The Relationship with Your Manager

Building a relationship with your manager can be tough sometimes, but remember these simple rules and the relationship you have with your superiors will certainly have the potential to be successful.

We all want to succeed

We like people who help us succeed.  You will build trust and credibility with your manager when you prove that your goal is to help them succeed.  This doesn’t mean you are a “yes sir” person, always agreeing (more on this below), but rather that your focus is on their success, which is ultimately your organizations success.  When they look good, you’ll look good and you’ll reach your departments objectives as well, developing a reputation of someone who delivers results.

Feed them the right information

I mentioned not being a “yes sir”.  You role is to be a subject matter expert.  It doesn’t matter what the subject is, only that in your role it’s your primary focus.  As such, you have an obligation to ensure that your manager understands what’s important in detail.   I’ve always worked with the understanding that I’ll make sure my manager has all the information, and I’ll fight for what I think is right.  Until they make a decision, I’ll work hard to defend my position as the subject matter expert.  But here’s the key; when your manager makes a decision, forget your opinion because it’s gone and over with.  Never tell people down the road that you thought it was a bad choice, or were fighting for another choice.  Remember, we’re going for trust and credibility, not undermining authority.  Show your manager that you have the guts to fight for what you think is right, and the fortitude to stand at his side even though he went a different direction.

Market them and your company

Never tell people that you don’t like working for them, their stupid or you hate working for them.  Remember, you’re trying to help them succeed, not run them into the ground.  If you talk about them in a negative light, or even bad mouth the company you work for, it’s time to leave and find something new because you’ve torn down the foundation to your career success.  Be an advocate for your organization, your boss and your situation.  If you can’t, update your resume and find somewhere you can.

You don’t need to be close friends with your employer (although that can be nice), but you definitely need to be on the same page, working towards the same goal and objectives.  If you’re fighting against them rather than with them,  you will do damage to your reputation, be worthless to your company and be your own biggest roadblock to success.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.  Subscribe today, and connect with me on Twitter and let’s talk about your experiences.

[Via http://matthew-schmitt.com]

Digital Rights Monopoly

Why is over zealous copyright and DRM protection a problem?

Well, if you’re like me, and you want to uplaod a video you shot at a concert you attended onto say, Facebook, you’re out of luck, and what’s more you’re accused of copyright infringement.  Now, I find that a bit upsetting, and forgive me if I’m a little behind the times, but I wasn’t aware that paying for a show and openly recording  where there was no ban set and then trying to share that experience, the one you paid for, was considered an infringement.  Now of course I am aware that it is the band’s performance, and it is their music I am sharing.  But it’s not like the content is being published as mine, it’s not on demand, or transferable or downloadable, I am simply letting people view it.  Now I don’t  know about the rest of you, but I enjoy watching clips or songs from a band online.  This is especially true if I’m not familiar with the band.  I would say that the amount of content available for a band’s record that I am considering purchasing is directly linked to whether I will buy it.  I would also say that my friends sharing a band name is far more effective than any other form of advertising that I know of.

All that said, yes there are ways of taking a video from facebook or YouTube and turning it into an quirk clip and throwing it on your phone or iPod, but that is the illegal action in my mind, not sharing the experience that I had.  If anything, I am the one doing the band a favor by getting their name out there along with my feedback and thoughts on the show.

Anyway, my point is this, if I want to download the record illegally, which I do not, I know of plenty of other ways to get than to rip it off facebook.  Get over it.

[Via http://noblousepolicy.wordpress.com]

What is Right and Wrong with the Palm TV Commercial

This is the spot with the African American female in the red dress walking down the street and images of her phone covering her face. I’d like to give you a link to the spot but at press time – LOL – I couldn’t find it online. If you find it, hit me with the link, and I’ll add it.

The music, the talent and the action are all good, but it has some production, creative and strategy flaws, and I just can’t get past them. Combined, the bad outweighs the good and the spot is ruined for me.

Production -

Good:  Music fits spot. It’s catchy, and “urbanesque” (trademark pending). Good editing of music.

Bad:  Silos are terrible. I mean really bad. They may have been good a year or two ago, but today, they’re way behind. It’s the equivalent of a bad clipping path. It’s no Old Spice man on a horse for sure.

Creative -

Good:  Great use of color and the absence of it. The main talent is the only one or thing (cars included), apparently, who wears bright colors. It keeps the focus on her. But, she’s a stunner, and I think that, combined with the moving screen captures, we would have been watching her anyway. Still, it is good framing.

Bad:  I think the spot is supposed to show how hectic her life is and how the palm helps her? I think she is getting invited to a party or the style of the party has changed and maybe she needs shoes? I’m lost. But, if that is what we were supposed to get out of it, why not show her full frame at the beginning of the spot in different flats or heels and then at the end, when you have taken us on the virtually journey of her finding the right store, her shoes are transformed in the close shot to the groovy boots she has on at the end full frame shot? Then, we see that there has been an impact in her life. Right now, it just looks like a lot of stuff is coming at her, and I am not seeing benefit of the phone? How is she keeping up?

Strategy -

Good:  It is airing during the NCAA tourney, so the media buy is good. Heavy male, which are the largest users of smart phones and also above Scarborough for African American, so good talent selection.

Bad:  No point of difference. It is like every other smart phone, or is it? Who knows? In fact, we don’t even see the phone, so I guess they aren’t proud of the way it looks and for most women (send hate mail somewhere else) the phone is still a fashion accessory too (there, I said too) and they care about what the phone looks like. If they didn’t, explain the hot pink razor to me? Also, I get the drive to retailer, but you couldn’t even list your url, and you’re selling a smart phone? How about a twitter account? How about a QR bar code or a Windows tag (formerly snap tag)? Come on, give me something! Your website has social networking written all over it, like you own Facebook, but still, you couldn’t integrate your media? You don’t even have your spot on your site, that I could find.

