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PSA: Deadline for SXSWi pre-party is today
Fair warning: if you’re planning to attend Monday’s South by Southwest Interactive pre-party/networking mixer at Lustre Pearl, you need to RSVP today.
The event is from 7 to 9 p.m. and is the culmination of pre-parties in six cities including Atlanta, New York City and Chicago. We’re running a story in Sunday’s paper about these parties, but by the time you read that, the RSVP deadline will have passed.
You can RSVP at this Web page or on Facebook. If you’re going, I’ll see you there!
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SXSW panel preview: ‘Rules of BrandFiction from Twittering MadMen’
‘Rules of BrandFiction from Twittering MadMen’
3:30 p.m. March 13
Hilton D
Panelists Helen Klein Ross and Michael Bissell were part of a panel last SXSW on their experiences tweeting as characters from “Mad Men.” At that panel, they talked about the emerging idea of “brand fiction” as a marketing tool. Their SXSW 2009 session was entertaining, and it should be interesting to hear their updates. Below is our write-up from the original session.
Panelists: Helen Klein Ross (Supporting Characters), Michael Bissell (Conquent), Carri Bugbee (Big Deal PR)
The gist: Last summer, characters from the AMC series “Mad Men” started showing up on Twitter, talking to each other and to fans of the show. A Twitter hit was born. At this panel, three of the people behind the characters talked about how the whole phenomenon came about, and what it might mean to the future of marketing.
Bugbee, who Tweets as secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olson, said she started the Peggy Tweet as a whim just because it sounded like fun, but, as followers poured in, she quickly realized it was on to something interesting.
She and fellow panelists Ross (suburban housewife Betty Draper) and Bissell (ad executive Roger Sterling) talked about the research that goes into their Twitter project. Bugbee watches episodes repeatedly and even transcribes dialogue; Ross is now the owner of a collection of 1960s cookbooks. When they make a mistake, Twitter followers let them know.
Ross said the “Mad Men” Tweeters aim to extend the lives of the characters between episodes and between seasons of the show. They strive to remain parallel to the universe of the show and not to do anything that conflicts with the show’s actual storylines.
Quotes: ““I took it upon myself to get inside (Peggy’s) head.” — Bugbee
“I really looked at it as a form of fiction.” — Ross
“We’re transforming fan fiction to a new form of marketing.” — Ross
Takeaways: Panelists said social media projects like theirs can enhance fans’ loyalty to a show. Ross calls what they are doing “brand fiction” (instead of “fan fiction”). Bissell said that what they did with “Mad Men” is not set in stone as a model for how to do this kind of marketing because the social media universe changes so rapidly.
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New Jersey Web host comments on plane crash-related manifesto site
The New Jersey-based Web host that served “EmbeddedArt.com,” the site where investigators believe Joe Stack posted an anti-tax manifesto before crashing a plane into an Austin building, says it took down the site at the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In an e-mail, the CEO of T35, Alex Melen, said that Stack had been a customer of T35 since early 2004. Melen said that the FBI contacted T35 about the Web site, whose message was dated Feb. 18, and that it was the first time the company was aware of its contents.
“We only found out about the incident and the contents when we were contacted by the FBI,” Melen wrote. “Due to numerous user requests, we have now linked the original article on the site.”
The page that now appears where the site was hosted changed several times through the day. At one point it read, “This website has been taken offline due to the sensitive nature of the events that transpired in Texas this morning. Regards, T35 Hosting.”
It was later amended to read, “This website has been taken offline due to the sensitive nature of the events that transpired in Texas this morning and in compliance with a request from the FBI.”
Later, T35 added a link to the article to the statement. It reads: “If you want to see the original letter, please see the archived version at thesmokinggun.com: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0218102stack1.html.”
Melen invited visitors to the site to post on its forum. In the most recent amendment to the page “EmbeddedArt.com” now points to, it reads, “Please go to our forum if you wish to discuss anything related to this incident: Texas crash pilot left suicide note on Web site - embeddedart.com.”
Before the original post disappeared, it was posted widely on the Web. Statesman.com posted a copy of it, as did the popular social networking news site Mashable.com.
Updated 3:10 p.m.: One new wrinkle — if you go to a similarly-spelled Web site, “EmbededArt.com” (with one D), a copy of the manifesto comes up, with a tag at the end: ” APRIL FOOLS! You’ve been Rick Rolled.”
The Alex Jones Web site Infowars speculated today that this Web site might signal that the original “EmbeddedArt” site might be a fake. Conspiracy!
Not so, says California-based Nathan Mallamace, who says he registered the domain name and copy/pasted the manifesto today after seeing the news.
