by Phil Hardwick Published: April 17,2011
Tags: advertising, MBJ column, Phil Hardwick
Advertising is now so ubiquitous that no one in any place is spared from messaging by commercial interests. It is estimated that the typical person will be exposed to 300 to 700 messages per day. And that is for people who do not surf the Internet. Will city hall be the next hallowed ground to [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: March 20,2011
Tags: MBJ Columns, Phil Hardwick
Communities are constantly changing. Some change relatively slowly, as the decennial census data is revealing. Others change rather rapidly as exemplified by the civil uprisings in the Middle East. Still others change almost instantly because of natural disasters, as evidenced by recent earthquakes and floods. As census data comes out it is apparent that the [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: March 3,2011
Tags: MBJ Columns, Phil Hardwick
(1) What is migration, and what is the difference between in-migration and out-migration? The 2010 census data are resulting in a plethora of local news articles about population growth and decline. Many community leaders are cheering because their communities had a population increase. As sports commentator Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.” [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: February 20,2011
Tags: newspapers, online strategy, Phil Hardwick
For a news junkie like me these are the best of times. For newspapers, especially small town ones, these are times filled with apprehension and opportunity. And it is all because of technology and the Internet. Today, people in rural communities and smaller towns, especially those that lack affordable high-speed Internet access, will most likely [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: February 6,2011
Tags: MBJ Columns, Phil Hardwick
The U.S. Postal Service is in chaos. That is not necessarily a bad thing because it must change. And for fundamental change to occur in an organization there must be chaos, which is defined as a state of disorder or confusion. Let us look at some examples of the chaos and the ways that the [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: January 23,2011
Tags: MBJ column, Phil Hardwick
Community leaders seem to love the idea of capturing the essence of their city, town or village with a motto, slogan or moniker. Sometimes these words of description bring pride and enthusiasm. Sometimes they outlive their usefulness and become the brunt of jokes. Whatever the case, it is a fascinating exercise to attempt to connect [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: January 9,2011
Tags: MBJ column, Phil Hardwick
The other day I was talking with a CEO who had moved his rather large business (over 200 employees) from downtown to the suburbs. There were many factors involved, he said, but the thing that made the decision easy was that, “I was offered a deal that I could not refuse.” Conversely, a real estate [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: January 2,2011
Tags: MBJ column, Phil Hardwick
Economic development is a competitive business. States, in particular, are often pitted against each other in an effort to land major job-creating prospects. And yet in this age of regionalism it is sometimes necessary for states to cooperate with each other. At a recent luncheon sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Development Council two of the [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: December 12,2010
Tags: editorial, Phil Hardwick
If they gave a national Internet user party and invited only 10 people per state who were a representative sample of each state, only six people from Mississippi could attend. That is because Mississippi has a 59.3 percent Internet penetration rate, the lowest in the United States. It also has the lowest broadband, or high-speed, [...] [...]
by Phil Hardwick Published: November 28,2010
Tags: column, Phil Hardwick
Here is the tale of two dollars. One stayed at home. One went to another town. Once upon a time there were two dollars. They each lived with their owners in the small town of Make Believe in rural Mississippi. Make Believe was a nice little town. There was a Main Street that had lots [...] [...]
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