Are you going to blogfest tonight? If my coughing is under control, I’ll be there giving away a Seesmic invite and a wireless router.
Blogfest.
This Friday.
6:30PM
Baileys in West Knoxville.
[Source, Shots Across The Bow]
Category: Communications
I’ve got a golden ticket…I’ve got a golden…
So, as I understand it, there are roughly 15,000 people waiting to get into Seesmic. I think there are 3-4000 people on the system right now. Seesmic is a pre-alpha web application that is addictive as all get out! Pre-alpha means we are the test data and should not expect the system to work great; things will be broken! For someone who has not experienced Seesmic, the first description is often "Twitter, with video" but it is so much more! So, do you want to be in The Conversation?
I was sitting on a Seesmic invite because my schedule was so busy and I wanted to do something terribly creative to give it out. You know.. a contest or something. I originally thought I’d give it to a friend or family member but frankly I couldn’t figure out who the video junkies are.
I’ll put it out here. How should I decide who gets this Seesmic invite?
Twitter Jackpot
Using Twitter is sort of like playing a slot machine.
Will I get the bird?
Will I get the bird?!
Will I get the bird?!!
Yes! They gave me the bird!
Shouldn’t it be us giving Twitter the bird when their servers have issues?
Why Twitter? Because Santa Listens!
"I don’t get Twitter." That is said so often it should be put on t-shirts and bumper stickers. I have used the Red Cross as an example of a good use of Twitter. Now I get to point to Santa Claus! Santa Twittered his flight this year. It was phenomenal. He frequently reported his location and the amazing thing was that he responded to people! He has hundreds following him and he was following many of them in return. As busy as the night kept him, he still managed to find time to give personal responses to many people! I quipped that Valium or Vicodin would help with the holidays.
djuggler Dear Santa, Instead of candy this year, can we please have Valium and Vicodin in our stockings? Thx. “Oh stress levels are frightful..lala” 11:12 AM December 19, 2007 from web
Santa replied in a private message directly to me:
SantaClaus Tsk! Tsk! Santa can not deliver illegal items. What would itlook like to have Santa busted on his rounds? 09:08 AM December 19, 2007
I mentioned putting food on the lawn.
djuggler There is now more magic reindeer food on my lawn than I have grass! @SantaClaus and crew should be very pleased. And glittery. about 2 hours ago from web
And almost at the same time Santa posted (which could have just been a coincidence):
Thank you one and all for the wonderful treats you have left for the reindeer and me. It has really helped us to keep up our energy on … … about 2 hours ago from Snitter
His Twittering was informative, fun, personal, and a joy to watch. I only wish the children were using Twitter. Hmm. I suppose I could have threatened to text Santa if they were bad. Bet he would have responded too!
What is a podcast?
For the longest time I have wanted to get into podcasting. I have good excuses like my computer equipment is pathetically out of date, my hard drives are too small (size does matter!) and filling up, and time is a commodity (video and audio take time!). But really, the geek in me has held me back the most. I understand the definition of podcasting:
A podcast is a collection of digital media files which is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. [Wikipedia]
That was not satisfying enough for me. I did not want to "podcast" until I could be certain that I was using the word correctly! Did quality of video matter? Length? What if my RSS stream occasionally had text only posts? Does Seesmic count? What about Youtube? Or Utterz?
Tonight I posed the question on Seesmic and had the pleasure of having the CTO and creator of http://podcast.com/ give the definitively best answer to the question. I really appreciated Kosso‘s answer! It nailed it for me.
(Someone should put that video in Wikipedia under podcast)
Update: David Jacobs of The Connected World gave a great answer from a coffee shop! Watch David Jacobs reply on Seesmic!
Are you in The Conversation?
"Social media" is the latest buzz word. What social media is really trying to describe is The Conversation(patent pending). I explain to prospective clients that people came to the Internet for these reasons and in this order:
- Information
- Utility
- Entertainment
When building a website it is important to consider this order of precedence. Most people mistakenly want to build their website or web application in the reverse order providing entertainment then utility then information.
The Internet is a reflection of the real world.
–Doug McCaughan
Yes, I just quoted myself because I cannot emphasize it enough. As I have come to play around with Seesmic, I’ve tried to answer the question of "what is it?" Answers have included "Twitter with video" or "Beyond description" and simply "addictive." But none of those really describe it. This comes closer:
[Seesmic] makes all the other Internet addictions look like over the counter crap.
–Doug McCaughan
To use some analogies, Twitter is like being in a classroom or a meeting and passing notes around without speaking with the ability for others in the classroom to request to see your notes (unless you’ve deemed them private). Utterz is like a party with the lights out. You can hear conversations and participate in conversations but you cannot see anyone. [update: Since first making this post I have begun to compare Utterz to CB radio][Update 8/20/2008: Since first making this post, Utterz has added many features including video. Its UI (UX to the MS heads) has improved dramatically. Utterz added or retained features of linking picture and text posts to separately recorded audio posts. Utterz has grown into a powerful and robust system.] Seesmic is that same party with the lights on. You can see and hear everyone. You can following multiple conversations, or participate in the conversations, or just wander around and hear the ambient noise.
