NYCRockStar

ABC News and Yahoo Are BFF Now

2011-10-03T14:31:00.000-04:00

Brian Stelter of the New York Times reports that ABC News and Yahoo have formed a partnership to share material and feature web video. Is this what MSNBC wanted to be 15 years ago?

The partnership, announced this AM on Good Morning America (disclosure: my old employers) was described as a “game changer” for network news, already considered a dying animal. ABC News and ABCNews.com already languish low-ish end of the major news brands in terms of Web and broadcast traffic, hope that joining forces will help that.

Yahoo, the #1 online news source (unconfirmed) has had its own bad news in the past few months, it’s struggling with stagnant advertising revenues, and last month fired CEO Carol Bartz. The alliance with ABC will bring Yahoo’s news site brand-name stars like the smooth-jazz-voiced Diane Sawyer and network-hopper Katie Couric.

Each Web site will have editorial independence, but the news organizations will share content, co-produce coverage of some news events and have “integrated bureaus” in New York, Washington and Los Angeles, according to a news release. In addition, to leverage its most visible broadcast presence, Good Morning America, ABC/Yahoo has launched a new online presence at GoodMorningAmerica.com.

As with AOL’s (another dying dotcom dinosaur) acquisition of The Huffington Post earlier this year, the alliance is an example of two major media monsters joining forces to each become stronger on the Web, where audiences are fractured, other content is just a click away, and audience allegiance is fleeting.

With typical morning-anchor energy and enthusiasm, the anchors billed it as “a brand new partnership that is instantly going to become the No. 1 news source online.” That won’t be too hard for Yahoo News, assisted by the enormously popular (!) Yahoo home page, which is already #1 on its own. To wit, in August 2011, Yahoo had 81.2 MM unique visitors, CNN’s sites came in at #2 with 75.3 MM, and the aforementioned HuffPo-AOL was #3, with 56.7 MM, just edging out MSNBCm which had 55.6 MM. ABC News drew 24.4 million (thank you, ComScore).

Yahoo and ABC project that they will together reach 100 million visitors a month. Is that realistic? I’m not so sure yet, but ABC will definitely see a lot more traffic. As a broadcast news network without a 24-hour cable presence (they’ve considered it), it certainly may be more cost-effective and future-facing. As more and more folks are equipped with broadband video viewing capability, from home and mobile, utilizing the penetration of Yahoo and the brand credibility of ABC may be very useful. When MSNBC started in the mid-90s, it was hailed as a great partnership with giants of Computers and News, with the rise of the Internet. I thought it was a great idea at the time, but also ahead of itself: most people, if online at all, were on dial-up. A mobile phone, if you had one, was just a phone.

Now, 15+ years later, these technologies have matured, and there’s greater penetration (and consumer habit) of use. What’s this mean? There will be greater, and easier access to ABC News. All that good stuff that ABC News produces will be pushed out on the giant Yahoo network. Yahoo gets more news credibility, network-quality contents, and ABC network stars. With the launch of GoodMorningAmerica.com (which I need to play with, and report back on), they’re leveraging ABC’s most visible broadcast presence online. It’s the place that starts many mornings, has the glossiest headlines and talent (Hollywood and ABC), the most branded segments, and probably the most interactive audience. Let’s revisit this in a year, and see what happens.

Location-Based Marketing: Useful or Invasive?

2011-03-02T17:18:00.003-05:00

Not sure if this is really cool (professionally), or a little creepy (personally). Let’s talk it out.

With new announcements from AT&T and Loopt, location-based ads will start to be pushed onto phones, offering a new way for advertisers to target ustomers.

Loopt’s "Reward Alerts" sends mobile ads and offers to users' phones to notify them of nearby deals, via a special smartphone app. Cons

umers present the message at the POS to redeem the offer.

AT&T’s “ShopAlerts” program sends a text message ad to users near a specific location. Because it’s an SMS function rather than an app, it’s open to non-smartphone users. It will offer rewards/coupons via a "geo-fence," a virtual-perimeter around a retail location/event/geographic area. Customers get alerts when they are inside this geo-fence. The texts will also include info like weather, traffic, and local shopping area details.

Now, mobile advertising has been location-enabled for some time. Google uses location to target advertising displayed with mobile search results, and mobile social networks (i.e., Foursquare) may display specific ads when a user "checks-in" at a store.

But, in this case, by pushing out advertising actively (initiating action without consistent user input), new services venture into territory that was previously unreachable.

But let’s take a step back for a moment. As a marketer, this is really cool, and something that I can use. As a consumer, it’ll be useful as well, if I don’t get 1) inundated and 2) inundated with crap/spam. It could get old very quickly. Also, take this example from Minority Report:

There’s a scene where Tom Cruise’s character is traveling through a Gap, and later a mall, where he is constantly accosted by virtual salespeople who know his name and purchase

preferences by his retina scan. Useful, yes, if you get a good hookup. But do you want to be that traceable? Does it matter?

That’s not to say retina scans are bad – Captain Kirk used one to secure the plans for the Genesis Project (which I can’t BELIEVE I can’t find an image of!). However, I don’t plan to be doing any terraforming anytime soon, so I’m more concerned with the marketing potential. So back to that.

There are a few stumbling blocks to engage consumers with this; much like the Scanner dilemma, they need to opt in to a particular service, so there’s going to be a bit of a land grab. Also, there’s a fine line between useful and obnoxious, and if a service crosses that, consumers will switch, or bail entirely. I’m not sure AT&T has the customer-service track record or feel for their customers to stay in the Nice Zone. Will anyone?

Are Codes the Next Big Thing?

2011-02-21T14:24:00.017-05:00

As a digital marketer/mad scientist, I am constantly being asked (or asked to implement) the ‘Next Big Thing”.

I’m sure it’s happened to you, if you’re in this biz. It’s sort of like those clients who ask you to “create a viral video” for them. I’m no soothsayer (wow, haven’t used that word in a long time, D&D fans), but I am very good at identifying trends, and I see a good one blossoming.

QR codes, as the phrase goes, are big i n Japan, but in this case, big in Asia. Yes, there are lots of things that are/were huge on that side of the world that have been absolutely ineffectual on this side, but there are plenty that have made the jump. One of those will be QR codes. You know what those are, right? I’ve been seeing them pop up all over the place recently (please excuse the poor iPhone imagery):

Here’s one for the Lion King on Broadway.

And one from the USOpen (tennis) using JagTag

as a contest entry for Continental Airlines.

Here’s a more immediate one that I encountered in a pop-up store (Macy's sub-brand), which drives consumers to a video interview with the fashion designer of the product.

Here’s a really cool implementation of a QR code, giant, integrated into the ad, but with a

#failed placement. As this was posted in the subway (underground), my (multiple) scanner apps

couldn’t connect to the interwebs, and thus wouldn’t scan (note to app builders) Oops. Nice try.

So how does it work? Consumers download a scanner app from their respective iOS or Android store. Then just point and scan. It’s just like using the self-service aisle at the supermarket, or registering for your wedding (in fact, there’s great price-comparison apps out there too – but that’s another post). The App then processes the code, links up to the interwebs, and delivers content (video, information, etc.), or links to content others have uploaded. It’s that easy. Neat, huh?

Even ‘civilians’ are getting into the act. You can use QR codes combined with URLs (analytics-enabled) to engage family and friends who are attending an event, in this case, a wedding (Full Disclosure: these geeks are myself and my fiancee).

The long-tail of this QR code, leading up to and at the event are under wraps for now. J

As smartphone penetration continues on a rapid pace, and more technologically-savvy young consumers are maturing, utilizing the ubiquitous camera for more than just taking snapshots will be a great tool to reach them.

Microsoft is getting in on the action with their Microsoft Tag reader application, and a partnership with USAToday. Linking its hardcopy and digital efforts, the paper has begun adding 2D barcodes to its daily pr

int edition that readers can scan to see photos, videos and other online content. At least one 2D barcode (supplied by Microsoft) will appear in each section of the newspaper, providing access to freshest news and information (financials, sports scores, etc.), as well as photos and other material tailored to each area.

As my buddy Steve Gates wrote on his blog recently, this is an elegant natural progression, from Facebook to Twitter to Foursquare to this, an automated check-in.

Key players in this space include Jagtag, ScanLife, Stickybits and ShopSavvy, and I’ve played with quite a few more. They’re very easy to use, and I think they’ll prove to be an excellent tool to connect with (long-term) and push content to consumers. It’s a great way to link printed material to digital and mobile, and as marketers continue to use them, they’ll become part of the evolving habit that we’ve come to One cavea

t – I’m not sure how well that Microsoft Tag’s going to do -- to use these barcodes, users first have to download this specific app (gettag.mobi). Unless they open it up to the other scanner apps, they may be left behind because of convenience. Non-proprietary has better chance of user penetration.

Here's another one that I'm also going to keep an eye on: using music/sound recognition to engage consumers. Recently, ABC revived its iPad app for My Generation, and using it now for Grey's Anatomy.

This app responds to audio cues from a television program to push out content. I like this a lot, as it more easily melds with timeshifted programming, and doesn't necessarily depend upon a 'live event'.

I also recently saw a broadcast spot for (? The Gap?) that used a sample of pop music, and a visual prompt to use Shazam, a mobile app that recognizes music. Cool!

Social Media Week: Foodies and Geekery

2011-02-18T12:41:00.006-05:00

Social Media Week – it was a whirlwind.

Aside from the fact that I was closely following the Egypt situation that week, in nine cities spanning the globe, social media hobbyist, enthusiasts, professionals, wanna-bes, tyros, ninjas and the like (no ‘gurus’ allowed) gathered to discuss trending topics (haha) IRL, instead of just online. It was a place that I could tell people that I’m using QR codes for my wedding, and the women there thought it was cool.

Some events were hits, some were misses, but most provided the audience with some level of valuable insights into current industry directions. There were six hundred events, both scholarly and cocktail-lubricated, and most were livestreamed. That increased the attendance from 30K+ IRL to around 180K(!). I hope to recap some of the things I learned/experienced…. Soonish.