Overall -

I give it a C+. Smart phones are still being dominated by men. I can’t see them relating to the spot. Yes, she is attractive. Yes, I like the music. Yes, I think the agency tried a unique perspective. But most males are not going shopping for shoes with their phones and if the spot is supposed to be targeting women with the NCAA media buy…the stereotype of an African American female with urbanesque (trademark still pending) music playing, the only recognizable image on her screen shot is maybe Air Jordan-like at the beginning (for “Def radio” (really, Def Radio – you went that far, huh?) and having her shop (and that represents “Life moves fast” is just not cutting it for me.

[Via http://adbigwig.com]

Spring

Finally, it’s Spring again, one of my favorite seasons… despite allergies. The month of Aries also begins on Spring. I’ve been working on some cool stuff on the blog as part of the 2010 changes. There will also be more reviews throughout March and April such as; Inuyasha – Final Act, KCA Reviews, Recent Song Releases, etc.

Speaking of Aries, my birthday is on April 16. I’ll be turning 13 this year. And finally, I actually found a good time to have a contest on iTunes giftcards. I’ll give two $10 iTunes giftcard codes and a 1 Month Club Penguin Membership. Seems all cool? That’s not the best part…

[Via http://gardenax.wordpress.com]

the constant optimist?

A while ago now I asked some friends on Facebook for reading material suggestions and I’ve been dutifully reading away since then. It was actually extremely helpful and I would recommend trying it if you are in need of something to read.

One important lesson I’ve learned is that it’s always better to read a book someone thinks you’ll like than a book they like themselves. Another is that literary downers are best paired with the literary equivalent of bottle of Zoloft. Yesterday, for instance, I decided that I’d quite like to read John le Carre’s “The Constant Gardener” as I quite enjoyed the film and have only heard great things about his books. That being said I am well aware that the story is depressing as fuck so I need an antidote to all that negativity.

While waiting in the departure lounge the other day I came across Laurence Shorter’s “The Optimist” and decided that while I would indeed be interested in reading it, I could not justify the twenty dollars being asked for it on the other side of security at YYC. Voila, I now have the perfect literary yin and yang. After delving into The Constant Gardener, I’ll hop, skip and jump along with The Optimist.

So far The Constant Gardener is amazing.

I’ll keep you posted.

[Via http://blogfaced.wordpress.com]

Finally, We Can Let Myspace Die

The Heretic’s Comment:  The article of this article feels that Myspace might finally be allowed to die a peaceful death based on the new program initiative for Independent Artist that is being sparked up by YouTube.

Read the article and give us your thoughts.

Closing Questions:

1)      Do you think Myspace is a Dinosaur heading for extinction in terms of promoting musical projects?

2)      Do you still use Myspace to promote your musical projects?

3)      Do you feel that Myspace will always have a place in helping artist promote their individual projects and music?

http://news.wbru.com/2010/03/finally-we-can-let-myspace-die/

The Music Business Heretic © 2010 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY Movement……..

[Via http://musicbusinessheretic.wordpress.com]

Why do I have so many profiles?

With so many online ‘communities’ today, you may find it hard to keep up with all your usernames and passwords or even where you already have ‘profiles’. I’ve heard those who are less social networking addicted than myself lament “Why can’t there just be one place for all of this stuff?”. I can sympathize with their frustration as they log on to three different places to keep up with friends, family and co-workers because they can’t get them all to just join the same one. However, many of us have profiles on multiple sites because they serve different purposes and uses to us.

Perhaps you’re asking yourself what in the world I’m talking about right now. I’ve seen many people who post the same things everywhere they post. The same status updates, the same pictures, the same links so basically if you’ve seen one of their profiles you’ve seen them all. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that exactly, there’s something to be said for consistency I suppose. Besides if you are one of those people who only have multiple accounts because you can’t get all your ‘peeps’ to sign up in one place then that suits your needs. For me, I like to use different sites and accounts for different things.

Facebook, well that’s pretty much friends and family stuff. I don’t use it to meet new people, I use it to keep up with people I already know. Sure I do have a few of those people who are somewhere between a professional connection and a friend on there too, but for the most part that’s where you’d find pictures of my friends and family and status updates about the next vacation I’m planning or what I’m doing this weekend. It’s set to private and I don’t add random total strangers. It’s my personal profile, the place to let my hair down…within reason of course!

Then there’s LinkedIn, which is all about business. It’s the button down professional side of my life.  My professional credentials are on there and I use groups and my current connections to meet new business connections. It’s a place to get to know people who I can help to get ahead or vice-verse. I visit group discussions and read or post and invite people who’s contributions to the discussions with whom I’m impressed or agree to join my network. I am able to find people within my current industry or in industries of interest to me and expand my horizons.

I actually have two twitter accounts but both are primarily used as a way to read and/or share news and blogs with others and find new people with shared interests. One I use for professional work related things and the other is mostly about the non-work things I love like the Kentucky Wildcats and classic muscle cars.

The most recent addition to my regular sites is Brazen Careerist.  Which is kind of like LinkedIn and Twitter got together and had a baby or something.  It’s great for not only sharing an idea/article/blog but discussing it as well.  Settings allow for you to have your blog and your twitter feeds display on your profile, which is a nice way to pull it all together.

Beyond those basics I’m on several other more topic specific sites and message boards.  Some are professional, like Multifamily Insiders, while others are purely recreational, like Cats Pause, but each serves a particular purpose in my online world.  How about you?  Do you use different social media sites in different ways or are they all the same to you?

[Via http://lisastarks.wordpress.com]

Day 4.5: Just because...

