Happens in Atlanta too.Yesterday, I got into the elevator in my apartment building with a young white couple. As we all pressed our floor buttons, my floor didn't light up. I pressed the button again, to no avail. The girl says to me in a loud and deliberately slow manner, "why don't you just press seven and then walk down the stairs? If you press five, then you have to walk up rather than walking down." I turned around and looked at her. Bitch, do I look like I'm five? The elevator stopped on my floor and as the doors opened, the girl pats me on the shoulder and says, "See? You don't have to walk." I again gave her a look and shook my head as I exited the elevator. As usual, I thought, do I look stupid or am I just being too sensitive? Should I have punched her out or cussed her? The problem with that is that the person then thinks that you are nuts, calls the cops, etc, and of course has no idea why you are mad because they don't understand why their behaviour is insulting.
It's those everyday interactions that personally drive me nuts. What I don't understand is why some - notice how I said some - white people talk to you like you're deaf and dumb and need assistance. I also don't get it how in such a diverse city like Toronto, there are people who act like they have never had any interactions with black people, or don't realize that...well, just act stupid.
February 19, 2007
"why don't you put me on your back and carry me down, Ms. Helpful?"
f.u.n.
sipping thick shake thru small straw
slapping bare kid butts
watching them get theirs
salted cashews
first new car
tilt-a-whirl
puppy breath
slamming brakes on ice
laughing so hard you pee
the doctor is in
I'm listening to a recording of live Dylan from '65 on KRUU and kind of mellowing out before crashing for the night. The show is A Fistfull of Daller's. KRUU is a little station in Fairfield, Iowa with a range of about 5 miles. Unless you listen to the stream or get the feed. All the shows have feeds. And they're good.
"Ballad of the Thin Man". Dylan rasps, Something is happening, and you don't know what it is. Do you, Mister Jones?
Mojo? I dunno. I'm in Baltimore, where the frozen slush is melting, making little plapping sounds in the drainpipe outside the window, reminding me I'm deep in the East Coast. Home country. Recalling childhood in New Jersey, when we'd wish it would snow and once again the forecast would say Snow mixed with and changing to rain... And then it would all freeze, crusty and white, too hard to crack or take a footprint.
Here is your throat back. Thanks for the loan.
A memory. I'm in 8th grade, and a Safety Patrol kid at the corner of Maywood Ave and Passaic Street. I'm an accessory to Mrs. Lesh, the crossing guard. I break the boredom by cracking off bits of frozen crust along the sidewalk or the street gutter, and then kicking them out to where they'll get run over by traffic, making up a game with friends that are just hanging out, waiting for me to get off duty. Ten points if the kicked hunk gets smashed by the first car to come along. Five if it's the second one.
He screams "You're a cow. Give me some milk or go home."
Now Daller's playing "Knockin' on heaven's door". It's gettin' dark, too dark to see...
Night.
Night, Doc. Sweet dreams.
dispatch from the jesus bunker
Here is what they write:
www.googlemail.pl - belongs to Google Inc.
Please visit www.googlemail.pl, which belongs to Google since May of 2005.
It pretty much explains what happens to .pl domain names that end up in their hands.
Yes, you are seeing it right. That website is Blank ... since the very beginning.
---
So as you can see the Poets are saying that Google has not done anything with the domain they already own in Poland and now they want GMAIL.pl so they can just blank it out, like googlemail.pl.
Part of maintaining competitive advantage CEO's job is to remove all barriers to domination (children, grandmothers and Poets are targets if competitive adavntage demands it).
February 18, 2007
February 17, 2007
Google Tries the Eminent Domain Trick on Polish Poets
What would marek do?
The Guardian reports that Polish Poets are being hounded by Google's law dogs because they own the GMAIL.PL domain. The AP story says that the "Grupa Mlodych Artystow i Literatow," or Group of Young Artists and Writers -- told AFP that Google had turned to the country's IT and telecommunications tribunal to try to stop them using the Web site address www.gmail.pl. Profy points out the Irony of Google attempting to squash a website by a group of Warsaw-based Poets. Who better to stand up to the Google behemoth. The pen is mightier than the buck, after all.
Google has launched legal action once again, this time against a group of Polish Poets! How's that for coming down hard on the little guy? In the press release Google is evidently trying to get the money hungry, robber baron poets to give up their Internet domain name gmail.pl.I used Google's language tools to try to translate one of the poems at GMAIL.PL into English, but the closest they had was the Russian Beta--no-go. So I used Poltran.com and got a little closer to translating this one:
..."That really, you do not exist because by no means ordinariness is mismatch for which (who) only yet. does not happens moment: ordinariness daily, ordinariness such happens usual me, repeatable full same words, gestures of same time of meals and hours of work. Daily, ordinariness of I warm coat habituation (acclimatization) otula, I can be hidden in which (who) and I can imitate, that does not have I. Daily, probably, otherwise, there was for day before yesterday so today be, does not have ordinariness, nothing does not happens by turns. Moment is ( when all my bank notes have entered to your property when all my plates (discs) become your favorite when all my temples have been earned by you splądrowane. Moment is when old photos wyblakły when old letters (lists) have burned when old phone numbers have lost relevance be become needless moment panic when you stand before I such usual and moment from appearance (pretence) in which (who) daily nothing even not say only pull down established order event time is ordinariness places and ) maybe however, only ...a?
Okay, not a perfect translation, but you can see that it really is poetry. potentially GOOD poetry.
I'm with the Poets on this one. Google should have offered to buy the domain, paid the price for their oversight, and gone on. There is no "Eminent Domain" law on the Net. There are a lot of lawyers and even more brand paranoia though. Which means the end result is often the same.