Since I need to update my food blog too, I’m going to try to crush two pigs with one angry bird and cross-post this. The final (and most fresh in my mind) session I attended was a discussion about how al the digital tools that I love to play and work with enable marketers to build communities around what appears to be America’s Favorite (real) Pastime: Eating. It’s certainly in

New York City, and it certainly is mine (hence the sister blog). More than ever, social media has allowed us to see, discuss, make and share some of our favorite foods. This meeting was entitled, “Almost Good Enough to Eat: Food Communities and Social Media”, and the (great) panel was made up of:

· Moderator: Sarah De Heer, Community Manager, AOL's KitchenDaily and Slashfood
· Rebecca P. Bauer, Executive Digital Editor, Food & Wine Magazine
· Colin Sterling, HuffingtonPost Food
· Hillary Mickell, CMO/ Co-Founder, Foodily
· Sarah Simmons, In-House Chef, Foursquare

This panel discussion was supposed to explore the social nature of food and how food communities online grow and prosper. Didn’t quite work out that way, but valuable and enjoyable nonetheless. Considering that it was Friday morning at 9a, the event was packed with food and social media geeks – my kind of people. The sunny penthouse of the Hearst Tower played host, and the discussion ranged from how to integrate social networking technology (sites, apps, GPS, imagery, blogging), tools and techniques to check out for personal enjoyment. There appeared to be quite a few amateur foodies (no disrespect) with visions of Food Network stardom dancing in their heads (or at least easy sponsorship) eagerly looking for information how to connect with the pros. It happens.

As a foodie and wanna-be chef myself, I was raised to believe that food is brings people together and is the center of family and friends. I’ve always said that I’d like to live on a cooking show set; a big kitchen, places for people to sit. That’s it – I can sleep in a loft.

Some negative Nancies say that social media isn’t a great fit for food, as it de-personalizes the experience. To a certain extent, I agree. However, I believe it enhances the long-tail connections and experiences amongst a network; social media enables people to share in that when they can’t be together IRL, with the hopes that it will spur and IRL meeting, or at least an exchange of ideas. Much like Facebook, it’s a way to keep up with all of your friends and contacts to the extent that you want to, and perhaps find some more commonalities along the way. It’s also a way of sharing opinions and advice, on places to eat, items to look for,

or recipes to cook. And isn’t that what Social Media is all about?

Also, I met a fellow food-geek/flack there, who tipped me off to a pop-up store that Dorie Greenspan (@doriegreenspan) was selling her hand-made cookies at, which we braved the bitter February winds to check out. Cool!

WTF, dude, where’ve you been?!

2011-02-18T11:23:00.002-05:00

Yes, yes, it’s been awhile since I last wrote. I know, I know, you’re not feeling the love, Mr. Blog, but

I’m sorry to tell you that I’ve been seeing other blogs and outlets in this time, and well, I was getting paid to do it, and I was concerned about sharing with you without upsetting my relationships with them. So I apologize, and promise to get you more storage space or something… Maybe hit ‘refresh’ a few times to stroke your ego.

I promise to make it up to you (and your sister) soon. In fact, last week was Social Media Week, and I look forward to writing some items up about whom I met and what was discussed. I also have a bunch of other things that have been bouncing around in my brain lately that I’ve been meaning to get down in writing.

So… Stay tuned.

(My) Mainstream Geekery: Star Trek from the Blogosphere

2009-05-14T10:56:00.005-04:00

reprinted from May 11, 2009 Nerdabout:

@NYCRockStar Feels the Love at Star Trek

Our pal Roger usually shares his rants at NYC Rock Star. But today he's giving his two cents about Star Trek for us lucky folks. Can Englishman Simon Pegg do a better Scotty than American James Doohan? Should Kirk quit chasing hot green chicks and admit his love for Spock? Is Karl Urban fit to fill old Bones's shoes, or should he go back to fighting Orcs? Dammit, Jim, we're bloggers, not reviewers! Oh wait, here's the review! Read on ...

By Roger Resnicoff

Fans and non-fans may look at the new Star Trek movie, classify it as "science fiction", a "summer popcorn blockbuster," or even a "nostalgia trip," but I'm here to tell you that they're all right, and all wrong. Star Trek may the biggest, loudest love story ever. And it's fantastic.

Director J.J. Abrams honors the show's legacy without alienating and antiquating its best qualities. Whereas Abrams is indeed a solid director, he's truly enabled by a strong, smart script by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman that contains just enough winks and nods to ring true to the Trekkies. But there's none of the cringing that I expected. There's really so much that could have gone wrong with this reboot—in fact, I was waiting for it to. Just about 10 years ago, I was at this very same theater (the Ziegfeld) to see Episode I of a much-loved science fiction icon. Awaiting the premiere of this Star Trek was a lot like that for me ... except without the massive letdown afterwards. Somehow accomplishing the enormous task of appealing to the wider, un-indoctrinated audience while satisfying the established base, one of the most astonishing qualities of this new Trek, is how it consistently fires on all thrusters and keeps from sucking.

So, where's the love?

You can sense the love that went into writing the script, with nods to older movies and episodes, in the form of lines, themes and symbols. The optimism of Trek, absent in most recent science fiction like Battlestar Galactica, is present. My favorite Trek has always been Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; this movie both shows and references the Kobayashi Maru test (keep a lookout for a familiar apple) that sets the stage for Khan, along with that film's revenge theme. Time travel, another familiar Trek plot device (see Star Trek IV, or City on the Edge of Forever), once again figures prominently in this outing, but I won't talk too much about that, so as not to ruin any of the fun.

The plot is almost secondary to the much-more-interesting "origins" story that's being played out simultaneously. All props to Eric Bana as a great Romulan baddie and an exciting "destroy the galaxy" storyline, but it's been done before in countless tv episodes and movies, Trek or otherwise. Kirk's "saved the galaxy/Earth/alien" many times before—it's like his specialty. The real fun is seeing the characters enter the canon of Trek history. Characters in this case not only includes the members of the Enterprise crew/family, but all the great toys that we've grown up watching them use, like the transporter, phasers and even the Enterprise herself, who's gotten a facelift enough to hold her own with any other sci-fi starship of the genre, but stayed true to her iconically-shaped profile.

The same can be said for the aforementioned "toys" ... they're all updated here, but with reverence for the originals—they're instantly recognizeable. The doors still swish, the communicators still beep, and the ship's computer sounds like she always has (Majel Barrett Roddenberry, a.k.a. Nurse Chapel, in her final Trek role). It adds a layer of familiarity and comfort for the longtime fans.

There’s love in the design of the sets and costumes, with a thoughtful updating of the original Sixties look and feel, with just enough refinement to lose the campiness and be reasonably acceptable as 23rd-century Earth. That's one of the defining differences with Star Trek than other sci-fi shows—this is our future that's being portrayed, so it has to feel right too. I even bought the officers in miniskirts.

The ensemble cast lovingly channels the spirits of the show's original characters, instead of just impersonating the actors themselves. Karl Urban retains all the country-doctor charm of DeForest Kelley’s "Bones" McCoy, yet restores a youthfulness to the character with a bit of a more believable edge to his eccentricities. Anton Yelchin's Chekhov predictably mispronounces his w's and v's, and Simon Pegg as Scotty is pitch-perfect.

There's love of mythic storytelling: Shades of Howard Hawks and Kurosawa (and by design, Tarantino and Lucas) when the young Kirk is encouraged to join Starfleet by Captain Pike, who issues a challenge to "do better" than his father, "a Starfleet Captain for thirteen minutes and died saving the lives of 800 men and women," including Kirk and his mother. This is immediately followed by a scene with Kirk, en route to ship out to Starfleet, rides his motorcycle to gaze at the sun as it rises on the dawn of his new destiny. A nod to Hidden Fortress, Star Wars, or maybe even Top Gun? Steadicam cinematography and stylized editing reflect the influence of Trek TNG alum Ronald Moore’s Battlestar Galactica reboot.

That brings me to the grandest love story of all: James Tiberius Kirk and Mr. Spock. Notwithstanding the parody videos of homoerotic relationships between the two, their story is of the budding of a lifetime relationship and iconic friendship (with the occasional triangular complications added by an alien hottie or Dr. McCoy). That said, in classic romantic-comedy fashion (like Cheers' Sam and Diane, Moonlighting’s Maddie and Dave) they initially can’t stand each other at Starfleet Academy.

Chris Pine, as the young Kirk, reminded me a bit of Good Will Hunting, which I find amusing, because there were rumors of Matt Damon being offered the role. Like Will, he's seen as an extraordinarily gifted young man, with lots of potential and an attitude problem (which is how many geeks see themselves). A father-figureless townie living in the shadow of Starfleet Academy (like Damon's Southie to Cambridge), he's kind of an ass—but that's as it should be. Zachary Quinto fully inhabits the young, more impulsively emotional, Spock. Nimoy's Spock was always fun to watch when he was mortally threatening, especially to Shatner's Kirk. Quinto convincingly plays Spock *just* in control of his emotions, with sometimes logic being the only thing keeping him from kicking Kirk's ass. As per tradition, Kirk, seemingly reckless cowboy, calls shots from the gut, in contrast to Spock's logical, deliberate decision-making as the Nerd-in-Chief. You can see how these guys are going to "grow up" to be the men that we've come to know.

Bottom line, it's a satisfying, warp-speed reboot of a franchise held dear (and sometimes as equally derided) to many. I loved it back. Oh, and there are tons of the pew-pew-pew and kickass that makes it a fun summer movie for everybody else.

Thanks, Roger! And don't forget to watch the man-on-the-street coverage from@sciencegoddess as well!

Link

New School University Protest

2009-04-23T12:58:00.007-04:00

Another day, another University protest....

Lots of angsty college kids demanding something (blah blah blah) in front of New School University. Again.

The University says the controversy is due to "bad communication".

