New Media Nashville

I'm still blogging

2008-03-27T13:54:00.002-06:00

Yes, I'm still blogging. I'm here most of the time. Drop by and say hello.

Join me on ooVoo

2008-02-07T12:11:00.000-06:00

On February 13 at 8pm CST, I'm going to be participating in a series of 6-way video conversations with Dave Made That readers, Two Boobs and a Baby listeners, and folks who dig what I do, using ooVoo.

My ooVoo Day With is a week-long experiment in blogger to fan interaction. Rock star bloggers from across the 'sphere will host interactive conversations on hot topics, facilitated by the multi-person video chat technology from our friends at ooVoo. Get face-to-face with your favorites and move beyond the post-comment-post world.

If you'd like to check it out and "meet" me and each other, go to http://www.myoovooday.com and register today. There are only 40 places available.

Besides getting to know one another, I would love to chat to you about new media marketing, social networking, organizing podcamps and barcamps, my recent blog posts or podcast episodes, and/or whatever is on your mind!

I hope to see you Wednesday, February 13 at 8pm CST (that's 9pm EST). Please don't be shy, sign up today to reserve your spot. I'm looking forward to chatting with you live.

Cheers.
Dave

What I'm up to

2008-01-07T09:26:00.000-06:00

Hi. Thanks for dropping by. Obviously, I'm not posting to New Media Nashville as often as I have in the past. In fact, I'm really only using Dave Made That as "Dave H.Q." now.

You can see some of my latest blog posts below. Please drop by and say hello.

Cheers,
Dave

Join the first Nashville Geek Breakfast

2007-12-01T08:59:00.000-06:00

After a great response from my initial tweet about interest in a geek meetup over breakfast in Nashville, I've created a Facebook Event. Geek Breakfasts have been popping up in many cities lately, so why can't we do the same right here in Nashvegas?

Geek Breakfast is not about drinking beer first thing in the day, it's about getting together with like-minded folks over bacon, eggs and plenty of coffee. It's an opportunity to meet other people who are interested in all things geeky. Topics will likely include: blogging, podcasting, new media marketing, open source, programming, un-conferences, social networking, design, tech careers, and a series of tubes.

You should come along! Bring a friend or come alone. Bring your wallets, cause breakfast ain't free ya know?

Date, time and location is here: http://urltea.com/2816. Please be sure to RSVP, so I know how much room we'll need. You'll need to be logged in to Facebook to RSVP.

See you there!

[tags]Nashville Geek Breakfast, Nashville events, Nashville new media[/tags]

** FOLLOW UP **

I want to let you know that Luke hosts BNAGeek MeetUps in Nashville. You should check too.

Are you a PHP and Javascript junkie? It's time you met Emma.

2007-10-29T12:30:00.000-06:00

PHP Developers - PHP & Javascript
Entry, Mid-Level & Senior Positions Available

Emma is looking for a talented software developer to join one of the most interesting and unique technology companies around. Emma (www.myemma.com) is a Web-based service that helps organizations everywhere create, send and track stylish email newsletters and campaigns. We currently work with more than 3,000 organizations and 7,000 total clients in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K., and we're growing quickly.

This is a development role that will work closely with our director of product development (known in these parts as Kim) and her team on a variety of challenging projects. It's a fast-paced environment that offers exposure to the some of the most innovative open-source development in the country, making it a terrific experience for a developer with aspirations. While we aren't looking for 10 years of experience, we are looking for a solid foundation in application development and an ability (and desire) to learn new things quickly.

The Absolute Must Haves:

* Experience building applications in PHP 4 (object oriented)
* Familiarity with Linux, CVS, SQL, HTML, Javascript

Things That Would Also Be Nice:

* PostgreSQL 7.4-8.*
* Web Services (REST or SOAP)
* AJAXhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
* SMTP
* Python or PHP 5

Emma offers competitive salaries, a health plan, 401(k), and a culture that's open, creative, and cubicle-free. This job is based in Nashville, the start date is flexible, and relocation is possible for the right candidate.

Now go apply already.

Graphic Designer position available

2007-10-26T10:41:00.000-06:00

I was just sent this position available from a friend with the Tractor Supply Company. If you think you're the person for the position, follow the details below to apply or to inquire.

Good luck,
Dave
----

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Graphic Designer

Dept: Marketing/Advertising

Status: Salaried

Job Purpose:

The Graphic Designer is responsible for designing projects for Tractor Supply
Company’s media.

Primary Duties: 1 - 2

• Designs and produces:
o Direct Mail
Builds brand through layout and creation.
Carries message and purpose throughout.
o Print Central projects.
Prepares projects being designed or produced through Tractor Supply
Company while working with the Production and Creative manager.
o Special projects
Designs and produces while protecting the brand including
point of purchase, logos, etc.
Checks the press when needed.
Works with outside copywriters and vendors when required.
o Product brochures.
Develops TSC brochures while researching and working with
the buyers.
Chooses photography based on need.
Designs and produces a range of sizes and formats based on needs
and time within the brand.
o Circular design, bluebook catalog and signing for stores.
o Electronic media – including but limited to projects associated with
www.mytscstore.com.
o Other assigned media.

• Establishes and manages relationships with internal/external graphic support service

• Supports Creative Manager.
o Takes direction and helps with all projects being designed and printed.

1
The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not
intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

2
Primary Duties as documented in this job description are considered “Essential Functions” and have been created by
the standards of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The standards of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (1990) require that employees be able to perform “Essential Functions” of the job with or without
reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform
the “Essential Functions”.

Graphic Designer
Page 2

Secondary Duties:
• Photo shoot experience on select projects.

• Performs other duties as assigned by a supervisor.

Education and Experience:

High school education; 2-5 years related experience; any suitable combination of
education and experience will be considered.

