The R.Beck InterConnect

Introducing the Capital Region Coffee News!

admin — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:10:01 +0000

R.Beck Associates is proud to be expanding it’s services into the field of publishing. Starting May 2nd, we will be launching the premier editions of the Capital Region Coffee News in Saratoga Springs and Malta, NY. Our 3rd and 4th editions will be distributed on July 3rd in Clifton Park and Halfmoon, NY. The Coffee News, published weekly in 50 countries throughout the world and in over 500 markets throughout the US, is the world’s largest restaurant publication. Founded in 1988 in Ontario, Canada, the Coffee News has been honored by Entrepreneur Magazine as #1 in it’s publishing category, and #68 overall on it’s list of the top 500 franchises for 2008. It will soon to be available in over 200 locations throughout Saratoga County including restaurants, coffee shops, hair salons, barber shops, doctors offices and many other locations where people are looking for something fun and interesting to read. For it’s advertisers, the Coffee News has been proven to be an effective and economical advertising vehicle for businesses of all sizes. Unlike many other types of publications, the Coffee News offers exclusivity to its advertisers, by only allowing one business per category to advertise in each edition. All other interested competing advertisers must either place their ad in another area’s edition or be added to a waiting list. Also, as for restaurants displaying the Coffee News on-site, they can be assured that they will not be displaying ads for competing restaurants, as we do not accept ads for restaurants, coffee shops, bars or any other type of establishment that serves prepared food to it’s customers. Our goal is that we would like Coffee News readers to help patronize our local dining establishments and they in turn help support our local business community by helping our Coffee News advertisers. If you would like more information about about how to display the Coffee News at your business, or if you are interested in advertising in our Saratoga, Malta, Clifton Park or Halfmoon editions please visit the Capital Region Coffee News website for more information.

Holiday Tunes

admin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:53:40 +0000

Back by popular demand, I’ve compiled a playlist of some fun & interesting Holiday-type music for your enjoyment. I thought it would be fun to post a few music files that you can click & listen to using Quicktime on your computer instead of a conventional CD.

Have a Happy Holiday season & enjoy!

Wintertime Blues - John Hiatt

Fallen Snow - Au Revoir Simone

Santa Claus, Santa Claus - Louis Jordan

Love For Christmas - The Gems

Holiday - Albert Hammond Jr.

Long December - Counting Crows

Coventry Carol - Loreena McKennitt

Carol of The Bells - The Polyphonic Spree

Skating - Vince Guaraldi Trio

Goodbye Charles - Over the Rhine

Winter (The Four Seasons) - Vivaldi

Hanukkah Dance - Woody Guthrie

All music is meant for sampling only. If you like the songs, please go out and support the artists by either purchasing the CD or by downloading it from Itunes or your favorite online music service.

FTP Site Alternative

admin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:27:22 +0000

I just discovered this great new on-line file delivery service called YouSendIt.com. All you need to do is sign up for this free service and you are able to send up to 2 GB of files via a web download instead of trying to e-mail large files that fill up in-boxes (or never make it through at all.) Very simple to use and you don’t need to use Fetch or any other type of software in order to upload your file. Just select, click and send. The recipient gets an e-mail notification and all they need to do is click to download to their desktop. Couldn’t be any easier. Check it out…

Valley Cats Break Attendance Record

admin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:16:59 +0000

Sorry this update took so long… but just wanted to say thanks to the Valley Cats staff for making my Summer experience fun and entertaining (and yes, it was a bit of work too). They have a great group of talented professionals that put together each home game and do a super job at making it an enjoyable evening out for all. In fact, despite the ‘Cats having the worst record in the league on the field, they still broke their previous attendance record! My personal favorites were the “Bark in the Park” night when patrons could bring their dogs to the game and of course, the 2 consecutive games at the end of the season in which two different Valley Cats pitchers took no-hitters into the late innings. This was very exciting stuff. Also, it was alot of fun to see friends and family of local Troy & Schenectady ballplayers come out and cheer for their potential hometown “Big Leaguers” as they faced the Valley Cats while playing on opposing teams.