Magazine Publishers Association Digital Awards

2009-03-12T12:18:00.011-04:00

A number of months ago, I met with fellow Newhouse / Syracuse alumnus Howard Polskin of the Magazine Publishers Association. We had gotten hooked up with each other via another fellow Newhouse alum Howard Sholkin a few weeks earlier, to talk shop and do a little bit of networking. We had a great conversation, talking about the media business in general, and the direction it’s going in.

During our chat, Howard mentioned that the MPA was in the process of planning for their third annual Digital Awards luncheon at the fifth “Magazines 24/7 Digital Conference” in March, and asked me if I’d be interested as acting as a judge for the competition. The MPA Digital Awards honor excellence and innovation of magazine brands on all digital platforms in 12 categories.

I told him that I’d be honored to be part of the distinguished group.

Anyway, the Conference was a big success, and the awards were announced a little over a week ago (yeah, I’m a bit behind – been busy), so I thought I’d share the news with you as well, if you hadn’t heard. Kate Maxwell, Senior Editor at Condé Nast Traveler, presented the awards to the winners at the Marriott Marquis New York on March 3^rd.

And the winners are…

WEBSITES OF THE YEAR
The “Website of the Year” category recognizes excellence and innovation in content, design, functionality and usability in four subcategories.

Website of the Year: News, Business & Finance: Wired.com
Website of the Year: Entertainment & Sports: SI.com
Website of the Year: Enthusiast: Architectural Record
Website of the Year: Service & Lifestyle: Epicurious.com

MAGAZINE BLOG OF THE YEAR

Winner: Entertainment Weekly “PopWatch”

BEST ONLINE VIDEO – STANDALONE

Winner: National Geographic Magazine “Searching for the Snow Leopard”

BEST ONLINE VIDEO – SERIES

Winner: National Geographic Magazine “Fast Lane to the Future”

BEST PODCAST SERIES

Winner: The Campaign Trail on NewYorker.com

BEST WEB-ONLY TOOL

Winner: Parenting and Babytalk “Child Health Guide”

BEST ONLINE COMMUNITY

Winner: Epicurious.com

BEST MOBILE STRATEGY

Winner: InStyle Mobile

BEST MAGAZINE E-STORE

Winner: WIRED Store

via the Magazine Publishers of America

Friendster's Comeback? and Cute Marketing Thoughts for the Weekend

2009-02-06T13:03:00.011-05:00

Happy Friday... Some thoughts to take you into the weekend. You know, 'can't take the Assignment Editor out of the boy...' -- see if you can follow the random train of thought:

I’ve been told that there are strange things afoot in From the land of ET+12, (aka Asia).

Yesterday, I attended a panel with the Strategic Web Insights Group, hosted by Dan Mooney and Devin Brown. It was my second meeting, and I’ve met some very interesting people there before. Sat next to Marshall Sponder, who I’ve been running into for about the past six months here and there. Anyway, the discussion was about Presenting KPIs to Management, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

First, from the Foreign Desk... Facebook is still growing -- in Asia

From a couple guys by way of NBC Universal (Digital Research Director Blandon Casenave, and someone I didn’t know) , I learned that in Asia, the most popular online social community is Friendster, believe it or not.

A little background: according to Venturebeat, in the current international land-grab among leading social networks (N.B.: have you staked your claim on your @Handle yet on Twitter? Bought your name’s URL?), the almighty Facebook is overtaking MySpace (my old employer, NewsCorp) as the largest social network in the world.

That’s old news now to anyone in the know. Here’s the rub though: remember ol’ Friendster, which the grownups were digging Pre-FB, and then completely bailed on when FB came around?

Well, in Asia, Friendster continues to lead Facebook and everyone else by at least a two to one margin. Like increase its base nearly double from 23 million monthly active users in April of 2007, to 40 million users this past April 2008 (old numbers – anyone have any more current?), according to comScore. And it appears to trending still upwards On top of that, the Friendster people point out that comScore doesn’t account for users who access the site through internet cafes, which is a much larger user trend than in the US. And get this: comScore March ’08 data says that Friendster users spend an average of 229 minutes on the site per month, the highest of any social network. If anyone has any more recent data on this, to prove/disprove the trend, we can get all Mythbustery on it. If I have the time, I’ll dig a bit.

Google's New Online Ad Campaign for Chrome

Also, from that geographical area, apparently there’s a ‘battle for search engine supremacy” in Japan, between Yahoo and Google. On one of the fronts, Google is introducing its Chrome browser into the Land of the Rising Sun. From boingboing, this cleverly-crafted stop-motion video advertisement was put together by the Google Japan team. It shows the company’s strategic vision of using the Japanese cute factor (or kawaii, like “Hello Kitty”) to successfully enter their browser into a market currently dominated by Yahoo. Feels evocative of something you’d see on the newly-launched Electric Company, in its first iteration.

And it’s cuter on this side of the pond too…

From the New York Times: I Lego NY

Iconic elements of New York City rendered in Lego. Brilliant. Utilizing everyone’s familiarity with Lego pieces, not only their strengths of being able to put them together, but the limitations that go along with their modular architecture. It’s Pop Art, using found objects and the viewers imagination to complete.

L33T Techy Grandma Video

2009-02-04T12:46:00.004-05:00

Found this yesterday... I have a feeling it'll go viral, unintentionally(?).

What is it? It's a church-produced (allegedly? seems legit...) ad featuring a tech-jargon-dropping grandma. Strangely enough, a lot of what she's talking about makes no technical sense. However, it's a great concept for how-to videos, since, if 'grandma' can understand it, so could 'anyone'.

BTW, "l33t" is hacker-speak for "leet" or "elite", which is a status term that us old-skool geeks used to use when we were working BBS and rockin' 14.4K baud modems.

Enjoy!

Watching TV to Learn (YouTube and Research)

2009-01-30T14:39:00.012-05:00

Sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? It did to my mom, when I was a student. But that may be changing: In an recent New York Times article, Miguel Helft described how YouTube has evolved from a video hosting and sharing site to become the second most popular search tool on the Internet. The second? That astounded me. Yes, it recently passed Yahoo (explains why their stock is dropping like a rock, huh?) to move into second place, behind parent company Google. The journalist describes how 9-year-old Tyler Kennedy turns first to YouTube for school research. But why?

I guess the easiest way to explain it is this; think back to grade school… Remember when you’d sit in class, and the teacher would say that during you’d be watching a video that day? Remember how watching a video was somehow more exciting than normal lessons? For some reason, seeing someone demonstrating something on-screen was far more gripping than watching your teacher do it, although I have never been quite sure why (I’ll expound on that a little later in this entry). Whatever the reason, it’s also true for adults, particularly when it comes to subjects people consider complicated. But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes.

In the first half of the 20th Century, folks grew up reading books and newspapers. Then there was a generation that grew up on movies, and then television (and later, cable/satellite). The most recent shift was to the Internet. Now, online video is creating yet another generation in the 21st.

At first, this made me kind of upset. First, because I didn’t have the luxury of Google when I was in school—I had to dig through the annoying Dewey Decimal System, be tied to a desk in a library, and go through a lot of fruitless searches before I found what I needed. Today’s students can easily Google for some information, or text search some digitized documents, which is much easier, and time-effective, and I probably would’ve gotten much better grades if I had that kind of tool at my disposal (people naturally want others to have to ‘earn’ their stripes, in whatever their achievements may be, be it educationally or professionally). Now, instead of documents, are kids these days (blurgh – that makes me sound like one of the “olds”), getting so lazy that they won’t even be inconvenienced to read text on the interwebs anymore? Not necessarily— perhaps it’s just more efficient. Why?

Video incorporates sound and visuals, as well as text
It’s short, due to the nature of the technology
Interactive technology allows tagging and commenting to drive you to more information, text or otherwise

I’ve always said that I wished the Discovery Channel and the History Channel were available when I was younger. For some reason, I can absorb and analyze and regurgitate facts more easily when gleaned from a 1-hour documentary than a 300-page textbook. YouTube does that in bite-size portions, due to length limits imposed (though that might change soon). It allows a viewer to pause for reflection, and rewind for review. And it’s not just for 9-year-olds like little Tyler. Have you ever explained how to do something techy to your Boomer parents or grandparents? Showing them over and over and over again? I used to have to explain how to use the VCR to my mother over the phone. It was impossible. If my mom could use Firefox, at least I could send her a link to demo something visually. Guess I could send it to my father.

Does that mean that text is going to go away? Of course not. The increasing popularity of video doesn’t (necessarily) mean deterioration in the consumption of text and its related formats. It does, however, signal a trend (and you know how us PR people and journos luuurve trends): people are now turning to video not just for entertainment but also for reference.

The main reason that text rules the interwebs today is because of hyperlinks. Linking pages via hyperlinks is what makes the whole thing possible. Hyperlinking video is a bit harder. Not impossible (you can link objects and insert text in videos), but a slightly impractical thus far. It's just not as astrophysicists would call an “elegant solution”. Also, YouTube doesn’t have a great search engine in the first place. But guess who’s YouTube’s Daddy? That’s right: Google. It'll get there...

So there is, and will be a shift. Because video was not practical before, to create or consume, the web was dominated by text. With higher-speed connections and more powerful computers, images began to flourish on websites. Now that video cameras and broadband are widespread, information that is better served by video is getting more action. And because kids like Tyler were born into video, this is just the beginning.

A Postscript:
Interestingly enough, this NYTimes piece helps to justify my previous blog entry – The father of the kid that is profiled in the article writes in his own blog:

“I was contacted by the reporter, who had seen a post on ReadWriteWeb about Tyler’s use of YouTube and wanted to bring the story to the New York Times’ readers.”

Another example of online journalism being picked up by the MSM! To paraphrase what Sean Connery said so eloquently in The Untouchables, “Thus endeth the lesson.”

"But it's only online..."

