A Silicon Valley Girl navigating through the Tech World
Connecting Beyond the World of Social Media
Jan 10th
I love having the opportunity to connect with people through social media tools. I’ve reconnected with old friend, built bridges with former acquaintances and stayed in contact with those I see on a more frequent basis. From best friend to networking buddies, we’re all connected through one social network site or another.
A few weeks ago, I thought this would be a great tool to help my brother connect with some of the friends he’s made over the years. Let me tell you a little about big my brother, Peter. He has cerebral palsy and is quadriplegic. He can’t speak or communicate beyond a simple nod “yes” or “no”. He’s smart and stubborn, like all men in my family, and has a lot to offer the world, even though his body may limit him most of the time.
My brother and I get together to update Facebook as often as we can. It can be as simple as sharing what he had for dinner or posting the artwork he creates at one of his programs, Creativity Explored. He attends a program each weekday so it’s become an opportunity for communication between his aids and my family. His aids can share if he had a good day or a bad one and what they did so we know to ask Peter the right questions.
Facebook has also allowed for Peter to connect with his friends that have similar limitations. They may never be able to “talk” to one another but they can communicate through their Facebook pages and the person managing that page. I run everything by my brother before I post it and we play Farmville together. It’s not perfect but has opened so many communication doors. It has even inspired my brother to be interested in his communications device that he’s long given up on because it’s a challenge to learn to use. Bringing that enthusiasm into that challenge was difficult but Peter’s activities on Facebook presented and opportunity to reintroduce the idea.
My brother has 17 friends on Facebook. If this were a numbers race or some kind of client launch, it may not be viewed as a success but what we’ve been able to accomplish in the past few weeks is beyond measurable. There is not measurable ROI beyond the smile on his face when I show him some of the comments on his wall or the pictures posted by a friend. This is where I see the true value of social media: giving a voice to those that didn’t have one before.
*If you’re interested in checking out additional art by my brother and other artists at Creativity Explored, please click here for times/dates of gallery showings in San Francisco”
Digital Downloads and the Movie Industry
Jan 5th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Ke$ha, a Los Angeles based singer, moved 610,069 downloads of her first single “Tik Tok” in a week placing her at the number 2 spot for one week downloads ever with Flo Rida’s “Right Round” at number one in one week sales (with Ke$ha as an uncredited singer). That number is remarkably similar to the number of times New Moon was illegally downloaded online during it’s first week of release (610,000). That number pales in comparison to the first week illegal downloads for Avatar which came close to one million illegal downloads.
Illegal online downloads during the theater run doesn’t appear to have much of an impact on the box office numbers, the challenge for the movie industry comes when the films are released to DVD/Blu-Ray. With Netflix and other cost effective (or illegal and free) options for watching movies, it’s become harder and harder to sell DVD/Blu-Ray discs. According to the Wall Street Journal, 2009 was the first year since 2002 that ticket sales out did DVD/Blu-Ray sales, challenging the existing business model of the movie industry. The music industry faced a similar challenge with the appearance of digital downloads but they were able to recover from the disaster that Napster could have been after a little resistance. The did lead to the near death of the compact disc.
The movie industry isn’t quite there. With new release digital movie downloads costing up to the monthly membership at Netflix (and I mean the good membership with 3 movies at a time), what is the movie industry to do in 2010 to turn that around? SmartMoney recently released a list of things not to buy in 2010 and along with newspaper subscriptions, new college text books and CDs was DVDs. Perhaps it’s time the industry lower the cost of a digital download and move the home release date closer to the theatrical release date. This will allow for two money making opportunities for the industry and allow for the movie watcher to choose the type of experience they want and trump the massive amount of illegal downloads. Of course, with Avatar passing $1 billion dollars at the box office, the need for change is not as immediate but as the quality and availability of downloads become a bit easier for the non-techie, that may shift quickly.
What to do? What to do?
Dec 18th
My computer is my life. Yes, that’s a bold statement but almost everything I do is tied to this one electronic. I know some people are tied to their phones or their cars but for me, my computer is everything.
My personal computer is also my work computer. It’s relatively new and still under the Apple store warranty so when the track pad started to act weird, I made an appointment with the Genius Bar to get it fixed. The Genius takes a look and finally convinces me to back up my data (smart!) and tells me the repair will take anywhere from one to four days (what?!?)
I can survive a weekend without my computer, I’ll plan ahead but four days could mean two full work days without a computer or access to important documents and information that I need. Sure, it’s all backed up now but I need to have the computer to access it.
I do have a Samsung Netbook (with a missing “M” on the keyboard) so I will have some access and my lovely iPhone functions almost like a Netbook. I won’t be without any access but I will be a challenge to be computer free for up to four days.