Essential Skills:

• Knowledge and proficiency of Macintosh-based software, including InDesign and
QuarkXpress, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, etc.
• Demonstrate strong problem solving, communication, organizational, and
multi-tasking skills.
• Ability to work independently, positively handle conflict, and work in a fast paced
environment.
• Display detail-oriented approach to work.
• Ability in Microsoft Office products and Windows is a plus.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands:

Individuals in this position will encounter ambient room temperatures, lighting, and
traditional office equipment as found in any typical office environment. Individuals may
need to sit at a desk or table for long periods of time; to speak clearly and carefully listen
to customers; to reach over shoulder heights; crouch or stoop below the waist; repetitive
wrist, hand, or finger movement; occasional lifting up to 25 pounds; and lifting as
required to file documents or store materials during the workday.

Interested? You will find Job Posting Applications on The Mule under Human
Resources > Career Opportunities. Print out an application and email
or fax it to:

Donna Daugherty at the Store Support Center.
(615) 277-4258 Fax
Email: ddaugherty@tractorsupply.com

Nashville geeks, piano rockers, nacho eaters unite!

2007-10-08T10:24:00.000-06:00

Big meet up tonight in Nashville with Cali Lewis from Geek Brief TV. Drop by here for details: http://urltea.com/1oxq

Twitter explained by Brittney Gilbert

2007-10-05T08:27:00.000-06:00

During the Business Wire panel yesterday, Rex Hammock and I both mentioned Twitter several times. I just came across Brittney Gilbert's explanation from WKRN.

I was going to write my own explanation, but Chris Brogan does an excellent job.

Find me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davedelaney

Buisness Wire panel recap

2007-10-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Business Wire for inviting me to speak on their panel about blogging, social media and search engine optimization (SEO).

It was a pleasure to share the stage (err, table) with Rex Hammock, Jon Henshaw and Bill Hobbs. I don't know Bill personally, but I do know Rex from his blog and as a fellow Twitter addict. Jon is a great guy as well who works with a terrific SEO company called Sitening.

Speaking of Sitening, it's always nice to see Statsia. Statsia was kind enough to speak at our event, BarCamp Nashville earlier this summer. She did a fantastic job of explaining Google Analytics there, as she did recently at a NAMA luncheon.

So good to meet so many people interested and excited about social media for their companies, and hopefully their lives as well. Blogging is really an extension of who we are, use the technology for good. Share, join and build communities. Web 2.0 is really just that, it's a return to a time where consumers ruled. Interact and engage with your customers and visitors, be honest and friendly and they will respect you.

Thanks.
Find me @ work: Emma.
Find me podcasting: Two Boobs and a Baby +.
Find me blogging: Dave Made That.

SEO, Blogging and Social Media: How do you reach your audience?

2007-10-02T11:30:00.000-06:00

Apologizes for not posting here more recently. I just returned from the Podcasting New Media Expo in Ontario (not Canada), California. I've been swamped with work at Emma, working on our home (which we just bought a few months ago), our podcast, PodCamp Nashville planning, and of course my family life (which is really on the top of my list).

I have been invited by Business Wire to join a panel ~~tomorrow~~ Thursday morning to discuss search engine optimization and all things Web 2.0.

If you're in the neighborhood please drop by and say hello. Here's the details:

SEO, Blogging and Social Media: How do you reach your audience?

Time is running out! There are still a few spots available for this informative Question and Answer session Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007. You need to RSVP for this event, if you're interested please let me know. Details from the invite follow:

Join us as Business Wire hosts a panel of experts in an open forum to learn how you can enhance your communication strategies. Embrace the ever-changing landscape of business communication while focusing on Search Engine Optimization, Blogging and Social Media. All the questions that you have wondered about - now is your time to ask the experts!

Event Time:
7:30 am - 8:00 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00 am - 9:30 am: Panel introduction and Audience Q&A

Location: Scarritt-Bennett Center
Scarritt-Bennett Center

Clyde & Mary Hall, Laskey Building, 2nd Floor

1008 19th Ave. South

Nashville, TN 37212

Map

Speakers
Dave Delaney, New Media Manager, Emma

Rex Hammock, President, Hammock Publishing

Jon Henshaw, Internet Strategist, Sitening

Bill Hobbs, Media Relations and Blogging Consultant

Moderator
Tonya Bowen, Regional Manager, Business Wire

Pst, I'm over here now...

2007-09-10T13:13:00.000-06:00

Hi there loyal New Media Nashville reader. Have I written lately how much I love you? No? Sorry, I have been rather neglectful haven't I?

Let's make it better. Drop by here to see what I'm up to.

See you there.
Dave

My 10 favorite quotes about BarCamp Nashville

2007-09-09T05:57:00.000-06:00

Hi guys. I'm guilty of not posting in here in quite some time. I have fallen in to the blogger's trap of writing too many blogs. Ha!

Have a look at my favorite 10 quotes about BarCamp Nashville here.

Cheers,
Dave

See you tomorrow @ BarCamp Nashville

2007-08-17T12:52:00.000-06:00

Our dream is coming true tomorrow. Hope to see you in Nashville.

www.barcampnashville.com

What I learned at Gnomedex 2007

2007-08-13T09:34:00.001-06:00

Wow, wow, wow. I am seriously experiencing some geek flavored withdrawal right now. I had the good fortune to be able to attend Gnomedex for the first time over weekend in Seattle (thanks, Emma) with my friend Marcus Whitney. It was an incredible experience.

Thanks to everyone I met, you guys all seriously rule. The conference was a real eye-opener to how tight our community really is. It's one thing to measure link love with Feedburner or Google Analytics, but to actually congregate in one room/bar and chat in the flesh is beyond cool. Who says we all live in dark rooms with our heads always buried in front of monitors? Ok, so maybe that's true for most of the rest of the year :-).

Let's all be sure we keep in touch. If you haven't "friended" me on Twitter yet please do: www.twitter.com/davedelaney/

Here's my breakdown on Gnomedex 2007. Thanks to Chris and Ponzi for a rockin' conference.