2009-01-21T12:05:00.007-05:00

Over the years, I've been in an ongoing back-and-forth (conflict sounds too harsh) with clients who say they want to embrace "New" (hate that term) Media, but are very much stuck in an "Old Media" way of thinking. You know these clients -- the ones who hear some buzzword and immediately want to get their brand in on it -- whether or not it's possible/correct/etc. For example:

"Can you make me a Viral Video?"
"We need a blog for all our press releases..."
"Let's put our blog on Twitter and then it'll go viral, right?"

Blurgh.

Then there are the others (identities will be hidden to protect the naive), who can think of nothing more successful than getting their brand on a Network AM Show or The New York Times. Don't get me wrong-- there's definitely a ton of value in hits of those magnitude. But these are the same people who completely discount the value of online hits; as if, unless you can 'hold it in your hand', it didn't really exist.

So when I saw this video on Richard Laermer/Kevin Dugan's Bad Pitch Blog (both of whom I unfortunately missed meeting at their party last week), and I thought I'd pass it on.

The Online Media from RealWire on Vimeo.

I've heard the headline of his post ("It was just on the web site, not in print") from countless clients and colleagues and managers. I'm sure you probably have too.

Of course, nothing compares to actually holding a great hit or seeing it on TV. But isn't that really just an ego thing? Granted, my Mom and Dad are probably more impressed when I snag a placement on Good Morning America or the NYT, but which is actually serving the client better? A lot of clients feel just like Mom and Dad, unfortunately, because that's they way they were raised to consume media. They need to understand why an online placement is valuable to their brand, sometimes even more than a print placement (but ideally with both). The video above is a great way to show them the power of Digital.

What really got me, however, was a comment on the blog. To wit:

"I've gotta be honest - if you think a placement in Wired's blog is as good as a placement in the magazine then you're kidding yourself. I certainly see benefit in online placements - they do get (limited) readership, they have hyperlinks that can drive people directly to the product/service and they have SEO benefits.

But, pound for pound, print placement gets us more results than anything. Period."

SERIOUSLY? First of all, leaving "Anonymous" comments is kinda lame --own up to your views. I agree with Kevin's response... Making absolute statements about media relations is *very* short-sighted, and I think discounts the credibility of the comment itself.

As for the comment itself: This is the constant discussion with those aforementioned clients-- what's 'more results than anything' mean? Is it more eyeballs? Not necessarily. How many people actually read a magazine cover-to-cover? Are you absolutely sure that the person read your product's mention? With online, readers are more active -- they may have found your mention via search, or trackbacks to the piece.

In addition, the MSM picks up stories online, and goes online for research, so that placement lives on far longer than the newspaper that is now lining the litterbox, or the magazine that is left in the bathroom. As the video also says, bloggers may pick up the story as well -- and then the aforementioned MSM may take notice. It also has the opportunity to go GLOBAL, which is less likely for a US-based long-lead pub. I won't even go into the fact that the run-up time makes most info covered in mags very old by the time they're published. They're called "long-lead", right? That usually means a few months, at least.

So, once again, how do you quantify "more results than anything"? Are you talking 'impressions' that are an inflated number based upon circulation numbers? Can you directly correlate those numbers to sales figures? Probably not. Or is it just because the client likes a fancy masthead or pretty pictures in a magazine that his boss likes to read?

Pepsi Shakes Up Its Branding

2008-11-07T16:19:00.019-05:00

(ED. NOTE: Updated and tweaked 10 Nov. 08)

Pepsi-Cola has decided to shake up their branding (as opposed to a can of Pepsi, which is not advised) to see what happens.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I don’t like Pepsi. The brand itself is fine, but any carbonated beverage, aside from Champagne or beer, is anathema to my palate. Blech. Anyway…

You may have already seen some posts from several “social media influencers” (Shankman, PSFK, Rohit Bargava, among others) in the marketing and advertising field about Pepsi's innovative new campaign, being dubbed by many the "Pepsi 25" for their choice of 25 bloggers to single out and send three packages to over the course of an hour (gotta suck to be an Account Assistant at Pepsi’s agency, huh?). Since I wasn’t one of them, I've grabbed the image posted on AdRants (thanks, AdRants! :) ) .

I’ve been a bit busy lately, but being late to the party gives me the benefit of some “widescreen views” about the campaign, and seeing what many of my fellow bloggers had to say the new initiative. Here’s the topline thus far:

The new logo looks a lot like Barack Obama's campaign logo. Really. I assume Pepsi's was being mocked up before Barack started his campaign (not sure when he debuted his, but let’s assume over a year ago), but it’s really, really close.
Who are these “Pepsi 25” influencers that Pepsi chose (though you can find them by checking out the Pepsi Cooler and other blogs—see below)?
How did they choose them (friends in the blogosphere?)?
Blogs/observations/rants that this campaign won't necessarily get any of the bloggers to like or drink Pepsi any more than they do now. I think they’re more the Mountain Dew, hyper-caffeinated types, probably, but I don't think that's the point of the effort. More on that below.

Pepsi’s making moves, no doubt about it. They’ve always been eager to make connections with youth and pop culture. It started in the ‘80s as the “Voice of the New Generation/Pepsi Generation”. According to AdAge , this effort will cost them hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide as part of a multi-year transformation. But the Social Media part is probably of minimal cost. You know something? I think it’ll work.

Why?

Research shows that 1 in 2 online Americans access social networks. I’ll write more about that in another post, but as you can imagine, the young (under 30 – grr..) people of today make up the bulk of the users, and that number will grow as that demographic matures. But also...

Social Media is the most efficient, cost-effective way in which to:

Grow a publisher's audience, increase engagement, and generate new revenue streams
Enable Brands to engage their customers more effectively in an increasingly fragmented world
Enable Marketers to evolve from delivering messages, to engaging in a conversation with customers

And get this:

"93 percent of Americans believe a company should have a presence in social media, while an overwhelming 85 percent believe a company should not only be present, but also interact with its consumers via social media."

- 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study, September, 11-12, 2008

It could be argued that this is a very well-executed campaign, if only for the reason that these influencers have large followings (especially from marketing geeks like myself), and therefore will just get a lot of buzz. From what I can see, it’s succeeded. Going by the compiled list of "Pepsi 25" targets on ParkerWeb, the campaign's hit rate as of this writing is 16 for 25, which is pretty decent (for a small scope), actually.

Granted, some on the list don’t add to coverage in the “Positive Team”, but as some of my previous employers have noted/built their empires on, any coverage is coverage. Not my style, but then, I don’t work for them anymore. Pepsi's choice to make it an exclusive marketing story to online journos (in the Stuart Elliott/NYTimes vein of MSM pitching), and a revamp of a 100+ year-old brand logo and its evolution in the physical form of cans (would’ve LOVED to have that collection in my office!), probably means that Pepsi is pretty happy with what they got: a bunch of marketing geeks who reach a larger group of marketing geeks (as I said before, myself included) to talk about it. Word of Mouth, baby!

So what does this mean?

More importantly, many folks who really have no interest in writing about Pepsi now have a reason to, and Pepsi's (attempting) to keep the buzz going using the tools that Social Media people use, like FriendFeed. They’ve created an online community called the Pepsi Cooler (hehe, ‘cooler’, get it? For soda pop, and ‘cause it’s cool!).

The Interwebs are a superlative communication stage, but you already knew that. It's efficient (fast, cheap-ish), effective (you’re reading this, right?) and scalable (start with 25 influencers, and let them grow the buzz for you). However, now that Social Media is here, it's become even more so. The ‘Net is now a launch pad for global relationships between brands and their consumers, as well as their stakeholders/critics.

Barney Bites Reuters Reporter

2008-11-06T15:57:00.003-05:00

POTUS' dog, Barney bites Reuters reporter (hahaha).

Guess he's not too keen on being replaced by the new Obama doggie in January... :)

Shouts out to my pal Don Pessin of Reuters/Jerusalem for flagging me to the YouTube video...

Raw Story

Online Video Keeps Growing...

2008-10-30T00:28:00.004-04:00

NYTimes.com said Friday it has launched a new platform that will bring more video to more sections of the site. Videos will be presented in hi-def and made available to the home page, articles, blogs, and the site's video library in an effort to make video a central part of The New York Times' (overall) strategy of moving more digital.

The Grey Lady’s site’s new vid platform will display videos in 16x9 widescreen (woot for letterbox!) format, and more robust search so users can more easily find the videos they’re looking for. More importantly (for survival, and social media geeks like myself), each video will now feature share tools (!), which will allow viewers to share the videos on sites like Digg, Facebook, Twitter, etc. This is another extension of the Times’ digital social media strategy like TimesPeople, which rolled out recently.

NYTimes.com already produces about a good deal of videos from journalists like David Pogue (Personal Tech) and Mark Bittman (Dining), which happen to be my favorite sections. With the announcement of the enhancement of its video offerings, it appears that video will become an integral part of its new strategy to keep current. I'm sure additional mainstream media outlets will be following suit.

Interestingly enough, the topic of online video has been popping up (not pop-ups – I hate those) all over the place lately. Ipsos Media released a study on Monday that found that the popularity of online video is moving beyond the early adopters/geeks and growing significantly among women and older consumers. As Anchorman Ron Burgundy once said, that’s kind of a big deal. The study found that about 54% of female Internet users ages 12+ have viewed streaming video online in the past 30 days, up from 45% a year ago -- nearly equal to the 58% of men who have streamed online video in the same time period. In the grown-up category, Ipsos reports that 60% of adults 35-54 have recently streamed online video, up from 49% in 2007.

In addition, I had lunch last week with Eric Wright (SVP, Marketing & Business Development) from DS Simon Productions, whose firm conducted a survey of some 200 “web influencers” about this very subject just recently. They're poised to make aggressive moves in this area, and I can see why.

According to the survey, a full 65% of online media sites now use video, and 77% of online media sites project the use of video to increase over the next year. I believe that this will be an ongoing trend, as broadband use becomes more prevalent, both nation- and worldwide.

