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Twitter Was All A Buzz During Superbowl 44

As I was watching the Superbowl today, I got to wondering if analytics providers like Radian6, Hubspot, Compete, Sysomos and others have made a killing with new clients in those who plunked down $3M for a Superbowl Ad spot.  They had better.  Or, more to the point, the advertisers themselves would be well-served to have taken up with one of these service providers.

Taking just a little snapshot at key points along the Superbowl timeline, it was interesting to see what was working and what wasn't...

Superbowl First Quarter

About halfway through the 1st quarter (below), the Betty White / Snickers commercial and Doritos have taken an early lead with our laugh-meter.

 

After the end of the 1st Quarter (below) Joseph Addai is catching the attention of fans.  And, the Doritos commercial is still buzzing from the second spot with the guy in the jumbo coffin "living it up" with a casket full of doritos and TV set.  (LOL... yeah, I was kinda chuckling about that one.)

 

Superbowl Second Quarter

About halfway through the 2nd Quarter (below), the conversation seemed to be about how the heck did they get Jay Leno and David Letterman in the same room?  And, the Budweiser commercials are still a hit.  

 

And at the end of the 2nd Quarter, just starting in on half-time, the Dodge Charger commercial ("Man's Last Stand") has tugged at the laugh-meter of tweeps everywhere.  Meanwhile, the Johnny Depp flick, "Alice In Wonderland" seems to be piquing some interest.  Curious: I saw a couple of Flo-TV spots that I thought would've generated some buzz. They seemed to be trying pretty hard with a new product launch.  But, it's only a blip at the moment.

 

Ahhh...wait for it... wait for it...there it is.  The buzz around Flo-TV seems mixed.  With references to the iPad, I'd say, on net, tweeps aren't a crowd that's gonna go rushing out to buy one.   

  

Superbowl Halftime

Ouch. Apparently I'm dating myself here... while I still dig The Who (the Half-time show band), it apparently fell flat with some tweeps.  Folks were actually dissin' them indirectly by blaming Janet Jackson's ill-fated wardrobe malfunction for the "type of" shows we now get on the Superbowl.  Ouch.

 

 

Superbowl Third Quarter

 Woot! Right after that onside kick by the Saints, is there any question what tweeps were buzzin' about?  "Wow. That's the gutsy move I ever saw, Mav."  (All you Gen-Ys still lamenting about Janet Jackson's role in The Who, get over it.)  ;) 

 

And, by the end of the third quarter, clearly Google's ad made a positive impact.  For my part, I thought it was a great rebuttal to Bing. 

 

 Superbowl Fourth Quarter

Ha ha... part way through the fourth quarter, how about that 2-point conversion by the Saints, eh?  "Challenge" refers to tweeps taunting Peyton Manning to answer the call... Interesting, too, how this far after the Google ad, it's still making the rounds.  

 

 And by the end of the game, it was pretty obvious what the buzz was all about.  Beginning with the second quarter, much of the conversation had shifted from commercials and ads to events that were related with the game itself.

Congrats to the Saints for some kind of football game.  Absolutely awesome.  From the onside kick at the start of the Second Half, to the touchdown AND 2-point conversion and that last interception, the Saints played an absolutely stellar game.  Congratulations, champs.

 

 

I love the iPad! Though maybe not for the reasons you'd think...

By now you've heard all the hubbub about Apple's iPad launch last week. You know me, Mr. gadget freak. But, on "version 1.0 products" I tend to be a little more circumspect. And as much as I love Apple's products, I'm probably gonna hold off myself and see what new versions come downstream.

If the familiar skit below is any indication of what's in the iPad--or what's NOT in it--then my hesitation is right on the mark. (Warning: I'm giving the vid below a PG-13 rating for language... but I still find it funny.)

Despite the disappointment I personally feel about the features I need in the iPad that aren't there, one thing seems clear to me, this latest round of tablet mania will (thankfully) bring a new round of competition and "one-upsmanship" in the marketplace that will serve us--consumers--well.

In fact, even now there're rumors about Apple having another Tablet in the works--one that's more like a Mac than an overgrown iPhone that doesn't let you make calls.

