Having a difficult time remembering this year's company holiday party? Can't seem to recount the story of the night to your friends? Are your memories a blur of hors d'oeuvres, long speeches, and uh, a few choice libations? Did you wake up on your kitchen floor, covered in coats, with an oven mitt on your left hand and the dog licking your toes? Whether the answer is yes or no doesn't really matter (and we won't ask). What does matter is that Congruent Media is here to help you remember!

Go to CongruentHoliday.com, give us a few words and we'll give you a chance to relive the magic of that night. Not only that, but you'll be able to share it with others who are suffering from the same short-term memory loss as you.

And most importantly, season's greetings from all of us at Congruent Media! We wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday and the happiest of New Years.

CM

No longer influenced by overly chipper, sing-song, holiday commercials infused with fake snow and fake people dancing to a re-mixed version of  "Deck the Halls"? Well, you are not alone. According to a recent survey by Big Research (as reported by AdAge) these types of holiday commercials do not drive consumers to retailers as successfully as they once did.

Check out the full article here.

So if cheesy commercials don't drive hoards of people to the mall, than what does? Coupons! Yeah-grandma doesn't seem so senile after all, huh? Sitting there for hours with the Sunday paper clip, clip, clipping away.

Forty-five percent of the people surveyed said that coupons were the #1 influencer in where they chose to shop this year.

And if grandma's hands are tired from cutting through the funny pages all Sunday afternoon, why not get her a cell phone and send her on over to Greenbean.com. All she has to do is select the coupon she wants and click submit, and it will be sent to her cell phone as a simple text message. Grandma could be so cool.

Take advantage of all of the great coupons, deals and discounts over at Greenbean.com this holiday season.

As reported by AdAge.com, Microsoft recently released a study on the effect of mobile ads on sales. The study found that mobile ads are most effective for items that have a shorter purchase life cycle like entertainment goods. It also found that mobile couponing will help to increase sales as 62% of those surveyed said they were more likely to shop at a retailer that offered incentives.

Check out the full article here.

While we at Congruent Media love our music, we decided it was time to "re-shuffle" The Friday Shuffle.  Moving forward each week, we're going to list a variety of random top 5 lists, favorites, dislikes, etc. provided by the hard-working workers of CM.  We're still looking for our faithful readers to figure out which list goes with which employee and we're still offering some fabulous prizes.

The topic for this week's Friday Shuffle:  First 5 Websites You Visit Each Morning

A.) Eric B.) Andy C.) Mark

List #1
Aintitcool.com
Democracynow.org
Ted.com
Zappateers.com
Ravens Messageboard

List #2
Slashdot.org
Superherohype.com
Hotmail.com
Ctrl-Alt-Del Comic
ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com

List #3
Gmail
ESPN.com
Woot.com
Pandora.com
Philly.com

THE BOH'S EYE COMMENTER WHO GUESSES CORRECTLY WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO RECEIVE A FABULOUS PRIZE

Today's Prize:  No winner in a few weeks, means the prize stays the same -- Mini iPod/MP3 Speaker with AM/FM Radio.  Of course, you'll need an iPod/MP3 to enjoy it, and we're not giving away one of those here...yet.

Answers to the Wednesday edition of The Friday Shuffle (11/25/09):
A.) 3  B.) 1  C.) 2

You might have noticed some movement on your search results today. This little scrolling news feed (screenshot below) is Google's answer to real-time search! What they have dubbed the "Latest Results" is a compilation of consumer generated content that streamed into the search results. Instead of going through the normal Google algorithm of indexing and evaluating content for popularity and relevancy, the "latest results" are pulled in as soon as they are published on the web. Google is of course doing a bit of filtering for obscenity and spammy content.

If you think about it, a big chunk of the "social" content (status updates, tweets, photos, comments, etc) out there is meant to be fleeting. It's relevant at the time, but may not be relevant 10 mins from now. For example, tweets about Ryan's ripped abs on So you Think You Can Dance made sense during his shirtless performance... but 10 mins later, he wasn't even on stage. For this reason, Google has historically ignored most of this social content when indexing. 

This whole idea of real-time search may sound familiar since Bing introduced it earlier this year. While it seemed cool at first, Bing's solution is about to get blown away by Google's. From the user's perspective, Google's real-time search is much easier to use. It's  integrated seamlessly into the results instead of on separate pages (like Bing is doing).  Google is also backed with tremendous reach and unparalleled technology. They'll be pulling content from more places than just FB and Twitter (like Bing is doing).

Why are search engines scrambling to find a real-time search solution? Well, this part I find most interesting. Because search behaviors are changing. Research has shown that users are searching the same query over and over again to see what has changed. Like monitoring stories, tv shows, sporting events, speeches, etc. This is much different than how search was originally intended to work - search for something, visit a site, leave search engine. This behavior points to an idea that real time search being used less as a utility and more as programming itself. Users are "watching" the feed for entertainment!

