SWC’s Fast Five – July 22, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
July 22, 2022
Remote workers are eyeing private clubs as a new office option. Boredom can have its perks. Start using these three quick tweaks while viewing Netflix. Amazon looks to expand its medical footprint. And stocks, finally see a slight upturn.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 15, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
July 15, 2022
Shipping costs have finally started sinking. Flying? Plan to track your bags if you want to find them. Guess what? Prenups are no longer only for the rich and famous and it turns out real people make the best influencers. Meanwhile, far-away galaxies are now much closer.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 8, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
July 8, 2022
Some good news, the U.S. added more jobs in June than analysts expected. The 4-day workweek might happen. Amazon Prime members will get Grubhub+ as a free perk. Apple will begin offering iPhone owners Lockdown Mode. And it’s time to say no to your cookies!
SWC’s Fast Five – July 1, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
July 1, 2022
Better watch fast. Binge-watching could be on its way out the door. On your next video call, no camera is needed. But if you need to make a video, Adobe has a free app you can use. And just as we roll into summer, public-sector workers and mustard could be in short supply.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 24, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
June 24, 2022
Drivers say no thanks to filling up. Uber just got more appealing. Airbnb’s OMG houses could be your next stay. Alexa will soon let you chat with any family member, even if they're deceased. And Nike, like so many other western companies, has chosen to exit Russia.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 17, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
June 17, 2022
It’s been a week! 5 things you should know. 1. Fed’s rate increase. 2. Who makes what salary? 3. Ikea’s Russian exit. 4. Amazon is running out of workers and 5. Delta is not a WeWork.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 10, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
June 10, 2022
No, you’re not crazy – package sizes are shrinking! But retailers have too much stuff, so prices are shrinking too. In search of free stuff? Amazon Prime has a bevy of offerings, you just have to know where to look. Password less logins, making life easier, are coming this fall. And lastly, which is more important to you – title or more pay?
SWC’s Fast Five – June 3, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
June 3, 2022
Bionic Reading could turn you into a speed reader. FaceTime is still Apple, but now you can call Android and Windows. Malls maybe from an era gone by, but mall walkers still treasure the consistent weather they provide. And just when you thought you’d landed the perfect job – your new employer says, “just kidding.” Meanwhile, the cost of eating out is going up with “kitchen appreciation” charges!
SWC’s Fast Five – May 27, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
May 27, 2022
Drones delivering Walmart packages! Extending your office lease? Better think twice. Just when you thought you’d hired the perfect new employees, they reconsider and jump ship. Looking for Starbuck’s in Russia? Hurry, they too are leaving the country. And urban planning, abandoned 600 years ago, has been found in Bolivia.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 20, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
May 20, 2022
Deja vu. “The Greatest Show on Earth”, dining dress codes and ad-supported streaming are all making a comeback! Concerts and exercise? Coldplay wants you to help power their next show by riding a bike at their concerts. Lastly, after being in Russia 32 years, McDonald’s plans to start “de-arching” and sell all its restaurants.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 13, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
May 13, 2022
Gigalab, a portable recycling lab where trash goes in, and treasure comes out. Not so fast Zoom, people don’t want you tracking their emotions, how creepy. But it looks like ICE sees more than Americans have been told. Meanwhile, you may want to re-consider buying an EV as America’s antiquated electric infrastructure may not get you there. Lastly, think twice before heading to college, it’s no longer the “golden ticket” to the American Dream.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 6, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
May 6, 2022
While most of us have returned to our crowded pre-pandemic behaviors, the most women ever were appointed to Fortune 500 boards last year. So, you think too much of your personal info is out there? Google will now let you submit requests to remove it. Meanwhile “nonfunctional” grass in the Southwest will soon to be history. And if you can’t bear to throw out your old photos, convert them to digital and keep them forever!
SWC’s Fast Five – April 29, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
April 29, 2022
So, the grass isn’t always greener when it comes to taking a new job. But, to retire in style, you’ll need one. Tired of video conferencing? Zoom just made it a bit more fun. If you’ve ever wanted to design your own emoji, now’s your chance. And lastly, Apple has finally opened the gates to DIY repairs.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 22, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
April 22, 2022
After working from home for the past two years, of course RTO is going to be annoying. But evidently, it’s a great year to be graduating and starting work. Thankfully cash stuffing will help you save money while you’re checking out the new digital Rolling Stone format. And who knew bird-friendly beef is the new thing?
SWC’s Fast Five – April 15, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
April 15, 2022
A good-for-kids social platform? Remote work - same pay, discuss! And, the latest employee get me/keep me requirement. Dress that salad with hemp seeds and Amazon sellers (thus we buyers) will be ponying up for an inflation fee.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 8, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
April 8, 2022
Highrise farms are on the, well, rise, as is new business. Forecasts projected to get more cloudy, apparently like our lungs which are filling with microplastics. In the meanwhile, Twitter is aflutter about its testing of an edit function.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 1, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
April 1, 2022
What’s old is new again with that job you left, food bank lines and, remember landlines? Meanwhile office occupancy trends continue their downward track and Ukraine – good on you if you’re sending money, just don’t get scammed.