And, just this morning, these sketches of the rumored Google Tablet.

Photos credit: TechCrunch

For a conceptual idea of how the interface might work, check out this short (42 seconds) video mockup.

So, here's my ultimate question for developers... who's developing one like this one below? Give it to me!

4 Things I'm Jonesin' to Change in 2010 at Our Non-Profit Association.

Today's going to be a pretty cool luncheon.  Not only will I, and a bunch of my friends in the Training and Learning profession get to eat a whole bunch of chocolate at what has been billed as our local ASTD chapter's renowned annual "Death By Chocolate" event, but I'll also be one of the proverbial "guards" to whom the reins will be passed for chapter management.

Today, I'll be taking over the reins as the new VP for Communications.  I'll hold that spot for the remainder of 2010.  My predecessor(s) did a great job of laying a foundation for me to build upon.  And build I shall... (*sinister laugh*) I've already submitted by budget requirements for 2010.

The big infrastructure projects I've got in my sights for 2010 include:

• Revamping our web site.  I've been jonesin' for this for nearly two years now.  Our existing site is old, tired and very, very static.  (To wit: our site is down hard as of this writing.)  Be on the lookout for an RFP from me soon after the new year.  I'll be looking for folks who want to bid on helping us install and configure an open source platform (leaning towards Joomla at the moment) with a really slick theme, community features, social media sharing features and...well, be on the lookout for the RFP.  I'll cross-post it here on BusinessCasualBlog.com when I have it written.  (Email me if you think you'll have some interest in submitting a bid.)

• Getting our chapter solidly on track with a new list host.  We need to be able to touch our members and prospective members in a more intelligent way.  The existing (internally-hosted) email campaigning system flies blind.  What I mean is that there's scant capability to see any analytics that will give us insight to what our members find interesting, what our open rates are, as well as click-through rates, bounces, opt-ins/outs, and so on.  Switching platforms will be a relatively easy hurdle (save maybe for having to re-opt in our whole list again), but the real challenge will be in developing coherent, story-based copy and message sequences that our list members will find relevant, informative and compelling.  If you have any copy writing tips for me, let me know.  I'm a sponge, man!

• Installing a membership management software system.  We don't really have one at the moment.  Well, yes we do, but, no, not really.  It's a very manual process today.  A process that finds us ironically foregoing chapter revenue (?!) in favor of pro-rating membership fees when someone joins later in the year. (HUGE opportunity cost!) We have apparently been doing it this way in order to make the bookkeeping and the administrivia of membership expirations easier to manage.  (Tell me if you see the same thing I'm seeing... we're incurring no less an 85% opportunity cost by my reckoning.)

• Increasing our chapter's capacity for social media.  Ha ha.  This is a no-brainer.  I started the year with a pledge to change hearts and minds at my chapter.  I'm still on that mission.  >:)

Here I go.  Wish me luck!

Photo courtesy: LeadingAnswers.com

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Thank you for subscribing and for being part of my circle of friends on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  I wish you and your family a very happy day today in celebration of thanks for all things that make us each who we are. 

Busy weekend - REBarCamp San Diego - NAR Convention - ASTD-OC Leadership Meetup

The weekend's activities started last Thursday with RE BarCamp. Then, there was the NAR Convention that ran through the weekend. And, of course, the ASTD-OC Chapter leaders transition meeting last Saturday.

RE BarCamp was a hit with over 500 people in attendance at the Stingaree in San Diego's Gas Lamp District. In a nutshell, in addition to getting a whole buncha folks in the real estate profession together for a day to learn from each other about various topics ranging from Facebook, video blogging and social media to Google Wave, professionalism and legal issues of social media technology, we also had the pleasure of raising funds to sponsor schooling for two under-privileged children in a third-world country.

What's a barcamp?

In case you've never heard of a barcamp, it's basically a grassroots gathering where like-minded folks come to help each other learn. It's typically a free event run entirely on volunteerism and the occasional sponsorship from a company, organization or community. Frequently, there's also some kind of charity-sponsorship activity that attendees raise funds for. As I alluded above, last Thursday's event was honored to raise funds to help send a couple of kids to school via Mothers Fighting For Others.

