A loyal reader asks…For a presentation I’m doing, I need to know the correlation between the make and model of the car one drives, and the kind of radio stations one listens to. For example, do 50 percent of the drivers of Dodge Rams tune into country stations?

There was a great study done by Scarborough Research in combination with the Radio Advertising Bureau that looks at domestic and foreign vehicle ownership. Here is a brief summary of some interesting points.

Domestic Vehicles

Foreign Vehicles

If you’re so inclined, you can read the whole report here.

A loyal reader asks: Please don’t think less of me, but I am absolutely totally bored by economics. So imagine my joy when my boss asked me, yes me, track economic data to crosstab (not literally) with our business trends. I don’t know where to turn. And make it easy, please. I don’t have the stomach for this.

Seriously, this is nothing to fret about. Check out Economagic.

It’s a breeze. And you’ll look smart as a whip.

You’ll find free, easily available economic time series data useful for economic research. It provides easy access to large amounts of data, and you can quickly get charts of that data. There are more than 200,000 time series for which data and custom charts can be retrieved.

The majority of the data is USA data. The core data sets involve US macroeconomic data (that is, for the whole US), but the bulk of the data is employment data by local area — state, county, MSA, and many cities and towns.

Now go be a star!

A loyal reader asks: With all the hype about buying organic, I’ve been hearing a new term “slow food”. What is it?

Glad you asked.

The slow food movement started in Europe and propagates the idea of good, clean and fair food. It is the belief that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

The Slow Food movement incorporates a series of objectives within its mission, including:

• forming and sustaining seed banks to preserve heirloom varieties in cooperation with local food systems
• developing an “ark of taste” for each ecoregion, where local culinary traditions and foods are celebrated
• preserving and promoting local and traditional food products, along with their lore and preparation
• organizing small-scale processing (including facilities for slaughtering and short run products)
• organizing celebrations of local cuisine within regions (for example, the Feast of Fields held in some cities in Canada)
• promoting “taste education“
• educating consumers about the risks of fast food
• educating citizens about the drawbacks of commercial agribusiness and factory farms
• educating citizens about the risks of monoculture and reliance on too few genomes or varieties
• developing various political programs to preserve family farms
• lobbying for the inclusion of organic farming concerns within agricultural policy
• lobbying against government funding of genetic engineering
• lobbying against the use of pesticides
• teaching gardening skills to students and prisoners
• encouraging ethical buying in local marketplaces

A loyal reader asks: Maybe I should be writing to Dr. Grammar or something. But I’ll give you a shot. Lately, I’ve been hearing people refer to themselves as ‘myself’ where I think it should be me or I. Is it just me?

Hey reader, funny you should mention Dr. Grammar. We love that guy.

Here, in fact, is what Dr. Grammar says:

According to The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, “Myself is best used either reflexively (I have decided to exclude myself from consideration) or intensively (I myself have seen instances of that type). But myself shouldn’t appear as a substitute for I or me. Using it that way is thought somehow to be modest, as if the reference were less direct [emphasis added]. Yet it’s no less direct, and the user may unconsciously cause the reader or listener to assume an intended jocularity, or that the user is somewhat doltish.

He goes on. So if you’re interested, check it out.

Never use a reflexive pronoun in place of a standard personal pronoun. They are correctly used only in the reflexive or emphatic roles. The following sentences are incorrect:

Andrew and myself edited the document. (incorrect)
Megan drove Andrew and myself to the mall. (incorrect)

They should read:

Andrew and I edited the document. (correct)
Megan drove Andrew and me to the mall.  (correct)

Grammar Girl says that this question is in the top 20 sent to her show.

If this sort of thing interests you, you may want to subscribe to Get it Write tips.

Aren’t you glad you asked?

For great grammar and writing tips, you can also check out:

Webgrammar

Grammarcheck

A loyal reader asks: I know that if I have a question, I can search for the answer online or ask you (of course asking you is the best choice), but what if I need to show someone something. Just yesterday, I was trying to identify a funky tool that I found. How can I figure out what it is?

Your timing is excellent. Read on.

PicAnswers launched just a couple weeks ago. It is the coolest! Billed as a picture question and answer site, it is fun and seriously educational. And, I might add, as time sink!

It is designed to help you identify things in everyday life that you’re not sure what that thing is! Like a plant or a tool or a symbol or a rash. You get the picture. (sorry for the pun.)

We love it. And we think it’s going to catch on.

Do you know or can you point me in the direction to get information regarding money spent on training? Basically I just want numbers I can throw out when I’m pitching new biz like “the top 100 companies spend 1000 per employee per year on training” or “for a company with 100 employees or less you can expect to spend x”…
Yes, I can.

The article below is from a new report (released in Feb) looks good. The attachment is interesting. Let me know if you want anything else!