Things I learned at Gnomedex (in no specific order):

- Comic Sans is (still) the worst font ever (closely followed by Curlz)
- EVERYONE who counts should be on Twitter
- Open Money needs to be explained in 140 characters or less
- Conference spam sucks
- Justin.TV isn't worth watching anymore (his words, not mine)
- Scoble and Pirillo should avoid traveling to Hawaii together.
- We're all doomed: brought to you by Amazon and Cisco - Blog that!
- Use cancer to get telemarketers off your back
- New Media teachers and their students need to switch classroom seating arrangements
- Magnets have something to do with energy
- Bring a lot of Stacies to cover your bar tab
- Pack your cruise wear and a grappling hook
- Pack a bullet proof vest
- Don't kill your cousin's dog
- All Gnomedex contests are rigged
- Chris Pirillo has big shoes
- High Times Magazine needs to be a future sponsor
- Order the salmon
- Boast about not watching TV while you lived in Boston, @ Harvard
- JibJab is fueled by vodka
- Don't forget your bucket
- Be a pretty good ancestor
- Interview and record your parents
- If you present with a long panel-type table, have a panel discussion
- flood board if you're bored
- "ouchie doo doo" is a new favorite term - thanks Baratunde
- Guy Kawasaki needs to join Twitter
- We can save the world with thongs?
- Common Craft need to create a video on how to use Twitter (so the rest of the world can figure it out)
- Save Internet Radio (but that one's a given)

Got any additions? Please leave me a comment.

Social Bookmarking Explained (Video)

2007-08-07T13:53:00.000-06:00

Any questions class?

My Linked In Challenge : 14XRS begins tomorrow

2007-08-05T06:54:00.000-06:00

How many silly tweets or pointless Facebook applications do you add a day? If you're like me, probably a lot. Recently, a friend asked me to write a recommendation for him on LinkedIn. I'm a big fan of the business networking service, but until recently, I haven't taken much time in recommending my friends and business associates. That is until now.

I am shooting out a challenge to you to join me in the 14 day Recommendation Session, or 14XRS.

14XRS means you have to write one recommendation for one of your LinkedIn connections per day for 14 days. You can't miss a day. Of course, feel free to recommend more than one person a day if you like. Do something nice each day.

Are you up for the challenge? 14XRS begins tomorrow, Monday August 6.
Now go recommend a friend, it's a nice thing to do ya know.

BarCamp Nashville progress report

2007-07-25T20:04:00.000-06:00

I had no idea that way back in May, before I was hired with Emma, that I would be responsible for creating what will soon be "the" new media event of the year in Nashville. I should note that were it not for my partner in crime, Marcus Whitney, this wouldn't even be happening.

A brief background of how this has come to be...

Back in the Spring of this year, I was busy networking with Nashville media and marketing firms to try to get a grasp of the market here. I met with incredible people like Mike Sechrist and Mike Tarrolly at WKRN, some of the people behind Nashville is Talking.

Karen Stone, the president of the Nashville chapter of the American Marketing Association was an incredible person to meet. She went out of her way to help me connect with the right folks in Nashville that could help lead me in the direction of full time employment.

A cold call to News Channel 5's General Manager, Debbie Turner ended up paving the road to where I am today. Debbie had no positions available at CBS, but she did introduce me to Jamie Boham of Bohan Advertising. Jamie suggested that since my strong background is really Online Marketing, that I should speak with Hannah Paramore at Paramore|Redd Online Marketing, a company that specializes in Online Marketing.

I was excited to meet with Hannah and her husband Kidd. Hannah went out of her way, above and beyond the call, to introduce me to Clint Smith at Emma. Just so I'm clear here, she actually called Clint to suggest he meet with me on a Friday afternoon. Hannah even printed out an extra copy of my resume and an article about Emma, so I could read up on the company before I met Clint.

I hurried over to Hillsboro Village shortly afterwards to chat with Clint. We hit it off instantly, but I was told there wasn't really anything with them at that time. He did suggest I meet with Emma's Director of Technology, Marcus Whitney.

Marcus and I met soon after at Fido for a coffee. To say that we also hit it off instantly is an understatement. Our caffiene-fueled geek-speak-chat ran at full speed. We quickly determined that Nashville needs an event that will bring together all of the digital communities. Straight away we began to plan BarCamp Nashville and became fast friends.

Soon after Marcus and I met, I was hired at Emma as New Media Manager/Monkey. I am more than happy in my position, working for a company who's corporate culture fits me perfectly. I am finally at home at Emma. What other company would allow me so much time to prepare for what is shaping up to be Nashville's greatest digital event ever?

Thanks Marcus, Dean, Clint and the Emma gang, the BarCamp Nashville Crew, and you for believing in BarCamp Nashville. Oh, and if you haven't already registered to attend (for free!) you better get on it sooner than later. Don't forget to sign up to speak if you want to be heard.

You can follow the BarCamp Nashville buzz online here:
http://tinyurl.com/29lhub and here: http://tinyurl.com/22br5b

Cheers,
Dave

MySpace sexy girls from China. Or, damn MySpace spam!

2007-07-13T14:58:00.001-06:00

You know those friend invites you receive in your MySpace account that are always from good looking women in China? I take it I'm not the only one getting these right? Well, the spam is starting to really annoy me.

I came up with an idea that would help save MySpace users time when logging into their accounts and reading the friend requests, only to end up marking them as spam and deleting them. Total time waster.

Here's the message I sent them. I'll keep you in the loop when/if I get a reply.

Hi MySpace:
I have a group created to help promote and network for our BarCamp Nashville event. I am continuously getting spammed by "friend" invitations by women in China (or that's where they claim). Clearly, they have no interest in this event.

Is there anyway to have a snip of the message and location included in the automatic friend request emails? This would help people determine whether they are spam or not. I know this doesn't help the clutter in MySpace user in boxes, but at least it saves us having to log in each time only to Mark As Spam, delete and then log out.