“Basically I went to the original site and copied it over,” says Mallamace when reached by phone. “I don’t really have an agenda behind this. I registered this domain for the purpose of repeating this today. I’m just as fascinated as the next person about what this is about. I’m trying to make sense of this, too.”
Mallamace said he was poking fun at the way people trust information they find on the Web, even on a site with a misspelled domain, not at the incident itself. “I wanted people to know at the end that this was not the official site. This guy’s an extremist. I don’t personally believe in extremist stuff.”
Mallamace was unaware of the post on Infowars, but when told about it had a long laugh, then expressed mixed feelings about the site’s owner, Jones. “It’s a complete joke. But some of the stuff they say is the kind of stuff that this guy’s talking about,” he said. “I can’t believe they picked me up from all this stuff.”
Update: 4:02 p.m. Nathan Mallamace called us to let us know that he removed the “APRIL FOOLS!” tag at the end of his Web page and added this note at the top: “Joseph Stack Manifesto. Not the original site. I registered this domain for the purpose of repeating this today. I’m just as fascinated as the next person about what this is about. I’m trying to make sense of this, too.”
He then posted a link to this blog post.
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Live Chat: Tammy Lynn Gilmore and Shawn O’ Keefe: POSTPONED
My apologies, but because of a major news event today, we’re postponing today’s scheduled 2 p.m. live chat with South by Southwest Interactive staffers.
We will reschedule for next week and I’ll post a blog entry as soon as we have details.
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Cell networks apparently holding up in plane crash aftermath
About an hour after news reports trickled in of a plane hitting a building in northwest Austin, Twitter has been alight with eyewitness reports, photos of the smoking building and speculation about the cause of the crash.
Follow the Statesman Twitter account for the latest confirmed reports.
I put out the question of whether the cell phone networks are holding up in this emergency situation as traffic is backed up near 183 and Mopac. Based on responses I got from Twitter users, data and voice connectivity seems fine at the moment, although callers to News 8 seemed to be cutting out. One Twitterer said she had trouble accessing statesman.com. Another said he had the same problem with the News 8 site.
Seeing any data outages or having trouble making calls in that area? Post in the comments.
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The Linkdown for Wednesday, Feb. 17
The Linkdown is already exhausted by South by Southwest Interactive and it’s still a month away! No fair! Must regroup and rally! Here are some links to recharge Internet fatigue:
- Cospace, a new North Austin coworking space opens today. 3,000 square feet, located on 911 W. Anderson Lane Suite 203.
- Skype is coming to Verizon 3G phones soon.
- Austin’s VolunteerSpot offers free sign-up sheets for youth sports.
- MobileMonday Austin presents, “Monetizing Mobile Apps.” Free presentation, open bar!
- Dr. Seuss apps come to the iPhone / iPod Touch.
- This week on my NPR segment: tons of Google news.
- Related: Google is rolling out limited 1-gigabit internet service. Austin/Round Rock are very interested (Austin will discuss at a meeting tonight). Other cities lobbying: Pittsburgh, Seattle. And the state of Hawaii.
- Weather Underground offers an iPad-optimized Full Screen Weather site. Very pretty.
- HeliOS project needs more donated computers. Please help.
- The Game Developers Conference (GDC Austin) will henceforth be known as GDC Online.
- U-verse customers have access to a free Winter Olympics app.
- U.S. broadband speeds rose 28 percent in 2009, says In-Stat.
- NCSoft is bringing back a 14-day free trial for “Lineage II.”
- Austin’s Blastro turns 10.
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SXSW panel preview: ‘Showing Optional: Tips for Remote Employees’
“Showing Optional: Tips for Remote Employees” 3:30 p.m. March 14 Courtyard Rio Grande B
Jayna Wallace is a big fan of working remotely.
She’s done it successfully for the past several years, first at AOL and now in her new job as principal user experience designer for Blockbuster.
She cites benefits of working at home you’ve probably experienced yourself if you’ve been able work remotely: You avoid the time and stress of a commute, as well as the distractions of co-workers stopping by your desk to ask questions (or just annoying you with yet another loud personal phone call at their desk).
But she also mentions something that you (and your boss) may not have considered.
“You become a better employee when you’re remote,” Wallace says. Why? Besides the lack of distractions, working remotely also makes you a better communicator, she says. You learn to write e-mails that are clear, complete and not open to misinterpretation.
Another benefit: “Meetings are much more brief and to the point when you’re on the phone,” she says. There are fewer tangents and less small talk, she says. And if you do get stuck in a boring meeting via phone at least you can get some work done instead of just being trapped in the conference room.
She’ll talk more about the pros and cons of working remotely during her SXSW session. Here’s a brief preview of her advice:
— Have a designated office space where it’s quiet. “You can’t have a dog barking whenever you’re in the middle of a conference call,” Wallace says.