BarCamps can form around any theme and can form anywhere in the world. Folks like YOU and me make it happen. Last Thursday's event happened to be themed on the real estate profession. It coincided with this year's NAR Convention (National Association of Realtors), which was also kind enough to sponsor part of the event. In many ways, a barcamp is like a convention, in the sense that there are breakout sessions where some expert facilitates discussion to learn about a certain topic. Unlike a convention, however, these sessions are free to attend. Also, cross-selling and cross-promotion of products or services by session speakers are discouraged. The event is strictly about learning. Well, learning and lots of networking.

How are session speakers selected for a barcamp?
You think it, you decide to do it, you sign up on "the board", it happens. 

It's like this: event organizers identify sections of the venue to split up into rooms. (Rooms can be formal rooms, or they can be a group of chairs pushed together in one corner of a large room.) Meanwhile, in some central gathering area, a large white board is posted. On the white board is a matrix. Columns in the matrix identify rooms. Rows specify meeting times, typically in 30- to 45-minute increments. In the cells of the matrix is white space for anyone -- any attendee -- to write the name of a topic and, of course, their own name to identify the facilitator.

Attendees regularly visit the white board to see the list of topics. If one interests you, simply show up in the designated meeting "room" at the appointed time. If there's a topic you'd like to discuss that isn't on the board, simply fill in your name and the name of the topic.  Of course, lots of networking also tends to happen during the session breaks, lunch gatherings and the evening mixer that typically happens at the end of the event.

Barcamps are a great way (and did I say free?) for professionals to come together to network while teaching each other about trends and current events going on in their industry. Some industries have more critical mass than others. The RE BarCamp (real estate industry professionals) happens to be one of those with critical mass and seemingly a new event someplace in the U.S. happening at least quarterly. You can learn more about barcamp here. And, real estate barcamp here.

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Free and Promotionals for Veterans

 

My friend, Bucky Elkins, was kind enough to respond to my request fornfo about restaurants and other businesses offering some kind of promotional in honor of our Veterans.  Bucky is a great guy to follow and was kind enough to dig up the following list:

• 11/11 - Free pizza or meal for veterans when another entree is ordered at Uno Chicago Grill locations.  http://uno.know-where.com/pizzeria/

• 11/11 – Veterans can choose from a special menu of free meals on Veterans Day at Applebees from 8am to midnight. http://www.applebees.com/vetsDay/default.aspx

• until 11/12 -Veterans, military personnel and their families can enjoy a 10% discount on all purchases at Lowes. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pg&p=Promos/veteransDay07.html&lks=hps#

• until 11/11 -All active duty personnel, reservists, retired military, veterans and their families Veterans can enjoy a 10% discount on all purchases up to $2000 at Home Depot. http://ir.homedepot.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=63646&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1352351&highlight=

• 11/11 – Free Bloomin Onion appetizer & drink for veterans and active military at Outback Steakhouse.  http://www.outback.com/companyinfo/veteransday2009.aspx

• 11/11 – Some Denny's are offering 20% off the entire meal for veterans.

• 11/11 –  Some Arby's will offer free Regular Roast Beef Sandwich to all veterans and active duty military men and women on Veterans Day.

• 11/11 – Krispy Kreme will give away 1 free doughnut of any variety to all veterans and U.S. military personnel that stop in. http://investor.krispykreme.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=422165    http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS155889+05-Nov-2009+PRN20091105

• 11/11 – Sam’s Club is giving away 25,000 Hugo free foldable walking canes. No Sam’s Club membership required. Each store has about 40 canes to give out for free.  http://www.hugosalutes.com/About-the-Free-Cane.asp

• until 11/11 – Colonial Williamsburg honors America's Veterans with a procession down Duke of Gloucester Street, 4:30 p.m., beginning at the Capitol. The parade culminates in a public ceremony, with militia and cannon crew firing volleys in recognition of those who serve. Active duty military, guard and reservists, retirees, veterans and their dependents enjoy free admission passes Friday through Wednesday, Nov. 6-11.  http://www.history.org/visit/eventsAndExhibits/specialEvents/index.cfm#VetDay

