollton would love to help you do this!)


7.Cheap, cheap, cheap….

Most QR generators are free to use. Most QR readers are free to download.  If you want us to create one for you and add it to your print material, we charge only for the time to design and test the QR code. Not a bad deal at all to increase your reach!


8.Can I get a lift-kit for that?

They can be customized by adding colors and images. This costs a bit more to test and develop, but if you google “custom QR codes” you can get some pretty cool ideas of what can be done.


9.Transformers, more than meets the eye

Because of their simplicity and the way that they access your mobile device’s operating system. They can be manipulated to access even more features as they are developed. Starbuck’s even has a “Pay by QR” program that was successfully tested.


10.“Look boss, de plane! De plane!”

You’ll just need to scan (or click) the QR Code below and watch to understand the pun. Go to about 1m 57secs in the video if you just want to see the cool part. Granted, this is over the top, but incredibly unique nonetheless!

 

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I’m Seeing Spots….

I’d like to take this moment and address an issue that is seriously affecting the health and well being of people across this great land of ours. Lazy thumbs. That’s right, I said lazy thumbs. Americans everywhere are being deprived of the ability to improve thumb health and increase their heart rate in frustration daily by a scourge called the QR code.

You’ve seen them everywhere: print ads, tv ads, product labels, on menus, on delivery vehicles, on plane tickets, even on business cards. No longer do I have the joy of not knowing which “Jim” is calling me.  No longer will I sigh in frustration trying to enter a url on my teeny-tiny keyboard.  No longer will I experience the adrenaline rush of racing to an engagement  because I forgot to put it in my calendar…

This month we will explore together the dangers of this terrible little sprite in depth. Join me in the fight against convenience and “user-friendly”!  Join me in the fight against “rich content”! Follow along as I show you many of the methods your competitors are using to encourage their customers to reach their content faster.

Be strong! Fight the good fight! And by all means, make sure your family only eats good healthy food for breakfast and not the “EASY TO PREPARE” and “DELICIOUS” breakfast casserole that can be found by scanning to the right.

A brief note from the editor-

The opinions of our marketing manager do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Alphagraphics. We do however recommend that you follow him this month for several reasons:

  1. He will be giving away a Kindle Fire at the end of the month to one lucky blog subscriber! Just make sure to leave a comment on each blog this month.
  2. He will be giving away two $50 Gift Certificates on Feb. 9th (just in time for Valentine’s Day)!
  3. He will be running two more mini-referral games by the end of the month!

If you have a smartphone but do not yet have a QR reader, we recommend the i-nigma or QR Reader app, both of which are available on the Apple and Android App markets. If you have not yet used one, simply download the app and open it up. With the application open,  point your camera at the QR code. The app should auto focus and scan the QR automatically, revealing the content in your window.

Good Luck and don’t let John scare you away. He means well………bless his heart.

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Measuring Success and Wasted Efforts

I have two goals this year: run a half-marathon and fit back into two of the suits I paid good money for. Luckily, by doing one I will most likely accomplish the other. I track my progress and once every few weeks test myself against previous performances on a set course. Arriving home last night from work, I informed my wife that I needed to start running again after a week-long hiatus. She gave me a “Bless Your Heart” look and reminded me about my week-end.
I spent most of my week-end doing two things: watching tv and eating. I do both of them well. Maria has this recipe for chocolate chip cookies stuffed with OREOs and the NFL championship games were on. There was little in the way of moderation and plenty in the way of sandwiches and chips and beverages and burgers. In my defense, there was an apple in there somewhere too. In two days I undid all of the good that I had done in the first two weeks of the year. All of those efforts were wasted.
We often do the same with our marketing efforts. We can put a tremendous amount of effort into identifying our audience, catching their eye, and speaking to their needs, but you waste all of that effort if you haven’t considered how to measure your results. You may get a short-term increase in sales, but these days you can get so much more with the same effort. Incorporating a PURL (personalized URL) campaign can allow you track not only sales, but also the level of engagement from your audience.
Imagine being able to know which demographic responded the best, which demographic didn’t respond at all, and who wants to know more. Imagine knowing who to target on your next campaign and what they want from you ahead of time. Give your friends at Alphagraphics a call if you want to know more about how a PURL campaign can help you.

Oh, and, just a heads up- there’s a good chance that they want Oreo stuffed Chocolate Chip cookies.

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Banana Pudding, Web Sites and Word of Mouth

While at a gathering with a group of friends this week-end, one friend who owns a small business made a statement that went something like “ I don’t really worry too much about the web-site that I have, all of my business comes through referrals anyways”. At this point my two year old daughter decided to wear her banana pudding like a hat and I was distracted away from the conversation. Later that night while watching my wife remove said pudding from her adorable little ear canal, my mind came back to that statement.

My guess is that this is a sentiment shared by many small business owners. “What does my web-site really do for me?”. My answer is that it probably does more for you than you may think about. Let me illustrate with a real life scenario that has happened to me :

Last year our AC unit decided to stop working during that incredible heat spell. I mentioned it to a friend from church and they told me the name of the repairmen that fixed their unit. He was honest, quick and reasonably priced. His name was Joe S-something (I’m terrible with names). I searched “Joe AC Repair Garland” when I had a chance and got a hit. Called the guy, he came out, did his thing, minor repair and a sales pitch on a new unit. He was everything my friend had told me. He was also not the right guy. I can tell you that if you search like I did and you get the same repair guy you won’t be disappointed.

Word of mouth has changed, have you changed with it? Oh, and the Banana Pudding Recipe at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-banana-pudding/ is incredible. Just keep it out of your ears.

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