It was just too funny to pass up the opportunity to post this…  Now we know that uh, we put it out to the universe that we wanted to meet all of you potential heros, but well, not so sure if this is what we had in mind… 

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?page_id=9798&paged=9

[Via http://findingbatman.wordpress.com]

Facebook and Twitter: Not Just Time Wasters

When I was working outside of my house, I had an instant support system.  I was lucky – my colleagues were also my friends, and we all vented to each other.  A lot.  (It probably didn’t hurt that I worked in a college counseling center, and I was surrounded by therapists.  Not only do we spend a lot of time listening to other people’s problems, but we’ve been known to get a bit mouthy about our own from time to time.  Just a bit.)

I didn’t realize how much I relied on and appreciated the support until I left my job after my daughter was born.  Although I get some grown-up time in class and meetings for my part-time jobs, I do most of my work from home.  No more venting in between therapy sessions, no more trading stories over lunch at the Caf.  It has taken me almost a year and a half, but I have slowly found a group of amazing Mommy friends, and I am so grateful for the time we spend together when my little Chooch isn’t in daycare.

But three days a week she is in daycare, and I feel compelled not to socialize on those days so I can get work done.  Those are the days when Facebook and Twitter keep me from going completely insane.

I know most of my Facebook friends personally; the opposite is true on Twitter.  Regardless, it continues to amaze me how brief status updates and 140-character blurbs can help me feel so connected.

The past month has been rough in my house.  I had a cold, persistent cough, and sinus infection for three weeks, made harder by the dearth of medications available to pregnant women.  Then the Chooch got pink eye and an ear infection, and within days of her recovery, my husband came down with a terrible stomach flu.  Fortunately, three liters of IV fluids seem to have helped him tremendously.  Oh, and we’ve been fighting a flooding basement for the past 48 hours (along with the rest of Massachusetts).  We’re exhausted, and we need a break.

Yes, I’ve had some rough days through all of this.  You can even read about one of them here if you’re so inclined.  Fortunately, lots of things have helped – most notably, my family, my friends, and my online support network.  People have offered concrete advice about everything ranging from pregnancy-safe cold treatments to dealing with a very wet basement. More importantly, they’ve reminded me that I’m not alone in all of this.

They’ve helped me keep perspective.

One person in particular comes to mind.  I’ve never met her, and I only know a few details about her life.  Her Twitter handle is #KristineBrite, and she has a story of loss and trauma that breaks my heart over and over again.  She has been tweeting about her experience trying to get decent health care for her husband after he sustained a serious injury, and her spirit and resolve have been inspirational to me.  Over the past several days, she has sought help online, but also continued to tweet about the experiences and challenges of others, offering them her thoughts and support.  At time when most of us, myself included, could and would become completely self-absorbed, she is thinking of others and continuing to stay connected.

We were at the doctor’s office today, and they had just put an IV into my husband.  He was incredibly sick (I’ll spare you the details), and I was waiting for him outside the restroom.  He could hear me crying (there is only so much that a pregnant, sleep-deprived woman can handle), and tried to reassure me through the door.  His weak voice was only slightly reassuring.  Yet for some reason, at that moment, I thought of this woman, Kristine, who I have never met, and I felt better.  I can’t tell you exactly what I was thinking, but I can tell you how I felt.

I didn’t feel less sad or scared or tired or overwhelmed, but I felt like I could handle it.

What a gift.

So, to Kristine, to my community, my old friends and new, those I have met and those I hope to meet soon, thank you.  Reading about the smallest details of your day helps remind me that while life isn’t easy, that we all have our challenges, and most importantly, that we’re not alone.  That I’m not alone.  Somehow that makes is all so much better.

That’s what it’s all about, and my life is so much better because of all of you.

Thank you.

[Via http://adjustmentdisorder.wordpress.com]

The Upsetting and Disturbing Story of Hollie Greig

Hollie Greig was systematically abused by professionals from Social Workers, to Policemen and even a Judge.  No wonder then that the powers that be in Scotland are not happy about the story breaking out.  Too late, the people have got a hold of the story now and the people want justice.

So much so that a facebook group has been dedicated to achieving justice for Hollie Greig and her family.

Let’s make sure the whole world knows about the corruption and exploitation which is happening right now in the UK Social Services system.  They told Hollie to shut up, try telling us that.  No use shutting the stable door when the horse has bolted, and Hollie’s story has well and truly bolted and is currently making it’s way into the mainstream media.

[Via http://thescottishartist.com]

"I Know" Targets US Young Adults on HIV

According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), over 33 million people worldwide are living with HIV. In the United States most aid for preventing and treating the virus tends to go towards those living in the developing world. However, there has been criticism by many American advocates that the U.S. government has neglected to provide the same aid to a group in its own country which has been the most affected by the virus – African Americans. While African Americans represent over 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for over half of all those being infected yearly and living in the United States with HIV. As the Obama administration starts to put together a national HIV/AIDS strategy – the first one in 20 years, other HIV activists are taking their message directly to the people via digital activism.

The “i know” effort is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Act Against AIDS campaign, which uses multiple social media platforms to reach out to African American youth with facts about HIV/AIDS with the aim to engage them in open conversation.

“By supporting frank conversations through social media, ‘i know’ creates an opportunity for young people to talk directly with each other about the issues that fuel this still-deadly disease,” said Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “Their ideas and involvement will be a critical part of the solution.”

The campaign uses a mix of both old and new media. Followers have a choice of using Twitter, Facebook and texting to get alerts and status updates on HIV knowledge and attitudes, as well as links to information about HIV testing and prevention. The campaign’s website allows users to identify local HIV testing sites and campaign events and video stories of those living with HIV. There are also radio and online video public service announcements that has actor Jamie Foxx calling for a new discussion on HIV.