• 11/11 – In appreciation for service to the the U.S., Shirley Plantation in Charles City is offering free admission for all Vets on Veteran's Day, November 11th.  http://www.shirleyplantation.com/veterans_day09.html

• 11/11 – Public Lands Veterans Day Fee Waiver -  All military personnel, active and retired, and their families will receive free admittance to any National Park Service site on Veteran’s Day. U.S.  Veterans, members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families will be admitted free-of-charge on Veterans Day to most public lands managed by the Dept. of the Interior and Dept. of Agriculture.  http://home.nps.gov/news/release.htm?id=924 http://home.nps.gov/news/release.htm?id=922 http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/veterans/honor.htmhttp://home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/atoz.cfm

    Battlefields and Military Parks http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/veterans/honor.htm

    National Register of Historic Places http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/va/

    National Park Service http://www.nps.gov/

    Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/

    U.S. Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/

Naturally, it is a good idea to contact the facility you plan to visit for details and check if reservations or permits are required

• 11/16 – Golden Corral's 9th annual Military Appreciation Monday dinner will be held on Monday, November 16, 2009, from 5 to 9 pm in all Golden Corral restaurants nationwide. The free dinner meal is a special "thank you tribute" to any person who has ever served in the United States Military.  http://www.goldencorral.net/military/

• Nov – Many NFL, NHL, MBA, and college teams celebrate a Military Appreciation Night in Novemember. Check you team's website  to see what discounts they provide.

• 11/13 – L.A. Clippers will host a Military Appreciation Night on Friday, November 13th at 7:30 pm as they take on the Toronto Raptors. Service Men and Women and their families will be honored and all military personnel in attendance will receive a commemorative T-shirt.   http://www.nba.com/clippers/groups/militaryappreciationnight091113.htmlhttp://krla870.townhall.com/pages/MilitaryAppreciationClippers

• 11/21 – Portland Trailblazers have invited all military personnel and families to an appreciation night basketball game on Saturday November 21st (against the Minnesota Timberwolves).   http://www.mfso-oregon.org/2009/10/12/join-us-at-the-blazers-military-appreciation-night-nov-21st/

• 11/22 – 5th Annual Houston Aeros Military Appreciation Night Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 http://www.aeros.com/news/News/index.html?article_id=1916

• until 11/26 – Knott's Military Salute, November 1 - 26 only; Knott's annual tribute to our Military, past and present. FREE admission for Veterans or current serving military personnel and one guest with proper I.D. presented at turnstile. (DD214, Veterans Administration Hospital ID or current Military ID) Past and present military personnel plus one guest will be admitted Free and up to six additional tickets may be purchased for just $15 each.  http://www.knotts.com/public/admission/prices/deals.cfm

• 2009 – Knott's Military Discount - Show your military I.D. all year and get in Knotts for just $29.99 (NOT valid for special ticket events e.g. Halloween Haunt)

• 2009 – Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks - Here's to the Heroes Program   http://www.herosalute.com

• until 12/23 – Walt Disney World Resort in Florida: Through Dec. 23, 2009, each active or retired member of the U.S. military may obtain one complimentary 5-day "Disney's Armed Forces Salute" ticket with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & more options.  http://www.disneyworld.com/military

• OnGoing – Free O.C. Transportation - Show your military I.D. and ride  OCTA buses for free throughout Orange County - any time, any day. For more OCTA info visit  http://www.octa.net/  and the OC trip planner http://justclick.octa.net/Trip2007  You can text 628246 with the format "bus (stop#) (route#)" to recieve the next 3 pick-ups times at that location. (The route# and stop# are posted on the sign at each OCTA bus stop.)

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THANK YOU.

Related post:

Remembering 1 plus 27 plus 1,474,993 Americans

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And, though I'm a veteran, I'd be all for this, too...

"Why not, instead of commemorating Veterans Day, we establish and work on what we could call a "No War Day."