About 45% of TV stations use outside video for their Web sites, while two-thirds of radio stations, newspapers, magazines and bloggers use outside video on their Web sites. Of course, the strongest interest in sourced video content comes from ‘web media’, which I imagine like a ‘hyper-local’ television affiliate, with limited resources to create their own video content. However, they all have broadband access, and can download from an FTP site (or otherwise). The advancing usage of digital editing works for both parties: online outlets can produce professional-quality video packages at their desktops, and traditional media has regular access to the technology to download video directly to edit bays -- this was a problem back when I was in the TV biz, actually.

New York Times

A Love Letter to David Gergen

2008-10-17T00:57:00.007-04:00

Here's to the smart, nerdy guys (my bruthas!), and the chicks who dig them...

The Daily Beast: Jessi Klein

Rick Sanchez, the Carson Daly of CNN

2008-10-14T15:38:00.023-04:00

Wanted to share with you an interesting use of social media by the mainstream media, if you haven't caught it yet…

So, with my current employment situation coupled with current events and my usual media appetite, I’ve been watching a lot of television and catching up on a lot of current events. Mostly news and informational stuff, like the news cablers, documentaries, the blogosphere, and reading the Economist again (really!).

Anyway, CNN’s Rick Sanchez has fascinated me for a long time. Some background: Sanchez used to work at WSVN (FOX, my old employer) and launched the "if-it-bleeds-it-leads" tabloid-TV style that spread over the affiliates of the FOX network and beyond.

So, I’ve been watching his 3-4pm newscast for most of the summer, and I’ve been noticing how he’s been sneaking in little bits of social media each week. Sanchez, a big Twitter fan, has been integrating Facebook, Twitter and SMS into his broadcasts in a fast-paced, FOX-like style. They’ve replaced the news ticker with SMS content, and Rick’s always checking his Twitter and Facebook pages for instant viewer feedback. The play-out should be interesting; particularly how FOX's NewsCorp responds since MySpace is a NewsCorp entity, but not in the right user demographic. As multiple news events have come to bear (market meltdown, presidential election, etc.), these tools’ usage have been become even more pronounced.

Now, he’s hosting a show that may be news television's first integrated social media broadcast. I've been watching it mature as CNN has rolled it out over the past few weeks – it has very interesting potential (and implications) for mainstream media as well as PR folks like myself.

So I Tweeted about it.

And then I tipped Gawker off to it. They wrote about it, actually (how meta!). Perhaps CNN will pick up the story (or this one), like my Charmin project.

So what does this mean to marketers?

This is a great example of Digital media integrating with mainstream media (my original haunt), and my gut says the prognosis is good. The broadcast numbers have not been released yet, but Sanchez's Twitter account has exploded with followers. This program is a good demonstration of the utilization of the technology in a very early version. As the technologies mature, and usage goes widespread, MSM programming can take advantage of the interactive conversation for the benefit of digital marketers’ clients and their public relations initiatives.

As I've said many times before, Digital teams will also need to educate their colleagues on what this emerging media are and best practices to work with them, and embrace for themselves. Personnel that are able to do so across disciplines (Consumer, Healthcare, Corporate) will be invaluable to growing an overall firm's capabilities and insight. It's a technology I'm currently thinking about how to apply to future projects. Digital media, like the technology powering it, is constantly maturing, which will allow the drivers of Digital teams, to not only round out PR programs, but also to make PR firms more innovative and to grow the industry as a whole.

Here's another bit that'll "really bake your noodle", as the Oracle would say... How'd you find yourself reading this piece? Twitter? Facebook? :)

UPDATE: Steve Rubel (MicroPersuasion) has picked up on Sanchez too...

and CV Monologues

The Visitors Return... Again. Is this the FOURTH time?!

2008-10-13T10:30:00.001-04:00

Wow... Hollywood really HAS run out of ideas. I'm psyched anyway.

Slice of Sci-Fi:“V” Returns to TV on ABC

Love This...

2008-09-12T11:32:00.002-04:00

Edit

Female Fans Out For Season With Tom Brady's Knee Injury | The Onion -

Source: www.theonion.com

FOXBOROUGH, MA—More than 90 percent of female football fans were lost for the sesaon on Sunday when New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suffered a left knee injury that will require extensive treatment. The Partriots announced Monday...

(insert sexist comment here)

Rolling With the DNC...

2008-08-28T15:41:00.000-04:00

I dunno what this is, and I dunno who made it, or where it came from, but it freakin' rules!

Random Musings on Liza, Brooklyn, the News, and Summer

2008-08-15T11:00:00.007-04:00

Ever feel like there's some sort of energy field that surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together to act in synchronicity? Oh, yeah, that's the Force. Anyway...

So a friend of mine invited me to go see Liza Minelli at a free show in Brooklyn last week... It's part of a series that's goin' on this summer. I'm not a huge Liza fan, per se, but it would've been fun to see just for the ridiculous spectacle of it all; Liza Herself, Brooklyn, free, the NYC/Brooklyn Gay Scene, etc. I didn't go, 'cause we ended up doing karaoke instead -- that's another entry. Anyway, I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't check it out now... Why?

Found out that Christopher Cross was a special guest... One of my favorite one-hit wonders, with a song from probably one of the only Liza movies that I've ever sat through.

BTW, I just tracked this video down, and it frakkin' RULEZ:

So how did I become privy to all this information? Well, I heard that Huey Lewis is performing on Thurs 8/21 - saw him a few years back, and it was a super fun show. Now here's where that "Force thing" comes in: the Back to the Future movies have been on rotation on HBO lately, along with the underrated American Psycho (a.k.a. the Dark Knight!) so I've been inundated with Huey recently. The movie's been in the news a bit lately too, because of John Edwards' girlfriend (Gawker) That Patrick Bateman really understood the band:

On top of all that, there's a movie out there that I'm DYING to see (perhaps this afternoon) -- it's become an 80s summer with Huey and his News releasing a theme song to a big summer movie... Wha? (AllAboutJazz)

Wow... That's totally a move I'd make if I was making a movie...

Look at me! I'm Web 2.0! Wheeeeeee!

2008-08-14T18:45:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm being very Web 2.0 today... Wheeee!

It's pouring outside, I recorded it, and posted it on YouTube:

YouTube: Part I

More of that sorta stuff.... With pedestrians!

You Tube: Part II

And then it went viral (hehe :P ) when the blogosphere picked it up... Ryan Tate's Tumblr

Happy Pesach

2008-04-20T12:34:00.002-04:00

Some tips from the other side of the world....

Gossip Girls

2008-04-20T12:31:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share this oldie but goodie with y'all...

He Also Eats More Than They Do

PR girl #1: I love your outfit today!
PR girl #2: You know, I was walking down the street, and this homeless man in a box told me that "Purple is the color of royalty."
PR girl #1: Don't joke about that. I could be joining him, if my apartment doesn't come through.
PR girl #2: At least he lives in Manhattan.

--Office, 53rd & Broadway

Overheard by: Roger Resnicoff

Overheard in New York

New York Mets get Rick Rolled

2008-04-08T07:37:00.007-04:00

Frakkin' FARK.

My Mets will be having a runoff vote to determine their new eighth-inning sing-along song.

Traditionally, Shea (in its last season alive) plays Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", and everyone rocks out a bit. In the latest misguided digital corporate campaign, the organization received five million votes at mets.com after inviting fans to choose from among 10 selections to potentially replace the song.

Fark.com readers bombarded the Mets website with votes for a write-in candidate: Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up."

And it won.

My first footnote

And the 'first' colleague, too, Dave Binkowski. I'm sure he'll dig the traffic that this search brings... Again. It's the gift that keeps on giving. :)

NY Daily News

Valleywag

Spike TV Unlocks the Secret to the Sith

2008-04-05T18:36:00.006-04:00

Really the key to the reason the Empire came to power... That and Jar-Jar Binks.

Image courtesy of Slashfilm

"A guy can only be called "Annie" so many times before he snaps..."

New York Rulez

2008-04-02T20:24:00.003-04:00

'Nuff said. At least until after dinner.

Richard Florida and The Creative Class Exchange

Jezebel

Ever Been Rickrolled?

2008-03-28T08:15:00.005-04:00

I have a colleague (actually a few) who is obsessed with Rickrolling.

Never heard of it? Guess you're not as geeky as you thought. :)

To Rickroll is to intentionally misdirect someone to a video of Never Gonna Give You Up from 80s pop icon Rick Astley.

Tease them with a link to a supercool video or site, perhaps disguising a YouTube link with TinyURL. Your victim is served with Rick Astley doin' his blue-eyed soul thing in your face. Ha.

Anyway, the Rickster heard about it, and shared his thoughts...

Wired

And yes, I own the album above. What's it to you?

Billy on Oprah

2008-03-24T19:19:00.002-04:00

Billy Joel was on Oprah this afternoon -- I'm glad the TiVo caught it, 'cause I was about to watch this evening's competition on Jeopardy!, and TiVo auto-recorded it on re-broadcast.

He opened up the show with Only the Good Die Young, which was interesting, 'cause his playing was a bit sloppy in the intro. Then I noticed he had his teeth totally done. They're perfect. I have no issue with that, but he got his eyebrows done, and that's a problem.

Lest you think I'm a hater, I'm actually a big fan. I've seen him like 25 times (plus Shea in the Spring), played his music on every format ever (45, LP, cassette, cassingle, CD, MP3), and perform (well, 'perform') his music on the piano/keyboard. I own everything he's ever commercially recorded, and a bunch of bootlegs.

So I'm a fan.

So why does it make me wince a bit when he's rockin' this look and appearing on Oprah (who I also dig), and they're promoing a segment about meeting Katie Lee and take a tour of his NYC pad later in the show?

I'll check back, apres-Oprah.

Oprah

Do People REALLY Need A Reason?

2008-03-24T17:38:00.004-04:00

Seriously... Seriously?

I don't want to dis my peeps out there who don't have this as an option at the moment, but do people really need to get some other benefit/excuse to compel them to get it on?

You let me know if you need me to learn ya some... Show you how it's done.

Top 10 Reasons To Have Sex Tonight

CBS News

Rabble Rabble

2008-03-23T17:51:00.003-04:00

Did you know that the creation of the Happy Meal was in response to the Iranian Hostage Crisis?