Since the campaign’s launch on March 4, hundreds of users have become followers of the various platforms and it seems that the campaign has initially succeeded in engaging users, as can be seen with the many status re-tweets and discussion. While it is good that social media is being used in this campaign, it should also be highlighted that the campaign’s radio use is just as important, as many African-Americans still see the significance of this medium for getting out information within their community. However, it will take a longer amount of time to actually determine if both the online and radio efforts turn into offline actions.

[Via http://globalwireonline.org]

Facebook wrecks your photos

There’s a great item at the Washington Post about how Facebook is becoming the default place to share photos. It explains how people are using it instead of Photobucket and Flickr, probably because of the greater social sharing ability on Facebook. Certainly, when I shoot some fun photos of family and friends, Facebook is the first place I put them because that’s where most of those people will see them first.

But I know some things to be wary of that most users don’t. The article addresses those concerns: Facebook shrinks your photos to fit them within the constraints of the albums online, and compresses the images. That may not be a big problem with your cellphone pics, but if you upload real pictures from a real camera, it’s messing with your images. And as the article points out, if you are using Facebook as photo storage (instead of your own hard drive), you are basically throwing your good photos away. You’re not going to get good prints, or even good High Definition quality screen views, of your photos after Facebook has messed them up.

But there’s more. When you take photos with a digital camera, a bunch of useful information is embedded invisibly in the photo. The brand of camera, your exposure settings, the lens you used, the date and time it was taken. If you have a GPS attached to your camera, it adds that info so you can know exactly where you were when the photo was taken. If you use Photoshop or similar tools, you can embed valuable caption and copyright information into the photo.

When you upload a photo to Facebook, all of that is stripped out. It even loses its filename. Losing its filename is not that bad, if that basic information is still left in. But once you upload to Facebook, it’s all gone. That photo no longer belongs to you. Oh, you still theoretically own the copyright, but there’s nothing to identify the picture, and there’s nothing to keep others from taking your photo and using it for their own purposes.

On a sharing site like Facebook, it’s kind of OK to let others use those photos you upload, especially if they’re family and friends. Isn’t that the point? But at the same time, does it make sense for the photo to lose all sense of identity (when it was taken, who took it, where) if, as the article states, Facebook says “it’s not photo quality but context — a pinpointing of place, time and participants — that people care about these days.” Facebook took that all away when you uploaded the photo.

[Via http://realitytourist.wordpress.com]

Exclusive: Fox Becomes a Hen? ‘CAIR’ and Imbalance? News Corporation Falls Under Saudi Control

Fair and Balanced Your Ass!

March 12, 2010

Paul Williams, PhD

Former prominent guests on Fox News, including Walid Shoebat, contend that the News Corporation has surrendered its “fair and balanced” coverage of Islam and events in the Middle East for a fistful of Saudi cash. Their contention is based on a series of recent developments within the media giant. The first development was the news that Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, invested $70 million in the Rotana Group, an enterprise owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah. The Rotana Group operates a host of TV channels throughout the Middle East and is a leading producer of Arabic movies. Next came Mr. Murdoch’s decision to make Abu Dhabi, the headquarters of the News Corporation’s global media operations in the Middle East. On Monday, the Fox Business Network announced that it will dispatch a full-time correspondent to the Middle East in order to inform Americans of the unique business opportunities in such places as Syria, a country that provides shelter for Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah and support the insurgents in Iraq. Who are you going to trust now, Infidel? In the wake of this announcement, Fox news commentators – including Glenn Beck, Charles Krauthammer, A.B. Stoddard and Bill Kristol – condemned Geert Wilders, a well-respected Dutch dignitary and critic of radical Islam, as a “fascist” and a “demagogue.” Mr. Krauthammer said that Mr. Wilders, who is the leading candidate for Prime Minister in The Netherlands, doesn’t know the difference between Islam and Islamism, a distinction known only to Mr. Krauthammer. While Mr. Beck labeled Mr. Wilders as a “fascist,” Ms. Stoddard expressed her agreement with Krauthammer and added that “if people like this (Mr. Wilders) are elected to lead Holland it will suffer the consequences. What caused this denunciation? Mr. Wilders produced a short documentary on Islam in Holland called Fitna in which he argued that “there is no such thing as ‘moderate Islam’” and that the Prophet Muhammad would “. . . in these days be hunted down as a terrorist.”  Complete Story:

[Via http://dancingczars.wordpress.com]

The Beauty of Clouds and Dead Trees ...

When I first wake up in the morning I get out of bed go to the window and look out and up. There is nothing more uplifting than getting a look at nature’s beauty as soon as you wake up .  The first thing I look for is Clouds they are so stress relieving you can sit and watch clouds for hours finding shapes and weird and wonderful creatures. Children make games up about cloud watching and it is the best activity in summer to lay on the back lawn look up and cloud watch.  Even to just watch the movement of the clouds and marvel at it.  The way the light of the rising sun plays on the clouds above is amazing and is one of my favorite times to get out there with the camera and just capture the beauty of nature.

be uplifted by the beauty

The rising sun signals the start of a new day . How many of us really take notice of it?  Not many we are too busy taking notice of that clock that is beside the bed ringing in our ears ..get up , get up you HAVE to get up.  Some people live in inner city housing and don’t think to look outside for fear of seeing another grey house or street and its a shame.  The joy of my nature photography though is that you can take the beauty of clouds and sunrise/sunsets into your home and have them there to wake up to every morning.  To wake up to that horrible alarm turn over and look up at your wall to see the beauty of clouds the light playing off them from the sun will bring a sigh of contentment from you and get you up that bit quicker.