Just a suggestion.
Thanks,
Dave

--
BarCamp Nashville, August 18th, 12pm - 12am at the Exit/In, Nashville, TN.
Visit: www.barcampnashville.com

An open letter to Comcast On Demand

2007-07-11T11:19:00.000-06:00

Dear Comcast On Demand:

Every time I turn on my TV's On Demand I am startled by the loud, annoying music you use. You know the music I'm talking about. It's not only slightly aggressive, but also way too repetitive. By repetitive, I mean it's the only music you use. Perhaps something a little more mellow, or perhaps (even better) no music at all. When the On Demand screen appears, I know I'm using On Demand, I don't need the music to remind me, oh, and kind of scare my children too. I love the On Demand service, having quick access to Thomas the Train is essential in my home. I just don't like freaking out my kids every time I flick the switch (err, hit the button).

What do you say Comcast? Will you take care of this little matter for me? I'd really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Dave Delaney

New Media Marketing Books - What's your fav?

2007-07-07T12:37:00.000-06:00

Amazon be damned, I just can't be bothered spending countless hours researching new New Media Marketing books. I've had my eyes on a few for a while, but I'm interested to hear what you think.

Please tell me your favorite recent NMM book. I'm itching to pry my eyes from the screen back to the page again, it's been a while.

Thanks,
Dave

Virtual Conferences...the future?

2007-07-05T08:53:00.000-06:00

Why I'm avoiding the Apple Store today, or Why I'm not buying an iPhone

2007-06-29T08:37:00.000-06:00

Yep, today's the big day that Apple's iPhone is available to consumers. I am still disappointed with my iPod. I love the MP3 player, but I want my $600 back that I spent on my 3G 20gig iPod. The battery has died twice on it, now it won't even sync anymore.

I bought a 4gig Nano a few months ago as my replacement. I just don't have the coin at the moment to splurge on an 80 gig, and I definitely am not interested in the iPhone.

I think NPR really covered the subject well. I implore you to have a listen to the show to determine if the iPhone is right for you.

Here's 7 things to consider before buying an iPod.

Hyperwords application for Firefox

2007-06-27T10:36:00.000-06:00

Check this coolness out:

Aside from it replacing my Google search engine in my browser, which I was easily able to fix, this is a very cool app.

Check out Hyperwords here to install it. Let me know what you think.

Cheers,
Dave

Emma, moving and Podcasters Across Borders

2007-06-19T13:44:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been quite some time since I posted on the blog. Things have been insane in my life to say the least. In the beginning of last month I was hired as New Media Manager by Emma. Emma is a fantastic email marketing company. I absolutely love the position, company and people I work with. I'm not boasting here, but I have to say that I am finally 100% happy in a position. You can read more about Emma here. If you do need a stylish email marketing service I would seriously urge you to let me know, or to contact Emma directly. I am not being forced to write this :-)

On top of working at Emma, I have been consulting the Nashville chapter of the American Marketing Association on an exciting project set to launch mid-summer. I continue to work some freelance work here and there as well.

Now that all seems like a load doesn't it? But wait, there's more! I also moved my family to Nashville finally. It's a very exciting time in my wife and I's life, because this is the first house that we have purchased. Unfortunately the prior owners painted nearly the whole house dark red. We have been up to our ears in primer and paint. I spent the weekend painting the entire house with plenty of help from friends and family. In addition to painting there's the small matter of moving our furniture in to the house as well. Now that the paint has dried we've been able to let Ella and Sam join us in the house, but moving in is not an easy task with two bambinos demanding our attention.

I am off this Thursday to Toronto, then to Kingston, Ontario on Friday for the weekend to attend Podcasters Across Borders (PAB). I attended PAB last year and had a blast; I'm very excited for this year. Sean McGaughey has created a meme: The un-official Podcasters Across Borders Meme. Here it is for your reading pleasure:

Why are you coming to PAB?
I am really looking forward to seeing old friends from the Canadian podcasting community, plus make new international ones. Oh, and to drink beer.

A little homework now: Which PAB registrants would you like to meet? Why?
I would love to meet Chris Brogan, I really enjoy his blog and think he's doing some fantastic work engaging his audience. I also really want to speak with...

Read the rest here.

My offer to help you find a job in Nashville

2007-05-31T18:13:00.000-06:00

I just read an article on the Tennessean regarding teens and jobs this summer, or rather, the lack there of.

Finding a summer job will be tougher than ever for area teens.

I'd like to go ahead right now and put my offer on the table. If you would like me to help you find a job please let me know. This offer is for young people. I'm not guaranteeing a job, but I'll do my best to help you land one. I'm not looking for payment, there are no strings attached.

Over the years I have had many jobs. My most recent ones can be found on my Linked In profile on this blog. Drop by and have a look.

Email me: newmedianashville AT gmail.com and we'll talk.

Happy job hunting.
Dave

Microsoft Surface is sweet!

2007-05-30T13:28:00.000-06:00

Find out more here: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Nashville BarCamp - giddy up!

2007-05-23T09:45:00.000-06:00

I am so excited about the big Nashville BarCamp meeting coming up on June 12th @ 12th South Taproom, 2312 12th Ave. S. 615-463-7552.

If you're in Nashville and you dig new media you should seriously consider http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifattending. This will be an opportunity to join a dedicated group of folks who are set on creating a kick butt bar camp for Nashvegas.

Hit this link and sign up today: http://conference.meetup.com/3/

Still curious about what a barcamp is? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BarCamp

Official BarCamp Nashville Wiki here: http://barcamp.org/BarCampNashville

RSS in Plain English

2007-05-21T13:30:00.000-06:00

I'm loving this!

Optimization for local search results

2007-05-18T09:43:00.000-06:00

There's a fantastic article from MediaPost today about localized and personalized searches. Heather Fraham points out some key ways to optimize your search results.

Check out her tips here.

