As you may have heard, we here at ProspectMX are sending Matt Cutts to space.

Well, ok, not the REAL Matt Cutts… and not really into space, but…well watch the video if you haven’t heard.

ProspectMX is Sending Matt Cutts to Space! from Dave Conklin on Vimeo.

That’s right, we had a doll of Matt Cutts made and we’re going to send it on various adventures in the coming months. Hopefully, other prominent members of the SEM community will be on their own adventures, too.

Joe Latrell, a fellow employee, also happens to be a Rocket Scientist (isn’t everyone?). He volunteered to build us a 10 foot rocket to help Matt on his journey.

But there was one critical piece left that we didn’t have for the launch next week.

A name.

So, we polled the community and got a couple great suggestions as to what to call this magnificent beast of a rocket. After much deliberation, crying, voting, and tallying - we have reached a consensus. The rocket will be called…

Drumroll please…

SPAM BLASTER!

Yes, the rocket will be called Spam Blaster. And what better name for the rocket-fueled-speed-machine that will hold Matt Cutts on that fateful day? A phrase that not only encompasses a giant rocket but also Matt Cutt’s day to day responsibilities at Google?

We’re quite pleased with the name and would like to thank everyone that suggested names and voted.

So it’s the final countdown. We have a rocket. We have Matt Cutts. And we have a name.

There’s less than a week left until the launch, so we hope to see you all back here next Monday at 2pm to see how it all goes down.

You’ve asked for more information and we’re here to give it to you.

When we announced that we were going to launch Matt Cutts into space and asked for your ideas on what we should name the rocket we received many emails asking for specifics on what we were going to do.  So, we had our video pro Adam Perry create this demo video that explains it all a bit further.  It’s well worth the watch… check it out.

Be a part of the experience and share this on your site! We’ve already put together the code for you:

Vote Now For What The Matt Cutts Rocket Should Be Named!

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Comment Below To Name The 10 Foot Matt Cutts Rocket That Sends Matt To Space In April

OK, not to space. BUT, we are indeed going to launch a rocket… and Matt Cutts… really freakin’ high.  The flight should last about 2 minutes and will be videotaped with both on board and exterior cameras.  If you’ve never see an on board rocket cam, you’re going to be in for a treat.

For those of you who don’t know (many of our readers are not actually in the internet marketing world), Matt Cutts is the spam engineer for Google. He’s kind of the “face” of Google at search conferences and the like.

We Had A Company Make A Custom Matt Cutts Action Figure

Last year, our team decided that we were going to spend a few bucks to have action figures created of different SEO’s and do some crazy videos and things with them throughout 2010.  Of course, it seemed appropriate to start with Matt being that he is the Greenspan of the search world.

Joe Latrell, a rocket scientist who works on the ProspectMX team with the top portion of his custom made rocket that is set to send Matt rocketing to space this April

Understand that when we ordered the Matt Cutts “doll,” Matt had just shaved his head and was looking extremely buff. So, you’ll notice that the action figure is that of a “ripped” Matt Cutts with a shaved head.  haha… We love you, Matt. 

After debating in our meetings about what we should do with him, we finally decided the obvious:

Build a 10 foot rocket and launch it into the air, with video cams on board.

It just so happens, that Joe Latrell (who is a rocket scientist… literally) works on our team and has been lauching enormous rockets (some the whole way to space) for years. While this one isn’t going to go to space, it will go about 1 mile into the atmosphere.

Matt Cutts relaxing in his ergonomic chair inside of his custom made rocket

So, the launch date that we’re shooting for is some time in April. But we have a problem. We need a name.

We Need Your Help To Come Up With A Name!

Soooo… All you have to do is comment below with what you think the name should be. Then, in a later blog post, we’re going to allow you to vote for the winner from the best 5 (as decided by us). The final name selected will be placed on the rocket.

We will keep you updated with the progress of our rocket as it’s assembled with videos and pictures right here on the ProspectMX blog.

So… go ahead… What should we name the rocket?

We’re coming up on the big day - the one we look forward to for, seemingly, months. I love this time of year and I love Christmas day. We expect hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas with the gift buying, school programs, holiday parties, etc. So when it comes to the actual day we want to sit back, relax, and enjoy the day with our loved ones.

Ah, but that’s not always the way it works out, is it? Some years the rushing about continues, even on Christmas day, and the relaxing with family and friends takes a back seat.

This got me thinking: what if we apply some basic project management tools to Christmas day? Maybe with a little bit of planning and thought we could make it to Christmas evening having enjoyed a wonderful day with the people we love. Ok, maybe that’s a bit ambitious, but I’m going to give it a shot.

Step 1: Define the project

The first thing we need to do is define what the end product will look like. Survival? Ok, well, that’s not specific enough. How about avoiding any major family conflicts? I’m not a family therapist, sorry. That’s outside the scope of this project. Everyone is able to open their gifts in a somewhat organized fashion? We’re getting closer. We physically make it to all the places we’re supposed to go? That will suit our purposes for now. As the project sponsor, I own the project requirements. So let’s make an outline.

This project - Operation: Christmas Day - will include these features:

• We expect the children to get up early and open gifts. The adults don’t want to get up early. Let’s allow the kids to open their stockings whenever they get up. The adults don’t have stockings.
• Let’s have breakfast together and then open gifts. The menu includes pancakes, bacon, and fresh pineapple.
• We need to be at Grandma’s house by 11:00 for brunch.
• The extended family is getting together late afternoon - around 4:00.
• I would like to avoid any major family conflict, particularly with Uncle Buck who loves to talk politics.
• We’re driving to the in-laws on Christmas evening - we should arrive there before 10:00pm and it’s 3 hours away.
• I would like to feel happy at the end of the day.

Step 2: Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The WBS describes the work that needs to be done in order to meet the previously described requirements. Now that we’re clear on the project requirements, we’ll brainstorm about the tasks necessary to complete the project and organize them in a hierarchy. The WBS will provide the basis for estimating schedule and budget.

Here’s a sample WBS for this project, though it could be arranged in a variety of ways.

Step 3: Create a network diagram

After we’ve clarified the work involved in this project, we’ll identify the dependencies between tasks. This helps us to know what tasks need to be done prior to other tasks. If we’re not clear on what needs to happen in what order, the project can quickly degenerate, which means missed deadlines and poor outcome.

Here’s a sample network diagram for Operation: Christmas Day

Step 4: Execute the plan

A description of the important points related to executing the plan is beyond the scope of this blog post, so we’ll have to leave it at the planning stage.

These (very simplified) project management tools may be applied to a variety of situations. Regardless of the tools, I hope you have a very merry Christmas with your family and friends!

We are really thankful for all of the feedback that we have received through our blog comments in 2009. We would like to share some of those comments (we refer to them as love letters) with you.

VIDEO LENGTH: 1 Minute 15 Seconds

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