Little Guy - 0.
Tags: blogging, poetry, internet, business, advertising, marketing, PR, legal, GMAIL.PL, Brand, Google = Powered by Qumana
February 16, 2007
Thank Heaven for Little Dongles
1. tap into adult paranoia.
2. target 'passion point' of said paranoia - kids.
3. segment toward deepest paranoia - daughters sold into sex slavery via the internets.
4. manufacture gadget - make it pink!
5. make sure it only works in conjunction with same gadgets -- exponential sales increase!
Or, that's what this looks like to me. Instead of teaching kids responsible Internet and cell phone use, keeping a close eye on them, using tools ON the computer to block access to what's risky, and ripping 'privilege' devices away from them if they fail to 'get it,' instead go spend $70 on IM-Me. (Oh, and be sure to pick up some for your daughters' friends, because IM-Me only works with other IM-Mes and only when they're in "dongle range").
Yeah, I got a dongle for ya.
February 14, 2007
Cutting Through the Noise -- You Don't Do It By Making More Noise.
Engage a Marketing/PR person who lives, breathes, and sleeps online like you do. BUT: Make sure they're actually smart, not just off their Ritalin.
The right person will watch for opportunities -- much the same way you read feeds, but with different glasses on -- to enable people who are gathered around a common interest or passion, one your company's product/service addresses. This person understands that an opportunity isn't a chance to spam influencers. It's a chance to help people accomplish something they can't accomplish at that moment. It's two, two, two mints in one: engage and enable.
It's helping the market help itself.
Using your company's passion and people, you help real people (in old-school language, your user base; in new-school language, communities) solve a challenge--not necessarily a challenge that has anything to do with your product or service.
A snapshot that Robert was involved in-- CES 2005. There was a room shortage--no one could find rooms anywhere near CES in Vegas because of a collision of shows and events. Bloggers started saying, Oh crap, I can't find a room at CES. WTF? Big names and not-so-big names were told there was no room at the inn. Technorati ranking didn't matter to the reservations people.
At that time, I was working with BubbleShare, who was also going to CES without dollars to spend but with the hope of connecting with bloggers and others. What did we do? We saw this context-based need and realized an opportunity to help solve a problem. We didn't pull some obvious, goofy PR stunt: Hey, let's take photos of people out on the street and have a contest! We engaged people and helped solve a problem.
In one night (we started around 11 p.m. I think), we built, populated and got the word out about the CES Wiki, which was designed to connect folks who were looking for roommates, places to stay, rides, etc., at CES. By the next morning, everyone was talking about it.
We followed the conversation like bloodhounds trying to help people hook up, matching needs with solutions. Calling hotels and getting information on who had rooms and who didn't. And once everyone was situated, we used the wiki to update that same community during the show. Charlene Li told people where they could rent bikes to get around. Doc debated a star-watching excursion. And we held an "Unconference/Unshow" during the show to connect bloggers and companies realtime.
Yes, we encouraged photo sharing on the wiki, but the POINT of the wiki was that we were providing a way for the people to accomplish something. And we were doing so without spending money on hot air balloons or limos.
Now if we had had money..... well, never mind. The cost was virtually nothing. The reputation gain was huge. If I had my way, that wiki would still be up and active, and would have morphed into something larger in its own right, continuing and facilitating relevant conversations and connections around events.
So, yes, while tools and processes can help Robert and the rest of us cut through the noise, smart people who understand the net are what help companies cut through the noise.
Okay, Ritalin helps too.
(I'm KIDDING!)
February 13, 2007
Angry Jonas Shot
And right back at you! Imagine my surprise to find you speaking in the ATL--well, almost in the ATL. One of my early day who's-that-masked-man heroes.
George says, come back soon--we will try to get left coast too.
February 12, 2007
j. brotherlove has good take aways from socon
February 11, 2007
SoCon - we came, we spoke, we hugged
Yesterday was SoCon07, in chilly but sunny Kennesaw, Georgia. There were lots of great moments for me, including connecting/reconnecting with online friends I love, like jbrotherlove (who's getting his socon links together--lemme know when they're up, j.), karsh, Toby Bloomberg, and others.
Josh Hallett, who I finally got the chance to hug in realtime, has some beyond-the-call-of-duty live blogging posts from the conference (socon dinner, blogging socon, how web2.o will affect you, trends that will change your profession (and life), (getting back to the core).
I got to finally meet and squeeze Jonas Luster, who I've followed online since the early days of whatever it is we're doing here. What a treat it was for George and I to hang out with Jonas.
Toby Bloomberg and I led a discussion on Women and Social Media, in a breakout group of about a dozen or so people. One of the group members was podcasting, so if I get a link, I'll come back and add it.
A couple of participants had their laptops open and were taking notes--I hope I can find posts and provide the links. [[Update: here are amber's live blogging notes--she was ready to climb out of her seat at our session, apparently. I think she's right about the need for a feminist-blogging session. Ours definitely was not that. Other issues: an hour's too short; 3 days to plan is too short. Challenges: the guy who couldn't stop commenting; diverse experience/interest levels (from non-bloggers to long-time onliners; from 'business' bloggers to personal bloggers). Of course, for me, all of those things also made the whole experience more interesting too. I responded at Amber's place.]]
I thought it was a good, lively discussion. I can't tell you how much I enjoy doing things like this with Toby. She's a pro.
It was sort of a suprise to me that there were half men in the room at one point. Not surprisingly, both men and women were interested in the risks, reasons for, and reasons for not, getting personal online.