~Andy Rooney

Courtesy - CBS News Videos Online

Crap...! It's 3 o'clock in the morning...Somebody's in the house.

   

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grimages/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

(Note: This qualifies as one of my occasional off-topic posts.)

This is a true story... for some inexplicable reason, I faded awake at about 3:00 this morning. As I was dozing back to sleep, the sudden reflection of light caught my attention.

I opened my eyes and could see light reflecting off the part of the wall along the top floor landing that I could see from bed. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that it wasn't reflecting from somewhere outside. Rather, I recognized it as light from the floor lamp in the living room.

The lamp had inexplicably winked on...INSIDE our house.

A quick headcount told me all I needed to know. My wife was next to me. Everybody that should be in the house was accounted for. Nobody else was authorized. Yet, the floor lamp in the living room just came on; that shouldn't be the case.

"Crap," I thought. A charge streaked through my mind, "I've got a bonafide 'no-shitter' here."

For reasons of security, I wont' share in this public forum what weapon I had available. Suffice to say, I grabbed it. Then a beeline out the bedroom door, over the landing and down the stairs. It was all of about 5 seconds, but it felt like a lot longer than that. I was expecting confrontation.

Instead...nothing.

I made a quick tour for any open doors or windows. All locked from the inside, as they should be. Did somebody break in and then lock the door after entry? I checked every nook-and-cranny downstairs: behind doors, under tables, slapping drapes, opening closets.

Nothing...nobody. Thank god? Yes.

Turns out, the switch on the floor lamp was on all along. Only, the electrical cord had loosened from the wall outlet earlier in the evening causing the lamp to wink out. Later, due to atmospheric or other subtle natural forces during the course of the evening, the 'trons reconnected causing the lamp to wink back on.

Needless to say, it took me a while to get back to sleep. I was pretty keyed-up, so I had some time to think: I would like to have done some things differently.

First, when I rushed out the bedroom door, I should have shut it and locked it behind me while engaging the door stopper we installed for just such a worry. That would at least keep another layer of separation between what I was worried about and my wife inside the room.

Secondly, we should have kept at least one of our mobile phones upstairs. If our worse fears had materialized, I would have wanted my wife making that emergency call ASAP. Instead, all phones were in their respective chargers--downstairs.

Thirdly, short of installing a panic room, I would have wanted my wife to have her own avenue of defense--and escape--in case I was, you know, incapacitated. :(

This non-event definitely got us thinking. A good thing. The three points above are the immediate steps we've remedied. But, while we have the luxury of time, we're taking other measures, as well. For security reasons, I won't share them all, but suffice to say, many of the "common sense" preventative measures will be the first line of defense: reinforcing doors with strike plates, jamb locks and window braces are definitely in the offing.

In any case, I thought I'd take a moment to share this non-event with you. As the holiday travel season looms, it might be a good idea for you to revisit some home protection measures before taking off. And, if you have any additional good tips and thoughts to share, I'd love to hear them.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of these interesting articles with some good prevention tips to consider:
o 3 Ways to Prevent Home Invasion using Home Self Defense, Andrew Youtz
o Home Invasion Robbery: Protect Your Family With a Security Plan, Chris McGoey
o Home Invasion Defense, Doug Wright

Be safe!

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My New Book is Out... STOP! Don't buy it...!

...not until you get this promo code for discounted pricing (22%):  bcb2010.

As some of you are aware, Stefan Swanepoel asked if I'd join him this past summer in co-writing a book he was spearheading on social media.  The topic relates to the interactions and experiences he and I have had in our respective circles about the value of social media in personal and business interactions -- this one's especially geared towards real estate professionals.

Those of you in the real estate space may recognize Stefan as the author of the annual Swanepoel Trends Report (real estate trends).  He's on a strategic board for the National Association of Realtors, keynotes at many Realtor association conferences, and has spoken quite often on the use of social media for real estate agents.

For my part, in addition to my activities through MindBridj, I also train in smaller/local venues, as well as online venues, on the use of social media for my colleagues in business, associations and the learning industry.  (As an aside, I'm excited to be working with a for-profit client in the real estate information/education sphere about upgrading their online content and adding, in addition to a host of new content, a skills series on the use of social media.  I'll tell you more about that project in a future post.)