This is older, but worth a glance:

Corporate Learning Budgets Rising, But Salary Spending Remains Flat, Says Bersin and Associates February 15, 2007

The corporate learning market continues to grow, with company budget increases averaging 7 percent, according to the Bersin and Associates’ 2007 Corporate Learning Factbook. Total training spending grew from $51.1 billion in 2005 to $55.8 billion in 2006; spending on products and services grew from $13.5 billion in 2005 to $15.8 billion in 2006. While budgets have increased, salary spending over the last four years has remained relatively flat.

In 2005, 73 cents of every training dollar went to payroll expenses; in 2006, payroll expenses were 65 cents of every dollar.

Other findings from the study include:

• Learning technologies are widely used by companies of all sizes.
• Almost 60% of respondents use virtual classroom technologies, 40% have learning management systems, 25 to 30% use application simulation and rapid e-learning tools, and 14% use learning content management systems.
• The average spending per learner is $1,273. The highest spending sector is technology ($2,763) and the lowest is retail ($519).
• When it comes to learning programs, sales training and management/supervisory training are the program priorities for most learning organizations.
• Outsourcing continues to grow, with highest planned increases in custom content development and LMS hosting.

Bersin & Associates claims the study is the most detailed and up-to-date view of corporate learning and development available. Said Karen O’Leonard, research director for the study, “Our rigorous research methodology, combined with the extensive survey database we have built over the last few years, gives us a unique ability to quantify key metrics and provide fact-supported analysis of important trends.”

A reader asks: What’s the average time spent on listening to radio per day among people 25-34? Has it decreased over the past 5 years?

Yes, it has. But not as dramatically as you might think. Check this out:

Time spent listening overall has decreased by 3 hours and 15 minutes per week in the past 10 years. That is a lot. But the past 5 years have slowed, with a loss of just over an hour. So the biggest changes in total listening was from 1997 through 2002.

In looking at the demographic of most interest to our reader (thanks for sending such a great question, by the way!), we’ve compiled the data from years of Arbitron reports. Note that 2002 is missing. The trends look a lot like the above chart – steady decreases. Notice also, that men consistently listen more than women. (click on the chart and it gets nice & big!)

A loyal reader asks: Does anyone go to the library anymore?

Oh reader! As huge library fans, we hope so.

Here’s what we learned.

Pew Internet (we love those guys!) just came out with a new study. Evidently, of the 53 percent of U.S. adults who said they visited a library in 2007, Gen Y-ers (18-30 year olds) are the biggest users. Shocking. The study said that compared to the older folks, Gen Y members were the most likely to use libraries for problem-solving information and in general patronage for any purpose. And these young adults also say most frequently that they will use libraries in the future.

This is a good sign for libraries.

Read the study. You’ll see that computers are a huge part of the library experience these days. No big surprise. But still, we at Scherer Cybrarian love libraries and were excited to see that the trends are positive. (Note: Our local library is always packed. So anecdotally, we felt good about this already!)

Another dataset to consider:

The first annual report on the State of America’s Libraries, the American Library Association says:

• Almost 90% of Americans are satisfied with their public libraries. Most agree that public libraries are under-funded and need more support.
• Libraries are keeping up with the times—and with the public’s needs.
• Libraries are experiencing great local support and are growing and adding services and enhancements, including serious connectivity. State funding has decreased, and the public support has made the difference.
  
• 1.8 billion visitors checked out more than 2 billion items from U.S. libraries in fiscal year 2004.
• Circulation and participation at American public libraries continue to rise.
• Almost 2/3 of Americans have a library card.
  

A loyal reader asks: I admit it, I haven’t finished my holiday shopping. (And don’t tell me you did. I don’t want to hear it.) How can I figure out what to get?

Oh reader, where have you been? Social networking has made the art of finding the perfect gift oh, so much easier. Check out these great networks:

ShopWiki is another community based wiki – all about products. It’s a good resource for quick background and price information on a wide-range of items. Prepare to waste some time here! It’s fun to explore…

Crowdstorm is where you make better-informed purchase decisions based on the crowd’s advice and recommendations.

ThisNext is real recommendations from real people.

Kaboodle is a social shopping community where people discover, recommend and share products. Kaboodle’s powerful shopping tools allow people to organize their shopping through lists, discover new things from people with similar style, get discounts on popular products and find best prices. It works because it has over 2 million monthly visitors!

Etsy is a social marketplace for handmade items. The selection of items and active community contribute well to the overall shopping experience. Check it out for unique handmade art, jewelery and much more.

Wishpot allows you to easily create product wish-lists and share them with the community. Add items while you surf. Shop from the site. Really cool is the mobile integration so you can add items to your list from your cell phone, or take a photo of an item and add it that way.