SWC’s Fast Five – March 25, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
March 25, 2022
The definitive way to pronounce GIF according to its late inventor, the promise of fewer weather-related airport delays, the end of the hated password may be nigh, tips to be tornado safe and tech workers head for Russia’s exits in droves.
SWC’s Fast Five – March 18, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
March 18, 2022
You can help those helping Ukraine. The Fed looks to rein in inflation while avoiding an economic slowdown. Mass transit is back in favor, regaining passenger traffic lost in the pandemic. Starbucks wants you to fill ‘er up and not just your coffee cup. Supply chain gets an innovation – accordion-style collapsible containers
SWC’s Fast Five – March 11, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
March 11, 2022
Three-quarters of U.S. citizens never tweet and fewer than 1 percent of us watch primetime Fox News or MSNBC so IRL we Americans are much nicer than all those bloviators would have you believe. Phew. In more good news, the VW bus is back, EVs are potential power backup for our homes, lame interview questions are out the door and your darling floof not only is your boon companion but get this, can help treat and prevent cancer. Wow!
SWC’s Fast Five – February 25, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
February 25, 2022
Fast Five is not talking about THAT, but is about bugs, because we need them and it will take your mind off of THAT, as will something interesting but not scary that China is doing – bossing AI so companies can’t use personal info to offer users different prices for the same product of service. Also, why RTO RT ain’t, how the four-day work week has arrived and the real deal on home office pajama wear
SWC’s Fast Five – February 18, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
February 18, 2022
So, Disappointment(s) of the Week – chances are grim of finding a rental home or buying a garage door. Very specific we know but if you are in those markets, bummer! Redeeming News of the Week – there are ways to promote your brand online that sidestep the noxious humble brag syndrome, headlight technology is coming that doesn’t blind you so others can see the road and, eggs, did you know they are fighting for your attention?
SWC’s Fast Five – February 11, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
February 11, 2022
It’s an existential journey in today’s Fast Five with 10-year-olds calling it quits, great work being the *new* metric darling, emoji colors sparking debate, iPhones conducting even more business and, satisfaction, how are you doing at getting some of that?
SWC’s Fast Five – February 4, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
February 4, 2022
The population available to work is on a long-term downward trend, which gets us more robots, pizza joints paying us to pick the pie up ourselves and meds zipping to your doorstep via drones. If you are in the workforce, here are some tips for sorting out what it really would be like to work for Company X. For cool news – an electrified roadway to keep your EV charged. So would you just wave your credit card out the window?
SWC’s Fast Five – January 28, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
January 28, 2022
There might be some goodies lurking in your spam folder, not a bad idea to take a squint, and to do also with your recovery email addresses. When is the last time you checked those? Resumes are still a thing but no one is putting “manager” goals on there. And if you are among those bringing back in-store shopping, retailers are working on your care and comfort.
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SWC’s Fast Five – January 21, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
January 21, 2022
Is this new 3D tech the answer to bringing cheap manufacturing back to the U.S.? It’s happier tech news than that of AT&T/Verizon jolting air traffic due to its genius 5G handling. Other tech goodies – laptops are cool again, Ford and ADT got your back in theft prevention and, in analog news, find out what the fastest growing gigs are for us working stiffs.
SWC’s Fast Five – January 14, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
January 14, 2022
Is this new to you - “phygital”? Hear all about it today along with slow email, tech to fight the great resignation, non-creepy stuff about air tags and self-driving cars aren’t really going to be all that.
SWC’s Fast Five – January 7, 2022
SWC’s Fast Five
January 7, 2022
Change, change, change… self-operating tractors, a foreign automaker tops American auto-sales, mid-level staff lead the great resignation, goodbye “GMO – hello “bioengineered” and just in time for our holiday bills to come due, regulatory scrutiny sets its claws in the buy now, pay later industry.
SWC’s Fast Five – December 17, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
December 17, 2021
It’s back to the drawing board on back to work, you’ll find a super random list of career paths with the highest wage growth (insurance broker anyone?), grim news for youngsters as 60-year careers are forecast for them, good news for the four-eyes among us as eye drops claim to replace glasses and, if you want to forget all that and contemplate the universe – a spacecraft has driven right into the sun. On purpose.
SWC’s Fast Five – December 10, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
December 10, 2021
Futurists are saying the 2022 work world means the death of hustle and the rise of looking out for yourself, school buses are tracking your kids, business is calling all you retirees to unretire, some next-year changes are this-year ready from cities running on crypto to manufacturing reshoring and what’s really cool – your kid’s plastic Chatter Telephone works on Bluetooth.