In any case, it was a pleasure to work with Stefan over the summer to combine our experiences from having helped our friends navigate some of the tools and network culture of the social sphere.  This book is the result of that collaboration.  And, it also marks the debut of what is to become an addition to the annual Swanepoel Reports.

I hope you take a look and, if you have any Realtor friends, I'd appreciate you passing along a link to this post.  

Feel free to use any of the links below..."Email this"; "Share on Facebook"; and so on.

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Guest post: “What’s New in Human Trafficking”

This is the 3rd in a series on human trafficking by guest blogger Tobi Aclaro.  (See previous articles written by Tobi Aclaro.)

If you’ve been reading my guest blogs, you know what human trafficking is, and ways to identify possible victims or a possible situation.  And, just as important, that modern-day slavery can actually happen right here, in the US, in California…and in any town.  All that’s needed is someone to exploit another person for profit.

Today, we’ll cover two excerpts that highlight recent news:

Recent Convictions.  

There is some good news in the field—an increase in convictions in the US.  Indeed, according to US State Department Luis CdeBaca on October 9, the US succeeded in gaining “five convictions in the past three days in labor trafficking, including California.”  One of the cases is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

That day, KRON-TV reported on a human trafficking case involving a real estate agent in Walnut Creek.  The trafficker, herself a female, was convicted of labor trafficking and related charges by falsely promising fair pay and standard working conditions to a nanny in return for childcare services.  Through fraud and psychological coercion, the trafficker confiscated the nanny’s passport and under threats, forced the nanny to work 15 hours per day for two years under substandard conditions.

US Ambassador CdeBaca and US Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez highlight an Orange County “town hall” forum on human trafficking.  

On October 9, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Rep. Loretta Sanchez and officials from the Westminster Police Department addressed the issue of human trafficking with community groups, human rights organizations, social service providers, law enforcement, students and faith-based leaders at Vanguard University, Costa Mesa.

I attended the event along with many colleagues from Southern California. CdeBaca was appointed by President Obama and serves as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and directs the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP).  Congresswoman Sanchez represents California’s 47th District and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

“The chains of slavery may not always be visible; but it’s up to us to look for them”.  He described indicators similar to those listed on my earlier blog post.  CdeBaca referred to the plight of one his earlier cases, where over 50 Mexican deaf workers were smuggled into the US and forced into involuntary servitude selling trinkets on the streets of New York.  “They can only beg with their eyes,” he said.  (For victims still out here, now, on the streets) “let us be their voices.”

Think about where we inadvertently create demand.

Another point was to focus on demand.  “We don’t know, in the last four hours, what we’ve done to inadvertently contribute to slavery,” said the Ambassador.  “We don’t ask the questions ‘The shirt that I’m wearing-- The coffee that I drank this morning—where did these come from, and were they made by slave labor?”  

He also pointed out slave labor throughout places around the world rich in minerals and resources, but brutal in oppression of women, children and those caught in the midst of civil wars or violence spilling across borders.  Congo, for instance, is the key country where tantalum is mined—critical in the production of cell phones.  “It’s not ‘their’ supply chain, CdeBaca said of goods bought and sold worldwide.  “It’s MY supply chain, because we buy it.” 

He also advocated to “look for root causes:  poverty, gender imbalance, organized crime...”

According to the State Department, approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked across international borders worldwide each year.  An alarming 14,500 to 17,500 of those victims are being trafficked annually into the United States.  (http://www.state.gov/g/tip/)  And this estimate doesn’t include victims already in the US, or US citizens such as teens or runaways lured into forced prostitution. 

According to the United Nations, "an estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labour (including sexual exploitation) at any given time is a result of trafficking.  People are reported to be trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries, affecting every continent and every type of economy."  (Download a pdf fact sheet.)

What you can do.

If you see a possible trafficking situation or to learn more about human trafficking resources, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (24/7) at:  888-3737-888. 

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Find out more about Tobi and the opportunities she's considering...

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