President's message: Hope to see you in Rosemont!
MSA
Our recent board meeting in Rosemont, IL, gave me the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the venue for the 2011 MSA Conference & Expo. I am excited to be able to respond to the needs and requests of our members by helping to add value and extend budgets as much as possible. Read the full message from MSA President Leslie Hartman. More

Still time to attend Bob Negen's Christmas University: MSA members receive $20 off!
MSA
Bob Negen, an MSA Conference favorite, is offering MSA members a discount on his information-packed, 12-teleseminar program designed to help you make the most of the 2010 holiday season. Even though you've missed a couple of his sessions, you can still register and listen to the recorded programs at your convenience. Don't let this opportunity to save money and increase your holiday revenue pass you by! Register now and use the coupon code "MSA" to receive an additional $20 off!More

Time is running out to volunteer for the MSA 2010 Nominating Committee
MSA
Museum Members -- MSA is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the 2010 Nominating Committee. But you can't delay; the deadline for nominations is Monday, Sept. 27, 2010. The Nominating Committee is responsible for reviewing and screening potential MSA board candidates. If you would like to be considered, or if you would like to refer another MSA Museum Member, MSA wants to hear from you! Get more information and complete the online form.More

MSA Mid-Atlantic Chapter: Fall meeting in the works
MSA
Detailed meeting information with a complete agenda for MSA’s Mid-Atlantic Chapter has been posted to the MSA website. Download the registration form and start making plans to see your local colleagues!More

2 new positions posted to MSA's Job Source
MSA
Two new positions have been posted to Job Source, MSA's online resource for the most up-to-date job listings in the cultural commerce industry.More

Holiday sales might increase a bit
The Chicago Sun-Times
The first retail holiday forecast -- out before Halloween, just like stores' decorations -- shows hope for a small increase in sales this year from last. Deloitte predicted that online, catalog and brick-and-mortar store sales combined will inch up 2 percent this holiday season, to $852 billion, as shoppers focus on reducing their debts and increasing savings.More

What's hot for the holidays? Google knows
CNN
Want to get an extra early jump on this year's holiday must-haves? Take an exclusive look at what products Google says are already burning up the Internet 14 weeks before Christmas.More

Cuteness likely to rule the holiday toy roost
The State
It's getting crowded in the race to succeed Zhu Zhu Pets as the next hot holiday toy. From plush dolls that harmonize to tiny people and animals stored in bubbles in toy vending machines, collectability and cuteness are off the charts for this year's toys.More

10 reasons to love mobile social media
Social Media Insider
It's OK if you're not obsessed with mobile social media. Whether you're already sold on its importance or still could use more convincing, here are 10 reasons to love mobile social media.More

Picksie for iPad makes intelligent recommendations for 'right now'
Mashable/Tech
Bored out of your mind? Hungry, but unsure of where to grab a bite to eat? There are dozens of apps that you could use to find restaurants, bars and activities, but newcomer Picksie hopes to tackle location-based discovery on the iPad for lackadaisical types by determining what you can and want to do, right here, right now. Picksie takes into account your location, tastes and preferences, the weather, the time of day and the day of the week to return personalized recommendations for what to do.More

7 significant trends in mobile usage
eMarketer
With mobile penetration in the US estimated by eMarketer at nearly 80 percent this year, and the increasing sophistication of handsets, there is a mature mobile market with a critical mass of users increasingly receptive to marketing and content. As the space becomes more important for marketers' efforts, they must keep pace with the changing scene.More

Smartphone credit cards: Are US consumers ready to trade in their plastic?
Knowledge@Wharton
In the coming months, some American consumers will embark on an experiment that will finally begin to answer a question with multibillion-dollar implications for the nation's credit-card companies, mobile-phone carriers and tens of thousands of merchants doing business from coast-to-coast. Will U.S. shoppers embrace the chance to make store purchases with a simple swipe of their smartphones?More