SWC’s Fast Five – December 3, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
December 3, 2021
It’s money, money, money for today’s Fast Five – how to prepare to earn it on your own, earn more of it, why you can do that better in the U.S. than other countries, keep more of it and give it away.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 26, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
November 26, 2021
Fast Five is feeling thankful so this week we bring you goodies from saving grandma’s recipes to upbeat gift ideas for the tech-inclined in your household plus cheering news of a young CEO, more flex for the creator economy in sharing its content and, ah, the four-day work week is getting real people.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 19, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
November 19, 2021
It’s fashion and leisure all day long for this Fast Five. Holiday shelves will be full at Target and Walmart, Macy’s is the top U.S. fashion brand, pandemic-ready is the new home design, other people’s homes are where we want to stay-work-vay-cation and, spam calls getting you down? Here’s some solutions.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 12, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
November 12, 2021
USPS has it together for Christmas, career paths defy parent choices, your new apartment might be your old office, Walmart deliveries go driverless while really (really) old cars are hot again.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 5, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
November 5, 2021
We’ve adapted out shopping – from online ordering of TP, to tipping our pizza delivery robots to crushing Apple in our rush for a $19 product. Meanwhile back on the hiring front, there are new strategeries to overcome recruitment hurdles and a new title in the C-suite bringing new meaning to “heat.”
SWC’s Fast Five – October 29, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
October 29, 2021
A fascinating, if not slightly unnerving, guide to all the sectors touched by Amazon; your neighborhood restaurant’s grease pit did great on a flight testing it for fuel; palm trees are so yesterday; and those spendy MBA degrees – turns out they pay off, literally, while undergraduate enrollment continues to tank.
SWC’s Fast Five – October 22, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
October 22, 2021
Housing shortage? Boomers are outspending Millennials. Truck driver shortage? Calling all high schoolers! Organ donor shortage? Amazing breakthrough with our little porker friends. “Everything shortage”? That’s on you and me, pal, we’re spending out of our minds. Car shortage? Yeah, yeah, old news but let’s talk about how your color choice speaks to your soul.
SWC’s Fast Five – October 15, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
October 15, 2021
Et tu, Amazon? Lego works on its pronouns, Millennials pool resources for the house down payment, Social Security recipients make bank and even jobs listed for high flyers are WFH.
SWC’s Fast Five – October 8, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
October 8, 2021
The much ignored generational cohort – X – is having its day and making bank while USPS is testing cashing it for them and everyone else. Want a high-paying job? STEM beats arts, but money isn’t everything, right? Maybe you English majors can get a leg up in the hiring game with a video, the latest thing. Also Windows 11, it ain’t Spinal Tap.
SWC’s Fast Five – October 1, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
October 1, 2021
Happy hour is going to pot, jobs are going to the vaccinated, Rosy the robot is coming home, now we’re (well, Millennials) are parenting plants and your house is now brought to you by a darling little 11-foot 3D printer.
SWC’s Fast Five – September 24, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
September 24, 2021
Last week’s Fast Five reported how fewer men were going to college and this week, same about working. Please be amazed at just a few of the innovations we enjoy thanks to our Hispanic friends, that Millennials have flipped the script, that paying deposits on some product – and getting it back when we return the packaging – is about to be a thing again, and America, you’re bunchers v folders when it comes to toilet paper and that is not cool for the environment.
SWC’s Fast Five – September 17, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
September 17, 2021
Amazon’s starting salary hike will help when there is no ceiling for food prices in sight but, you can get your groceries in a hot minute. Use that time savings to muck around in your hidden files (be careful in there). And guys, there’s fewer of you in college. Why is this news?
SWC’s Fast Five – September 10, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
September 10, 2021
RTW requires new rationale, airport improvements promise a low turbulence experience, supply chain kinks in business forecasts don’t choke demand, dignity for the hungry comes in this app and GM tries to make up for the death wish of the seatbelt free.
SWC’s Fast Five – September 4, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
September 4, 2021
More students give college a bad grade, states that cut jobless benefits early don’t see a jump in job growth, travel agents are having a moment, more pot smokers get behind the wheel for Amazon deliveries and here’s just one reason you need that travel agent – international airlines say your cloth masks are not good enough!
SWC’s Fast Five – August 27, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
August 27, 2021
Now Amazon tells us, come and get it yourself. That’s probably not tied to AI ad Mad Men but, its equally dissonant. Also, secondhand thrift wins over fast fashion, cotton totes are greenwash and retirees do the hokey pokey.
SWC’s Fast Five – August 20, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
August 20, 2021
We’re losing our social cues mojo with the return of cargo pants and emoji parsing but you know what we can depend on? That housing is impossible and here’s the latest reason. And our veterans, who took care of America and now America will be stepping up to take care of them for a few trillion dollars over the next 30 or so years. It’s crazy times but, have a Girl Scout cookie, a new one is coming out and it will be the comfort we all need.
SWC’s Fast Five – August 13, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
August 13, 2021
An unwanted first, wildfire smoke reaches the North Pole while heat waves accelerate window air conditioning unit use which accelerates green house gas emission which accelerates… you know. And, we also get this unwanted round two (three, four?) pandemic effect, so hold up on that whole return-to-office thing and make the most of your mask creativity while you save money on the hottest everything-old-is-new-again trend – by now, pay later.