— There’s no IT department at your house. Learn to fix your own computer problems, or to work around them — if your wi-fi goes out, be prepared for a trip to the library or coffee shop to work.
— Be available. A quick reply when your manager contacts you will help allay any concerns she might have about your working remotely. If you don’t respond to her instant message right away, it’s all too easy for her to her assume you’re watching Bravo instead of working.
— Toot your own horn. “Getting promoted is kind of difficult whenever you’re in a remote capacity,” Wallace says. Without the boss seeing you every day, it can be harder to prove your worth. If you work remotely, “It’s not enough just to be average and be OK at your job,” Wallace says. “You have to try harder.”And you can’t be shy about letting people know about the great stuff you’re doing, she adds.
— Have a friend on the inside. If you work remotely and most of your co-workers are at the same office, you need an ally who’ll tell you what the boss has been saying and give you the number for a conference call if the coordinator forgot to.
“You don’t feel like you’re sitting out the middle of nowhere having on idea what’s’ going on,” Wallace says.
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SXSW Panel Preview - Unsexy & Profitable: Making $$ Without Hype
Unsexy & Profitable: Making $$ Without Hype, 3:30 p.m. March 13, Hilton A/B
Matt Chasen, the CEO and founder of Austin’s uShip Inc., has watched lots of flashy company sail through South by Southwest Interactive on a wave of hype (but with no business plan).
That’s good for some companies (coughTwittercough), but Chasen says that for many start-ups, little attention is paid to the basics of business: working hard and becoming profitable as quickly as possible.
“Hype is good and hype helps but it’s very rare to have hype-driven companies actually amount to anything,” Chasen said. “What ultimately makes any business sexy is being successful.”
Ah, yes: The Sexy. It’ll be the topic of the South by Southwest Interactive panel “Unsexy & Profitable,” which will include Chasen, Hooman Radfar of Clearspring Technologies, Inc., Alan Martin of CampusBookRentals.com and writer Paul Carr from TechCrunch as moderator.
So why do companies like Twitter and Facebook — which have upended the tech industry but started off with no clear business plan — get the spotlight while smaller, more successful companies get written off as boring?
In the case of Twitter, Chasen says, “It was obviously very hyped and growing incredibly quickly. But it’s a great example of one that may or may not actually be a business. That really has yet to be determined. That doesn’t mean the founders aren’t going to make a lot of money. But hey, maybe some of us would trade our business for Twitter.”
As for uShip, the company, which auctions shipping services on its Web sites, was founded in early 2003, launched in 2004 and reached profitability in mid-2008. Chasen says the company focused on coming up technology that would improve an established industry and create a strong revenue model.
“Transportation is just about one of the most boring, old-school industries. But it’s an industry that in my mind was sort of overlooked during the initial sort of Internet revolution,” Chasen said. “I was looking for was an industry where there seemed to be a lot of opportunity. It was a growing problem: how do you get things from point A to B?
“It was also an industry that really had a lot of opportunity to make much, much more efficient using all the strengths that make the Internet great.”
The company is expanding to international areas, but, “we’re being as careful as we can to focus on not getting ahead of ourselves. We’re reinvesting profits instead of blowing a bunch of money in new markets,” Chasen said.
Because Chasen’s company is hosting the panel, he joked, “We’re feeling a tremendous pressure to stay profitable.”
Other panel participants include CampusBookRentals, which might also be considered a more staid kind of company in an established industry, while Clearspring, which focuses on Web site widgets, could be considered “Sexy but unprofitable.”
Chasen cites eBay as a company that focused on what might have been considered a boring area — flea market-type items and auctions for merchandise that might not sell anywhere else — and built a powerhouse business from what now seems like an obvious idea.
I think things can often look unsexy and it’s not until something is an obvious success or making money or goes public that it starts to look more sexy,” Chasen said.
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SXSW Interactive panel preview: Fundraising panels
Though many people attend SXSW in search of that next billion-dollar idea, nonprofit groups stand to benefit from the conference as well. Below is a list of a few discussions about how different groups can take advantage of new technology to serve their needs.
Crowd Sourcing Innovative Social Change. This discussion will focus on how nonprofits can use social media as a catalyst for change, with presenters from a variety of backgrounds.
Debunking the Myth of Social Media Fundraising A discussion of how to use Twitter, Facebook, etc. for successful fundraising, including a presenter from LIVESTRONG.
Will Kiva Kill Your Nonprofit? Donations 2.0 A discussion about how traditional nonprofits can adapt as direct donation organizations such as Kiva rise in popularity.
Funding Your Projects from the Crowd Some of the most interesting and innovative new ideas, including the journalism project spot.us, involve crowd funding. This discussion will discuss various approaches to raising people-powered money.