5 trends that will shape the next few years of social media
The Next Web
The past few years have seen some spectacular changes in the technology that embeds itself in our daily lives. The perfect storm of social media, smart phones and location awareness is only beginning to take full effect.More

PayNearMe launches cash payment system with 7-Eleven; signs up Amazon, Facebook
TechCrunch
PayNearMe allows people who don't have or don't want to use credit or debit cards to purchase products with cash at more than 6,000 7-Eleven stores. On participating e-commerce or merchant sites, consumers can use the PayNearMe option to pay for e-commerce purchases and more. You simply place your order with PayNearMe and print out the given receipt. You then take that receipt into a 7-Eleven and they scan it and you pay in cash. Once you pay, your order with the retailer or merchant will be fulfilled.More

Georgia hopes to turn blue and gray into green
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia is gearing up for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, expecting it to be the most significant heritage tourism opportunity in coming years. The commemoration is being called "CW150" and will run from 2011 to 2015 to coincide with the war, which lasted from 1861 to 1865.More

It's all about service
Snap!Retail
Your clients can be your biggest advocates because they praise and brag about you, which builds your brand. Here are 10 customer service tips.More

Planning for seasonal digital success
ClickZ
It's almost that time of year. In fact, for many online retailers plans are already finalized and subtle changes are already beginning to show evidence of a strategy to take us straight from back to school to Labor Day through Halloween and into the gift-giving seasons. For others, their high season might be spring or summer. Whatever the high season for your business you need to approach it differently to maximize the opportunity it presents.More

5 tips to improve your open rates with better subject lines
Snap!Retail
With social media usage and marketing efforts growing by leaps and bounds, it's not only important for your small business to be on social media -- it's important to say the right thing.More

Connect with Generation Y
MarketingSherpa
The younger generation is the future, but if you're trying to reach consumers aged 11-31 with the same marketing messages and tactics from past decades, your company might not be around to see them take over. Here are highlights from a consumer psychologist's year-long research project on Generation Y, including advice on how to reach this audience with marketing messages that will resonate.More

States working harder to collect online sales taxes
MSNBC.com
Sales taxes or similar levies have always been in place on most online purchases in most states. But they are almost never paid. And with their budgets in crisis, states are more determined than ever to get their share.More

Does free shipping pay off?
Internet Retailer
Although free shipping of one form or another has become common on e-commerce sites, merchants must decide whether it really improves business or becomes just another cost to bear.More

Marketing students lend skills to African American Museum
UTD News Center
UTD School of Management marketing students who worked on a project for the African American Museum in Dallas have come away with a resume-building achievement that also showcases their community spirit. Abhi Biswas, associate coordinator of SOM's Marketing area, took the initiative for revamping the museum’s marketing efforts. "We needed," Biswas says, "to come up with a viable business plan for the museum's gift shop, which was their main source of revenue."More

Milwaukee Art Museum records high attendance
VictoriaAdvocate.com
The Milwaukee Art Museum is reporting they are getting more visitors now than in recent years. The museum says it had 320,000 visitors for the fiscal year that just ended Aug. 31, the highest since 2005.More

LAist goes shopping: The FIDM Museum Shop
LAist
The current exhibit in the FIDM Gallery features dioramas of costumes from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. At The FIDM Museum Shop an Alice garden gate greets shoppers and some fun Alice merch fills a shelf. Also in store: handbags made from recycled pop tops, design books, cards, hand-crafted jewelry made by notable FIDM alumni, Graf & Lantz felt totes, and voodoo dolls. Enter to find a gift for every occasion from the very cheeky to the extremely beautiful.More

Natural History Museum forced to layoff staff
The San Diego Union Tribune
The San Diego Natural History Museum continues to struggle with this historic recession. It recently had to cut 10 percent of its work force because of the down economy. In addition, senior managers have taken a 15 percent cut in pay and the rest of the staff took a 10 percent reduction.More