If I look out that window and see those beautiful clouds I have hard trouble going back to bed I have to get up and depending on my capabilities to actually wake up I will either get dressed quickly or just go out walking in my pjs ..lol.. I usually head to the front of our farm where the sun rises and we have a beautiful array of trees along the front boundry fence.  My most favorite tree is no longer alive but is more alive in my life today than it would have ever been with bark and leaves on it sits at our front gate and is seen every day .

Now on the subject of Dead trees which are also a main feature in a lot of my photography.  Have you ever really looked at the branches of a dead tree usually they are barkless making them clean and free of restriction . The top branches reach up and out without anything to stop them or hide them from the clouds and the suns rays.  I feel the connection between the clouds and the sun with the tree below as if its reaching up to the heavens to share its joy of the life it had with everyone.

Rainbow Farm has many dead and living trees our farm is 108 acres and in that we have 10 acres of bush about 20 acres of blue gum tree farming trees then the rest is sweeping paddocks (fields ) of grass.  The magnifecent tree at our front gate is always in my sunrise photos as it reaches up to touch the morning and is very relaxing to look at you get the combination of the suns rays playing across the clouds as well as reaching for those branches . I can stare at those images for ages.  I have many tree images in my collection some I am so glad I got to take when I did as the farmers have pulled them down and made firewood of them its sad to see the old majectic trees go like that and I know I will be upset when Rainbow Farms protecting guard at the front gate falls.

In Australia and especially around the Busselton, Western Australia area dead trees are very important to the bird life some species will only nest in the holes of branches in old trees.  Our Black cockatoos are one of those and I think that is why Rainbow Farm is blessed with these birds every nesting season. 

White Tail Black Cockatoo Sweethearts

Wow for not thinking I would be able to do this blog thing I managed a descent sized blog ..lol.. I hope my ramblings are not too much for you all just when you start talking about your passion its hard to stop.  Make sure you get out there and take a look around today if you can’t visit my galleries on my website or fanpage

http://www.rainbowfarmphotography.com.au

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Busselton-Australia/Rainbow-Farm-Photography/133134259719?ref=ts

[Via http://cozmist.wordpress.com]

MySpace's New Strategy - LATimes.com Article

Interesting MySpace article in the LATimes.com today.

Some highlights:

“Facebook’s online clout is giving it an edge among major brand advertisers. Market researcher eMarketer projects that worldwide ad spending with Facebook will reach $605 million this year, up nearly 39% from last year.If that happens, Facebook will surpass MySpace, which will see revenue drop 21% to $385 million, eMarketer projects.”

“We need to be a platform for self expression that is clearly differentiated from the competition”

“The online social network … will use information that users volunteer on the site … to recommend movie trailers, recently released songs and video games to them.”

Yikes … I knew MySpace was imploding but I didn’t know things were this bad. According to this article, FB is effectively 2x MySpace in terms of visits and time spent and analysts are projecting a 21% decrease in topline revenue for the once dominant social networking site. Worst of all, I’m not sure I understand this new strategy of “entertainment + creative expression”. 

For one, MySpace, to my knowledge, owns little to no actual entertainment content, so its value is principally as a distribution platform for content. Last time I checked – the platform with the most users (and the one that is growing) is the one who wins. Additionally, part of the revised MySpace strategy appears to be around leveraging behavioral targeting to support a CPA/Affiliate-model based on driving sales of movie tickets, music, video games, etc. The problem is that the high-value users with purchasing power and disposable income left MySpace a long time ago—and 13 year old kids in Middle America don’t have credit cards.

Ultimately, if you’re a content owner/producer, why would you choose MySpace as a distribution partner over the other options you have? Unless they’re offering you very favorable economic terms, you probably wouldn’t.

As far as creative expression … I dunno. Isn’t FB’s standard (clean) UI part of the reason why users fled MySpace in the first place? Does anybody really want to look at ANY web page that has white text on a yellow background, repeating tile gifs, plays horrendous music on load and takes 17 minutes to fully render?

But playing armchair quarterback is a coward’s pursuit. What should MySpace have done and more importantly, what should they do going forward?

The article suggests that the execs think ‘mission creep’ was the problem. From my view, more precisely, this was about pursuing the wrong mission. It would seem reasonable that in a highly competitive space, with extremely fickle and transient users, the company’s efforts should have been directed towards increasing switching costs while providing high-utility. It seems to me that there was a great opportunity to innovate on product and create social interaction-driven versions of old internet tools like messenger, chat, email, and audio/video/media players. The power and usefulness of such products would have leveraged MySpace’s greatest asset – its HUGE lead in # of users – and made it more difficult for competitors to encroach.

Bottom line: it was just too easy for users to leave MySpace.

Going forward requires some more thought. Look out for Part II.

In the meantime - take the “Will MySpace Survive” poll

 

View This Poll

survey

[Via http://credisdead.wordpress.com]

facebook thoughts

facebook is perhaps currently the world’s most effective and powerful networking vehicle… people maintain facebook accounts for a plethora of reasons… some even unknown to themselves… for me, it has been a wonderful place where i found people of like mind and purpose, people who are doing valuable things with their lives – even though some of them do go about it in a rather pushy way, i still have great respect for their passion…

this morning, a little question hung like a suspended mobile in my mind: what kinds of comments do your facebook friends make on your wall / posts?