SWC’s Fast Five – August 6, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
August 6, 2021
Maybe you will stop doing it now that the NSA says but you don’t need a spy agency to validate that not wearing a seatbelt is dumb and deadly. Less may be made in China, women need to be more like men and apply for jobs they’re completely and utterly qualified for and, look, you never know when you’re gonna need Crocs for your hands.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 30, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
July 30, 2021
They’re over the ping pong tables and beer breaks, respect is the perk du jour for today’s younger workers who are up to here with collaboration and, if they’re in tech, are getting cherry picked by the big firms - lured from local start-ups with big money and a WFH option. Walmart fights the money battle by blowing up benefits with its offer to pay all of employees’ college tuition which is just in time; maybe those grads will be able to afford the housing prices that still go up, up, up.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 23, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
July 23, 2021
The baby shower concept morphs into business showers as startups cash in on this gift giving fixture while pool owners rake it in by putting their backyard splash on the rental Swimply. Got goat’s milk? You just might as the dairy industry moooves on, chief purpose officers move in – to the C suite. And as all of us kick back and watch as the Olympics kick in, let’s take a look at the best Olympic logos of all time to get that party started.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 16, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
July 16, 2021
Are there plans to end planned obsolescence? There are some afoot to end the five-day work week as cities transition from incentives to attract employers to those to mine micro talent, that talent increases its love for emojis at work and we all watch Europe as restrictions emerge to deal with COVID variants and we wonder, is that what’s next for America.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 9, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
July 9, 2021
Free samples will come in handy as you may still be trying to pay off your master’s degree student loans. Saying thank you after an interview leaves a lasting impression and could help you land your next job – even if it’s of the boomerang kind. And no matter what kind of job you have, post-pandemic, the smarties are sleeping in if they can.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 2, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
July 2, 2021
What exactly have our brains gone through in the last year? One thing is for sure, we’re still bad at apologizing, companies are giving us wider berth, AI in medicine could stomp on the “do no harm” ethic and you will be about to learn all about that and more on Neeva, an ad-free, for-pay search engine.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 25, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
June 25, 2021
National Geographic just named a fifth ocean, the Fed’s look at digitizing the dollar is a lot deeper than mobile payments, Lego is testing using recycled plastic for the 20 billion bricks it makes each year, and donuts inspire a rethink for post-pandemic office buildings that workers are not rushing back to anyway!
SWC’s Fast Five – June 18, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
June 18, 2021
The timeline and back story on our now 11 federal holidays is fascinating and why is it exactly that we can’t buy even one of the 15 million surplus Girl Scout cookies? Well, at least that is one choice – buy or not buy – you can eliminate from the other 35,000 decisions taking up your brain space while you contemplate the good, or bad, one you made to own, or not, the Peloton that is now spying on you. Another decision being made a lot – workers choosing quality of life as a record number quit their jobs.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 11, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
June 11, 2021
Coming soon to a subdivision near you – houses built-to-rent. Workers flip the power equation, getting the upper hand with employers for the first time in generations as Boomers add seven years to their career, planning to retire later than those who stopped working before them. New fonts to spice up your next presentation is just what Google Docs has ordered. What Fast Five is not going to order are chocolate-covered cicadas – gag.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 4, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
June 4, 2021
Hated more than airline change fees, overdraft fees are eliminated entirely by one bank, which gives you a little more money to spend on ordering up new services for delivery in an hour, which frees you up to learn how to finally beat those spam, scam and robocalls. Don’t like billboards? Maybe this one will change your mind as you wrap your head around this season’s warm and fuzzy names bringing the 2021 storm season drama.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 28, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
May 28, 2021
Bosses love WFH – job postings skyrocket! Bosses don’t love WFH – you need a plan to cling to your beloved flexibility! Fashion gets flashy for teens up through women of a certain age while likes and dislikes are managed to help with our fragile self-esteem, and they get a big overhaul when we’re talking a favorite bad boy – Nero.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 21, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
May 21, 2021
Companies make more benefits available, but you pay for them. AI tech lets you sit out Zooms while the bot takes notes for you. You like brands that take a stand even when you don’t like the stand. Natural gas is over (sorta). And your hotel may shorten your stay.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 14, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
May 14, 2021
Monday is the new Saturday for saying “I do’s” this summer. And as TikTok does job search, your co-workers say adios to 9 – 5. Meanwhile, Mattel wants you to send back your old Barbie. But at 98, the Jewish Oprah, is still zooming!