We talked about the differences of writing personally and writing about the personal, and how they are very different. We talked about what we get out of blogging and participating online. We touched on the HOWs of getting included in online discussions--how do new bloggers get into the mix. I made a call for bringing back the blogroll--something that many of the influential have done away with (and too many of us who have them--me too--have stopped updating). The blogroll has always been one of the most powerful tools for endorsement, for inclusion, for raising the profile of those new to blogging. We talked about tagging your posts, reading a lot, linking into conversations you care about.
I liked the unconference breakout format. We pulled our desks into a circleish formation and talked about what felt right. I hope everyone took away something.
I didn't get to see the first part of the conference since Jenna had her final basketball game, and I do have priorities. ;-)
I came in during Chris Klaus's talk. Chris heads up atlanta-based Kaneva, an online social platform/world/playground that I've blogged about here before. George came for the second breakout session, and we sat in Jonas Luster's community building breakout, which I thought was really interesting. It is always good for Atlantans to hear from someone outside of our domed metroplex.
Props to all who pulled this together and participated. It was fun, and above all reminded me why I like my crocs better than my pumps.
February 09, 2007
Writing the Personal, Writing Personally, And Who Are You Online?
Questions -- Can you write 'personally' without sharing details from your personal life? Can a professional blog be personal and professional too and still be 'weighty' enough to matter?
What are the risks of integraing or separating your "selve(s)" online. And what about other social spaces--profiles on myspace, orkut, friendster, facebook; professional connections on linkedin, 'personalities' on second life; photos on flickr; videos, podcasts and everything else Media 2.0? Are we becoming more dissociated or more integrated?
How much of you are you willing to share, how personal are you willing to get, and at what cost?
And what about gender -- are women willing to go where guys fear to tread in the personal department? Is it true that male bloggers tend to separate their professional writing from their more personal posts (men who come to mind: mike arrington's "techcrunch" vs "crunchnotes"; stowe boyd's /message vs ambivalence; and scoble's -- oh wait, I guess scoble blogs like a girl).
:-0
eh? eh?
February 08, 2007
Kat Herding Media goes social!
see you there.
February 07, 2007
Chick-Fil-A and the Straw-Coke Thing
In the South, we USians are fortunate to have a fast-ish food joint called Chick-Fil-A. My understanding is that it’s run by a conservative evangelical type, but I don’t know enough about the company to say if that’s true, and it’s not the point of the straw-Coke thing.
Well maybe it is, but I’m claiming it’s not.
I don’t go to Chick-Fil-A often, but as quick food goes, their chicken breast sandwiches are not all that unhealthy, plus they taste good.
What little tendency I have toward ADD seems to love the Chick-Fil-A brand. It took more than a year after first arriving in Atlanta for someone to stop and inquire, “What are you saying?” when I asked if they wanted me to bring them anything back from the drive through.
“Chick-A-Fil,” I announced. “I’m going to grab a sandwich.”
“You’re kidding, right? ‘Chick-A-Fil’?”
The entire front desk staff doubled over when it became clear that I indeed thought the name was Chick-A-Fil – as in ‘fill you up with chicken.’
Old Habits Are Hard to Break
Even after I learned the real name, it was hard to break the old habit. It became an office joke—I’d write post-it-notes saying, “at chickafill, be rt bk!” and stick them on my monitor. Countless lunch discussions focused around which brand would really be better for the company: A-Fil or Fil-A. You could call it a meme. Or not.
But this isn’t even about that.
It’s about this week and the straw-Coke thing.
There has been, no secret if you read here or there, a ruckus going on at Tara’s blog, which emerged from what some -- present company included -- saw as her dogmatic, even careless, approach to discussing a loaded topic with her commentors, an approach I happen to think she takes too often, nice though she may be.
I have been knocking the whole thing around in my head for a day or more, trying to figure out what part of the interaction was bugging me the most.
As it happened, clarity was waiting at the Chick-Fil-A drive-through window.
It Really Is That Simple
As I was paying for my chicken breakfast bagel this morning, the cashier handed me my drink with my change. As usual, I sat staring at my drink wishing she’d given me the straw that goes with it.
But they never do.
At Chick-Fil-A, they always give you the drink, and you have to fish your straw out of the bag later, once you start driving.
I was thirsty, so I asked for my straw.
She went and got one with a smile. And I decided to ask:
“Why do you guys always wait to hand out the straw? It's pretty stupid. I mean, why not hand it over with the drink? Drink-Straw, Straw-Drink.”
She explained to me that usually they try to “expedite” orders so that there is just a little time between the drink and the bag of food with the straw in it. But usually that doesn’t work. Especially at breakfast.
So I said, “You don’t even have the straws nearby do you?” She shook her head, “They’re with the assembler—he puts them in the bag after he wraps the food.”
I decided to talk to her a little more. “But I’m thirsty when I get my drink. Doesn’t it make sense to have a straw with the soda?” She shook her head yes. “You wouldn’t believe how many people ask me for the straw after I hand them the drink.”
I told her maybe I would let Chick-Fil-A know that the straw-in-the-bag thing isn’t working.
She smiled and said she’d like that because she spends a lot of time getting straws.
The Generosity of Saying, "That's Stupid."
Beyond remembering that flawed processes tend to get passed along in franchise businesses – and downstream to the customer in all businesses – the interaction at the drive through window brought me some clarity on what’s been bugging me the last couple of days.
There is a generosity in telling someone they’re wrong, and there is generosity in hearing it.
When you take the time to explore with me where I’m off track—that’s an act of generosity from you, no matter how much I think I’m right.
“Enlightened” is not shutting you down for telling me what I don’t know, and making sure everything resolves to the easy key-of-C “My Truth and Your Truth.”