Valerie Casey Keynote Casey is the founder and executive director of the Designers Accord, which helps organizations develop new ways to affect social and environmental change.
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Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Air, Sarah Silverman vs. TED
Over the weekend, Twitter blazed brightly with not one, but two exciting feuds.
Helen Anders blogged about it this morning and linked to Smith’s podcast about the incident. I listened to the whole thing this morning (the benefit of having a long commute) and I would urge anyone who thinks Smith has been unfair to the airline to listen to the podcast first and then read the airline’s apology. If what Smith says in the podcast is even half true, the airline’s apology comes across as incredibly insincere and fails to address what Smith happened on the flight and why he was ejected.
There also seems to be a misperception that Smith buys multiple airline seats because of his weight. According to Smith on the podcast, this isn’t true; he says he and his (much slimmer) wife buy multiple seats on Southwest flights because the seats are so cheap and they would rather leave space next to them to stretch out, lie down and not bother other people. He says he’s flown many times on the airline and his ability to fit in an airline seat has never been an issue. Of course, he says it much funnier and much filthier than I can here. Most damning: Smith says that on the flight he was put on after the ejection, an overweight woman in his row was also warned that she might have to buy more than one seat in the future. True or not? Who knows, but it’s quite a story.
My take? Southwest has a major social media crisis on its hands and so far their response won’t quell Smith’s fans. We’ll probably hear much more about it when Smith visits Austin next month. He promised in the podcast to make the story of what happened a regular part of his frequent speaking engagements.
According to several reports, Silverman’s presentation at TED was full of bad language, sexually explicit material and the frequent use of the word, “Retarded.” In other words, it was a typical Sarah Silverman stand-up comedy routine.
Anderson was said to have criticized Silverman’s performance via Twitter, calling it “god-awful” (the post has since been deleted) and Silverman shot back via Twitter, predictably in a way I can’t repost here.
When former AOL co-founder Steve Case chimed in, posting, “The sad thing is you’re not that funny,” Silverman went after him, too, writing, “You should be nicer to the last person on earth w an aol account.”
So, this is where we are in social media. 2010 is officially the year of the Twitter Celebrity Feud.
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SXSWi 2010 Web Award finalists announced
South by Southwest Interactive today announced the finalists for its 13th Annual SXSW Web Awards, an annual event that celebrates new and redesigned Web sites.
The 90 finalists in 18 categories including “Art,” “Educational Resource” and “Experimental” includes well-known names like Hulu and Mint (in “Classics”) and actor Jim Carrey’s personal site (“Film / TV”) as well as lesser-known Web destinations like Demotix (“Community”) and SeatGeek (“Technical”).
Austin-based Gowalla earned a spot on the list under the “Mobile” category. Other nominees with Austin ties include DJNR (“Personal Portfolio”), WolframAlpha (“Technical Achievement”) and the Web site for the documentary “Our Bombs,” nominated for “Activism.”
The winners of each category will be announced at a ceremony hosted by comedian Doug Benson Sunday, March 14 at the Austin Hilton Downtown.
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SXSW panel preview: Networking at a Multi-Day Conference
Networking at a Multi-Day Conference 5 p.m. March 12 Hilton E
Thom Singer will be talking about networking at this Core Conversation. Before last year’s conference, he talked about the same topic in an interview for the Life Guide column. Here’s a reprint of that story:
Online networking gets all the buzz these days, but there’s still nothing like face-to-face networking to invigorate your professional life. Plenty of both kinds of networking will be going on next month as the South by Southwest Interactive Festival opens.
If you’re bound for Interactive, Thom Singer and Marny Lifshen have tips geared toward a techy crowd and general advice for anyone attending a large event or conference. Singer has written three books on networking and business relationships and blogs on the topic at www.thomsinger.blogspot.com. He’s also the director of business development for VCFO, a professional services firm, in Austin. With Singer, Lifshen is co-author of “Some Assembly Required: A Networking Guide for Women.” She is an Austin-based marketing communications consultant (marnylifshen.com).
Plan ahead * “Networking doesn’t happen by accident,” Singer says. He and Lifshen say planning ahead can make all the difference in how you make connections at the conference. Set specific goals for what to accomplish.
Make your goals realistic. If your goal for the conference is to leave with a new job or funding for your new venture, you’ll probably go away disappointed. “It’s important to remember when you’re attending a conference like this that you’re just making that first connection,” Lifshen says. “It’s your job to then build on that connection after the conference is over. It takes time for the rapport, the trust and the opportunity to really happen.” (More on how to follow up with your new connections later.)
Schedule strategically, Lifshen says. Find out the speakers you want to hear, the trade show participants who could help you, the social events that are likely to bring you in contact with the people you want to meet, she says.