SWC’s Fast Five – May 7, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
May 7, 2021
Going over the pond may put you in hot water, retailers are trying to move impulse buying from the checkout line to online, Millennials think talking salary is casual conversation, Twitter asks users to be kinder/gentler and landlords say enough already.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 30, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
April 30, 2021
It used to be the only thing flying were planes and birds, now Girl Scout cookies are flying too. Meanwhile, targeted internet ads may no longer be a distraction and you can wait even longer to get your REAL ID. As collectables skyrocket in value, owning a piece of the 1776 Declaration of Independence is the next hot thing. And they say 150 is the new 100.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 23, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
April 23, 2021
Who knew that skirts and quitting your job would both be in fashion? That a 51st state could really become reality and that social cues, post-vaccination, can and will be very confusing. All while the unemployed still worry about getting sick, needing to be at home and facing possible career changes.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 16, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
April 16, 2021
We’re taking a couple of trips today as we find rental cars rare as hens’ teeth and psychedelics get research love as a lasting cure for depression. Meanwhile, lots of us give money to strangers, the regs say business can require employee vaccination and the economy gets less neurotic as confidence grows.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 9, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
April 9, 2021
The grandkids are playing – the stock market, and in other business news – longer-term office leases are trending, companies take a pledge to shrink the racial wealth gap and a special few don’t pay a single dollar in federal taxes. Distract yourself with the doggie version of ancestry.com.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 2, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
April 2, 2021
Your growing traffic congestion experience is making farmers happy as we head toward increasingly unrecognizable office space, get access at work and home to rapid COVID tests and finally can exert a little control over who posts comments to our Facebook page as some, but not all of us, think we are getting back to normal.
SWC’s Fast Five – March 26, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
March 26, 2021
What’s more spendy, a Tesla or a Toyota RAV4? COVID good news and bad news and why we hear more of the bad. Jobless claims – they say the news is good but dig deeper people. And, it is not the biggest news. In fact, it is not news at all but it is validating to hear someone else say what all of us have experienced with inkjet printers.
SWC’s Fast Five – March 19, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
March 19, 2021
COVID long haulers get some attention, it’s a question if we’re covered when cybercriminals steal our retirement savings, NFTs are explained for you speculators, summer school is welcomed while new species of mosquitos bring diseases that are not.
SWC’s Fast Five – March 12, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
March 12, 2021
Travel is back in the news for you EV drivers and intrepid flyers, there’s good news in cutting household debt and child poverty rates while, watch out, the robots are coming.
SWC’s Fast Five – March 5, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
March 5, 2021
A pandemic baby boom goes bust while the kids we have get in line for their COVID shots, Google crumbles some of it tracking cookies, evictions and back rent just keep growing and WFH, we’re still doing that for a while.
SWC’s Fast Five – February 26, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
February 26, 2021
The looming doctor shortage, COVID and flu forever, our energy infrastructure gets a D+, the complicated working out of a minimum wage hike and, go ahead, a trillion dollars is a bargain these days.
SWC’s Fast Five – February 19, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
February 19, 2021
Old school is new school with the latest thing in social media and top performers in retail, 55+ is getting fewer minuses, Facebook is having a tantrum and people, NASA stuck its landing on Mars. That’s 40 million miles of inspiration.
SWC’s Fast Five – February 12, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
February 12, 2021
It’s economy week. News about employment, wages, jobs, pretend money – oh boy! And death, that, too. Most importantly, we offer you a tutorial on how to separate your unplanned kitty face from Zoom.
SWC’s Fast Five – February 5, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
February 5, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine passports get traction while the seasonal flu vanishes, the patchwork U.S. recovery stymies stimulus calculations as productivity takes a plunge not seen in nearly 40 years and, the case for a ninth public holiday – Super Bowl Monday.
SWC’s Fast Five – January 29, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
January 29, 2021
Get a cup of coffee and settle in. This explainer how we got the vaccines so quickly is a stunner. Also, about the emerging mutations, what’s happening with people who already have mortgages while the housing market stays as hot as ever, and then taxes and death, in that order.
SWC’s Fast Five – January 22, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
January 22, 2021
Business travel has a long road to recovery, deaths from COVID add up quickly while the vaccine rolls out slowly, economic recovery will be great if you can hold on until that happens, taxes are still due on time and, guess where everybody is moving!
SWC’s Fast Five – January 15, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
January 15, 2021
Cancer deaths are down again, and there’s a new COVID-19 vaccine around the corner so that’s good! Also, impeachment, businesses contemplate mob violence and now people are pretending to commute.
SWC’s Fast Five – January 8, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
January 8, 2021
So many words and few of them equal to what has occurred this week. We're sticking to our schedule but we don’t have any better idea of what to say about it than you do.
SWC’s Fast Five – January 1, 2021
SWC’s Fast Five
January 1, 2021
It's 2021 - finally! And we're starting the year off with the sublime and the ridiculous - talking faucets, government sugar haters, transparency on hospital charges, the vaccine that’s coming anytime now and the words to that song you always mess up.
SWC’s Fast Five – December 25, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
December 25, 2020
Celebrating Christmas like its 1918, crushing gift returns, the surprising stimulus effect of food stamps, a fading practice generated the earliest explainers of COVID and pandemic stocking gifts.