Enlightened is owning up, is learning and reapproaching, is stepping down into the muck, not stepping away from common filth onto the pedestal. Enlightened is willing, is stupid and messy, but is so much more beautiful than pretty.
It’s saying, “The fucking straw does belong with the Coke. How’d I miss that all this time?”
And maybe even saying, "Thanks."
February 06, 2007
Calling Brooklyn, Come In Brooklyn...
February 05, 2007
If My Purpose Isn't Higher, Then It's........
Chris tries to take Tara to school, something he doesn't waste a lot of breath doing these days, rightly so. Instead of actually groking the links and facts-- never mind actually reading (the kids these days, they don't want to know), Tara tries to reason that even Hitler had a higher purpose.
Sphincter says wha? Define 'higher' kay?
You see, taking the time to learn, slows down posting.
And in the world of web 2.o, posting trumps everything. Even if it's a matter of say, eugenics, genocide, or other annoying topics that take us away from our net-naval-gazing and other important E commerce activities.
Oprahization Rule Number 1: when lofty concepts are threatened with facts, scream foul and claim higher purpose is a personal thing.
Oprahization Rule Number 2: Say, Good Point, now take it somewhere else. And watch your language.
Oprahization Rule Number 3: Have other clueless people reinforce rules number 1 and 2.
(p.s.: I got E. Commerce once from raw meat--I had to take Flagyl.)
ALL OF THIS is far less important than the fact that one of my favorite internet personalities is about to be abducted by aliens (see photo exhibit a)!!
Did Prince Just Say Goodbye to the Jehovah's Witnesses?
Any music fan who watched the Super Bowl last night could rightly walk into work this morning and say, "Did you see the bears and colts play football during Prince's Concert?"
It was that good. And, at other levels, it was interesting too.
For any artist familiar with the restrictive, cultish tactics of the jehovah's witnesses, watching the halftime show at this year's Super Bowl represented a lot more than catching a great live concert by Prince. The entire performance was riddled with symbolism that could only leave current and former JWs doing double take after double take, wondering what Prince was trying to 'say'.
I think Prince's merging of All Along the Watchtower with Foo Figher's The Best of You, followed up by Purple Rain, performed while doning his classic symbol, his signature guitar magnified as it rippled against the night sky, full and phallic, larger than life against a ghostly white backdrop, was Prince's way of saying goodbye to the Organization, was Prince's way of saying, "you're not messin with me anymore."
Maybe I'm projectiong. Maybe not.
It's not a simple thing -- the passionate belief and seeking of Truth, the sacrifice of self, the heart vs the mind, all targeted by well-honed thought control vs the single thread of hope for what being human means: Freedom of thought. You kind of have to have been there to grok it.
What I think? That Artist giving that performance at that event, performing those songs that way, wearing that symbol on that stage -- I think he just said goodbye to the Watchtower.
And if he didn't, and they don't disfellowship him for that display, well--it only further demonstrates the hypocrisy of the JWs that makes for madness in those who've ever been shamed at a Kingdom Hall.
(Video Transcription)
Prince's Watchtower Medley
All along the watchtower,
Princes kept the view,
While all the women came and wept —
Their foot servants too.
Outside in the cold distance,
A wildcat did growl.
Two riders were approaching, and
The wind began to howl.
Are you gone and onto someone new?
I needed somewhere to hang my head
Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn’t have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose
My heart is under arrest again
But I’ll break loose
My head is giving me life or death
I will choose
I swear I’ll never give in
I refuse
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
It's real, the pain you feel
You must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh…
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
I’ve got another confession my friend
I ain’t no fool.
February 04, 2007
wtf is the deal with feeds?
so then i burned a new feed at feedburner, because not understanding something usually makes me do MORE rather than less to try to figure it out, and that's the URL i put with the graphic over there --->. Well, it's a pretty fucked up URL - http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZKHI - and i'm wondering, is that okay? I mean, will people be able to find my feed, if they care, (i don't even know if i care) with a url ending in ZKHI? WTF is that anyway?
And what about two people subscribed to the other allied feed--does it exist? I have no idea what i'm talking about.
feedberner says:
 | allied | 2 | — |
| | ALLIED by Jeneane Sessum | 3 | — |
can someone tell me what i'm doing and what i need t0 do? all i want is to have one of those cool subscribe buttons that takes you to feedburner and shows all the many ways people can subscibe and then they click and do it, just like i do when i go to other people's pages.
except i don't know what i'm doing.
i'm going now.
thnk you.
ZKHI
(threat alert, orange)
February 03, 2007
will i be driving in cold weather before dawn.
tell me we're not the only ones. the call came about five minutes ago... tears.... "mom i can't fall asleep... i want to come home..."
what you do first is try to hear them. they whisper to drive you crazy. when you finally hear them they say, i want to come home. you think: oh no why lord it's almost morning. then you say, go to sleep, and they say i tried i can't, then you say, well then just rest let sleep come to you -- lay down and rest your eyes -- and they say i tried that, and then you say count some sheep, and they say i tried that, and then you say try again and they do. but it doesn't work, so then you say you can't keep calling--if you come home now, you're not going on another sleep over for a l-o-n-g-t-i-m-e. then they cry more. and you feel crappy for two reasons: because they feel crappy and because you know you are going out in the cold in the middle of the night. so you say go ahead and try for another 20 minutes and call me if you don't fall asleep. but if i have to come out again and get you, like last time, just know that it will be a long while before you try again. then she says i know mommy i miss you. and then you say, i'm going to see you in six hours at the basketball court. i love you. (you want to say, for god's sake! but you don't. yet.) you think if i give the phone to george that might be good--he will say to go sleep boodle and mama is already asleep so tough luck but he'd say it a little nicer than that but i bet she would stay. and the next day he'd say something like no more sleepovers for a year.
you know i'm driving by 1. you just know it.