yes, i do agree that for many, their facebook accounts are purely for networking purposes etc not indicative of their closer friendships… but still… what kinds of people form your network then? in some way, it is neverthelessl a reflection of who you are… even a superficial layer is still a layer, it is still part of your make up… the clothes you wear are reflective of the man/woman you are inside, your choices in life, your tastes, your preferences etc… they are not the sum total of your existence but you spend a whole lot of time inside your clothes, so they are important in any assessment of you…

i then went about reading some facebook friends’ walls and observing the comments made…

all kinds of wonderful people inhabit my facebook world… i have observed people arguing heatedly under posts, agreeing passionately about various causes and issues, the well heeled getting excited about the things that their money can buy… one person’s regular updates consist of talk about expensive acquisitions – toys, gadgets etc, juxtaposed with pious religious quotations… many friends post about their families… others about obsessions with sport… yet others about their latest events and shows and creative work… several posts about the community work they are doing and their passion for helping the less fortunate… some about parties, clothes, food…

but something else caught my attention and made me a tad sad, yet so very relieved… a series of comments made by various facebook ‘friends’ on someone’s wall about his new relationship – nothing really wrong about what was said, but just reflective of what kind of world this person is in – frivolous shallow comments, which to me were not very respectful of the lady in question, but everyone seemed very happy about it anyway… and i felt relieved, that i am not in this person’s world and never want to be… though i came very very close, but my friend saved me from it by rejecting me… and now i am very very thankful to him for that…

it’s all about one’s worldview and personal convictions… this isn’t a moral judgement… just a very enlightening exercise that feeds my insatiable mind… i am fascinated by the world around me and the people in it…

try it… check out your facebook friends’ walls and the comments they make and their friends make… meditate a little, go beneath the surface… you will see little glimpses of who your friends really are, by seeing what kinds of talk from what kinds of people they surround themselves with in their wonderful facebook network…

i do love facebook… don’t you?

[Via http://spunkykitty.wordpress.com]

FaceBook Whining Gets Prof Grounded

A post with three  observations.

Gloria Gadsden, a sociology professor at East Stroudsburg University decided to vent her frustrations with some students on her Facebook.  At one point she asked:  “Does anyone know where to find a very discreet hitman? Yes, it’s been that kind of day …” Another post:  “had a good day today, DIDN’T want to kill even one student. Now Friday was a different story.” (Full article)

Most of us know there is no privacy on the Web.  Whispers  amplify into roars.  Secrets evaporate upon “send” contact.   A closed circle leaks like a broken dam.

Of course the statements got back to the kids targeted.   ESU investigated and put Gadsden on paid administrative leave.   The story  made the rounds on the Web and wound up in the national media, including USA Today.

Observation one:  No secrets on Web.

Observation two: Don’t believe everything you read, even in the respected traditional national media.

Why?

Because the Chronicle of Higher Education also ran a story on the incident, but it exposed a few more complications.  First, the professor is black and had written a piece for the Chronicle last year that she said proved to be controversial.  She felt this influenced the university’s action.

The USA Today piece didn’t include this information even though the Chronicle article came out before the USA Today story.  Did they intentionally leave it out?  Did they not do even the most cursory research?

Observation three:  Blog High Ed’s own Brad Ward of BlueFuego was quoted in the USA Today article.  Congratulations, Brad!

Finally,  I have a suggestion.  Every post-graduate program should create a  course that’s been needed in higher education for centuries.    It must to be a requirement so that when people earn their PhD they’ve at least been exposed to three credits worth of Common Sense.

More thoughts later.

[Via http://higheredmarketingblog.wordpress.com]

Fans Win! Betty White WILL Be On SNL!

The people have spoken, and they want Betty White! And SNL has listened, according to PEOPLE.

Betty White at Elton John’s Oscar Party last night… she confirmed to PEOPLE at the event that she’ll appear on Saturday Night Live.

 

All was revealed at Elton John’s famous Oscar party… where a People Magazine columnist asked the big question…

When asked by PEOPLE, “Are you doing Saturday Night Live,” she answered, “Yes,” even if she remains perplexed by the groundswell of support.

“I don’t know why or how,” she says, “but it’s been wonderful.”

White didn’t offer any details about the SNL gig, and it remains unclear when she will appear – or what it will entail.

It’s currently unclear whether the 88 year old actress will serve as a host, make a cameo, or be part of a special night of female comics, as has been speculated.

[Via http://popgoestheweek.com]

Daily Mile

Daily Mile

This is one website I think about every day. I really hate it when I don’t have anything to post on this site because that  means I didn’t work out. Daily Mile is awesome if you do any kind of exercise because it lets you track biking, spinning, weight lifting, swimming, walking, elliptical, rowing, rock climbing and running.

I love it for several reasons:

Daily Mile automatically updates my facebook and twitter page. Although I know this must really annoy some facebook friends and some social media purists, it has helped increase my tweets number and I like to think it has encouraged a few people to get active.

Daily Mile keeps track of my miles by the week, month and year and calories burned. It also can be my most un-favorite part because my posts have been too few and far between lately.  As you can see from this picture I am looking at 9 miles tomorrow to make my goal of running 20 miles a week. Last chance workout!

Using Google maps, I map my course either before my run to plan my trip or after to see how far I ran. It’s very accurate and even has some city trails that I can’t track with my car. You can also find other people’s courses that they have mapped out. I don’t save any of my maps because that could get a little creepy and I don’t recommend women advertise the courses they run any where on the internet.

Daily Mile is social! It is tracking my total miles since I joined and shows my goal of running the Cleveland Experience Rite Aid Half Marathon in May.

You can comment on friends’ posts by sending motivation or leaving comments. I find the people on Daily Mile to be so encouraging and supportive of one another. I like the localness of it and plan on attending a Daily Mile meetup. The best thing about Daily Mile is how it motivates me to do something so I can post a workout.

If there is a best, there has to be a worst and the worst is the Leader Board when I’m not even on it!