Businesses and people alike need to know that Social Media has combined the 3 important elements of the Internet (information, utility, and entertainment) into a single application. With social media I can post a question and get a response quickly (information). I can interact, for instance, with Twitter I can add myself to the RedCross safeandwell database (utility). And naturally I can be entertained through any of the mediums, Seesmic being the example that says "we don’t need Hollywood!" (entertainment).
Are you in The Conversation?
Read also Some Conversations have shifted to Twitter and Web Strategy: What the Web Strategist should know about Twitter.
Update: Watch Eric Rice in a video response to Susan Mernit’s blog post Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn: It’s the conversationsphere, baby. Eric and I had the same initial thoughts about Twitter which you can read in his post Soylent Twitter: Playing the @spin Expansion Pack (pt 1). He follows that up with a post about styles Soylent Twitter (part 2): Playing the @spin Expansion Pack and then explains Why [he’s] unfollowing you on Twitter. Watch this video to see how Eric Rice uses social networks:
Update: If you are addicted to social networks, you might consider checking into INVITATIONS Social Networking Rehab.
The Public Relations Long Tail
What?!! Reporters, bloggers, and spammers get lumped together at the end?
Email spamming reporters and bloggers: Why is this here as a tool? Because people are still doing it in spite of the high risk and low reward! They can’t give up the 1% return. See Eric Eggertson on the topic. [Source, Now is Gone, The Public Relations Long Tail]
What are you doing with your phones?!
Narration (with additions): [audio:http://realityme.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/whatareyoudoingwithyourphones.mp3]
During the Bearden Bulldogs versus Farragut Admirals high school football game, Cathy and I were busy tapping messages into our phones as quickly as our frozen fingers would allow. I was Twittering the game. My father-in-law, a true die hard football fan, did not understand how we could be looking away from the game to play with our phones, "what are you doing with your phones?!" Cathy explains, "Doug is putting game highlights on Internet for people to read. See (shows her phone to her father), the Knoxville News-Sentinel editor is encouraging Doug." He doesn’t believe her. Something significant happens on the field, he suggests, "Tell your ‘editor guy’ about that play."
So how does one explain this fascinating world of instant communication and self-publishing to people who have not experienced it or perhaps to those who have not even become comfortable with computers yet? Some people feel that if you are over 25 years old, you cannot understand things like Twitter. Jon Swanson suggests 8 ways to explain 2.0 friends to 0.0 parents. My favorites are:
2. You know how you like to shout at the television? With 2.0, @newmediajim can hear you.
…
4. Remember how you used to walk down the street and say hi to people along the street? That’s what i do when I turn on my computer.
[Source, Levite Chronicles, 8 ways to explain 2.0 friends to 0.0 parents]
Web 2.0 tools have such undiscovered potential. The Red Cross is using Twitter to help reunite families during disasters and to forewarn of impending doom and the request resources for help. Presidential candidates are using Twitter for publicity and to have closer contact with the voters. People blog for different reasons; I have published why I blog. This list could go on for pages. The possibilities are endless. The changes that will come in the next 5-10 years will blow people away! Of course, faster broadband in the United States is crucial.
Update: Random Mumblings talks about breaking news. See also Group Twittering instructions for events. Music City Bloggers talks about Instant Communication Changing the Rules. Michael Silence warns of Big Brother watching during Liveblogging of sports events. Read Ryan Sholin regarding Notes on breaking news. Les Jones chimes in.
Color commentary in 140 characters? Impossible!
Follow the bearden vs farragut game at http://twitter.com/djuggler
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The updates: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Update:: Knoxnews coverage. And Jack Lail’s coverage of my coverage.
AT&T Secret Room Back in the News
The Washington Post brings us a story from Mark Klein, a former AT&T technician, about the AT&T secret room used by the NSA to copy the entire Internet.
He knew that the NSA was supposed to work on overseas signals intelligence. … "This splitter was sweeping up everything, vacuum-cleaner-style," he said. "The NSA is getting everything. These are major pipes that carry not just AT&T’s customers but everybody’s." … the NSA was doing content analysis. [Source, The Washington Post, A Story of Surveillance]
Do you feel safer giving your government unchecked authority?
Update: See also: AT&T Whistleblower: Telecom Immunity Is A Cover-Up
Update: BoingBoing points to Senator Dodd’s video at the EFF.
CONFIRMED! Google IS mapping Knoxville.
I wasn’t sure if it was Google or a competitor driving around with the camera on the car. It is confirmed! That is a Google car!
Why Twitter? Because San Francisco CA is shaking
With Twitter, I know that San Francisco just had an earthquake. A big one. Obviously that may not be of importance to someone in Knoxville…unless you had relatives there. Just one example.