And don’t leave meetings with your important contacts to chance, Singer says. If you think your old boss might help you get a job at her new company, plan now to have lunch together one day during the festival.
- Prepare your questions and answers. If your conversation-starting skills are a little rusty, think of some open-ended questions that will get people talking, Singer says. Besides the basic “Where are you from?”-type questions, you can ask people what speakers and events they’ve enjoyed, what they’re hoping to get out of the conference or what parties they’re planning to attend.
“If you just come in and talk about yourself, they don’t care,” he says. “The more you can ask other people about themselves or for advice, the better you’re going to do.”
Remember that most people at the event are like you - they want to connect. So they’ll be happy you took the initiative to start a conversation, Singer says.
At the same time, have your “personal tagline” prepared, Lifshen says. How will you answer when people ask you about yourself or what you do? “It sounds like an easy question, but people really stumble,” she says.
“Having that all-important answer to ‘What do you do?’ ready can really ignite some great conversations and make everybody feel comfortable.”
Work the conference * Make it easy for others to approach you. If people might know you from your blog’s title or your Twitter handle, putting that on your name tag could be a conversation starter, Singer says. Your body language also sends signals to others. “Keep your electronics put away during the breaks if you want to talk to people,” Singer says. When you take out your laptop or BlackBerry, you send out a vibe that says “I’m busy.” Fellow conference-goers are less likely to approach you because they don’t want to be rude and disturb you.
Don’t focus on the big names. Lining up to meet a celebrity speaker probably isn’t the best use of your networking time, Singer says. You’re probably just another face in the crowd to the celeb, and not much will come from the encounter. It’s more beneficial to focus on your fellow attendees, he says.
Get to sessions early to give yourself time to talk with others. “Saying hello to the person sitting next to you is an important thing,” Singer says. Once you’ve made that connection, you can build on it the next time you see the person - and he might introduce you to other attendees you’d like to meet.
Don’t prejudge. “Take an interest in everybody you meet and find out about them,” Singer says. “You never know who could end up being the good connection for you.”
Mix and mingle * Attend outside events such as parties and happy hours, Singer says. “That’s where you meet people,” he says. “If you run to your hotel room to write your blog and you wonder why you didn’t meet anybody, that might be the reason why.”
It’s also helpful to show up early at parties, Singer says. If you arrive when the place is already packed and you don’t immediately see anyone else you know, it can be hard to start talking to people. Conversational groups have already formed. But if you’re one of the first people at the event, it’s more likely that people will start talking with you.
If you are trying to enter a conversation, pay attention to the body language of its participants, Lifshen says. Does it seem like an intense conversation? Are they avoiding eye contact with you as you approach? Then it’s probably not the right group to try to enter.
Follow up * Lifshen and Singer are both big fans of sending a handwritten note as a follow-up gesture after you meet someone at a conference.
“The handwritten note will stand out because people will get so few of them,” Singer says. To stand out even more, Lifshen says, mention in your note something that you and the other person talked about when you met. This shows you were paying attention (it helps if you jot down a few notes about people right after you meet them).
“It’s a surefire, quick, easy and inexpensive way to set yourself apart,” she says.
If the person is blogging or otherwise creating something online, read her stuff, Singer says. This opens the door to follow-up conversations, and people are always happy to hear that their content is being read. “You made them feel good about themselves, which makes them feel good about you,” he says.
Add with care. Don’t immediately try to add someone you met at a conference as a connection on social-networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn, Singer says. Some people don’t mind adding more-casual acquaintances to their networks on these sites. Others prefer to limit them to closer friends and associates. Ask the other person how he or she uses a community and whether linking seems appropriate, Singer says. (It’s usually fine to follow someone on the micro-blogging site Twitter even though you don’t know the person well, Singer adds.)
But whether you use a handwritten note or a direct message on Twitter, the important thing is to make a follow-up gesture, Lifshen says. Singer adds: “Whatever medium you use, telling somebody ‘It was a pleasure to meet you’ always has a positive effect.”
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First impressions of three big video games
Who has time to finish video games these days?
I certainly don’t, at least not some of the big triple-A-list titles that have resuscitated gaming after the flood of holiday games died down.
But I do try to partake as much as I can, even if I haven’t played far enough into any of these three games to offer you a full review. Here’s some first impressions of “Mass Effect 2” “BioShock 2” and “Bayonetta,” three of the more high-profile releases of January and February.
“Mass Effect 2” — Despite raves from hardcore gamers for the first game in the series a few years ago, I was doubtful this one would do as well since the first one seemed a little too brainy and narrative-heavy to spawn a hit “Halo”-sized franchise. Well, I was wrong on that score. The epic space role-playing/action game from BioWare is big, bold and expertly crafted, with fewer obstacles to get into its headspace than the first game, at least in my experience. I didn’t get very far in “Mass Effect” because I really didn’t like the combat system and my dislike of the combat system and inability to get past that made it impossible to complete the necessary missions in the game to progress.