February 01, 2007
no, in yours.
Is it so different now, faces criss-cross, find eyes of another to fill empty sockets--you never blinked. why? far away far away not so far smoking on wet grass under the monkey bars, what was it 8 in the morning, sharing the stash.
Houston, you only thought you had a problem. what what what who who, if it's attention she's seeking, resolution is a curtain call, final bow.
In between sink under the water, no further, cold so much and up so far: burning, sparks, break through the glass membrane, how the night fire never engulfed their twigs, why not, that night, tonight he came near, came there. Emptiness is due north.
Children are marshmallows bonfires sticky cream sticks become winter coats, to gandmothers' house we go, seasons, not reasons, parkas piled on the guestroom bed, scarfs and mittens, layered in a freefall, feathers of our family bird.
Overtaken--always the scent, aunts uncles cousins, inhale, hold it, I climb underneath, loss is my blanket, safe I run, faster, to the swing sets, cold chains threaten to take my tongue, frigid blue sky my witness, flick, kick, stick, swing higher higher still, and when are you coming?
Bring the matches, baby I'm jonsing already, and how many scents are there, rearranging me, the first time, winded, a kidney punch, suck air in, how much can we hold before there's no more room, on the stairwell, everywhere, sun crisped, not knowing how to feel.
I will tell you; just ask.
the nicest thing no one ever said about me.
GOOBER ALERT: Jeff Jarvis Outraged Over Moms Ensnared in Advertorial Slavery Ring!!
All of this has led me to one conclusion: I want a little ticker tape to put at the top of my blog that sends out "GOOBER ALERT!" messages.
I want this ticker tape to work in the same way cable broadcasters use the public broadcasting system warn us of alarming events in our local area by scrolling scary words across the screen, and in the same way the Department of Homeland Security saves us from Terrorism by playing with primary colors.
My "on-topic" opinion is that while Ted Murphy has some annoying qualities, Jeff Jarvis tips the obnoxious scale by a long shot with his continual techmeme-gaming pseudo-rants that serve to boost his own ad revenue. PPP will either stand or fold based on the corrective nature of the Internet, not on anything Jarvis says or doesn't say, no matter how many mothers he claims to be trying to save in the mean time.
PPP, keep paying bloggers to make advertorials as long as they say that's what they're doing. (And just because I agree with the business model doesn't mean you aren't annoying in the truest sense of the word). Robyn, keep making your videos. (Tell your kids to use plastic bats next time.) BTW, I thought you looked great and laughed at your postie patrol blog introduction--LOL if you get my drift. One other thing: I'm not sure what you're doing with SEO and exclamation points, but girlfriend, stop it. You can write and still make the scratch. And finally, to you Mr. Jarvis, one day your righteous-prick shtick is going to wear thin on the wrong people.
jeremy gets personal
our experiences shape us, no matter who we are.
Tags: kat herding, jeremy outerbridge, KHM, social media, "new media", PR, Advertising, Business, Kat Herding Media, Blogging, Internet, Web2.0, Friendship 2.0, Social Drama = Powered by Qumana
January 31, 2007
Social Drama or the "Jazzification" of the Web
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One of my favorite Canadians, Jon Husband is posting chapters of a book that he says he'll never write, but appears to be doing just that in front of our eyes, for all to read and comment on. Tres cool.
Jon recently expanded on my Social Drama post with his thoughts, offering clarification on what I might have meant, which wasn't so clear to me then (and still fades in and out now). He says:
What I have inferred is that we will have much to learn, unlearn and relearn about what being social is all about, and we will never again do it without the always-just-available email or voicemail or blogging or MySpace page or LinkedIn profile and digital identity protection requirements and .. and .. and ...Yes, precisely, Social Dramas are being played out on the Web, but are not possible without the merging of our online and offline selves.Oh, of course some people will eschew the use of the the Web and its tools and services, refusing to be prisoners of a by-and-large reductive and tautological medium, and we will never transcend the sociality of life behind the doors of our home or the relationships with neighbours or work colleagues who become lifelong friends ... but presumably 'social drama " will be redefined in this new hyperlinked context.
In fact, they are the result of just that. They urge us to take on new personas -- outside of pre-constructed intravironments like Second Life, where identity rebirth is expected -- to explore who we are across the web, and even who we are not -- then play out those roles here and there and there and there, doing so through improvisational story lines connected through hyperlinks and a shared creative sense.
Social dramas happen online only in collaboration with others or the co-story-telling would be impossible.
They are always the inverse of punditry and postulating. They are not commentary, they are complementary.
It is musical, you see?
Online social dramas are improvisational jazz, played with words, the story carried across and throughout venues -- sites -- sustained through the hyperlinking of chords and melody. The resulting piece is written over time, and is presented as it is written -- the listening ear piecing it together with delight at the end of every measure--or at least that's the goal. Auditory conception. Immaculate--no way.
What social drama is NOT, using the musical analogy, is Miles reincarnated as a red-sweatered avatar playing a concert within Second Life. Rather, it's Miles alright, playing every note he ever played everywhere at once for everyone ear and heart across a connected web.
At least, that's the goal. And admission's free.
Tags: social drama, jon husband, miles davis, internet, tech, blogging, "media 2.0" social media, web2.0, tech, PR, Advertising, Marketing, Second Life, Social Software, Social Networks, digital identity, digital identity crisis, jazz = Powered by Qumana
January 30, 2007
Splish Splash, I Got Back in the Bath -- How Was I to Know There Was a Party Goin' On?!