How does this change SEO? The search engines will still be indexing and evaluating content  as they always have. There will just be a new section carved out in the natural search results for the real-time content. We'll just have to be even more cognizant of the fact that the social web is front and center.

What about paid search? Since users are doing multiple searches on the same query, that  could present some fun sequential messaging opportunities for advertisers : )

Every week we take Internet marketing questions from friends, acquaintances and client business partners and unravel them at the end of these enewsletters. Is there something you would like to know about the weirdly wonderful world of websites? Ask us here and we shall answer.

Question: Which browsers should I be paying attention to?

Answer: According to Wikipedia, as of October, 2009, the top browsers by usage are:

• Internet Explorer (64.64%)
• Mozilla Firefox (25.30%)
• Safari (4.30%)
• Google Chrome (3.19%)
• Opera (1.50%)

Those figures, of course, do not delve into the sordid world of version numbers. And, as you may well know, comparing Firefox 3.5 to Internet Explorer 6.0 is like comparing a pristine, freshly picked Navel orange to a moldy, old, half-eaten Gala apple.

That said, you should still be watching Internet Explorer 6.0.

[More]

Greetings friends!  It is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and all of us here at  Congruent Media are pumped for a few days off to spend with our families and friends.  We hope you, too, are taking some much deserved time away from the old laptop.

We regrettfully missed last Friday's shuffle, but are mkaing up for it with a special mid-week edition just before the holiday.  Thanks to Matt McDermott and our own Brian Langston for their attempts to solve the shuffle.  Unfortunately (and a Friday Shuffle first) there was no winner.  So Cory remains the champion and the iPod Speakers are still up for grabs.

In between helpings of turkey legs, stuffing and pumpkin pie, why not take a few minutes to try and solve this week's very special Friday Shuffle (Wednesday Edition)?  Good luck!

A.) Brian B.) Alli C.) Andy

Playlist #1
"Heart of a Lion" - Kid Cudi
"Lullaby" - Jack Johnson
"In My Life" - The Beatles
"Zion Train" - Bob Marley
"Situations" - Jack Johnson

Playlist #2
"Come Round Soon" - Sara Bareilles
"Consoler of the Lonely" - The Racounteurs
"She's Electric" - Oasis
"Higher Ground" - Stevie Wonder
"If I Ever Feel Better" - Phoenix

Playlist #3
"The Bleeding Hart Show" - The New Pornographers
"Man In The Moon" - Grinderman
"Seeing and Believing" - Wild Sweet Orange
"American Hearts" - A.A. Bondy
"33 Degree" - Thievery Corporation

THE BOH'S EYE COMMENTER WHO GUESSES CORRECTLY WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO RECEIVE A FABULOUS PRIZE*

Today's Prize: This week's prize ain't too shabby, don't ya know!  A Mini iPod/MP3 Speaker with AM/FM Radio.  Of course, you'll need an iPod/MP3 to enjoy it, and we're not giving away one of those here...yet.

For those keeping score at home:
A.) 2  B.) 1  C.) 3

_{*Prize will most likely not be very fabulous or really even considered "prize" worthy.  It will probably be something we have lying around our office that dates back to the pre-Dot.Com era (i.e. The Dark Ages).  But hey, look on the bright side, it could fetch you $1.25 at the next neighborhood yard sale.}

Well folks, he's done it again -- Cory has won the prize! And as a writer, we're confident that he'll find good use for those CM Notepads.  Congratulaions, Cory -- but don't let this fame and fortune go to your head.  Keep it real.  Remeber, you're just Cory from the Block.

Will a new champ supplant the C-Man?  Will anyone else comment?  Let's find out -- here is this week's Friday Shuffle! 

A.) Andrea B.) Jordan C.) Jamie

Playlist #1
"The Needle And The Damage Done" – Neil Young
"This Charming Man" – The Smiths
"Dopeman" (Remix) – N.W.A.
"Dirrty" – Christina Aguilera
"Shout At The Devil" – Mötley Crüe

Playlist #2
"Tool" - Aenema
"Attrittion" - Prelude
"Korn" - Freak on a Leash
"The Go-Betweens" - Cattle and Cane
"XiuXiu" - I luv the Valley OH!

Playlist #3
"Chillin’" (feat. Lady Gaga) – Wale
"Scotty Doesn’t Know" – Lustra
"Jump Around" – House of Pain
"Somebody’s Watching Me" – Rockwell
"Real as it Gets" – Jay-Z

THE BOH'S EYE COMMENTER WHO GUESSES CORRECTLY WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO RECEIVE A FABULOUS PRIZE*

Today's Prize: This week's prize ain't too shabby, don't ya know!  A Mini iPod/MP3 Speaker with AM/FM Radio.  Of course, you'll need an iPod/MP3 to enjoy it, and we're not giving away one of those here...yet.  Respond to today, fo someone must de-throne Cory!