The Colbert Report

Ew

2008-03-22T16:02:00.006-04:00

http://gizmodo.com/369641/dead-dog-sweaters-may-not-be-the-best-way-to-remember-your-pets

Beth and Brian Willis really loved their dogs Kara and Penny. They were very sad, understandably, when they died. What did they do to remember them? Frame a photo of their beloved pups? No, that's too normal for these two. They decided to make sweaters out of the fur of their dead pets.

Yes, I said sweaters out of their dead dogs.

Where MS&L Media Relations and MS&L Digital collide.... :)

2008-03-22T16:00:00.001-04:00

Charlie Rose Face Plants To Save His MacBook Air

Yeah, you read that headline right. Apple couldn't pay for better press than this. Viewers of the Charlie Rose show tonight were stunned ...

TechCrunch

RogeeWeekend Update

2008-03-22T13:02:00.002-04:00

I keep losing track of the days... This lack of structure is messing my mind up. Kept thinking yesterday was Saturday, and today I have to keep reminding myself that today is Saturday. I guess there are worse things... :)

Killer Dust Bunnies and Maple Syrup

2008-03-21T16:41:00.005-04:00

I have three 2007 vaca days to burn, so I took off Friday and Monday, and next Friday too (nice!). Was looking into Caribbean last-minute getaways, but ran into a couple of snags, mainly that

1) I wasn't able to find anything (I tried hard; Kayak, Site59, LastMinuteTravel, FareCast, Orbitz, Expedia, etc.) that was reasonable or available, and

2) Most, if not all, of my friends are married and living the 'burbs (or other cities), so grabbing them for a roadtrip is a logistical nightmare.

Instead of getting away for the weekend, I have pledged (well, strongly considered and taking some significant action) to use them as RogeeDays, which consist of getting things done that I've been putting off for ages, as well as indulgence. Today, I am cleaning out crap, and will head over to Tar-zhay this afternoon with Ashley to get organizing items... And Cadbury Creme Eggs, 'cause they're in season. Afterwards, Wolfgang's Steakhouse for red meat, black & blue. Woot!

UPDATE: I'm reposting this with my conversational companion's name taken out, 'cause she got 'freaked out'. Not sure exactly why, but hope this'll make her feel better.

me: i am decluttering

(redacted at request): good project for good friday

desk area?

Sent at 3:47 PM on Friday

me: underbed area

to prep for future storage area

but now, hazardous area

i figure it will help the feng shui too

declutter under the bed is declutter in mind in sleep

Sent at 3:52 PM on Friday

(redacted at request): Agreed. I have 3 feng shui books if you're interested. I got into it when I moved a few years ago

me: i think the main thing that i can do in this apt is declutter

(redacted at request): are you hunting for bunnies as well?

me: dust bunnies, yes

and now i must shower

because they attacked

killer bunnies

to wit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg

(redacted at request): the dust bunnies attacked killer bunnies or vice versa?

me: watch

Sent at 3:56 PM on Friday

me: shower

ttyl

(redacted at request): just watched it

ugh!!

I'll talk to you after the weekend. I have to leave very, very soon

Sent at 3:59 PM on Friday

(redacted at request): On sunday, I'll be back.....back in the NY groove (clap clap)

Sent at 4:02 PM on Friday

me: werd up, Ace

(redacted at request): that song was in my movie and I downloaded it today

Sent at 4:09 PM on Friday

(redacted at request): I'm going to finish packing and head to the Fung Wah

me: ah soo

(redacted at request): have a good weekend

me: you too

feel free to bring back any unused easter candy

(redacted at request): oooh will do

unused of course

want some maple syrup?

me: suuure!

(redacted at request): supposedly this is the time to get it in that part of Mass.

who doesn't want maple syrup??

me: i eat it directly

(redacted at request): sans la pancake?

minus the waffle?

Sent at 4:27 PM on Friday

(redacted at request): alright, I am shipping on out

me: sans anything but a spoon or my lips

as if it were a fifth of bourbon

(redacted at request): wow, that's intense love

of maple syrup

me: i love it

yum

mmmmmmmmaple

(redacted at request): I will do my best to bring some back

me: if it came out of the tree that way

(redacted at request): you'd get a straw?

me: i would suckle at the maple tree like it was a maple breast

(redacted at request): LOL

literally laughing out loud

LLOL

As Long As There's No Hanging Chads...

2008-01-08T13:28:00.000-05:00

CNN is reporting that there is such a high turnout for voting in NH that they're running low on ballots...

Iowa Caucus a couple of days ago had record numbers of voters too... Are we in a voting renaissance? Are people that pissed off? It's about time!

CNN

Mail... Snail Mail.

2008-01-08T12:20:00.000-05:00

The Royal Mail (UK) has launched a set of stamps marking the 100th birthday of the birth of James Bond creator/author Ian Fleming.

The series of six stamps show a selection of 007 novel covers, including Casino Royale, Dr No, Goldfinger (Goooooooldfingah!) and For Your Eyes Only. It’s on sale at UK Royal Post Offices and online (link below).

Almost makes you want to start sending stuff old skool stylee now.

I really dug the Muppet (U.S.) collection from a couple years back:

Via the Beeb

Royal Mail

Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now

2008-01-07T11:20:00.000-05:00

As you may already know, Bill Gates spoke last night as his 'final' (?) CES keynote speech... You may not have seen the introduction video.

Yes, it's totally scripted, and derivative and kinda predictable, but I was totally LMAO, for the funny bits and the fact that this dude has SO MUCH INFLUENCE, that all these A-Listers kicked in to do a bit part in the video. Damn!

Plus... Bill Gates has a sense of HUMOR! Love how the MSFT techies 'allow' him to take the credit for things... Like Microsoft Bob.

via Gizmodo

Video via MSN

.... And, they're back, Dingbats!

2008-01-07T10:23:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know I'm late to the game on this, but some of the late night talkers (Dave, Conan, Jay) went back on the air last week... Colbert and Stewart back tonight.

Didn't catch Jay sans WGA, but saw Dave (not bad, good Top 10 List), and Conan was excellent. Haven't watched him in awhile, but he was in TOP form on his return night. People seem to forget that he wrote for the Simpsons for years, and was an SNL writer too.

This video clip was pretty outstanding... Dig Big Red singing the Beastie's Sabotage as Edith Bunker from All In the Family. Awesome.

(if I had some time on my hands, I'd PhotoShop something cool like Edith as Conan or a Beastie, but I don't have any time on my hands)

YouTube,

via Gawker

Ouch.

2008-01-07T09:41:00.000-05:00

From BoingBoing: This scary (yet nicely illustrated) graphic details the ways that high heels are incredibly bad for health, posture, and long-term prospects. But doesn't detail similar hazards for men (as an aftereffect of the women having worn heels in their presence...).

I support and encourage the wearing of high heels. To parahprase a commenter on the site, evolutionarily speaking, being sexy is more important than being comfortable.

Of course, I dig this study, but the science is WAY flawed… :)

My Obsession: Yo Gabba Gabba!

2008-01-06T23:23:00.001-05:00

Okay, not sure if this counts yet, but it finally occurred to me that I should set the TiVo to record Yo Gabba Gabba! It's the show that features this awesome video.

I've also decided that I might need this:

It could be so yummy, so yummy.

LIVEBLOGGING: American Gladiators (Hour 1)

2008-01-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

After a 20-year absence, American Gladiators has returned to the airwaves. I used to love watching it on Saturday mornings as a kid... Let's see how this one goes...

9pm: Opening montage and 'history' of the American Gladiators. Nice to see a sense of history.

9:01 pm: Hosted by the Hulkster and Laila Ali! Funny how Hulk Hogan and his compatriots of the day (Iron Sheik, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Junkyard Dog ("Grab Them Cakes!") "Rowdy" Roddy Piper) used to bodyslam in the same timeframe during the Saturday mornings of my youth.

9:04 pm: Chick contestants introduced with short piece on their lives. First sob story of series achieved by divorcee avec kids contestant competing against Life Coach.

9:06: POWERBALL (Chicks)! Divorcee Avec Kids sob story is down about 40 secs in, and eliminated in the Powerball event after injury.

9:10: Familiarity grabs my attention as I scan through commercials with the TiVo... Hold on... Quick replay. KNIGHT RIDER promo with the voice of K.I.T.T. by G.O.B. from Arrested Development (is he always going to play acronymical characters?). That's freakin' HUGE. Now, I'm always open to a good remake (Charlie's Angels, Fugitive, Brady Bunch Movie)... Hope it doesn't suck like Bionic Woman. NBC? Can you hear me? Can you create something new? Or can you bring back The Greatest American Hero? Realize I'm thinking this while watching American Gladiators, and decide to move on.

(UPDATE: It's here!)

9:11p Tattooed pro skateboarder DAD Chad and Little Italian NY Firefighter introduced.

9:14 Little NY Firefighter dude freakin' RULES at Powerball! Watch them moves... Scrappy! Kicks Skater Dad's ass, 12-2.

9:16p Rehab Doc replaces Divorcee, gets whupped in JOUST.

9:18p Life Coach survives JOUST but doesn't get the knockdown. A Walk's as good as a Hit, I suppose.

9:23 HANG TOUGH. Firefighter is slick and spry, and Gladiator Militia doesn't even make contact.

9:24p Militia is eliminated because of injury (they don't make Gladiators like they used to, apparently... Nitro NEVER missed an event, yo.).

9:25p The Wolf, a Wolverine knockoff, is introduced to replace Militia against Skater Dad Chad. SKD talks smack.

9:25p Wolfman ensnares him, and into the drink they go. Crowd sings along to "Hey Hey, Goodbye"... This is looking more and more like Running Man.

9:27p EARTHQUAKE. Rehab Doc against Gladiator Fury on a swinging disc of Lucite, kinda like the spiky platform in Flash Gordon. RD survives by contrition.