One of my favorite gentlemen of the Internet is involved in the launch of an interesting new service called SplashCast, which offers a multi-file, mixed media (video, photos, audio, text) embeddable player that gets updates via RSS. In other words, Splashcast lets you display and syndicate channels of content on your website, blog, social networking profiles etc. Gone are the days of Annoying Copy. Spashcast brings the real you up close and personal.
The way I'm explaining it inside my own brain is that splashcast lets me present a "multi-media me" that's auto-updated by RSS.
I wish my real-world, real me was auto-updated via RSS. Is that too much to ask? Can you add the real-world component in the next rev, Marshall? Auto take my vitamins? Auto feed my dog? And all the while you watch me do it.
Talk about putting the GREAT into InteGREATed!
Anyway, you can see SplashCast in action now, with Marshall himself telling the splashcast story, here. He is so cool.
Blogger FAQ's and answers are here: http://splashcastmedia.com/blogger-faq/
I'll be checking it out up close and personal once I get that webcam George got me for Christmas hooked up.
Now THAT's a scary thought.
Tags: spashcast, marshall kirkpatrick, web2.0, "media 2.0", blogging, social networks, multi-media, video, photo sharing, tech, PR, Advertising, Marketing = Powered by Qumana
January 29, 2007
Hyper-Relations and In Between Spaces
It's upward to the ceiling, where the chamber's said to be.
Like the forest fight for sunlight, that takes root in every tree.
They are pulled up by the magnet, believing they're free.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers:
"We've got to get in to get out
We've got to get in to get out
We've got to get in to get out."
--GENESIS--
Someone asked me last week, what's this "social drama" you've been talking about. I said, what do you want it to be? A beginning? An ending? A welcome? Rejection? It's the net--it means what you want it to mean.
Or maybe I didn't write back at all.
What I know is this: what's new is happening on the hyper-strands connecting us, not in the "places" where everyone already is. Sure, I'm interested in what's inside all of the coolest social networks, what's playing on the Internet's intranet -- from myspace to facebook to orkut to flicker to second life and on and on.
But I'm even more interested in the spaces in between blogs and old media and new media and social networks and marketplaces and so on. I'm interested in how we are living and working and hyper-commuting across the web, and in the ways we are relating to and touching one another as we go, and what our travels do to our DNA, and what strands we pick up as we travel. How it changes us. What kind of organisms we are waking up as we move. What wakes up inside of us.
's a big thing, that.
Somewhere in there is where social drama fits. I don't know exactly the parameters -- what constitutes a social drama or what precise definition it deserves. I do know that social dramas taking place AMONG and ACROSS the network, not inside. And I do know that social dramas of one or more people -- with real or merely realistic identities -- offer a way to pull the strands of our social travels together into stories that engage, entertain and maybe even move.
That's enough for me. That's enough for us.
It's not always easy--maybe you feel duped. Maybe you should. Digital Identity's more than a technorati tag, and suspension of disbelief can be a bitch. Conception-to-birth -- it's a rough ride.
You got to get in to get out.
Tags: "media 2.0", PR, Internet, Blogging, Tech, Social Networks, Web2.0, PR, Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Drama, Kat Herding, Jeremy Outerbridge = Powered by Qumana
Media 2.0 Workgroup and Young Dr. Kildare
I'm delighted (you can tell when I use words like 'delighted' that this is serious business) to be part of the newly (as in today) launched Media 2.0 Workgroup.When asked if I would like to participate, I said as long as I can play young Dr. Kildare.
And (you won't believe it, but) they said yes!
So in my new role, I promise you, dear readers and friends and detractors, that I will try to use my power for good, not evil, and that means I will construct my meanderings using the broadest interpretation of what Media 2.0 means. Or doesn't mean.
We came here to tell stories, didn't we? Yes we did! Once upon a time, we were the wedia media pedia, weren't we? Yes, we were! And with the web 2.o pony beaten just shy of the glue factory, I'm looking for new rides, higher slides, longer
strides. So let's find some together! Are you with me?Although my beat is PR, because my roots there are long and twisted, I plan to explore way more than what I already know about. What's your pleasure--social drama? network karma? big pharma? it's all good.
What made me say "Sure, if I can play Dr. Kildare" in the first place was the chance to join this cast of characters who are also part of the workgroup:
Ben Metcalfe (Ex BBC)
Publishing 2.0 (Scott Karp)
Stowe Boyd (/message)
Are you Paying Attention? (Touchstone)
Daniela Barbosa (Factiva/Dow Jones)
Jeremiah Owyang (PodTech)
Jeff Pulver (PulverMedia)
Suw & Kevin (Strange Attractor)
Frank Gruber (AOL)
Ian Forrester (BBC)
Brian Solis (PR2.0)
Marianne Richmond (Resonance Ptnrship)
Jeneane Sessum (Oh, duh, that's me)
You too? Okay then!
For a more formal description on what this whole thing is about, see the blogs listed above, and the announcement on touchstone.
Tags: Media 2.0, Internet, Blogging, Social Media, Media 2.0 Workgroup, Tech, PR, Marketing, Advertising, Business, Wedia = Powered by Qumana
January 27, 2007
Well, sponsoring a dog show is nice i guess.... uh...
Jeremy's, liked, flipped his lid. I'm pretty sure Kat Herding Media isn't sponsoring the Kennel Club International. I hear they're looking to cause some trouble at SoCon though. Word has it the couple pictured here will be in attendance. And the leash? Who can tell.
Tags: kat herding, black snake moan, blogging, SoCon, tech, internet, movies, the south = Powered by Qumana
January 26, 2007
January 25, 2007
Y i love the Y.