Update: more. Truemors. wise crack. 5.6 hits South Bay. Dave Winer is ok but was scared. Biggest native apenny has ever felt. scared the stink out of a skunk. Twitter has coverage but not local tv. USGS page on the quake is here. another acknowledgement. on google maps. missed Scoble but got his house. could have been a tech bubble burst. still no news coverage. some missed it.
Update: Reddit comments. Building at 2699 California collapses. John Anthony Tenta aka Earthquake.
Update: Finally some news about the earthquake..wait, no, that’s just news reporting that Twitter reported the earthquake.
Calling Marriot Housekeeping
On Saturday the 13th of October, Sarah settled into bed midnightish at a Marriot Hotel near Atlanta. She was traveling with the high school band to perform flags. On Sunday the 14th she awoke unable to find her phone that she had left on top of her luggage so she assumed it was in her luggage (that’s her official story..personally, I think she woke late and groggily shoved everything in her bag and rushed out to see her friends without giving the phone a thought). Sunday at 9pm as she came off the bus I asked, "where’s your phone?" She replied, "In my luggage." On Tuesday, she finally confided that her Motorola RAZR v3xx was lost or stolen.
I scoured her phone and text messaging records. The last number called was to Phoenix, Arizona so there was hope that we had a way to contact the person with the phone. After a few calls and several text messages we figured out that Sarah had actually placed those calls on behalf of a friend. Hope was lost. I contacted the housekeeping manager at the hotel and he confirmed no phone had been turned it. I deactivated the phone. A week later I called again and still no phone. LissaKay comes to the rescue (aided by Twitter) with a replacement phone for Sarah and Sarah flips with excitement spending the next 6 hours customizing the phone.
Yesterday I get a phone call from someone explaining they found the phone! Yea! Housekeeping came through. No, wait, this is guest! The phone, lost on October 13th, was found under the bed by an honest person staying in room 517 on October 29th. It still had power because Sarah had turned it off so the honest person was able to lookup "Dad" and found me. This means that room 517 hasn’t had a thorough cleaning in at least half a month and that for at least 15 guests, assuming the room is occupied every day, don’t check the room very well. Ewww.
Now, who gets the phone? Sarah or Tommy.
Put @RedCross in your Twitter
What is Twitter? I feel that Twitter is still defining itself. Essentially, Twitter is an ongoing chat designed to be easily accessible from your cell phone via SMS which is why messages have a 140 character limit. The limit also forces you to be concise in your thought. Twitter puts us closer to people of importance or influence in our lives. (That’s not a Joe Biden endorsement..just showing that you can get a message to Joe Biden via Twitter easier than a phone call) Several other presidential candidates are using Twitter. The shakers and movers in the tech industry are using Twitter and I have been able to interact with a couple of people that otherwise would have remained "that famous person on the stage at the tradeshow." Today I even cracked a joke at Wil Wheaton in response to his tweet although I doubt he saw it. There is still some debate about whether or not a person receives your @ message if they are not following you. I say yes as long as the @ is the first character. You cannot direct message someone unless they are following you.
So why add RedCross? Because it is another way to make sure emergency information is getting into people’s hands as rapidly as possible. They are even using Twitter to add people to a searchable database showing you are safe and well!
Send ‘D safeandwell FIRSTNAME LASTNAME #### STREET CITY STATE ZIP CELLPHONE’ and a brief note about how you are. We’ll enter you in.
about 12 hours ago from web
I think Twitterers will fall into one or more of three types:
- Exhibitionists, Voyeurs, Gossips – These are the folks that will send/read a stream of messages about the minutia of daily life
- News feeds – These are the folks alerting the world about their experiences with the California fires, or the next big event. These are the newspapers getting the headlines out. These are people like myself alerting others that the Interstate is at a stand still.
- Topic Specific – These would be people sharing information about a particular subject. Unlike news feeds these will often include back and forth discussions about the topic.
I originally had this one listed as "Techies" because that is what I do: Techies – These are the people sharing links to events in the technical world. Unlike a news feed, these will often include back and forth discussions on the ins and outs of technical issues. - [added November 10, 2008] Spammers – People taking advantage of the tendency to follow those who follow you simply to draw attention to a product or website. The Twitter staff and others are trying to minimize the ability for people to spam through Twitter.
- [added November 10, 2008] Utility – such as how The RedCross has used Twitter to make accessing the Safe and Well database easier.
I suppose I should include a 4th classification "self-promoters/spammers" which would be people that use Twitter exclusively for trying to drive traffic to their sites. Twitter can drive traffic!
Joe Biden catches onto Twitter!
Presidential hopefuls should be making us their friends by talking candidly with Twitter.
joebiden Online now for a live chat via Washington Post until 5pm; submit your question: http://tinyurl.com/2ng8dj 2 minutes ago from web
Look at how close Twitter puts you to the action!
Narration with supplemental commentary: [audio:http://realityme.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/joebidencatchesontotwitter.mp3]>