“ME2,” on the other hand simplifies the gameplay to make it accessible to anyone who’s played third-person console shooters without dumbing down the (very complex) narrative or skimping on the games deservedly praised graphics, sound design and overall vibe. The dialog trees are still well-written and expertly voice-acted and animated. Everything just feels spot-on. All this becomes clear after just a few hours of gameplay.
It’s a game I want to spent weeks and weeks playing, a story worthy of getting lost in. Very few studios can pull off something as ambitious as this and the good news is that there’s still “Mass Effect 3” to look forward to someday.
“BioShock 2” — My sequel to my 2007 game of the year, this title has everything to live up, and almost no choice but to disappoint. And so it does. I loved the undersea ruin of Rapture and finished the first game feeling as if I’d entered a completely unique, fully realized world. The opening scene of “BioShock 2” and the first few hours feel like visiting your high school long after you’ve graduated: much of it still looks the same, but after a while you begin to feel you have no reason to be there.
That’s a crushing disappointment because the world created in the first game stands apart from the usual Marines In Space shooter paradigm, even though the actual gameplay is rooted in first-person shooter territory. Maybe it’s that the sense of mystery is gone or that the start of the game fails to draw you in the way the stellar plane crash opening of its predecessor did. Instead, you’ve got the Big Daddys, Little Sisters, Splicers and no real glue to hold them together in a way that makes for great storytelling.
I’ve read reviews that the game picks up and forms its own worthy storyline in the late-going, but I was hoping “BioShock” would stun and capture me from the first minute. That hasn’t happened and apparently I’m not alone. Yes, we had very high expectations.
The sequel was handled by a different studio than the original and, while that’s not an enviable task, it’s telling that when handed something as rich and as the “BioShock” universe, the developers fail to set the mood and capture the imagination in the early-going. That’s not a good sign.
“Bayonetta” — A new action/fighting game that’s not a sequel or completely derivative? Well, that’s news. Sega’s fighting game looks like something cheap and tawdry — an impossibly proportioned heroine who shoots with guns at the ready (oh, and also with guns strapped TO HER FEET!) takes out demons with stylish, over-the-top combos.
What’s surprising is how over-the-top the incredibly silly storyline is and how much fun the fighting is to engage with. The game doesn’t even try to make sense, nevertheless, there’s some amazingly silly storytelling going on and a sense of wild abandon in the combat, as in the game’s spiritual cousins “Devil May Cry” and “No More Heroes.” Blood gushes, Bayonetta (who, probably not by accident, looks like a tall, busty, butt-kicking Sarah Palin) prevails and the gamer goes away wondering, “What the heck was THAT?!” But not in a bad way. “Bayonetta” takes the worst cliches of action games and somehow makes them fresh and fantastical. That’s quite a feat.
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SXSW panel preview: Using Social Media to Score … a Job (Obviously)
Using Social Media to Score … a Job (Obviously) 5 p.m. March 12 Courtyard Brazos 2/3
We talked to Dave Peck, organizer of this Core Conversation, about some of the ideas he expects to cover.
Peck will discuss building your personal brand online. Your brand is your knowledge, your skill set, what you do best. You can’t rely on your resume to show that you’re an expert in your chosen area — your online presence has to back that up.
“I personally don’t have a resume,” Peck says. When people ask him for one, he sends to his LinkedIn page or his Web site. “They’ll learn more about me there than they’ll ever learn on a piece of paper.”
Your online presence more vividly shows who you are than a resume. If you’re a photographer, for example, you need a Web site of your work. It sounds like common sense, Peck says, but it’s a step he often sees people neglect. You may even want to use online videos — say, a cooking demo if you’re an aspiring chef — as a way to show your expertise. “You’ll come across more in a video than you will on piece of paper,” he says.
Your social-media activity also contributes to your career brand. People can learn about you from your conversations and links. Peck says a great way to make connections is to ask a question on Twitter or LinkedIn (where there’s a whole section for Q&A). He’s gotten strong response when he’s done this, and plenty of offers for help. And the people who answer will often go check out your resume.
Search Twitter for people who are looking to fill jobs in your field, Peck says. See what keywords they use. And don’t use social media just to connect with prospective employers, Peck says. It’s also a great way to deepen your ties with your current co-workers — who might then be more likely to remember you after they move on to a different job.