SWC’s Fast Five – December 18, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
December 18, 2020
Vaccines, again, we know but there’s more to understand about them including you likely won’t get to pick the one you get; that cyberattack that seems distant and far away but likely will come to each of our doorsteps; MLB makes a symbolic but important gesture and, well, we’ll just call it waste water news.
SWC’s Fast Five – December 11, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
December 11, 2020
More of us are using food banks so no surprise that household income is down. Still CFO’s are optimistic, post pandemic, and the vaccine will slow roll into communities. Pantone does a number on its color and we bring you more symbols and abbreviations so we can understand each other online.
SWC’s Fast Five – December 4, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
December 4, 2020
Hiring continues to trend down, COVID gums up return to work, we’re still buying every last house we can put our hands on, delivery people can’t catch a break and it turns out a frozen embryo as old as your college grad living in your basement holds up.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 27, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
November 27, 2020
The Dow is manic, e-commerce is not COVID’s fault, AstraZeneca gets sent to the principal’s office, hello unasked-for non-interest loan that’s coming due and is chess like golf but without the shoes?.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 20, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
November 20, 2020
People are getting paid before payday, we’re no longer dependent on Russia for space flight, the science behind these vaccines is good news for COVID and other disease, economists’ forecasts look good post vaccine and you can act the fool on one social channel and shrug it off. Some good news for you as we head into Thanksgiving week.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 13, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
November 13, 2020
The news could be good, also complicated, for vaccines. It is good about business startups. And then there’s the budget deficit, yikes. Let’s all go eat out of glass box.
SWC’s Fast Five – November 6, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
November 6, 2020
There is other news. Fast Five had to scrounge for it but we found the good and the bad for you in hiring, new COVID vaccine technologies, how shopping continues to save the country, we’re taking our hot mess to space and, this just in, Florida Man isn’t always an idiot.
SWC’s Fast Five – October 30, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
October 30, 2020
Why – day light savings, people don’t vote, your state may still mostly use coal and a record-setting third quarter GDP growth rate is nothing to write home about.
SWC’s Fast Five – October 23, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
October 23, 2020
It’s not your daddy’s vo-tech, U.S. says Google is too big for its britches, FDA approves a COVID-19 drug that won’t save you, more of us are just leaving the labor force and the diabolical ironclad beetle dares you to drive over it.
SWC’s Fast Five – October 16, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
October 16, 2020
Back-to-the-office worries shift, formal fashion fades, seatbelts were a precursor of the present individual v. public interest furor and we’re getting poor again but at least most of us will be warm(er) this winter.
Fast Five – October 9, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
October 9, 2020
Dive into the Nobel Prize season – it will make you feel better about the world, so we share a deeper look here along with the hurricane record making, COVID good news / bad news, today’s neurosis in the stock market and, yes, it is Christmas shopping time.
Fast Five – October 2, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
October 2, 2020
Stunning news of President Trump testing positive for COVID-19 overshadows all other news which in today’s Fast Five includes airlines furloughing tens of thousands, how few of us pay taxes, the little-known man at FOX who calls the election for the news outlet and some nonsense about Crocs.
Fast Five – September 25, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
September 25, 2020
We say goodbye to Justice Ginsburg, hello to an unwelcome COVID milestone and its downward effect on manufactured goods orders, are surprised by the pandemic’s salutary effect on making us more agreeable and we have another miss in the daily asteroid dodgeball game.
SWC’s Fast Five – September 18, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
September 18, 2020
Fire and floods and now one of the country’s most prominent business groups is for climate change, N95 masks continue to be scarce, somehow the USPS still delivers and, for the anxious among us, stay under this blanket.
SWC’s Fast Five – September 11, 2020
SWC’s Fast Five
September 11, 2020
COVID laundry tips, the up and downs of jobs, the lingering grief of 9/11, another glass ceiling breaks which is great but, tick tock on diversity and inclusion, and Peloton buyers grow their off-bike workouts.
SWC’s Fast Five – September 4
SWC’s Fast Five
September 4, 2020
More jobs and lower unemployment signals slowing economic recovery, medical breakthroughs show reason for encouragement in COVID-19 and brain, spinal cord injuries and FAA says Amazon is an airline. Check it all out in this week’s Fast Five!
SWC’s Fast Five – August 28
SWC’s Fast Five
August 28, 2020
We’re not going back to the office but the Fed is trying to get us back to work, other people of color push back against discrimination, private data made public lets people see the flood risk of houses and babies take on the fight against poverty.
SWC’s Fast Five – August 21st
SWC’s Fast Five
August 21, 2020
Voter suppression, it’s not just today’s news. You’ll see that in the story on the 19th amendment. And then we have mail for you, lots of mail, which you won’t have to send to a fifth of this year’s college students because they will be home. The good news? The show goes on for one Thanksgiving tradition.
SWC’s Fast Five – August 14th
SWC’s Fast Five
August 14, 2020
Murders are up, the variety of COVID symptoms gets a head scratching, a majority of small businesses are confident of making it for a year, Russian docs are not excited about the vaccine and movie drive-ins come to a Walmart near you.