Buzzilions is one of our favorites. It’s a a shopping review site based on reviews real buyers. It’s easy and intuitive. We like the search engine and the tag-like method for drilling down.

Osoyou has personalized product suggestions and other elements of social shopping. Drag and Drop stuff. Explore. It’s fun. It’s still pretty new, but we like it.

And if you just want a deal, check out:

Woot

Woot provides you with one product daily for sale, and people in the forums participate in active feedback and comparisons using the available product allowing you to make educated shopping decisions. The active community contributes to your shopping experience.

And Wendy swears by her RETAILMENOT extention on her Firefox. It shows whether there are coupons for any shopping site she comes to. Cool, huh?

A loyal reader asks: I’m working on a plan for a client and want to find the areas in Kansas with the highest percentage of married people. All I can think to do is pull those boring datafiles from the Census and that gives me a headache! Any suggestions?

No problem. This is easy peasy…

Just go to Skinny Zips and choose your criteria. The state and the married bullet. You have other choices too. And check out the site for more ZIP CODE FUN!

Top ZIP codes for selected area based on percent of population over the age of 15 which is currently married.

66734 FARLINGTON 88.50%
67128 RAGO 88%
67670 STUTTGART 87.20%
66930 AGENDA 86.60%
67639 GLADE 85.30%
66970 WEBBER 85.10%
66932 ATHOL 82.70%
67743 LEVANT 81.50%
67656 OGALLAH 79.80%
67868 PIERCEVILLE 79.50%
67041 ELBING 79.50%
66014 CENTERVILLE 79.40%
66221 SHAWNEE MISSION 79%
66220 SHAWNEE MISSION 79%
66438 HOME 78.60%
67351 LIBERTY 78.50%
66746 HEPLER 78.30%
66838 BURDICK 78.10%
67028 COATS 77.80%
66218 SHAWNEE MISSION 77.40%
67458 LONGFORD 77.40%
66226 SHAWNEE MISSION 77.30%
66224 SHAWNEE MISSION 77.10%
66077 POTTER 76.50%
66079 RANTOUL 76.20%
67205 WICHITA 76%
67235 WICHITA 75.80%
67134 SAWYER 75.70%
66775 STARK 75.70%
67065 ISABEL 75.50%
66223 SHAWNEE MISSION 75.20%
67882 WRIGHT 75.10%
67512 ALDEN 75%
67664 PRAIRIE VIEW 74.90%
67230 WICHITA 74.80%
67120 PECK 74.60%
66429 GRANTVILLE 74.50%
67522 BUHLER 74.20%
66543 VASSAR 74.20%
66409 BERRYTON 74%
74 FORT LEAVENWORTH 73.80%
67102 MAPLE CITY 73.80%
67647 LONG ISLAND 73.80%
66610 TOPEKA 73.70%
67422 BENNINGTON 73.60%
66008 BENDENA 73.50%
66515 MORRILL 73.50%
67341 DENNIS 73.20%
67520 BISON 73.20%
67144 TOWANDA 73.10%
67021 BYERS 73%
66085 STILWELL 73%
67112 NASHVILLE 72.90%
66618 TOPEKA 72.80%
66546 WAKARUSA 72.80%
66963 RANDALL 72.80%
67510 ABBYVILLE 72.70%
66412 BREMEN 72.60%
66939 COURTLAND 72.60%
67658 PARADISE 72.50%
67737 GRAINFIELD 72.50%
67745 MC DONALD 72.40%
67215 WICHITA 72.30%
66432 HAVENSVILLE 72.30%
67342 EDNA 72.20%
67073 LEHIGH 72.10%
67491 WINDOM 72.10%
66209 SHAWNEE MISSION 72.10%
66953 LINN 72.10%
67953 RICHFIEL 72%
67474 PORTIS 72%
66741 GARLAND 71.90%
66872 WHITE CITY 71.80%
67867 MONTEZUMA 71.70%
67857 KENDALL 71.70%
67122 PIEDMONT 71.70%
66541 SUMMERFIELD 71.70%
67416 ASSARIA 71.60%
66440 HOYT 71.50%
67066 IUKA 71.50%
67106 MILTON 71.40%
66524 OVERBROOK 71.40%
67150 WALDRON 71.40%
66514 MILFORD 71.20%
66070 OZAWKIE 71.20%
67626 BUNKER HILL 71.20%
67870 SATANTA 71.10%
67017 BENTON 71.10%
67673 WALDO 71.10%
67659 PENOKEE 71.10%
66842 CASSODAY 71%
67344 ELK CITY 71%
67838 DEERFIELD 70.90%
66516 NETAWAKA 70.90%
66617 TOPEKA 70.90%
67752 QUINTER 70.90%
67151 WALTON 70.80%
66840 BURNS 70.80%
67111 MURDOCK 70.80%
66507 MAPLE HILL 70.80%