Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Jersey Shore. OK…this is definitely a guilty pleasure. This show is truly the equivalent of watching a car wreck. The cast of Jersey Shore is amazing in that the women actually have fewer morals than the guys – and that’s saying a lot! My sister introduced me to this show. I watched the first season on DVD (uncensored!!!) and I’m watching the current season on MTV. I’ll probably catch the other seasons on DVD as well but each episode is basically the same. Think about the wildest, most dramatic, party-crazed night you ever had in college and that’s pretty much a mild Tuesday night for these people! Before ever watching an episode, I read a lot about the cast and the episodes. So, I know how much these kids are getting paid – which only adds to the shock and awe factor. Despite all of the craziness, you can always count on a lover’s quarrel between Ronnie and Sam, the only couple in the group.

Get More: Jersey Shore (Season 2), MTV Shows

This week, I love gator season. In 1938, Alabama became the first state to take action to protect alligators after years of unregulated hunting almost eliminated the killer lizards. An alligator hunting season was instituted in 2006 in south Alabama to help curb complaints about alligators. A few years later, the season was expanded to other areas in the state, including my home county of Wilcox. The season is limited to a few weeks in August and only a small amount of tags (or rights to hunt) are issued by the state each year. The 2011 season produced some MONSTER gators and our waterways are safer for it. Check out some photos here.

Now the only thing about gator season that I don’t like is the manner in which hunters must harvest their gator. First, an alligator must be hooked with a fishing line and reeled to your boat. While the gator IS STILL ALIVE, the hunter must secure the gator to the side of his boat. Once the gator is secured, a kill shot can be fired through the base of the alligator’s skull. I’m not brave enough to follow these requirements but I’m sure glad that some people are! It’s quite scary to think about how close these huge man-eaters are to our homes and recreation spots. Thank you hunters!

This week, I don’t like pre-video advertisements. When trying to find the above Jersey Shore clip, I was reminded of a very frustrating topic that I’ve been meaning to address for several weeks: the advertisements that play before online videos. Are these ads not the most aggravating things ever? They come in various lengths – fortunately, most are only :15 seconds. News websites like USA Today and MSNBC are the worst. In order to watch any type video on these sites, you must first sit through a brief commercial. There’s nothing you can do about it and that sense of helplessness does not mix well with the “instant” mentality we have all developed thanks to our microwaves and DVRs. But you know what? I get it. As a marketer, I recognize why some many companies are choosing to spend their dollars on what is called “pre-roll advertising”. It’s because Americans don’t (or can’t) read anymore. Reading about the new Ford F150 just doesn’t happen these days. But watching a video about the new Ford F150 sure does. And even then, companies must force you to watch. So the next time your “video will resume in :23 seconds”, blame your microwave for raising your expectations to an unachievable level.