Written by Jason Keeling on July 31, 2008
Generation West Virginia leaders are poised to attract and retain more young professionals, and the statewide group is working to better understand their target demographic, which includes those age 21 to 45. A survey has been launched to more clearly identify perceptions regarding social and professional opportunities in West Virginia, and readers across the Internet are invited to provide their feedback.
“For decades, West Virginia has experienced a ‘brain drain’ in losing our young talent to other parts of the country,” GWV’s Paul Daugherty said in a news release. “This survey will provide us with much-needed insight into what young professionals want and need in their local communities, neighborhoods and employment opportunities.”
“This information will enable Generation West Virginia to pursue appropriate policy initiatives or potential development opportunities, ultimately making West Virginia a better place to live and work,” he continued.
Interested readers may complete the survey here.
Posted in Business, Culture, Economy, West Virginia 
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Written by Jason Keeling on July 20, 2008
West Virginia-based marketing firm Maple Creative has been sharing professional insights and gaining national recognition via its “Marketing Genius” blog since 2004. In June, Advertising Age recognized the blog within its Power 150 listing of the most influential media and advertising blogs on the Internet. This week, however, Internet cyber-jackers overtook the “Marketing Genius” site and stripped its original content.
Maple Creative’s award-winning blog is now infected with solicitous ads that may be part of a phishing-type scam, according to Skip Lineberg, chief creative officer. He is warning the public not to click on any of the site’s links at present. “Even though I knew what to look for, they still duped me, and I lost my domain,” admits Lineberg. “I am urging all bloggers to be extra careful. I have always been very skeptical of email scams and bogus claims.”
Lineberg says the hackers may have portrayed themselves as Blogger.com representatives, and over the course of several correspondences, they somehow gained control of the “Marketing Genius” blog. Maple Creative is working to regain control of the site, which was hosted by Blogger.com, a subsidiary of Google, Inc. Lineberg contacted Google several days ago to assist in confirming what occurred and helping to rectify the situation. At present, he is still waiting for a response.
“We are going to use this as an opportunity to recover, rejuvenate and re-launch our marketing blog,” Lineberg promised. “Let me be clear. We will not be deterred by this incident. Instead, we will harness the power of social networks and call upon the tremendous voice of all our friends across the online community to help us prevail. ‘Marketing Genius’ will be up again and stronger than ever.”
For now, readers are advised not to visit the site given spammers may have placed malware upon the domain marketinggenius.blogspot.com. Maple Creative plans to notify the public when their marketing blog is re-launched.
Update | 7/23/08 | The Marketing Genius blog has been restored to its original form, with the assistance of Google Inc. The process was expedited after the Charleston Daily Mail contacted Google for comment, according to Skip Lineberg, who provides initial details of the situation here.
Posted in Business, Media, West Virginia 6 Comments »
Written by Jason Keeling on June 20, 2008
Today is important for several reasons. First off, it’s West Virginia Day. But even more important is the movement of state bloggers that have contributed in an effort to reflect a more accurate view of our beloved state. To celebrate our successes, people, places, and culture.
Residents, expatriates, and general observers should enjoy the below collection. These works represent the best of West Virginia, reflecting the state’s true diversity and character. Don’t get me wrong, we have our challenges, and there will be a time to talk in detail about those issues. For now, we’ll focus mostly on the good.
Those who don’t normally comment on blogs, perhaps you’ll be compelled to share thoughts with your fellow West Virginians, who have put their blood, sweat, and passion into this effort. A sincere thanks to each of the below contributors.
- Stacey Abshire | West Virginia Day
- Backwoods West Virginia Blog | We are NOT Western Virginia | What Makes West Virginia So Great?
- Todd Beane, West Virginia State University | The Perception of Today’s West Virginian
- Andrew Beckner, The Candid Christian | A New Stereotype of West Virginia Christians
- Rachelle Beckner, YWCA of Charleston Blog | Fighting Racism, Since 1863
- Emily Bennington, Marketing Genius Blog | Promoting West Virginia from the Inside Out
- Rebecca Burch, Artist/Teacher | A New West Virginia Stereotype: Avant Garde Arts Mecca
- Robert Cagna, WVU Health Sciences | June 20th is West Virginia Day
- Charleston Area Alliance Blog | Eleven Alliance Staffers Declare: ‘I Am’ West Virginia
- Bob Coffield, Healthcare Attorney & Technologist | West Virginia Stereotype: Wild and Wonderful
- Michael Connick, Stay Connected Blog | We Chose to Live in West Virginia
- Create West Virginia Blog | Series: Today’s West Virginia Stereotype
- Maura Conway | West Virginia My Home
- Sarah Cooper, The Putnam Scoop | Help Me Do My Homework | Changing What They See | Whatever You Are, Be a Good One | The Power to Change Your World
- Jeremiah Dys, Family Policy Council of W.Va. | Toward a New Stereotype
- David Epp, The West Virginia Optimist | Tolerance (Ltd.) in West Virginia
- Fork You Blog | A Better West Virginia: Insight Through Food
- Bill Gardner, Oncee@Blogger | Building the new West Virginia Stereotype: Technology
- Jamie Harman | Happy West Virginia Day
- Robin Holstein, Robin’s Desktop | West Virginia: 145 Years and Counting
- Chris James, A Sour Apple Tree | ASAT Rejected West Virginia Stereotypes
- Rick Lee, Photographer | A New Image for West Virginia
- Jim McKay, Wabi-Sabi | New Stereotype for West Virginia (And What State Can Learn from Swiss Cheese)
- Dale Morton, Costume Blog | I’m Not Your Typical West Virginian
- Brian Peterson, West Virginia Legal Weblog | West Virginia: Where Freedom Rings
- Point, Click, Shoot Blog | West Virginia Day
- Justin Seibert, Direct Online Marketing (Consulted for aBetterWestVirginia re-design) | Marketing a State: Online Reputation Management for West Virginia
- Charles West, The Charlestonian Blog | Happy Birthday, West Virginia
- West Virginia Hot Dog Blog | West Virginia Day - Let’s Celebrate With a Hot Dog!