9:32p Life Coach makes a strong move against Fury, but overshoots, and dumps off the platform.

9:33p HIT AND RUN Scrappy Firefighter makes obligatory 'back in the 'hood of the LES NYC' event allegory, to adoring fans. Once again sails through.

9:35p Skate Dad Chad tries his luck, and makes some anti-establishment comment about why he will be triumphant. Dumps into the water 30 secs in. Oops.

9:38p Both chicks in the PYRAMID. Rehab takes a fall from the top, and then Life Coach follows. Rehab makes a scramble for the top, but doesn't make it. Rehab wins the event with 5 pts, and taking the lead in the competition.

9:44p WNBC WxGuy says we'll be 'flirting with 60' this week... Sweet.

9:45p Scrappy McFirefighter busts his ass, gets a lucky break, and takes the PYRAMID. He leads in the competition, 37-2. Oh snap! Get ready for THE ELIMINATOR!

9:47p Over a wall, 20 foot underwater/under fire swim, rope cargo net climb, barrel roll, windy-up thing, balance beam, pyramid, zip line, travelator (both contestants are barely making it through the course). Rehab is making a comeback! Life Coach can't get up, and she passes her for the win at the breakthrough wall! So much for mind over matter, Life Coachy.

9:51p Hulkster declares Rehab the Winner of this round, and a spot in the Final Eight. Cut to commercial. Hope they run another Knight Rider promo. :)

9:56p Dudes in the ELIMINATOR. This one's a bit more evenly matched, as Skater Dad Chad seems better at obstacle courses than against the Gladiators. Scrappy McFirefighter struggles, but takes the win to get his place in the Eight. NYC! NYC! Woo hooo!!

BREAKING: Britney In Hospital, May Lose Kid Visits

2008-01-04T18:42:00.000-05:00

Oh snap.

US Weekly magazine, citing a hospital source, says Brit has been "designated a 'special needs' patient" and was under "constant watch" (suicide watch? - R). Another US Weekly source says that in the ambulance, Spears had to be restrained like a mental patient and that she "was going between laughing and hysterics."
Uh-oh.

I miss the old Brit:

Reuters

BREAKING: Obama and Huckabee Win in Iowa

2008-01-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

We'll talk about this later...
CNN

10:48PM Update: Mike Huckabee is giving his 'victory speech' in Iowa... And Chuck Norris is standing over his right shoulder. Really.

A Matter of Trust: Sears & Kmart and Neil Diamond

2008-01-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

Scary news for corporations who are interested in building online communities to further engage consumers (Disclosure: I'm involved in creating online communities for corporations interested in further engaging consumers -- but nothing nefarious like this). A Harvard researcher has uncovered a piece of "marketing software" sourced from Sears and Kmart and discovered that it contains invasive (and illegal, according to Boingboing) spyware.

Remember awhile back when Sony embedded spyware into its CDs, crashing computers all over and further hurting its sagging in-store (as opposed to iTunes) sales? I personally took it as an affront because of what it did to Neil Diamond. Let me digress for a moment...

Neil was working with master producer Rick Rubin on a 'comeback album', 12 Songs. Rick had just come off of his work with Johnny Cash and other aging legends, so I was looking forward to their efforts. Neil, as per Rick's direction, was to play a good deal of the instruments on the record, which he hadn't done in 30 years or so (totally a guesstimate -- might bother looking it up later to update). Anyway, long story short, the album came out, the spyware was on it (along with a number of other releases), and Sony ended up having to get returns on a crapload of CDs. Sales of the Neil Diamond album spiked upon release, but after the spyware incident, took a nosedive. Pissed me off... Neil and I have similar roots.

Anyway, Sears and Kmart (both owned by Sears, btw) didn't learn Sony's lesson.

Topline:

Fall 2007, Sears.com and Kmart.com began asking users if they wanted to participate in an "online community" (I assume a social network made up of Sears and Kmart loyalists).
In late December, a security researcher discovered that the "community" installed software from a market research firm, to track the web activities of the sites' visitors.
It also tracked visits to bank sites, looked at email, and other invasive things.
All this information was sent to the market research firm.

Oops.

I harbor a strange romanticism for the lost American companies of my youth and prior, like Woolworth's, The Automat, and Gimbel's. Because of this, I used to feel sort of sorry for companies like Sears and Kmart, who've gotten crushed in recent years by Target and Wal-Mart and Best Buy (Disclosure: Best Buy is a client). Not anymore.

When will companies understand that full transparency/disclosure is needed when working with word of mouth campaigns, social networking and any other relationship-building initiatives? Evangelists are willing to, or even excited to work with their favorite retailers to improve their experience. When they're misled, consumers lose trust in a company, and move somewhere better. Lately, most other retailers have been better, online and otherwise. These guys just really really hurt the feelings of people who cared enough about them to stick around and shop, and join up what's essentially a fan club. They're not going to stick around any longer.

The Washington Post

via BoingBoing

My Obsession: Top Gear

2008-01-02T17:53:00.000-05:00

What happens when you combine the Beeb’s (that’s “the BBC”, for you Yanks) big budget, the attitude of MTV’s Jackass, MythBusters, Car & Driver magazine, some celeb guests, shake it up in your cable box and let fly? Top Gear.

I’ve been getting digital downloads via ‘unauthorized sources’ (cough cough, BitTorrent) for years (though they’ve been showing up on YouTube recently), but it’s kindof sucked having to watch it all jaggy on my computer monitor. Anyway, the cable gods have smiled upon Time Warner’s NYC viewers – BBC-A (a.k.a., “BBC America”) has been playing double shots of the show for the past few weeks, and my TiVo has been working overtime (see previous sleep-deprived post). Whoo hoo!

So what’s it all about? Hmmm… Not even sure where to start. The show follows the Top Gear boys, the crotchety Jeremy Clarkson, vertically challenged (I only mention it because Clarkson does constantly) Richard “Hamster” Hammond, James “Captain Slow” May on various adventures, both on and off the racetrack. They put all sorts of motoring machines to the test, from supercars (think Ferraris and Bugattis) to crapmobiles (like the ones I rent all the time).

Speaking of the crap cars, there’s a fun recurring segment referred to as “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” where a celeb is interviewed on-set by the Top Gear guys, and then video of the celeb is shown of their top-speed run around the Top Gear track in a low-end machine. It’s tons of fun watching someone like Ewan MacGregor cursing and grinding the gearbox as he pushes the car’s limits around the track.

Keep a lookout for the episodes where the boys do stupid things that almost get them dead. One’s a road trip in America below the Mason-Dixon line, almost getting killed by pissed off locals, and the one where Hammond almost kills himself by crashing a rocket car at 300 mph. At least he set an ‘unofficial’ UK land speed record with that one.

Benazir Bhutto: 1953-2007 -- my $.02

2007-12-27T12:15:00.000-05:00

Woke up this morning (okay, late morning, since I’m off this week, and was up watching Top Gear until like 3a), and saw the CNN alert on my crackberry… All I can say is, WTF?!

I’ve been following Pakistan since my time at Fox News Channel, when I was on the Foreign Desk at the time when Musharraf took power in a “bloodless” coup. It was right about the time when India and Pakistan had popped off their first nukes, and I thought it was a big deal. American media didn’t really pay all that much attention to it, in a pre-9/11 world. Of course, the political arena has changed a lot since then, and Pakistan has become a big player in the “War on Terrorism”.

Here’s the thing: today’s assassination of Bhutto is a major blow to democracy in Pakistan, and will reverberate throughout the rest of the world. Probably the only good to come from this is that the good General Musharraf will be able to cement the military’s grip on power (and perhaps calm some shit down a bit) in the near future.

The Bushies (and the U.S.) are in a pickle now – they’ve been working behind the scenes for about a year to bring Bhutto back from exile and seek political compromise. It’s another nail in the coffin for the foreign policy of the United States. It’s really too bad – I had a lot of hope and respect for Condi Rice, and I think she’s in a bad situation/administration, but she’s a big fan of Dubya, so she dug her own grave on that one. More clichés, anyone? :)

With Bhutto dead, and Musharraf in a swirling pot of unrest, and the U.S. having previous problems dealing with him anyway, the U.S. has few reliable partners left in this busy part of the world – where Osama is probably hiding out and enjoying it all.

(BTW: I could swear that Wolf Blitzer is choked up on air... IMHO)

Why is this here?

2007-12-26T18:05:00.001-05:00

'Cause puppies rool, and this is a really cute puppy.

Who's Watching You?

2007-12-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

Scoble mentioned on his blog today a term that I've never heard before, but have referred to often in usually inelegant terms: Granual Privacy Controls.

Whereas I realize the story that the term came up in is what he's discussing (Google Reader privacy), I started thinking more about the big-picture implications of privacy in regards to the term.

I've started a somewhat successful Facebook community at my company. One of the strongest privacy features that Facebook offers in this case is its options concerning who can view what particular content on your profile. While some people (not including myself) like to post pics of themselves in bikinis or doing keg stands, they don't want their Managing Director to see them. Don't get me wrong -- I really support the posting of bikini and keg stand shots, and enjoy them immensely, so y'all keep posting them. But I digress...

ANYWAY, people really do like to keep tabs on what others are doing -- the Facebook Newsfeed is a good example. I can actually track friends' movements, moods, etc., and it's fun and engaging. That said, some folks don't want people to know, and Facebook gives them the option of doing as such. As people get more involved in online communities, social networking services that don’t have Granular Privacy Controls will increasingly piss off users and chase them away.

It makes you think a bit about where all your 'assumed privacy' falls. For instance, I tend to ignore Google ads and banner ads... It's just a thing of mine (which is baaad, because sometimes I'm involved in producing them). I'm a big fan of Gmail, and in general, I ignore the ads on the page which allow me to use Gmail for free. But do people realize that the (possibly very personal) email that was sent to me (and I replied to) has been scanned by a service that picks up keywords in the content and then provides marketing information to show me things that "I may be interested in", based on that (personal?) content? Most people don't think about that.

Scobleizer

Okay, this is just CREEPY...