[Via http://anjanette121.wordpress.com]

Blog Roundup 2

Here are some interesting articles floating around the blog-sphere.  Be sure to input your conversation somewhere – either here or through one of these links:

• Neue :: A New Interpretation of John 3:16

• Gay Christian Network :: Living a gay-celibate life – this is also posted in the recommended article section, under Resources

• New York Times :: Learning from the Sin of Sodom - this is about seeking and doing justice
• Warren Throckmorton :: How About An Anti-Sodomy Bill? – a reflection on the above post and what is going on with the Ugandan Anti-Homosexual Bill
  
  
• Warren Throckmorton :: Golden Rule Pledge - more on this coming up soon

• Pew Survey :: Teens, texting, blogging, and facebook
• CNN Tech :: About 15% of Teens are sexting
• The Washington Post :: Abstinence-only Programs Might Actually Work

• Conan O’Brien has Twitter and a friend named Sarah

I also want to introduce a blog that will be interesting to follow and connect with: What do you think about Christians.  You can now also follow this blog via Facebook.

[Via http://six11.wordpress.com]

How Facebook was founded???

Okay, just as we know, most of you might have read the business insider column on how facebook was founded, what are your views?

Now that we are not going to debate whats right and whats wrong. Atleast I will acknowledge the fact that the way Facebook is now integrated into our lives and the way Zuck has developed “the Facebook thing” in the past 6 years is nothing short of marvelous. A recent Mashable post values facebook at $11.5 billion. Considering fb is still a private entity with just being launched in 2004, the valuation figure is enormous. Also, the article says the Harward Connection folks received $65 million in the lawsuit settlement with Mark. Also, the interesting fact is that they sued him in Sept2004 and they were not able to reach an agreement with an out of court settlement until Feb2008. What took it so long? Was Zuck thinking that he hasn’t ditched them? And that everything happened for a reason? No matter whose idea it was, no matter who did, facebook is a lovely thing that I can’t just ignore. All these articles may bring a blot on the image of Mark, but they cannot destroy facebook as it now. 400 million people login to facebook to just stay connected and for fun. Also, the chat and email transcripts as shown in the article are convincing that Zuck did the crime. But the question here is that ‘Can they be believed?’

Nowhere in the article does it show where they have acquired the IM transcripts, nor they acknowledge they really happened. A weird word duo ‘we believe’ just accompanies every accusation and I must agree that the story is very gripping.

To just wrap it up, I neither have time nor energy to stop by and debate the right and wrong, I can just continue to use fb and a big sigh of relief that the lawsuit was actually dropped back in 2008 so that I can still continue playing my mafia and farmville.. and Ofcourse, my Happy Aquarium

[Via http://harshaunplugged.wordpress.com]

gue bukan cina, tapi..

gue sakit hati banget baca komen2 di link berikut ini.. :’(

http://m.facebook.com/story.php?r0ac6e235&id=1454197930&story_fbid=362142894679&p=0&refid=0#comments_362142894679

gue gak pernah habis pikir sama orang2 yang suka memaki etnis atau agama yang beda sama mereka. kita gak bisa memilih mau dilahirkan di mana, keluarga siapa, etnis apa, agama apa, status sosial apa. if only we could choose, semua orang akan kaya, semua orang akan bahagia. Tuhan nyiptain kita beda2 bukan buat saling menghina, tapi buat bekerja sama membangun dunia ini supaya jadi lebih baik.

ajaran agama gue memang bilang kalo agama gue yang terbaik. tapi apakah kalo begitu gue jadi berhak menghina dan merendahkan agama lain? mereka juga manusia, sama kayak gue. sama2 sakit hati saat dihina, sama2 gak suka agama atau etnisnya direndahkan.

apa yang salah kalo seseorang terlahir sebagai orang cina? gak ada. sama aja kan kalo ada yang tanya, apa yang salah kalo lahir sebagai orang jawa? orang batak? orang papua? orang afrika? gak ada. kita semua sama, manusia..

gue percaya karma, tabur tuai, pahala, apalah itu namanya.. mungkin orang2 yang suka menghina itu bisa sombong sekarang, tapi Tuhan kan gak tidur.. biar Tuhan aja yang bales

[Via http://endlesslaugh.wordpress.com]

Styrofoam and Social Media

Twenty years ago (possibly even less) marketing terms like brand and branding would have only applied to business but, with the constant changing of technology (social media specifically) these terms have evolved to include people too. Students like you and me are now a brand and our online presence is helping to shape that.

In the realm of social media I like to think of myself as ‘modernly old-school,’ I approach these sites with cautious resistance. This could be both a good and a bad thing. The good thing is that my brand is closely controlled by me; I am not where I don’t want me to be. The bad thing is that I am difficult to find, my future employers could think that I’m trying to hide something, I’m not. 

Now let’s move on to the important stuff!

 The Benefits of Social Media:

 1.Networking.  Two websites, New Media Hire and Partner Technology; cite Linkedin as the best tool for networking. The fantastic thing about the internet, social media, and networking is that there are different venues for presenting your brand. For instance, myspace has been used for artists, photographers, musicians, and other content creators (New Media Hire).

 2. Relationships. I’ve been reading about several ways of implementing social media into my internship and the fantastic thing about this ‘new’ form of communication is that it opens up a dialogue between company and customer. Companies are using blogs and other on-line media as ways of building mutually beneficial relationships with their clients.

 3. Job postings. Twitter is becoming a big outlet for job ad distribution (New Media Hire).  Hiring managers have turned to these microblogging sites so they don’t have to weed through so many resumes (Partner Technology). Less resumes means a better chance for you!

 4. Know before you go. Social networking sites afford a unique opportunity to see what’s important to the company that you’re applying for. My dad takes me to a lot of his company stuff to ‘trophy me off’, before we get there I like knowing a little info about the key people at the table. Boss to the left is a University of Florida Alum, we chit chat about those things. (Keep up with the news). You want to go into your meeting with people so that “they know that you roll like a boss” (This is what one of my boss’s told me while I was preparing for a Familiarization tour)

 The Negatives of Social Media:

1.Think Styrofoam.  Styrofoam takes forever to breakdown, in fact it never decomposes! (ways2gogreen.com) Think of what you post online like Styrofoam, it won’t go away as easily as you think it will. Jeff Lipshultz’s Blog discusses this a little more.