- April Woody, The Folded Leaf Yoga | New West Virginia from the Inside Out
- Anonymous, Buzzardbilly | West Virginia Day: The State of the State’s Stance Toward Stereotyping | Can David Letterman Help Us?
- Anonymous, The Film Geek | You Don’t Look a Day Over 140
- Anonymous, Infinity Ranch | Birthday Wishes
- Anonymous, Jedi Jawa | Happy West Virginia Day - 145 Years
Posted in Business, Culture, Economy, Education, Government, Media, Tourism, West Virginia 25 Comments »
Written by Jason Keeling on June 19, 2008
In the days before the Internet, news traveled slowly, and people were geographically disconnected. They obtained their information exclusively from privately-owned and corporate media, which provided the only publishing outlets for the reporting of news and the airing of opinions. Awareness and discussion of public issues was heavily controlled. At times, media biases resulted in the suppression of healthy public dialogue and the circulation of exaggerated information. This meant people were often ignorant of the realities surrounding them, and stereotypes were prevalent.
A sharp contrast exists today. The Internet allows information to travel globally within seconds, and people are more able to report and share information publicly, without censorship. For West Virginia, this means that the Web can become a place where citizens may affect change in a manner that perhaps they never could before.
Can the ‘W.Va. Web’ Make a Difference?
With this in mind, the idea presented itself that those connected on the “West Virginia Web” should conduct a trial project, to see if we really could affect change. Given our state’s image tends to get run through the mud a few times a year, several area bloggers agreed that it was time to begin putting forth a more accurate image of West Virginia. To celebrate our best qualities and successes, allowing the world to see who we really are, and maybe even re-inventing ourselves to a certain degree.
Tomorrow marks the state’s 145th Anniversary, and at noon, a list of the various “aBetterWestVirginia Day” blog postings from across the state will be combined here for your perusal. Meantime, enjoy some of these photo streams that show participants organizing and promoting the effort:
Posted in Culture, Media, West Virginia 6 Comments »
Written by Jason Keeling on June 12, 2008
Like many predominantly rural states, West Virginia must overcome a few stereotypical, inaccurate perceptions. This was demonstrated most recently as residents were generalized as racists during the national Democratic primary and when Vice President Dick Cheney uttered a tactless comment to the National Press Club heralding the state as inbreds.
West Virginia’s people, places and culture deserve to be accurately represented, and with this in mind, members of the Vision Shared image improvement team are compiling a “West Virginia Inventory of Assets” to highlight the state’s positive and worthwhile qualities.
The group will be listing various West Virginia assets based on, but not limited to these categories:
- Geographic Advantages
- West Virginia “Firsts”
- Everyday Success Stories
- Famous West Virginians
- Cultural Authenticity
- Education Practices
Image improvement team members and general readers are encouraged to help build the “West Virginia Inventory of Assets” via their comments here.
Posted in Education, Media, West Virginia 8 Comments »
Written by Jason Keeling on June 3, 2008
Development of the aBetterWestVirginia blog began in April 2007, and the site was officially launched June 20 (West Virginia Day). Since that time, four authors have contributed 44 blog posts, and 164 readers (thank you) have commented. The overall readership continues to grow steadily.
If the responsible company can maintain this blog project’s momentum, we hope to expand the depth of authors and increase posting frequency as the year progresses. For now, check back once a week for new content, or feel free to sign up for automatic update notifications using the site’s RSS feed or via e-mail.
Since many are new to the aBetterWestVirginia blog, we’ve decided to highlight some content that you missed, and encourage you to add further comments to these older posts. Meantime, we’ll be preparing to launch and promote “aBetterWestVirginia Day” on June 20, 2008, and welcome any suggestions regarding that effort.
Highlight Posts - 1st Edition
Posted in Media, West Virginia 6 Comments »
Written by Jason Keeling on May 22, 2008
Sports provide a very popular recreational outlet for many West Virginians, who particularly enjoy American football, basketball, and baseball. However, fans can now experience the world’s most well-known sport given the West Virginia Chaos has brought semi-professional soccer to the Mountain State. The club’s home field is located at Schoenbaum Stadium within Coonskin Park, Charleston.
The Chaos rival throughout the summer months, giving under age 23 players the ability to compete in a professionalized setting while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The team plays under the Premier Development League. Their season began May 16 and lasts through July 19 (see schedule).
Also noteworthy is the Chaos’ active role within the community, as the club offers a youth academy, girls and boys summer camps, and their mission includes “promot[ing] a healthy competitive spirit, good sportsmanship and other positive personal attributes upon which players may draw throughout their lives.”
If you’ve seen the Chaos in action, or simply enjoy soccer, please share your thoughts via comment.
Posted in Culture, Tourism, West Virginia 4 Comments »
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