I was in Austin, Texas last week for the Web Copywriting Intensive. And just like with a lot of these conferences, my head was spinning by the time I left Wednesday evening. But it was a good kind of spinning. There was a lot to learn and find about what’s happening in the world of online copywriting and marketing, and all of the speakers I got to see were beyond excellent.
Here’s a little of what I got to see on Sunday the 17th, right before the three-day event swallowed me whole…
Thank God I left when I did, because when I got back to Denver, it was snowing, but nothing like it did yesterday.
Another thing that might’ve wrecked my travel plans would’ve been this upcoming sequestration that’s brewing in Washington, DC, among President Obama and Congress, particularly the Republican members. In a nutshell, it’s forced spending cuts to the budgets of federally funded programs.
Now, as you know, this isn’t a political blog. And I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a fairly liberal Democrat. But I still manage to have plenty of conservative friends, Republican or otherwise, simply because I don’t allow politics to get in the way of friendship. And I do get mad at Obama and the Dems – certainly not as often as I do the other side, but I have to think that each side sometimes suffers from way too much political inertia and general head-up-the-nether-regions-ness.
Having said all of that, if sequestration happens, as it’s slated to this Thursday, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs, and the economy is going to take a major hit.
Something that’s also going to get ugly will be the scenario for those who are traveling. Our largest airports across the country. Some experts say that travelers in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco will see at least 90-minute delays in their flight departures, due to cuts in TSA staffing. Some smaller airports may close altogether. National Parks will also be understaffed and may have delayed openings.
All I will say is, even though this isn’t the direct fault of those in charge of travel industry companies, it’s going to be rotten PR for those most affected. Especially those in the already embattled airlines. These companies might look to these firms, as well as marketing firms and copywriters, to get them back into the public’s good graces.