Jott - transcibe your mobile memos

2007-05-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

The following post is actually a transcript of a message I left to myself using Jott.com. Even though it doesn't do a 100% transcription, it does do an amazing job for FREE.

Jott To Self

So friend of mine that worked today suggested to check out Jott.com. This is actually a message that I am recording to myself right now and what Jott does is it automatically transcribes you this message and then email to you the transcript. It is pretty cool service for recording memos and such, so I thought I will share with the to go.

Listen to audio

Set reminders, assign, and manage this jott on Jott.com

News agencies test your videos

2007-05-09T12:20:00.000-06:00

I heard a news story from Toronto about a driver who attacked a cyclist on Boingboing.net (great blog!). When I went to the source site to see the video, CityTV, the video would not load on my laptop. As I waited for the video to load I searched for it on YouTube and was able to view it.

The video never opened from CityTV's website.

Tod Maffin explains Facebook

2007-05-03T07:03:00.000-06:00

I always enjoy listening to Tod Maffin. If you're still trying to decide whether to join the world of Facebook you should have a listen to this: http://www.foursevens.com/todbits/podcasts/facebook.mp3

The film industry does not Digg this story

2007-05-03T06:28:00.000-06:00

Original story: Nashville is Talking

fake ipod nano

2007-04-30T13:22:00.000-06:00

My wife doesn't own an MP3 player. I know it may come as a shock to those of you who listen to our podcast, but it's true. She tunes in online most of the time, or listens to mine in the car.

She's overdue for an iPod and it just happens to be her birthday in a couple of weeks. I shopped around on Ebay until I found a 2 gig Nano for about $90.00. I thought it was a pretty good deal, so I checked the seller's approval rating (as I always do).

The rating was 100% and they had quite few previous transactions, so I trusted them. A few hours after the transaction I received an email from Ebay. The email stated that I should take action and cancel the order straight away, as they had suspended the user's account due to previous problems (it's not specific).

My first question is, how did this user still have an item available? Also, how did they have such a high approval rating? I panicked, but the money had already transfered from PayPal. I spoke with my credit card company, but they need more time to pass before they can put in a claim, as does Ebay.

I started to feel better when I saw the shipping tracking number had been automatically emailed to me. I tracked the package as it arrived from Singapore. The courier rang the door bell here a week or so later to my surprise. The package had arrived!

I opened it up excited and relived that it arrived in time, then discovered it's a fake!!!

I'll follow up with the next part of this story soon. For now I'm going to buy her one from Best Buy. Nothing beats the ol' brick n' mortar in times like these. I should note that I've never had problems with purchases on Ebay before, I'm just bummed this happened.

Vote for Trees today

2007-04-27T08:48:00.000-06:00

Today's the day that I'm voting for trees. You should too. It's easy.
Go here now: www.votefortrees.com

We're in the news!

2007-04-24T09:17:00.000-06:00

Have a look at today's Jackson Sun. There's a great article all about our podcast.

Thanks,
Dave

Spongebob No Pants

2007-04-20T10:59:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the Burger King commercial where a man rises out of a tub of suds to crack a Spongebob Squarepants joke to his wife? Either had I.

Today I was reading the latest on AdAge when I came across the story. Apparently a group of people lead by a Rev. Wildmon have started a ruckus over the nudity in the ad. I should note, there is no nudity in the spot.

Now go ahead and watch the commercial and decide for yourself.

I'm starting to think that the Reverend works for the ad agency who came up with the spot. Think about it. What a brilliant way to make your commercial go viral (note the YouTube video above). All you need is a spokesperson against the product or advertisement.

A Google Blog search found the ad has been talked about all over the web.

So what do you think? A grand conspiracy, or are people actual lame enough to actually find the ad offensive?

Thanks AMA

2007-04-13T14:33:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to post a note to thank the good people at the Nashville Chapter of the American Marketing Association. They put on a fantastic shindig last night at Bailey's on Broadway, a great location for such an event.

I met loads of great folks who are all about marketing. I'm so use to being active on social networking sites that it was refreshing to meet people in the flesh. There's still nothing like a handshake, I can't imagine we new media marketers will ever master the virtual handshake.

Of course there's too many of you to mention, so I want this to be my big thanks to all of you in attendance. Clearly, the marketing community is a strong, vibrant one in Nashville. I'm looking forward to sinking my feet deeper in the industry here.

Cheers,
Dave

New Episode of Two Boobs and a Baby

2007-04-12T12:35:00.000-06:00

Episode 40 is available now. Please drop by for a listen.

Cheers,
Dave

Spring Training: American Marketing Association Meet Up

2007-04-10T14:41:00.000-06:00

I'm very excited to meet fellow Nashville marketing folks at the Spring Training meet up this Thursday. If you're in the neck of the woods be sure to join us. It should be a great way to network with like-minded marketing peeps.

The event is being held at Bailey's Sports Grille, 408 Broadway 615-254-5452 from 5:30 - 7:30.

But don't just show up. Let me know if you'd like me to add you as a guest if you're not an AMA member. Or you can register yourself here.

Hope to meet you in person.
Dave

Music lovers check it out

2007-04-07T20:14:00.000-06:00

I came across this music lovers site today. Just pop in a title of a band or artist and watch the results. I'm pretty impressed with some pretty obscure search results so far.

Check out Musotik here.

Introducing Jaiku - Is Twitter twittering at the new kid on the block?

2007-04-07T15:20:00.000-06:00

If Jaiku is more stable than Twitter, it'll probably surpass the competition pretty quickly. We'll have to wait and see. Of course, many on the top of the charts may be hesitant to lost their rankings by making the change.

In the mean time, there's lots of coolness for Twitties.

April Fools

2007-04-01T17:56:00.000-06:00

My father in-law freaked me out yesterday morning, April Fool's Day. He and my wife concocted a scheme to make me think our car had been stolen. The joke went off well, I was startled for a few minutes. I had been had. So, I decided to seek revenge on him. He is in the steel business, so I decided I would hit him where it "could" hurt.