After spending alot of time at the park, I’d be happy to offer thoughts and marketing advice to anyone thinking of partnering with their promotions staff or purchasing any on-field (or in-program advertising). Just drop me a line. Next season they will be hosting the NY-Penn League All-Star Game, so I would not be surprised if the crowds will get even larger in 2008!

ps- and if there is ever any doubt that their staff doesn’t work for your business, I dare you to find another Assistant General Manager willing to walk on stilts or don an Elvis or Easter Bunny costume, just to keep their patrons entertained. Hats off to Vic Christopher, by far the “hardest working man” in Capital Region sports.

R.Beck turns 10!

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:38:46 +0000

Yes, it’s true. It has been 10 years since June 1997, when I ventured out of the corporate confines to join the ranks of the self-employed. I’ve never worked harder in my life as I have over these past 10 years but, despite the long hours, I’ve truly enjoyed all the learning experiences and the ups and downs that have come along with it. I’ve met some very nice, helpful folks along the way and appreciate all the kind words and encouragement offered to me through the years. I especially thank my clients who have been with me from my very start during the late-90’s advertising “salad days” and ventured on with me through the challenging business climate following 9/11 as well. All in all, I appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with all my clients as I look forward to continuing my business relationships with all my “associates” for many years to come!

What I’ll be doing for Summer vacation…

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:58:08 +0000

Well, not really vacation, but it should be alot of fun!
This Summer, I’ve accepted a gig working as an usher for the Tri-City Valley Cats
Baseball Team at Joseph Bruno Stadium in Troy. As a lifelong baseball fan,
I am very excited to experience first-hand the ins-and-outs of all the hard-work
involved in putting on a professional sporting event night after night.
It really should be a blast!

If you haven’t been to a game yet this would be a great season to stop by and see a great game by the Houston Astros Single “A” Affiliate Team right in your own backyard. The ‘Cats will be playing 38 home games this year, 36 of which start at 7pm. A number of games also have fireworks after the game which makes for a fun and (very reasonably priced) night out for the whole family.

Hope to see you at “The Joe”!

Do you think they can hack it?

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:39:50 +0000

Well, perhaps they could. If you were to choose some of the
most widely used passwords, you might be making yourself
vulnerable to identity theft. Take a few minutes and check out this article
listing the most commonly used passwords and make sure you are
using the internet safely as you should.

Most Common Passwords

Another good reason to take the subway…

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:33:49 +0000

Not only is it environmentally friendly to use the mass transit
system when you visit a major city, but it turns out that it can be pretty
entertaining too. Some creative advertising folks have taking the old-fashioned
“flip-book” concept and created a series of still billboards that when viewed
from a speeding subway window, it will appear that you are watching a
moving video billboard. Neat huh? So the next time you visit Boston, San Francisco,
London, Rio de Janeiro or any other major city, it might be worth checking out!

The Subway Tunnel As Video Billboard

4 Free Issues of Cap Dist Business Review

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:02:26 +0000

If you’ve been considering subscribing to the Capital District Business Review weekly newspaper, drop me an e-mail at info@rbeckassociates.com. include the address you’d like to have them sent to. I have a handful of certificates available that will allow you to receive 4 free issues. If you decide to subscribe afterwards, that is up to you. I find it to be a great resource for what’s happening in business around our region. I would recommend checking it out if you are not familiar. The free certificates are first-come-first-served, one per person.

A Pandora’s Box of Great Music

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 16:08:47 +0000

If you are like me, you like to listen to music while working on the computer. Unfortunately I find that some of my favorite radio stations get poor reception or I get a little tired of the same old CD’s. I discovered this site called Pandora.com that allows users to stream music over the web to listen to on your computer for free. No downloading or hassle at all. The great part is that you get to customize what type of music you like to listen to and the folks at Pandora will find similar styles of music to play for you on your own customized radio stations. All you need to do is log in and type in the stations that you’d like to create based on the musical artists that you enjoy. Pandora will then search for the songs it has from the artists you choose and toss in some similar songs that maybe you’ve never heard before. Check it out!

http://www.pandora.com