Frequently I regale you with tales of my attempts toward some semblance of physical fitness, which often takes the form of deep-water aerobics at the YMCA. I love water anything, I love the Y, and I go as often as I can after dropping Jenna off at school at 7:30, which gets me back home to greet the work day with a gallon of coffee and 4 ibuprofen.
Just as God intended.
I've also written before about how fun it is to see my lady friends in class, many of whom have a few years (or decades) on me.
But they could kick your ass. Don't cross them.
These ladies are my heroes. They don't care that they're not Beyonce or Brittney; they're there to be healthy. They don't care that they sag here or bag there; they come back and back and back because it's the right thing to do. They are so much more beautiful for their energy, generosity, and amazing stories at 8 in the morning when I can't imagine wanting to listen to anyone, but find myself glued to their conversations.
These are not dainty frail women. They work their asses off literally, on the elliptical and in the water, on the treadmill and on the track. I am a mouth hanging open wondering how to get what they have at 64 and 74 that I ain't got at 44.
So I go, and I absorb them into my skin with the chlorine and sore muscles. I hope what they have is contagious.
When classes are over, a few of us head to the whirlpool, where there's often a few people already de-stressing. Because I'm there around the same time, I've gotten to know the whirlpool folks too.
One older man is usually soaking away by the time we finish our class. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him actually work out, but he sure does seem to spend a lot of time soaking his sore muscles.
Tuesday I was talking with one of the ladies from my class while we soaked away in the hot water, and that gentleman joined us. He was telling us about his trip to the doctor the previous week. Apparently he had a couple of things out of whack, including his blood pressure, which was high enough for the doctor to put him on medication.
In fact he said his blood pressure spiked high enough that the doctor was pretty concerned.
My friend asked him, "What made it go so high?"
Without missing a beat, he said, "AOL."
I nearly drowned myself giggling.
Tags: YMCA, health, aging, internet, ISPs, AOL = Powered by Qumana
January 23, 2007
‘High School Musical’ @ Fox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Grade: B.
Go ahead. Call me a freak. I’m a 46-year-old theater critic for a major metropolitan newspaper, and I’m feeling the pure bubble-gum joy of Disney’s “High School Musical.”
In spirit, I’m right up there with the vibrating balcony of cheering tween-agers who rocked the Fox Theatre last night, as Atlanta witnessed the unveiling of the first professional stage treatment of the unstoppable pop phenomenon.
As directed by Jeff Calhoun for Atlanta’s Theater of the Stars, the tale of East High School’s colliding cliques of basketball players, thespians and brainiacs may not be a slam dunk, Broadway-ready, A+ production. (We’ll get to the demerits in just a sec.) But it’s a strongly acted, brightly designed, adrenalin-soaked celebration of the triumph of all things good and true.
And for a story based on such thread-bare plot material, stitched together by so much light-weight musical thread, it’s a surprisingly moving experience.
At $56 a ticket, I am hoping it moves my ass off. See ya there tonight if you're going, blogfriends. Look for the three screaming kids and two bewildered moms.
P.S. Assuming this will bear slight resemblance to my first concert: The Jackson Five in 1973/4 at the Rochester War Memorial. Expecting fewer fros and less pot for a variety of reasons.
More on the other side...
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January 22, 2007
what are your five 'rot in hell' companies--The Bastards Awards
From Wyome comes a personal list of favorite companies to never do business with again. And the winners are...
Bally Total Fitness (winner in the category of ripping off out-of-towners)
Shell (winner in the category of cheap bastard greed sloths)
Verizon (winner in the category of fine print overcharging)
Bridgestone Firestone (for a supporting role in dissing of candidate's skills--and killing people with faulty tires)
NetFlix (for sending movies on a U.S. tour to your mailbox)
So, who won't you do business with based on past experience, and what would it take to change your mind?
Tags: blogging, business, advertising, public relations, PR, tech, reputation, CRM = Powered by Qumana
Dear Big PRlings, It's Official
There he goes! There goes Fonzi! Right there!
OMG, He jumped the shark! He's Okay! Wshew. whoa. wow.
Tags: Scoble, PRSA, Keynote, PR, Fonzi, Marketing, Blogging, Public Relations, Advertising, Internet, Tech = Powered by Qumana
January 21, 2007
OMG Stowe said the P Word
If "social media" PR types continue to focus on how to bring old tools into a new paradigm, they will continue to be beaten about the head and neck. Case in point is the social media press release, which has been discussed way too long for anyone outside of BigPR, which struggles to adapt to the changing means of "relating" among "people," formerly known as consumers.
The problem is the dual role of consumer (or user) and producer (or co-creator) that we find ourselves in, thanks to the Internet. Wait, it's not a problem at all. At least outside of BigPR--which has quickly become OldPR.
The traditional press release serves a purpose and always will. For public companies it is more an IR tool than anything else. Public companies are required to release information--and whether they do it through more human sounding language, through some PDF or HTML file with horizontal rules and links to podcasts, OR the usual way, they're not bothering anyone.
The call for a social media press release is a straw man. It is easier to fix formatting and links in an OldPR tool than it is to figure out how to bring an old-world discipline into new territory.
We are not an audience. You should not be broadcasting. Hello, it's time to take delivery.
On the social Internet, people are always looking for help getting done what they need or want to get done. THAT is the role of PR. THAT is how NewPR people are helping their clients. Finding ways to help people participating online do the things they want to do. Helping them discover new things to do. It's bottom up in the most radical way. The People are the new CEO. And the new CEO is a person.
It's all good. But you gotta stop caring about press releases and start caring about people.