He still uses Internet Explorer as his browser, his homepage is home.bellsouth.net. I took a screen capture of the page and Photochopped the News section. I redirected Explorer's homepage to open the image instead.

It was hilarious when he read the Breaking News headlines. I watched quietly laughing as he leaned in closer to the screen to read the rest of the shocking news story. Here's the capture I created:

I linked the entire image to a random April Fool's image I found on Google Images.

A lesson was learned...don't mess with a New Media guy on April Fool's Day!

Gmail Firefox users take notice

2007-03-28T17:19:00.000-06:00

Drew Domkus plugged this little Firefox plug-in over Twitter today. THANK YOU DREW!
This is exactly what I've been looking for. It enable me to be logged into my multiple gmail accounts at once, plus get alerts when I get new mail. No more having to log in to each account over and over and over again!

Check it out here.

Ever wonder where your book ends up?

2007-03-28T11:27:00.000-06:00

Here is a perfect example of new media helping old media.

Bookcrossing.com is a free service which enables you to "release" your books to strangers and track where they end up in the world. I just released a book over the weekend and I'm now anxiously checking it's status each day.

The idea is rather simple. Go to bookcrossing.com and register for a free account. Then you can either purchase their sticker packs, or be cheap like me and print and glue-stick it to your book cover. When you register a book you are given a tracking number. You fill in the tracking number on the sticker, stick the sticker inside of the book cover, then you update the book's status on bookcrossing.com

I found a book at a pub in Toronto with the tracking sticker in it. I read the book, then I left it at a University campus bookstore. I got home, logged into my account, and entered the location of where it was left. Then I followed the book as the next reader registered where they left it.

Since bookcrossing.com is being used across the world, it will be wild when you discover a book that you read has ended up somewhere in Australia or Japan. Be strategic where you leave them, i.e. airports, hotels, hostels, buses, subways, etc.

I really urge every one of you to do this with a book you read recently. It's incredible to be able to track where your book ends up and where it came from. DO IT NOW, it will take five minutes.

If you have any questions refer to this FAQ. or just watch this!

Happy reading!
Dave

YouTube

2007-03-24T03:40:00.000-06:00

Google's YouTube appears to be facing some serious battles ahead. Viacom filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the site, while NBC and News Corp entered into a joint venture designed to rival it.

It's pretty sad that so many media companies are trying to copy YouTube in order to make a buck (well, millions actually). Yesterday I was searching for a Stephen Colbert clip to share with a few friends, when I remembered that Viacom own Comedy Central. A month or so ago Viacom ordered YouTube to remove all videos of their properties.

I was forced to to use Comedy Central's archaic video streaming tool. I should also add that I had to watch a commercial before the clip. The load was slow, commercial annoying and they have no searching capabilities. I had to scroll through the videos until I found what I was looking for. I won't take the trouble again.

Many of the networks have actually embraced using YouTube, like NBC and their The Office promo contest for example. That's good thinking, because the show will get huge promotion if they are available on YouTube - it's as simple as that.

The video of the Colbert Report is hilarious. I had planned to share it with some friends and post it to another blog. The clip would have become viral, thus, The Colbert Report would have increased in popularity some. This is the essence of viral marketing - it's all about word of mouth, and the ease it is to share information.

YouTube is a marketers dream tool to promote a program, movie, etc. Rather than trying to sell advertising through pre-roll on other video players, firms should stick to using what has become the industry leader for online video.

The day YouTube starts forcing it's users to watch commercials before videos is the day users will find a new video sharing tool.

Podcasting Audience Up 18% Since Last Year

2007-03-23T20:37:00.000-06:00

The audience for podcasts has grown 18% in the last year, according to an upcoming report from Edison Media Research. Awareness of podcasting has grown even more, jumping from 22% in 2006 to 37% in 2007.

At the Corporate Podcasting Summit, held March 19-20 in London, Edison Media Research VP Tom Webster gave a preview of their latest research on podcasting. Webster’s statistics suggest that podcasting, like other Internet media, is growing rapidly, drawing attention away from other media. In addition, podcasts are getting a very attractive group for advertisers - well-educated people with money that like to buy things online.

Here are some of the highlights of Webster’s presentation:

* The audience for podcasts is up by 18% from a year ago. In 2006, 11% of those surveyed listened to audio podcasts; in 2007, the number was 13%, about 18% growth. This figure looks like it may be the most controversial info in the report. At Marketwatch, for example, Frank Barnako is calling this anemic growth. While faster growth would be great for podcasters, a lot of industries would kill for 18% growth.
* Podcast awareness has exploded in the last year, growing from 22% to 37%.
* Video podcast use is up by 10%, going from 10% to 11%. The relatively small growth indicated by this stat doesn’t jive with obvious trends in Internet video. Internet video is exploding, and by many accounts, it has leapfrogged audio podcasting. It looks like their survey isn’t capturing much growth in interest in video blogs and video podcasts, maybe because of fuzziness about the definition of what a podcast is or isn’t. Is Ask a Ninja a video podcast? If you use Edison’s criteria, probably not.

Lots of more information with statistics in the rest of this article from Podcasting News

On the flip side, the CBC report (from the same findings) that the increase is slower than expected.

Either way it's an 18% increase and in my books that's better than a decrease right?

New Twitter Things

2007-03-19T15:20:00.000-06:00

Here's some new goodies if you're using Twitter.

1) Post a link straight to Twitter from your Firefox browser: http://lud.icro.us/post-twitter-updates-from-firefox/

2) Follow real time Twitter posts across the world:
http://twittermap.com/twittervision

Enjoy.
Dave

John Edwards has a Twitter account!

2007-03-14T09:15:00.000-06:00

Check out John Edwards as he twitters along the campaign trail: http://twitter.com/johnedwards
What ever political was you swing, you have to hand it to Edwards being on the ball.