SWC’s Fast Five – August 7th
SWC’s Fast Five
August 7, 2020
Beirut’s suffering unfolds as the name and blame game emerges following its huge port explosion, colleges make plans to close as they open, more good news on the vaccine front which you might be reading about on Instagram now and, here’s one thing that won’t kill us. Apparently.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 31st
SWC’s Fast Five
July 31, 2020
Get a picture of new access to domestic-sourced pharmaceuticals, the anti-remote learning movement, a resizing of the office footprint, good news about a scary disease and then chill with the legacy of Bob Ross (psst, he permed his hair!).
SWC’s Fast Five – July 24th
SWC’s Fast Five
July 24, 2020
China is behaving badly. Scientists are puzzled yet pushing on to get us promising vaccine results. And we have a new varmint of the week!
SWC’s Fast Five – July 17th
SWC’s Fast Five
July 17, 2020
There’s heartening news of a small vaccine trial result which we hope props us up as evictions get ready to surge, COVID-19 unemployment assistance ends and small businesses close forever by the tens of thousands. Even honey bees have turned mean.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 10th
SWC’s Fast Five
July 10, 2020
The world continues to learn about COVID-19 on the fly as cases surge, death counts rise, schools debate how to reopen and we all have less change in our pockets. And in non-pandemic news, environment 2, oil and gas, 0.
SWC’s Fast Five – July 3rd
SWC’s Fast Five
July 3, 2020
A flag is retired while the Boeing 737 Max takes flight again, Russia is said to pay for American soldier deaths, companies boycott Facebook and chronic underfunding of public health departments continues as the pandemic rages.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 26th
SWC’s Fast Five
June 26, 2020
Coronavirus death toll drops but a surge of cases is still bad news while police reform stalls in Congress, media change the way they refer to Blacks, a gene-editing breakthrough can mean hope for incurable diseases and Paul Blart will have to start walking again.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 19th
SWC’s Fast Five
June 19, 2020
A busy week, as we learned more about life-saving COVID-19 drugs, the Supreme Court made a landmark civil rights ruling and more.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 12th
SWC’s Fast Five
June 12, 2020
Protests continue, the coronavirus gives head fakes, police culture is under scrutiny, jobs grew for a month – it was another roller coaster week as some of us get through it with a lot of sugar and twice the caffeine.
SWC’s Fast Five – June 5th
SWC’s Fast Five
June 5, 2020
A tough week in the U.S., as we share news regarding protests, escalating conflict with China, more pandemic effect on business and education and a bit of good news for small business recipients of PPP. Here's what you need to know this week.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 29th
SWC’s Fast Five
May 29, 2020
More cities are reopening -- this week, we are sharing news regarding reopenings, from traders returning to the New York Stock Exchange to crowded Memorial Day festivities.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 22nd
SWC’s Fast Five
May 22, 2020
It may or may not feel like it, but there is a lot of good news out there, from a record reduction in global carbon emissions to a promising COVID-19 vaccine. This week, we wanted to share some of those good stories with you, plus a couple more informational articles (and one restaurant’s interesting take on social distancing).
SWC’s Fast Five – May 15th
SWC’s Fast Five
May 15, 2020
If you aren’t great at staying up to date with the news, you might have missed some important updates this week, including changes to the 2020 election and university closure announcements. Not to worry! We gathered the news you need to know from this week (and threw in a few fun articles) to keep you up-to-date and entertained.
SWC’s Fast Five – May 8th
SWC’s Fast Five
May 8, 2020
Throughout the past month, we’ve brought you news to keep you informed and entertained through the stay-at-home order. Now, cities are beginning to reopen, but we can’t stop now!
SWC’s Fast Five – May 1st
SWC’s Fast Five
May 1, 2020
You know the drill...it's time for another installment of SWC's Fast Five. We've read dozens of articles this week -- these are the five we saved just for you.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 24th
SWC’s Fast Five
April 24, 2020
Another week down! We're back with the second installment of our new series, SWC's Fast Five, bringing you our Fast Five: five articles, songs, videos or websites to keep you up-to-date and entertained without overwhelming you.
SWC’s Fast Five – April 17th
SWC’s Fast Five
April 17, 2020
We engage with media for a living, but sometimes it is possible to consume too much news, or incorrect information for that matter. That’s why, each week, we are curating and bringing you our Fast Five: five articles, songs, videos or websites to keep you up-to-date and entertained without overwhelming you.
Simon Says – Pick Up Your Dog Poop!
Simon Says - Pick Up Your Dog Poop!
Jan 13, 2020
Sturges Word re-designed the Downtown & River Market dog waste station signage, replacing colors and stick figures with bright, whimsical images to increase visibility.