2007-12-26T17:15:00.000-05:00

Saw this on boingboing... Some are very fitting, and some are just disturbing in a Wes Craveny sorta way... Photos of celebrities and celebutantes who've had their eyes replaced with smaller versions of their mouths. Photoshop Fun.

Freaking News via boingboing.

The Tigers Are Getting Restless....

2007-12-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

They're rebelling.

It all started with the Siegfried & Roy incident of '03, and now this one from the SF Zoo yesterday. Investigators are trying to determine how a Siberian tiger escaped from its pen, killing one and mauling two others.

CNN

Speaking of tigers and the Vegas pair, they may be staging a comeback... Tigers of America, you're on notice!

Defamer

"Reality" TV

2007-12-26T01:38:00.000-05:00

Now, I'm not a fan of 'traditional' reality shows, but I've been sucked in by some of what Discovery and the History Channel have been producing, where it's not about the interpersonal drama, but rather people interacting with their environment. My ex hated the show, but Dirty Jobs is super fun, and host Mike Rowe rocks. He's remarkably tough for an ex-opera singer, with this poop-centric show, and mostly stomach-turning tasks to do. Survivorman and Man vs. Wild are mildly educational, should I find myself in the Amazon rainforest or the Arctic with only some hand sanitizer and a pocketknife.

Survivorman is an interesting example, as survivalist Les Stroud goes out not only without supplies (like his competitor Bear Grylls), but without a camera crew, too. He shoots it all himself, sometimes in inclement weather, and on little to no food. As fascinating as it is to see him survive environment after environment, I think the best episode thus far from my standpoint was the 'making of' installment. Showed how he goes into the 'wild' with six Mini-DV cameras and tripods, shooting activities from every angle.

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel (lookout for reruns). Whatever may be said about boxers, Ultimate Fighters, Survivorman, or their ilk, these dudes are badass.

Deadliest Catch follows a number of independent fishing boats in search of King crab in the Arctic Circle. It's the sort of place where if you fall into the water, and aren't fished out within sixty seconds, you're dead. And it's easy to go overboard. It's brutal, with the physical labor and the bitterly cold conditions, but the possibility for immense profit is huge for these guys, some of whom are born into the gig, and some who have nothing else they could do. Dirty Jobs' Rowe does the voiceover narration. Season 4 starts in April 2008.

http://blogs.discovery.com/deadliest_catch/

What's Copyrighted and What's Public Domain?

2007-12-26T00:42:00.000-05:00

You know how you always hear -- a number of times-- during a sports event on TV, "This broadcast is the sole copyright of Fox (or ABC/CBS/NBC/etc.), the NFL (or MLB/NBA/etc.), and any rebroadcast..." blah blah blah... Well, there's an interesting twist to that tonight. A blogger and her husband were surprised to see a (slightly modified) photo of their dog appear in the FOX network's "Happy Holiday" ticker during a football game. She says that someone from Fox nicked the pic from either her blog or her Flikr photostream.

And let's not forget that this is the corporation who SUED YouTube over streaming FOX content (full disclosure: I was in the employ of the House of Murdoch on the broadcast side for about 8 or so years).

Now, you and I all repurpose images that we find via Google each and every day-- and that's what these guys did. But it wasn't theirs, so they should be remunerating someone, at least according to their own rules for not allowing others to utilize their content.

Another thought: ever think of where your photos might be ending up?

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/25/fox-helps-itself-to.html
http://www.sweetney.com/001944.html

Merry Xmas

2007-12-24T19:44:00.000-05:00

Christmas is traditionally celebrated by Jews in NYC with Chinese food and a movie (btw, why is 'Chinese' always linked with 'food' i.e., 'Chinese food' like tuna from a can is 'tunafish'? hmm...), as you may have heard. Usually a Woody Allen film, but that doesn't seem to be available this year. In the past two years, I was with someone who celebrated Christmas with her family (albeit a Jew), so I haven't done so... Think I may have to revive the tradition.

http://gridskipper.com/337092/christmas-day-chinese-food-in-nyc

Anyone in for a movie?

http://www.themovieblog.com/

Universal Translator and the Tower of Babel

2007-12-24T17:37:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of news in the spirit of Star Trek in my life this week. I recently received the Star Trek movie boxed set in the mail, which I had found on some closeout site for $30 and free shipping. How could I resist? I'll talk about my favorite, ST II: The Wrath of Khan some other time.

Anyway, this led to a number of conversations with people, about such topics as "It's the 21st Century, where's my flying car?!" and a great show on the History Channel called, "How William Shatner Changed the World".

So when I saw this piece on TechCrunch, I was sort of amazed by the possibilities. Apparently, Google Talk is adding a new translation bot for chat, which will provide translation from English to Chinese. The bot can be used as a direct look up tool, or in an actual group chat on-the-fly.

Can you imagine what a powerful tool this can be in the worlds of commerce and communications? It's a direct, real-time way of communicating with ANYONE, once the service can crunch the language. I'm no linguist, but I'd estimate that Chinese is much more difficult to translate than any of the Latin-based languages.

Bring on the Vulcans.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/19/google-talk-gets-one-step-closer-to-the-ultimate-babel-fish/

Bloggorrhea

2007-12-24T17:33:00.000-05:00

I appear to have bitten into this blogging thing, and I'm a content crazy man today... Kinda fun... Enjoy it while it lasts... :)

Hot Team

2007-12-24T17:29:00.000-05:00

I'm breaking a cardinal rule of blogging (the 'secret identity' stuff), so this post may not last long... But wanted to share this photo, which the MS&L Digital (the team I'm on) shared with our Ann Arbor office for the holidays. Picture was taken at our NY Holiday Party, and after quite a bit of dancing and vodka (in my case - think K was drinking Champers).

For my Jewish Bruthas and Sistahs...

2007-12-24T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Christmas Eve (I think -- I always get confused with Christmas Day and Eve and crap-- I know, ridiculous...), so here's one for the Jews... Perhaps some inspiration for this evening's activities... To quote Adam Sandler:

"There's a lot of Christmas songs out there, but not too many about Hanukkah, so I wrote a song for all those nice little Jewish kids who don't get to hear any Hanukkah songs-- here we go..."

A Party In My Tummy

2007-12-24T14:23:00.000-05:00

I just love this soooo freakin' much.

Apparently, this is a kids' show. All I know is that this video/song makes me happy enough to dance around the apartment like a 3 year old.

Now, bear with me -- watch it through, and keep a look out for the sad carrots.

Playing Well With Teams

2007-12-24T13:59:00.000-05:00

So I sent the following to the MS&L US Network, to show 'em all what the Digital Team could do for them... Then I got a note from our Editorial Director who advised me that I used incorrect spellings for "word-of-mouth" and "Web site". She's totally right, and I'm sometimes a Usage Nazi myself, so I'll have to do better. That said, she writes these great "Editor's Notes" which I've filed 'for future consumption', but never had -- guess I better catch up. Anyway, in the "Director's Cut":

MS&L Digital launched a unique online Word-of-Mouth campaign that we’ve been working on with the MS&L Healthcare team, in partnership with Procter & Gamble/Prilosec, the NFL and ePrize. It’s a good example of how MS&L Digital works with various teams (internally and externally) to add value to their client programs.

The “Prilosec OTC® Winning Play Giveaway” project went live seven days ago, under a short timeframe (three weeks!) with 5 teams coordinating. It offers consumers a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl XLII, among other prizes (they can register online at www.WinningPlayGiveaway.com).

To further drive participation, we’ve created the “Prilosec OTC Winning Play Giveaway” widget to remind users to play daily. Consumers are given an HTML embed code that they can copy and paste into their blog or social network profile. The widget has an entry countdown, and “send to a friend” functionality (check it out over on the left).

As of Wednesday evening, we have 7,573 people registered for the promotion, and more than 17,000 sweepstakes entries, and 10% POTC opt-in.

We’d like YOU to get involved too -- please alert all your friends who are bloggers and Facebookers and MySpacers-- it's easy to add a widget to their blog or web site!

The widget works with most webpages and can be easily added to Blogger, Wordpress, Facebook MySpace and other blogging platforms. One caveat: MS&L employees aren’t eligible to enter – sorry.

Go to this link for step-by-step instructions on how to add it to your own:
http://widgets.mslideas.com/countdown/instructions.html

Special thanks to Britany Larsen, Damian Rintelmann (A2), Joe Guarino, Larissa Severenko, Jaclyn Buccellatto and Laura Kelly, who helped make this project go ridiculously smoothly with a lot of players involved.

(Note: I the companies mentioned above are my clients, and I work for their PR firm... )

Star Trek DIY: Fans make their own 'Webisodes'

2007-12-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

To quote my colleague Dave, "The future of CGM and TV are here in full effect."

This is really really cool -- not just 'cause I'm a geek for this stuff (yes, including the Star Trek angle), but because it was done COMPLETELY with consumer-grade hardware and software. I estimate it was done for about $3K for all the equipment involved. In addition, it was worked on by remote teams, who communicated via Skype and email (free).

From a public relations / media relations standpoint, it's a great example of consumers taking a piece of pop culture into their hands and creating something for mass consumption... Much like we're about to do with Swiffer/You Tube in January.

I realize that this was produced by an IT guy and a printing shop guy, but this is an extreme example. But think about it: media editing technology is getting simpler everyday, and the digital cameras we all have are getting better video quality by leaps and bounds (aka, 'you don't need a special camera'). Engaging consumers like this will explode soon. Have you seen the material out there that's been done by WGA Letterman strikers?

The moms we're targeting for Swiffer/YT are just the tip of where this can go... Just think of all the new tech-savvy moms we have around here, who have the technology and the skill to do it....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/20/star.trek.podcast/index.html

Test Test Test

2006-05-16T15:51:00.000-04:00

So this is my first post... Who really cares, anyway?

This is me with Tommy Lee... I'm 'bigger' than he is, btw...

JazzFest

2006-05-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

Some pics from JazzFest down in Nawlins...