Here's an idea. How about allowing all candidates to only promote themselves with Twitter? That would bring their budgets down to about nil! It would also show just how dedicated these people are.

Way to go Mr. Edwards.

Twitter

2007-03-13T12:53:00.000-06:00

I'm freakin' twittering over 'ere. Until a few weeks ago, you would have probably wondered what I meant by twittering. In fact, most people probably still are wondering what I'm on about.

Twitter is the coolest little program to pop on to the web in a while. Some are calling Twitter yet another fad that will be gone tomorrow, while others are excited about the possibilities moving into the future.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking service that allows members to inform each other about what they are doing and what they think. It allows users to send messages via phone or instant messaging. Two SMS gateway numbers are available - one for USA, and one UK number for international use. Users can receive updates from other selected users via web, IM, or SMS.

- Wikipedia.

News organizations are already jumping on Twitter as a way to link back to their stories in real time such as the BBC.

Saavy music lovers/bloggers/podcasters like Julien Smith and Jay Moonah recently Twittered from the SXSW Music Festival. Friends could keep up in real time with everything going on at the fest, it was the next best thing to being there. Check out the timeline here.

Online Marketing gurus C.C. Chapman and Mitch Joel both have expressed their interest in Twitter on their blogs. I recommend giving them a read over to learn more too.

I must admit that I am now hooked on Twitter too. I love being able to let my friends know WHAT I'M DOING as much as possible. Drop by to find out: twitter.com/daveboob

Happy Twittering.
Dave

New look for a new blog...

2007-03-13T12:51:00.000-06:00

I spent the last few days redesigning the blog. Please let me know what you think.

And now back to the show...

Dave

Excuse the mess

2007-03-09T23:12:00.000-06:00

I'm tweaking the blog. Please stand by.

Thanks,
Dave

Shift Happens - Invest in New Media research now

2007-03-09T11:34:00.000-06:00

This video is a wake up call. As this becomes more and more viral and more eyes see it, I believe many senior executives and HR people will begin to re-think New Media. It's time now to hire New Media professionals. As a long term investment in the growth of a firm, it would be nuts not to pay serious attention to this video.

Thanks Matt.

Citations Here

Connecticut Wants MySpace to Add Age Verification

2007-03-08T15:38:00.000-06:00

Connecticut Wants MySpace to Add Age Verification. While this is in theory a good idea to help protect children from child predators, it also is a waste of time and money.

According to the article on MarketingVox:

Sites would also be required to confirm that information about parents is correct, if necessary by directly contacting parents.

I'm thinking this step is next to impossible to enforce. MySpace now has over 100 million users. How is this even possible? Who will make the phone calls, and how will they verify that the information they receive from the "parents" is legitimate?

Wikipedia, YouTube and MySpace simplified

2007-03-08T09:39:00.000-06:00

Click the image to enlarge.

Web pioneers and the Internet Wayback Machine

2007-03-07T11:55:00.000-06:00

A little while ago I posted a video clip of the CBC reporting in 1993 on (the) Internet. Today, I stumbled upon a neat collection of pioneers who helped build the Internet and make it what it is today.

The collection is on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. If you're not familiar with the Wayback Machine you should check it out. Pop any URL in the search engine and you'll be provided with screenshots of the web sites as they changed over the years.

Check it out.

Become a vlogging star

2007-03-06T12:23:00.000-06:00

Found this on Nashville is Talking

B&H Publishing is launching a video blog to promote a new line of youth oriented book and bibles. As a result, they are looking to hire a couple of people to co-host their video blog. The vlog will be targeted at high school and college students, so they are looking for actors that look like they are in their 20s:

Male and female actors ages 18-28 years old are needed for Christian video blog/podcast. Must love the video camera and be comfortable with faith-oriented content and topics. Send a photo and/or resume to BHauditions@gmail.com. Auditions will be held March 16 by appointment.

Who knows. You may become the next LonelyGirl15.

Understanding Second Life

2007-03-04T07:05:00.000-06:00

This video is an overview of the NMC Campus. It is a great way to grasp a better understanding of Second Life.

The Internet - as reported by the CBC in 1993

2007-02-28T23:40:00.000-06:00

In October 2005, my wife and I began our podcast.
In October 1993, the CBC did this story on the mysterious new "Internet". Oh, and Peter Mansbridge had hair (not really).

My how times have changed!

At least the CBC got it right back in 1993. The same can't be said for good ol' Senator Ted Stevens just last year.

From the Onion - nothing like some humor when you're under the weather!

2007-02-28T23:34:00.000-06:00

Viacom Demands YouTube Pull 400,000 Ex-TV Viewers From Its Site

Sick sick sick

2007-02-27T22:29:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been offline a bit recently. I've been ill, more important, my two kids of been ill too. You can hear/read all about that on our podcast.

I am tied up with work and meetings over the next few days. I hope to be back to the blog very soon. Please subscribe for updates.

Cheers,
Dave

Five Categories For The Entire Internet

2007-02-23T12:30:00.000-06:00

Michael Garrity breaks down the Five Categories For The Entire Internet on OneDegree.

1. Search: Finding the stuff when you need it
2. Content: The stuff you actually need (words, data, pictures, video, music, etc.)
3. Marketplaces: The exchanges for goods and services
4. Payments: The central mechanism to trigger the flow of goods and services
5. Communications: The function of interaction (email, chat, voice, video)

What do you think?

Promoting Your Podcast

2007-02-21T14:06:00.000-06:00

I've just finished Promoting Your Podcast by Jason Van Orden. I am thrilled to see that I've been doing many correct things to promote our podcast, Two Boobs and a Baby +. However, after reading Jason's book, I've got loads of new tips and tricks to use to better promote the show.

I really recommend Promoting Your Podcast if you have a podcast you want the world to hear. You can tell from the pink sticky tabs that I came away with loads from this book.