While you’re adding good stuff to your online presence, don’t forget to manage the stuff that could make you look bad. You’ve heard the cautions against posting boozy pictures, but it’s even more crucial now that our social media presence draws more attention than ever. Peck even knows of a company where employees communicate and conduct business over Facebook. Yes, they’re a hassle, but take some time with Facebook’s privacy settings or even create different profiles for different spheres of your life, he says
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3-D in the classroom
Yesterday, I briefly visited the Texas Computer Education Association’s 2010 gathering at the Austin Convention Center. Educators at the expo got to see some examples from Texas Instruments of how the DLP technology in some of its projectors can be upgrade for 3-D.
3-D seems to be on everyone’s mind of late, but I haven’t heard much about how the technology wowing people in theaters and soon to arrive in home theater systems could be used in the classroom.
TI says that many of its existing projectors can be upgraded with a software update, making them capable of projecting 3-D content onto practically any screen. Active-shutter glasses that are compatible with the upgrade can view 3-D imagery used in the classroom.
The examples that were shown — asteroid debris in an astronomy presentation, rotating molecules, models of human organs — had the same “Oh, wow. Huh…” feeling as most 3-D we’re seeing that isn’t projected on an IMAX screen. It’s interesting, a bit compelling, but not exactly anything to knock your socks off.
However, a representative I spoke to from JTM Concepts., Inc. (in the video below) says that in studies done in Illinois, students were found to be more engaged by 3-D content and scored higher in tests where 3-D models had been used for tricky subjects like math and science, where visualization of concepts like volume and depth can enhance understanding. (You can see a brochure of the JTM Concepts case study here in PDF form.)
Dave Duncan, who works in Texas Instruments’ education market development, said that it’s not just a matter of novelty, but of keeping up with the kinds of media schoolchildren are being exposed to.
“It’s keeping up with what’s happening with kids in their everyday lives,” Duncan said.
Many feel 3-D is gimmicky, and this might not do much to change their minds, but I’ll be curious to see how 3-D can be used in the classroom and whether it can really enhance the way students learn.
Thoughts? Post them in the comments.
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TEDxATX to be streamed online for the non-invited
A few weeks ago, many of Austin’s social media elite howled in outrage on their respective online channels about not being invited to TEDxATX, the inaugural Feb. 20 Austin event spinning off from the popular technology, entertainment and design TED events.
This one, independently organized by these individuals, sent out invites and some who didn’t make the cut accused the event, which costs $50 to attend, of being elitist and antithetical to what makes Austin great. (What makes Austin great, apparently, is overcrowded rooms and free admission).
Nevertheless, some took the snub in good humor and organized their own “TedxATX Rejects” parties.
For those who are still curious about the event and wish they could be there, there’s another option: a live feed of the day’s talks will be broadcast, thanks to the Texas Evening MBA Program and the Texas Executive MBA Program at McCombs.
The Web page cheekily suggests ways to throw your own TEDxATX viewing party.
Do you plan to tune in, attend, or attend a “rejects” party? Let us know in the comments.
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SXSW Interactive panel preview: Music panels
SXSW Interactive panels deal with every subject imaginable, from food to death. Below, in no particular order, are a few scheduled panels (and one keynote) dealing with music and the music industry.
14,000 Songs in 28 Days: A Case Study. February Album Writing Month (apparently inspired by NANOWRIMO) founder discusses building an online community, which is more or less a necessity these days for people in the music business.
Artists, Labels Embrace Virtual Worlds. The description of the panel mentions how “virtual worlds” are creating new revenue streams, or “how to sell stuff online,” which is also crucial for musicians.
Daniel Ek Keynote Conversation. Ek is the co-creator of Spotify, the popular online music service that has yet to launch in the United States. This could be a big deal, given the popularity of Pandora and MySpace.
How the Internet is Disrupting the Concert Industry. An interesting subject in a city that defines itself both by its live music scene and by its focus on technology.
Music Licensing for Emerging Media: Apps, Widgets, Viral Videos. This panel will tackle the question of how musicians can profit off of their music through new media. Again, an important issue for local artists.
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All right, SXSW Interative 2010: bring it on!
It takes my editor Sarah Beckham and me a good two or three months, at least, to prepare for the maelstrom that is South by Southwest Interactive.
But, with my recent leave, I’m playing major catchup and doing the usual pre-fest dance in double-time. Today, I went through the festival schedule and tried to build a preliminary list of panels and events I’d like to attend — it was an exercise in futility and frustration, not unlike changing a newborn’s diapers for six weeks. Much of the programming information (especially for Friday) is currently unscheduled and many others on the official site lack descriptions or panelist information on the big schedule. It’s not at all easy to browse and commit to anything at the moment.
To make matters worse, my usual go-to scheduling too, sched.org, doesn’t have anything up yet for SXSW Interactive 2010.
Nevertheless, we keep on trucking and are going to start posting panel previews, interviews and other SXSWi 2010 information on this very blog so you can start gearing up, too.
