Spots

My spots from the days when this was all I did. Good times...

Pandora, iPhone Update and the Social Web

I swore I'd never use Twitter but felt obligated to give it a try, and well, whaddya know, I'm hooked. Initially I found it a fun way to keep a mini-diary and very much like TwitPic's integration with my iPhone. As time has gone on, I find it even more entertaining to read what my friends and colleagues are Twittering about, and we've even started using it as an informal tool for two-way communication, i.e. "does anyone have any advice on..."

On a tangentially related note, I did the iPhone OS update last week - I've been chomping at the bit for the App store to open in iTunes and even though I'm on a version 1 phone, I imagined this would open up some amazing functionality if not just some good time-wasting fun on the device. When the store opened over the weekend, I was nearly overwhelmed at the amount of free and reasonably priced apps, many related to some of my favorite web services, like Pandora radio and the NY Times crossword puzzle. If you're not familiar with Pandora Radio, it's a "smart" kind of radio station, which pushes music to your device, you give each track a thumbs up or down, and your voting and the opinions of other users of the service helps Pandora intelligently plan your playlist based on those preferences. I simplify, but if you want more information read about the Music Genome Project.


I was so impressed with the immediacy of having Pandora's service (linked to my web account, natch) on my phone that I Twittered (tweeted?) within minutes of trying it out. The next day, I got a reply from @rustyspeidel asking if Pandora used the Sprint Data (Edge) network or Wifi. I had only tried it on WiFi (no cell service at the house) but replied I would try it in the car. So Rusty, to answer your question: It DOES work on the Edge network. A bit sluggish at times and it only runs as a foreground app, so if you want to check your email Pandora will close. Also, it's a bit of a battery hog. I imagine the buffering is less of an issue for users of the newer 3G phones where that service is available, and if you have a power adaptor for your car that would negate the battery issue.

So, props to Pandora for pimping my phone. Even more impressive is that I was notified a few hours after my Twitter post that Pandora was following me on Twitter. I find it very impressive (and pretty cool) that they are keeping their ears open for what people are saying about them, and staying connected to the people that are likely to say things about them, good or bad. Twitter and blogging are great tools for staying engaged in conversation with your customers, and having worked in companies that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on focus groups of questionable authority, I think this provides a really cool insight into how technology is enabling organizations to connect with consumers.

7 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Podcasts

7 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Podcasts

Just (re)discovered this article after an email exchange with an old colleague. Check it out, and consider that these guidelines don't just apply to Nonprofits.

http://havefundogood.blogspot.com/2006/04/7-ways-nonprofits-can-use-podcasts.html

Look3: Festival of the Photograph 2008

Phew! After sitting on the Tapes that Bryan Harvey and I shot at last year's festival for almost a year, I got the rushed call to put together a promo piece, and here it is. Lots of folks helped tighten, and having just taken a FCP class I've had the opportunity to learn everything I could have done more efficiently ;-)

Also had much fun working with my friend Addison Brady on the music and mix for this - the feedback so far has been positive, and we had a lot of fun doing it (also looks like a cut-down will be airing on WVPT next week). If you're coming to Charlottesville in June, be sure to drop me a line!

Riding the HughTrain

I ran way behind on work yesterday as I had the good luck/bad luck of having a trip canceled last minute - but I was able to sneak in to the Online Marketing Update @ Darden and meet both Rick Klau of Google (né Feedburner), and Hugh MacLeod of GapingVoid.com. Special for me as I had the good fortune to work with Feedburner prior to the Google acquisition, and Hugh's blog is a daily read of mine. Both gave great talks, and Rick's overview of RSS - in a sophisticated, "what it means to your brand" context, dovetailed quite elegantly with Hugh's discussion of the Social Object in the context of marketing and, more importantly, customer relationships.

First point observed: being a cartoonist really spices up your PowerPoint.

Second point observed: don't assume that your audience understands RSS, and don't go too deep in attempting to explain the technology. When necessary, set aside four minutes to show your audience the wonderfully simple video, RSS in Plain English.

Next point (from both speakers) is the importance and benefit of being engaged in the conversation with your customers. This resonated with me, and the work we’ve been doing with PodSquad, because I grew up watching my father foster first-name relationships with his customers in his retail clothing stores; Rick realizes (and demonstrated) the value in continuing this practice in the online medium, and Hugh detailed the successes his clients and partners have experienced doing the same.

Hugh abstracted the concept of the "Social Object", which he explains, in my opinion, as clearly as can be done. Where Hugh is gaining traction in this theory is in the thesis of his talk: "Web 2.0 was invented circa 1917 in the South Pacific". His point isn’t 1917 – it’s that this is when modern anthropologists began documenting the importance of interpersonal relationships. In the marketing world, it boils down to very personal commercial interactions – in other words, every relationship is personal.


So this takes me to the next step and, likely, what will be the next entry here: how, exactly, does podcasting play into all of this? Not to mention another question was raised in one of our sessions: what makes a good podcast? I think they are one and the same: I/we were optimistic at the outset of this endeavor that this medium (the social web), and the podcast audience, represent an opportunity to return marketing communications (especially of a multimedia nature, which is simply our specialty) to the honest conversation of the most primitive commercial interactions. It gives both parties a chance to learn and to do better, and to participate in a Virtuous Circle of growth.

We still haven't asnwered the question that applies to PodSquad though: What makes a good podcast? I have some thoughts on that and would be happy to include yours.