While looking for more information on the ills of social media I came across this PowerPoint that I thought was extremely informative and creative in its explanation of social networking.

Here is the link to the powerpoints creator Ms. Annalaura Brown.

[Via http://smccloud.wordpress.com]

Where has Heather Larson been?

So I haven’t touched the blog since “Home For The Holidays” was on CBS…and that’s an annual Christmas thing…so…there must be an explanation, right?  See, there’s this tiny thing called COLLEGE that I had to finish.  And I did.  Yesterday at approximately 11:57 am MST.

A soon-to-be Boston University graduate!

All that Boston University physics stuff is now evaporating from my brain like a puff of smoke.  Creative ideas are starting to come back to life!  So the blog is back, baby!  (Because you can’t say anything is back without putting a ‘baby’ at the end of it).

I will graduate from BU in May with a bachelor’s of liberal arts, or a BLS.  This means I owe a TON of money in student loans.  Want a kidney?  I still have two.

(Actually, I can’t donate any body parts so don’t get excited.  If you want to know why, visit my other blog about CJD.  It explains how it’s not my fault).

Allow me to re-introduce myself…

I plan to keep shamelessly plugging all other blogs and websites.  While I’m at it, check me out on Twitter @heatherlarson.  There’s also Facebook.com/heatherlarson.  If you want me to follow you back on twitter, send me an “@” reply.  If you want me to accept you on Facebook, please let me know you heard about me through one (or more) of my blogs, or from my work on the air at 98.7 The Peak.

I’m working on a new website that will put all info about me in a central place.  The web is a very splintered place with tons of blogs and social networking sites.  I’m certainly not the only Heather Larson out there, nor am I the only Heather Larson who happens to be a freelance writer.  I’ll post the website URL here when it’s launched, but basically, I want to start a central site where I can post information on what I’m up to.

CJD —  Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease

Yes, I’m all over the web regarding CJD and love to network with others who’ve lost a loved one to the disease.  I believe in strength in numbers like that.  So please get in touch and send me links to your own CJD sites.  It’s genetic in my family; my mother died of it in 2004 and my uncle died of it in 2008.

I’m still an entertainment news writer

There’s more to say, but I’m going to cut it short because I really want to watch District 9 before the Oscars come around.  I’m an entertainment news writer for Westwood One, so I keep up as much as I can on all things entertainment.  My main beat is CHR/Ac music news since those have been my chief radio formats over the past 12 years of broadcasting.

More to come…please check back soon or just add me to your RSS.

[Via http://everythingheather.wordpress.com]

Don't type it if it's about your job

Just in the last month there have been suspensions on multiple levels in education over facebook comments.

1. Student suspended for starting a page (apparently hateful) about teacher. Students who fanned page got after school suspension. article

2. NC teacher suspended for venting about student situation. My Post

3. College prof suspended for making what her employers thought were inappropriate comments. article

OK folks, if it’s about your school or the people that you interact with on campus and it’s not glowing, just don’t type it.

[Via http://bgjackofalltrades.wordpress.com]

old/new boy, afghanistan guy and rape

i haven’t written in awhile, a couple of days at least. i’ve been spending all of my time with a boy from my past. a boy whom i dated 7 years ago, and i find myself dating again…unfortunately for him, i’m just not that into him.

why then, would i say “yes” to a boy i didn’t have romantic feelings for when he asked me to be his girlfriend?

my ex-future husband is coming home from afghanistan next month. less than four weeks. i was completely stoked, ready to start a life with him and his daughter. i find out through facebook that he started dating a girl that he has never even met before. after he told me we were going to get married. i’ve had the thought of marriage in my head for quite some time now and he ruined it for me.

i’m not the best at being single. i’m extremely co-dependent. so when this boy came back into my life, i accepted his offer immediately. bad decision. i realized today that i’m really, REALLY not into him. now, is it because of afghanistan guy? or is it because of what happened two weeks ago…

so two weeks-ish ago i went out to a bar with a male friend. we went through four pitchers of beer (so he says). he told me the morning after on the phone that i was so shitfaced he had to carry me into my house and put me to bed. but that’s not where the night ends. he had sex with me. i had no intentions of sleeping with that man that night, or ever for that matter. he’s been a big-brother type for the past two years. AND, i was ON MY PERIOD. eww. fucking gross. so waking up to a sore vagina isn’t exactly the best news in the world. when i called him and confronted him he told me everything that happened.

i was raped five years ago…. and then two weeks ago this guy who i thought i could trust with my life takes advantage of me, and i feel like shit.

now this puts me in quite the situation. i want to be intimate with this old/new boy from my past, but i can’t bring myself to even kiss him. we went into his hot tub today, in bathing suits, and i had a panic attack from being almost nude in front of him. when i showered later, i kept freaking out because i thought he would come in the bathroom and see me naked. i’m so ashamed.

now this old/new boy and i have a lot of history. breaking up with him could be detrimental to our future friendship, but i can’t continue living a lie. or is it a lie? am i dating him to spite afghanistan guy? or am i trying to break up with him because of my recent brush with rape?

i can’t look him in the eyes. i feel fucking ashamed. what do i do? my dad thinks i should break up with him tomorrow, but my dad doesn’t know the whole story. my ma thinks i need to do whatever it takes to stay friends with old/new boy because of our history, but knowing him breaking up with him would break his heart.

why am i so desperate to find happiness, when it is literally right beside me?

[Via http://iampamplemousse.wordpress.com]