This is such a difficult decision. Do I bring in my computer on Friday after work and hope that it only takes until Sunday or do I just deal with a slightly less than perfect track pad? Addiction and separation anxiety is clearly how computer companies keep people from getting their products fixed. This is going to be touch…
Objectified: A Documentary
Dec 13th
Like so many other design-loving filmgoers, I was pulled into the intricate story and visuals in the 2007 documentary, Helvetica. Although a documentary about a font may not initially seem captivating, it is a beautifully crafted independent film that explores typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Helvetica as a typeface celebrated its 50th year in 2007 and had a surprising impact on design. After seeing the film, I couldn’t wait to see what came next for the director. 
Gary Hustwit, the director of Helvetica, decided to look at design from another angle in his 2009 film, Objectified. The film was released in the theatres in March and made its television debut in November on PBS. Although similar to Helvetica, this film focuses on the origins and designs of objects. The term “objects” can cover almost anything: the focus of this documentary is on modern design. Something as simple as the grip on a vegetable peeler was a well thought out design created for each consumer by focusing on the needs of the weakest and strongest to find the perfect balance. The documentary examines our relationship with objects and by proxy, those that design those objects. Objectified opens viewers eyes to the process that takes place to create and perfect the products consumers us on a day-to-day basis.
On of the more interesting sections of the film was the discussion around sustainability and the future of design. Electronics in particular are designed for short-term consumption and are quickly discarded and end up in a landfill. Smart marketing makes the newest product old very quickly and leaves us craving the next new thing. The challenge for designers is to create products that are recyclable and/or reusable that also stand the test of time. The film features interview and commentary answering this question as well as many others tied to the history, present and future of design.
The documentary is smart and interesting. You may also find yourself rattling off random facts about design to your friends (which may or may not be appreciated depending on the setting). If you missed Objectified in theatres or on PBS, the film is available on DVD for rent or purchase.
Forget Black Friday, Shop on Cyber Monday
Nov 23rd
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Just a few more days until Thanksgiving followed quickly by Black Friday, the official beginning of the holiday shopping season. It’s true, there are some amazing deals that can be found on Black Friday but those deals come at a price. Waking up ridiculously early to shop with thousands of other people trying to get the best price on a new television or pair of designer jeans. This can be incredibly effective but the benefit doesn’t always out weight the difficulties, especially for a non-shopper. That’s where the web comes in.
For the non-shopper, there is another great shopping day, the Monday after Thanksgiving (this year, that is November 30th). Cyber Monday, the official kick off of the online shopping season, is a huge day for online retailers. This is the perfect time to track down great deals online, free shipping and discount codes. This may require waking up early but nothing beats the ease of shopping in your pajamas for those prized holiday gifts.
Of course, the web is vast so finding those deals can be another challenge. That’s where CyberMonday.com comes in. This site is the central hub for Cyber Monday deals at every store from Home Depot to Overstock.com and everything in between. They consolidate the deals from over 650 online retailers making it easy to search and find what you’re looking for. You can shop by category, deal of the week or a simple search.
So here’s my early holiday present to all of you, enjoy the Friday after Thanksgiving and worry about gifts for the holidays on Cyber Monday.
Happy Shopping!
Brizzly.com: Social Networking Made Simple
Nov 20th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Brizzly.com, a reader that works with Twitter and Facebook, officially launched to the public today (previously available by invitation). The site pulls in the information from each social networking account, which is relatively straight forward. Beyond simple aggregation, Brizzly adds additional features that make the site attractive to users of both social networking sites. The two streams are accessed with tabs at the top of the page and at first glance, it seems like a simple site that brings Twitter and Facebook onto one page but the additional features are what make this reader useful.
One of the additional features that stands out is the “why?” button next to the Twitter trending topics. For example, Oprah Winfrey is trending and you may be curious why. Click the “why?” button and you see this simple blurb “Oprah is ending her talk show in late 2011 when her contract expires. She will then launch her Oprah network in partnership with Discovery Networks” Brizzly allows users to get that extra trending information not available in the web based version of Twitter.
Also, the ability to save searches is included in Brizzly so you can easily track conversations that interest you without having to do a unique Twitter Search every time. Brizzly will also translate a tweet from one language to the accounts default language.
The Facebook tab does not offer much in addition to the existing streams in Facebook. The ease of quickly clicking between Facebook and Twitter is one of the features that makes Brizzly useful when accessing Facebook information. There aren’t many perks for the Facebook only user.