Last week's winning numbers were:
A.) 2  B.) 3  C.) 1

_{*Prize will most likely not be very fabulous or really even considered "prize" worthy.  It will probably be something we have lying around our office that dates back to the pre-Dot.Com era (i.e. The Dark Ages).  But hey, look on the bright side, it could fetch you $1.25 at the next neighborhood yard sale.}

And a good Friday to you all!  Very special congratulations are in order to Cory for answering last week's Friday Shuffle correctly!  He is the proud owner of a Not-So-New Coby AM/FM CD Player!

I hope the week was good for everyone -- it certainly was another busy one at Congruent Media.  Sites launched, campaigns kicked off, coffee brewed, and (most importantly) fun had by all.  So as we in the Client Services bullpen jam out to my funk and motown mix, let's get rolling with this week's Friday Shuffle!

A.) Alli B.) Jamie C.) Andy

Playlist #1
"Go Easy" - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
"End of the Beginning" - 30 Seconds to Mars
"Kiss" - Prince
"Deep Inside of You" - Third Eye Blind
"If You Don't, Don't" - Jimmy Eat World

Playlist #2
"Trouble" - Jay-Z
"We Can Work It Out" - Paul McCartney
"It Won't Be Long" - The Beatles
"If I Ruled The World" - Nas
"Swallowed by the Sea" - Coldplay

Playlist #3
"I Just Wanna Love You" - Jay-Z
"Hard to Concentrate" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Jane Says" - Jane's Addiction
"Been a Long Time" - Black Crowes
"Show It To Me" - T.I.

THE BOH'S EYE COMMENTER WHO GUESSES CORRECTLY WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO RECEIVE A FABULOUS PRIZE*

Today's Prize: A couple stacks of one-of-a-kind Congruent Media Notepads!  What's that, you say?  Got yourself a great idea?  Better jot it down before you forget.  Too bad you don't have a handy notepad to write on...oh wait!  You won The Friday Shuffle!  You have a couple stacks of notepads!  Hooray, hooray, hooray for you! 

For those of you keeping score at home in your Official Major League Friday Shuffle Association score keepers book, here are last week's results:
A.) 1  B.) 2  C.) 3

_{*Prize will most likely not be very fabulous or really even considered "prize" worthy.  It will probably be something we have lying around our office that dates back to the pre-Dot.Com era (i.e. The Dark Ages).  But hey, look on the bright side, it could fetch you $1.25 at the next neighborhood yard sale.}

Boo!  Happy Halloween Eve (All Hallows Eve Eve to be exact).  Congruent Media got the holiday started right this past Wednesday at the AAF of Baltimore's Halloween bash "BAD MOON RISING" at the home of Edgar Allen Poe's resting soul.  We had a great time dressed as Natty Boh, the Utz Girl, Kim Jong Ill, a zombie and Wolverine.  To all the friends of Congruent Media, be safe and have a Happy Halloween.

And now on to the Friday Shuffle (cue theme music--oh wait, we don't have theme music.  Note: We need theme music)

A.) Brian B.) Jeffrey C.) Ryan

Playlist #1
"The Next Four Months" - Okkervil River
"Sunday Morning" - Chris Coco Feat. Nick Cave
"So What!" - Jane's Addiction
"Come and Find Me" - Josh Ritter
"Charu's Theme from Satyajit Ray's film CHARULATA" - Satyajit

Playlist #2
"Shoe Song" - Shellac
"Bomb. Repeat. Bomb." - Ted Leo + the Pharmacists
"Chop and Quench" - Fela Kuti
"My Little Suede Shoes" - Grant Green
"Baltihorse" - Dan Deacon

Playlist #3
"Best of What’s Around" - Dave Matthews Band
"Good Night" - Beatles
"Believe in Us" - Reina
"Tonight She Comes" - The Cars
"Run Around" - Van Halen

THE BOH'S EYE COMMENTER WHO GUESSES CORRECTLY WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO RECEIVE A FABULOUS PRIZE*

Today's Prize: A Coby CD AM/FM portable stereo with an antenna.  Now you can "shake what yo' mama gave ya" to that TLC compact disc that's been collecting dust since you bought that 1st generation iPod!  You just had to be first, didn't you?

Good luck with this week's Friday Shuffle. Here are the answers to last week's edition:
A.) 2  B.) 1 C.) 3

_{*Prize will most likely not be very fabulous or really even considered "prize" worthy.  It will probably be something we have lying around our office that dates back to the pre-Dot.Com era (i.e. The Dark Ages).  But hey, look on the bright side, it could fetch you $1.25 at the next neighborhood yard sale.}