Social Media Community Management Dos and Don’ts
Social Media Community Management Dos and Don’ts
Sept 18, 2019
You’ve just gotten the hang of posting to social media — a couple of company updates and pictures later— and suddenly, people are commenting on your posts! How quickly should you respond, and what should you say? Keep reading and we’ll walk you through the do’s and don’ts of interacting with your audience on social media.
LinkedIn Tips
From Passive to Pro: LinkedIn Tips to Take Your Profile to the Next Level
Aug 26, 2019
LinkedIn…you either love it or hate it. But there is no denying the benefits that a strong LinkedIn presence can bring to your organization and your personal brand. LinkedIn is a good social media platform to promote yourself as a thought leader, connect and network with new business contacts and keep up with industry news.
Getting Started with Google My Business
Getting Started with Google My Business
Aug 1, 2019
If you use Google when searching for stores, restaurants and services near you, you’ve likely used Google My Business (GMB) and not even known it. As a customer, GMB allows you to search for and find businesses and services near you.
Sturges Word Communications Wins Four Awards from the Social Media Club of KC
Sturges Word Communications Wins Four Awards from the Social Media Club of Kansas City
April 1, 2019
Sturges Word Communications recently received four awards at the Social Media Club of Kansas City’s annual AMPS Awards, a gold award in the email campaign category for its work with Faultless Healthcare Linen, two gold awards in the Facebook campaign category for its work with Cloverland Electric Cooperative and Faultless Healthcare Linen and a silver award in the integrated campaign category for its work with the Kansas City Club.
Sturges Word Communications Celebrates 25 Years in Business
Sturges Word Communications Celebrates 25 Years in Business
April 1, 2019
Sturges Word Communications is celebrating 25 years in business on April 1, 2019. The firm was founded by Melissa Sturges & Linda Word on April Fool’s Day 1994.
The ABC’s of Social Media
The ABC’s of Social Media
March 1, 2019
Social media is practically its own language, which is why we broke it down and created a social media dictionary to help you navigate starting your company’s channels or navigate your agency’s monthly social media report.
Why You Should Outsource Your Social Media
Should we outsource our social media? Yes, you can save time and money!
Feb 8, 2019
According to Sprout Social, 70% of Gen Xers are most likely to purchase from a brand that they are first following on social media. Given that Gen X has more purchasing power than any other generation, if your business is not already active on social media, now is the time to start!
Sturges Word Holiday Throwback
Happy Holidays from SWC!
Dec 19, 2018
Here at Sturges Word the holidays are some of our favorite times of the year! We gathered up some throwback photos and shared our favorite holiday memories. Join us as we laugh and reminisce.
What are Micro-Influencers and What Do They Mean for You?
What are Micro-Influencers and What Do They Mean for You?
Dec 7, 2018
Micro-influencers are people who have gained 1,000 to 50,000 social media followers by regularly posting niche content. Once overlooked due to their small following, brands and marketers are now focusing on the high engagement and trust that micro-influencers can bring to campaigns.
How and Why We Use Facebook Jobs
How and Why We Use Facebook Jobs
Nov 26, 2018
With more than two billion active Facebook users a month, it is no secret that people and companies that want to effectively reach people use Facebook to do so. That’s why in February 2017, Facebook unrolled its newest feature: Facebook Jobs.
Sturges Word Communications Wins Four Awards from the Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society of America
PRISMs Awards
Oct 16, 2018
Sturges Word Communications recently received four gold awards at the Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society of America’s annual PRISMs Awards. The awards were in recognition of Sturges Word’s direct mail, press kit, feature story and project-based work for its clients.
Sturges Word Communications Earns Sprout Social’s Agency Partner Certification
Sprout Social’s Agency Partner Certification
Oct 12, 2018
Sturges Word already creates award-winning social content for its clients, including projects that have won AMPS and PRISM awards, and now as a Sprout Social Agency Partner, Sturges Word is excited to use its network of digital agencies and resources to continue to provide value to and grow awareness of its clients.
What the Worldcom Confidence Index Means for your Business
Worldcom Confidence Index
Aug 16, 2018
The Worldcom partners recently worked together on the Worldcom Confidence Index (CI) to study the issues global CEOs and CMOs believe will most influence business success in 2018. According to the CI report, the top three threats for business leaders are a battle for talent, the increasing threat of cybercrime and government and legislative changes.
Why the Blending of Paid and Earned Media Matters to Your Business
Blending of Paid & Earned Media Matters
Jun 26, 2018
As a savvy business owner, you know your content needs to reach the right audience in order for your company to succeed. The PESO model is a useful tool to ensure your communications are effective and maximize your budget.
Sturges Word Communications Wins Two Awards from the Social Media Club of Kansas City
Social Media Club of KC Awards
Jun 22, 2018
Sturges Word Communications recently received two awards at the Social Media Club of Kansas City’s annual AMPS Awards, a gold award and a silver award.
Ted’s Lunch for Students
Ted’s Lunch for Students
May 26, 2018
Learn how we worked with Ted’s Café Escondido to help grow brand awareness around its unique offering of fresh, from-scratch Mexican food through various initiatives, including traditional media.