Brizzly did officially launch today so additional features will likely be added in the near future. The site offers a simple and clean user interface, making it an attractive option for staying on top of your social networks. There’s also an adorable bear mascot, who wouldn’t love that?
Vook: book meet video, video meet book
Nov 13th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
A book may not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing innovation but as technology has progressed, the way we consume the information presented in books has made a steady evolution. From the audio book to the Kindle, technology has jumped in to make books easier to consume in a variety of formats creating a debatably richer experience.
New to the market is Vook. It is the latest innovation in reading that brings together books, video and the Internet. Vooks are available on the web and to download on a mobile phone. It’s an interesting idea with the goal of supplementing books with video and social content that aren’t available in the static format.
The web-based version allow for the reader to view the text of the book in a similar format to an e-Reader. Video is incorporated on the side of the screen so you can easily view complementary material without flipping between screens or from book to computer. It also includes social media capabilities by integrating with Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. The mobile format has similar features but due to the size of the screen, readers are directed to video rather than it being incorporated in the screen. Although I have yet to try it, I imagine this is incredibly useful for cookbooks and fitness materials more so than novels.
The book selection is on the smaller side and focused on fitness and cooking texts but the site is new and I expect their library to grow. I do wonder if they will attempt to turn some of the classics into Vooks, which could be very interesting to see.
Politicians and Twitter
Nov 8th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Regardless of your stance on the healthcare debate, on Saturday the 7th history was made. Like so many others out there, I learned about this via Twitter. It was utilized successfully to help President Obama connect during his campaign and he has continued to use Twitter to communicate with his followers (all 2,620,260). This is the tweet shared after the vote:
Not too long ago, our access to politicians was limited to their “State of the (city, state, country) Addresses” and information shared through the press secretary. We now have unprecedented access thanks to social media. Some politicians are quick to jump into Twitter because they believe it will help them win elections. Others are true believers in the tool and how it allows them to connect with the supporters and non-supporters alike.
I am a big fan of lists so I’ve pulled together my list of the most interesting politicians to follow on Twitter. By interesting, I don’t mean that they have a similar viewpoint to mine, which means there are representatives from both parties and can lead to some entertaining updates. The list is in alphabetical order, enjoy!
- http://twitter.com/BarackObama
- http://twitter.com/Barbara_Boxer
- http://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley
- http://twitter.com/clairecmc
- http://twitter.com/EricCantor
- http://twitter.com/gavinNewsom
- http://twitter.com/joebiden
- http://twitter.com/JoeSestak
- http://twitter.com/schwarzenegger
- http://twitter.com/senjohnmccain
“Skills Are Cheap”: Online Learning
Nov 8th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
You can learn anything on the Internet. I recently decided to take a few a few violin lessons and when I went to pick up my rental, the shop owner asked me if I was going to be taking lessons. I responded with “Of course, how else would I learn to play the violin?”. Her response was classic, “Kids now a days try to learn everything on YouTube”. I planned to take lessons but thought I would check out videos on YouTube to quench my curiosity. One broken string and ten dollars later, I decided to stick with the in-person lessons I’ve already scheduled.
That did get me thinking about the amazing amount of topics that can be learned about online. As Gary Vaynerchuk said in his new books, Crush It, “skills are cheap”. Here are some free and/or cheap resources for finding online skill development opportunities whether for personal use or professional development.
Youtube.com: You can find almost any kind of video here. Whether you’re looking for music lessons or how to fix an appliance, you can find it here.
Gradschools.com: If you’re looking for a degree you can find both online and in person programs here.
Food Network: Recipes, tips and tricks to help improve your cooking skills. Yum!
DIY network: All sorts of tips on how to make and fix everything. There are a lot of fun do it yourself projects to be found.
Oversharers.com: Where’s the Mystery?
Oct 29th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
As I shared my recent concert experience via Twitter (and this blog and YouTube) this past weekend, I wondered if anyone would be interested in hearing about it the next day since all the good bits were already published. For being a new media lover, I’m old school by nature and it took some conditioning to share any personal details online but have I crossed that line and become an oversharer?
Occasionally, we all cross the line between “informative” and “too much information” but before social media, those moments were quickly forgotten only to be retold as a funny story between friends. Not anymore, we are living more and more public lives and sharing our personal information on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
I was recently introduced to a blog that chronicles social media oversharing, Oversharers.com. The posts range from funny to gross to NSFW (you have been warned). The blog is a great example that no matter who you are or where you post, remember that your audience may not be limited to your friends and loved ones. So take this as a pre-Halloween cautionary tale, before you describe the revenge your stomach takes on you for your over indulgence in candy corn, think about how much you don’t want that information to appear on this blog the next day.
If only there were an Oversharers Anonymous…