Keep an eye out for posts from other American-Statesman staffers in this space who are also covering the festival.
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Google Buzz
I haven’t quite had time to wrap my head around it yet, and it hasn’t shown up in my Gmail yet, but if you’re wondering about Google’s latest product, “Buzz,” you can check out CNet’s live blog, which details today’s product announcement.
In short, Google is incorporating more social networking features into its core services — with Google Buzz, your Gmail inbox will contain more options to share information to social networks and will also alert you to items that your friends are sharing.
Information you post will also automatically post to your Google profile. It’s far too early to tell how useful it will be and not everyone has access to Buzz yet (it should roll out over the next few days), but here’s hoping it doesn’t suffer from a slow interface and waning interest the way Google Wave has in recent months. Most interestingly is that this seems like something that will be especially useful in its mobile format. No iPhone app is yet available for Buzz, but it will most certainly integrate nicely with Android phones, among others. It will also incorporate “Recommendations” which sounds similar to what Yelp.com does with user-generated reviews.
Google’s move into more people-centric services like the Nexus One phone and Buzz are a pretty good justification for their Super Bowl ad, as I said in yesterday’s post.
Here’s a screenshot Google sent us to give an idea of how Buzz will be incorporated into the inbox. Click on it to see the large version.
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Clean your computer out already — today
Yes, it’s a completely artificial “holiday” which had its origins with the Institute for Business Technology, but I can’t help but advise you to take heed of Feb. 8 as “Clean Out Your Computer Day.”
Because, let’s face it, if your computer(s) are anything like mine, you are a disgusting digital slob.
For more than a year now, I’ve been trying to wrangle my digital photos all into one collection, but the task is so daunting that I usually just curl into a ball and photograph THAT, creating one more photo that’s scattered on a hard drive somewhere.
Iolo, a company that makes a piece of software called System Mechanic, gave me a heads-up about the holiday and offered these sobering stats about our messy data habits:
- The average American adult has 1,800 digital files, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
- Americans waste nine million hours per day searching for misplaced items. On average, people spend a year of our lives looking for lost items, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers.
Gross!
So, tonight, I plan to at least clean some icons off my desktop and really think about how I might merge my photo libraries (which include photos across three computers, two iPhones and multiple copies of Picassa, iPhoto and Aperture.
Wish me luck and if you’d be so kind, post in the comments how you deal with digital clutter across multiple computers, hard drives and mobile devices. I’ll post some tips this week as I come across them.
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Google scores with Super Bowl ad; GoDaddy not so much
Last night, after seeing Google’s Super Bowl ad (below), I tried to remember a better, more well-executed tech-related ad that has aired during the year’s biggest football game.
All that came to mind was Apple’s “1984.” Sure, there were some creative ones during the dot-com boom (and some awful ones, too), but Google’s ad does so much in 30 seconds, that it became one of my favorite tech company ads of all time. It’s sweet, smart, conveys an amazing amount of information and gets to the heart of why Google’s important.
I was asked this morning why Google would advertise a search engine that everybody is already familiar with and at least two tech journalists I know expressed cynicism about the usefulness of such an ad.
Let’s think about that — Google this year introduced its first hardware product, the Nexus One smart phone, has been making moves in the netbook and tablet market and is incorporating more social media information into its bread-and-butter, search results.
Google wants to be your buddy — a company you trust and rely upon every day — and a Super Bowl ad is one of the ultimate ways a company can try to ingratiate itself to the general public. The ad’s quality is high and I think the company scored.
I also thought Austin-based HomeAway’s ad (above) was quite good — it played like a short movie trailer for a new “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movie — I got two big laughs out of it, and it made me want to watch the full 14-minute version. (I haven’t yet.) A Chevy Chase comeback? I never would have imagined that. (Read how that ad came to be in this story.
Less successful for me were Motorola’s only-slightly-amusing Megan Fox-in-a-tub ad, Vizio’s TV apps ad (which was busy and visually interesting, but also confusing) and the always execrable ads from GoDaddy.com, which are typically among the worst every year (and not worth a link). This year proved no exception. I’ve seen people post online that they were outraged by the Web hosting/domain registration company’s risque Danica Patrick ads, but they’re no worse than the ones in previous years. They must work in some way because cringing at GoDaddy’s witless, smutty, soft-core-for-beer-hat-wearers ads is becoming an annual Super Bowl tradition.
More thoughts on the big game’s commercials? Read a Super Bowl ad roundup from our TV writer, Dale Roe.
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LMAO. This guy is surely a Democrat who hates GWB and the conservatives. It's the only way out man. I just can't stop laughing at this moron. I think I'll start my own "church" and see if I can keep all of my money. What an [naughty word] Liberal, non-tax
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