[[UPDATE: NEW post by stowe on the topic, aggregating thoughts from others with new stuff. nice.]]
Tags: stowe boyd, new media, social media, press release, blogging, Internet, PR, Marketing, business, advertising = Powered by Qumana
January 19, 2007
equality now, women's rights, can't stop the serenity, big big big
head going to explode. too many things brewing. chest cold feeling like it's starting. mucinex please work. on the other hand, there are deeper issues than my bronchial tissues. If you are interested in helping raise money for women's equality globally, you can help spread the word about Can't Stop the Serenity, which is raising $ for Equality Now. The press release is here. How did it start?
Last year, organizers held events in 47 cities around the world, raising over $65,000 for the women's rights advocacy group. Organizers in over forty cities have committed to holding CSTS screenings in 2007. Their FAQ has more information.
Tags: gender, feminism, women, internet, film, charity, donations, blogging, business, advertising, marketing, PR, blogher, blogsisters = Powered by Qumana
January 17, 2007
I'm bringin' cluetrain back
I'm like DAMN that's the Head Lemur's picture on Megite tonight. Lookie there! And he's not even blasting a clueless student of the intranets. Must be the warmth of the holiday season got all over our favorite raver.
I notice The Sage One is quoting some good marketing advice from Chris Willis of Hypergene Media Blog:
''On the web you don’t control your message, but you’re welcome participate in the conversation you’ve started.''
Took the words right outta my cakehole.
But while we're at it, let's tip our hats to a few of the spot-on theses from every teenager's favorite Manifesto (sung to the tune of "We are the Champions" by Queen -- you can sing along when we get to: "We are the markets, my friends..."), which gave us permission to be sassy in the first place:
#62 - Markets do not want to talk to flacks and hucksters. They want to participate in the conversations going on behind the corporate firewall.
#63 - De-cloaking, getting personal: We are those markets. We want to talk to you.
#84 - We know some people from your company. They're pretty cool online. Do you have any more like that you're hiding? Can they come out and play?
#85 - When we have questions we turn to each other for answers. If you didn't have such a tight rein on "your people" maybe they'd be among the people we'd turn to.
Tags: head lemur, megite, cluetrain,tech, markets are conversations, marketing, web2.0, Internet, business, marketing, PR, advertising, micromarkets, Gonzo Marketing, Cluetrain Mainifesto, Queen = Powered by Qumana
January 16, 2007
first thing i did on trig.com was upload a dozen photos
then i wrote a piece of poem.
stand
carve into the muddy sky
your name
reminds me
tomorrow is coming
and then
hurry.
waiting.
why I didn't wrap your heart
in the starched linen kerchief
sprinkle holy water
to keep your soul safe
sacrifice
is all we ask
of each other.
In loss, I die backward
claw earth with shredded
fingers
pull myself from your grave
and now what.
there is no stopping regret.
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January 15, 2007
anti-social network for sale, and trig is more than math.
you can still get your bid in for self-proclaimed anti-social network site ruduzu at just under $4K, with 4 days remaining in the auction. Let's see, if 8 of us get together, that's $500 each....
The Lucky Winner gets a working site with 200+ users, traffic coming mostly from facebook.
This site is listed as a turnkey sale only because no ads have been placed yet. It is fully functional and is currently being used, with 250,000 page views per month.
More Stats: (as of 12/21/2006)
Total users: 235
Total annoyances: 4579
Total musings: 346
Total votes: 86005
Total comments: 3312
Everything is for sale. All of the code is included, and the right to manipulate it and use it for other projects. The back end is a PHP 5 object oriented application, with an easily expandable modular design. The site has a great interface with plenty of Ajax for logged in users.
Ruduzu looks kind of like a blogher + twitter for the terminally pissed off, with both genders represented and annoyances instead of twitters. It could be funny, but it'd need an overhaul. All in all, I hope they walk away with some money for a good parody, which is what the site started out as.
For a hotsy-totsy better looking social network (not for sale yet--well, not launched yet actually) get a load of Trig.com. See Mashable for a good review from the inside.
Hey Mikey, he likes it!
Tags: social networks, web2.0, tech, mashable, trig, ruduzu, blogging, business, advertising, marketing, PR = Powered by Qumana
January 14, 2007
web 2.0 co looking for risk-seeking marketing veep?
Extreme Marketing. That's what they should call it, when fast-talking Web 2.0 startups post job descriptions. Especially when they list "risk-seeking" among the qualities they're looking for in their Marketing heads. Case in point, Sampa's job listing via techgigger.
The ideal person will be an energetic, risk seeking, experienced web marketing person that has a proven track record in growing a web service through all of the available distribution channels and doesn't shy away from the hands on work of a startup environment. The VP of marketing will know how to develop an effective marketing mix for a new brand in consumer generated content. S/he will have a broad array of skills that range from creative instinct from site design to ad copy, from competitive product features to tiered pricing structures
You know you're not a kid anymore when every organization you've worked for wanted you to mitigate risk, not seek it out.
And by the way, any time you see a job description with VP and site design in the same sentence, know that you'll be making coffee and copies by noon your first day.
I'm just sayin'...
Tags: tech, web2.0, Internet, jobs, careers, marketing, PR, advertising, business, blogging = Powered by Qumana
word comes from the music underground of augusta and s.c....
...that the godfather of soul, James Brown, is still above ground, unburied, embalmed and at semi-rest in a refrigerated something-or-other at his home while the factions fight over where he should go.
can you belee that shit?
now if he could just get up (get on up)....
Tags: james brown, above ground, music, family, soul, south, augusta, damn! = Powered by Qumana