Two thumbs up!

Nashville in Forbes Top 20 for jobs!

2007-02-20T11:53:00.000-06:00

Hey hey hey. Great news. Forbes has rated Nashville #18 of the Top 20 cities in the U.S. for jobs. I tried to read the actual story on Forbe's web site, but it's formated in an annoying, unstoppable slide show. Hmrf. Here's the link

Can a job for me be that far away? Hmmm...we'll see.

I must mention that I recently met with two incredible people in Nashville. Karen Stone is the President of the American Marketing Association's Nashville Chapter. We didn't know each other before meeting, but she was kind enough to take some time to chat with me about the marketing industry in Nashville. I owe her a BIG thank you!

I also met with Brian Gordon of the Nashville Film Festival. Brian is a die-hard film lover, like myself. He has a wide knowledge of the arts scene in Nashville. Having come from an arts/broadcast/media background, I appreciated his input in the Nashville scene. A BIG thank you to you too!

I smell employment just around the corner... (sniff) (sniff)

The trouble with coffee shops with wireless

2007-02-20T10:44:00.000-06:00

There's really no trouble with any business that provides it's customers with free wireless service. The problem is when the business won't provide you power.

Last week I had a meeting scheduled at Fido. For those who don't know it, it's a funky coffee shop right in the heart of Hillsboro Village.

Fido's staff are outgoing and friendly, the service rocks. I ordered a coffee and the Huevos Rancheros, everything was perfect. I had checked before I arrived that they had wireless, because I knew I would be arriving really early.

I went ahead and ordered my food and coffee. Then I began to scan the building for a power outlet. Yes, like many, my laptop batteries blow. I think I was beginning to annoy people as I gawked under their tables and booths.

I finally found an outlet with a free table. I set up shop there and plugged in my machine. No power. I tried the other plug, still no power. I asked the waitress and she explained that they no longer provide power.

Here's the issue. If you are going to advertise that your business provides Wifi, you should probably consider providing power for those seeking it. She and the manager both explained that the trouble is freeloaders.

Those freeloaders come in the morning and purchase a coffee, then they sit there all day online. Having worked in restaurants I completely understood the situation. No food sales equals no profit (and no tip for the server).

I've never considered this conundrum before. I'm sure this is a problem at most coffee shops/cafes/bars/etc. that provide free wireless. I'm not sure how they handle it.

My solution is that in the back of Fido there are some stand up tables. I suggested they install some power outlets there and remove the tall stools. This way those that need power will need to stand up. This will get tiring after a while and they'll be forced to leave.

In the mean time, I know I need to start searching Ebay for a new battery for this ole' laptop. I'll be back to Fido, as I said, they place is great and I recommend it.

Dave

Twitter

2007-02-20T10:38:00.000-06:00

Twitter is too cool. Look along the side of this page. You'll see a blue box with a "live" update of what I'm doing.

This is an incredibly simple script to use on your blog or firm's site. The best part is you can update it by sending a simple "free" text message on your phone.

I've been following C.C. Chapman's horrible trip to Nashville via his blog, and specifically his Twitter posts on it.

Who needs computers anymore?

East Nashville or Bust

2007-02-16T14:50:00.000-06:00

I found Turnhere.com today while searching for some information on East Nashville to post. Dig this little ditty I came across.

This is a fantastic way to virtually show a potential tourist or new resident a neighborhood.

Having lived in Ireland, I throughly enjoyed virtually walking through Dublin again (not to mention the Bono story!). Too bad the Guinness in Tennessee sucks.

Being a tad bit homesick, I also viewed the Toronto videos...then I looked at the weather and the homesickness disappeared!

Web 2.0 Valentine's Day (belated!)

2007-02-16T13:54:00.000-06:00

Of course, had I sent this to my wife she would have kicked my butt. Luckily, we don't practice one of the most holy of Hallmark holidays - Valentine's Day. I prefer to spring flowers on her at other, more random, days of the year (and she puts up with my crap).

If she was as geeky as me though - she would probably love it.

Now check out the full card here! Brilliant.

(screen shot ripped from One Degree)

Viva NashVegas

2007-02-13T15:03:00.000-06:00

I must admit, people back home in Toronto repeatedly asked me why we were moving to Nashville. When I tell people in Nashville where I'm from, they often ask why I moved?

Toronto is definitely a world class city. "Hogtown" has everything you could want in a city: museums; galleries; restaurants with food from every country imaginable; hot weather; cold weather; major sports franchises; live music every night; film festivals; live theatre; etc...

What brought us to Nashville are a few things:
* my wife is from Tennessee
* we had two children in 11.5 months
* we would be closer to my wife's family (who could help with the kids)
* we would have an instant group of friends with kids (most of my wife's girl friends are now married with children)
* we can afford to live in Nashville (Toronto cost of living is getting WAY too high)
* Nashville is a top digital city (jobs for Dave?)
* entertainment and broadcasting is huge in Nashville (my background)

I'm even more excited about moving to Nashville after the news today that Gaylord plans to open 1.2-million-square-foot convention center just south of downtown.

According to an article in the Tennessean:

...could catapult Nashville from a second- or third-tier city for convention business to among the top 15 cities in the U.S. That would take Nashville out of the middle tier of cities, competing against places like Indianapolis, Charlotte and St. Louis," said Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It would put us back where we were in the early 1990s, competing against places like Atlanta, New Orleans and Orlando."

While it may appear that Gaylord own just about everything in Nashville, I'm certain that's not the case. Perhaps locals feel differently?

Either way, more conventions equals more tourists, which in turn means more jobs and more money for the local economy. This is all a good thing.

What an exciting time to be in a city that is getting it right! Viva NashVegas!

Keeping track of your comments

2007-02-13T06:22:00.000-06:00

One of the most difficult aspects of blogging has been keeping track of your comments. If you visit more than one blog, where you often leave a comment, it can be confusing to remember when and where you posted your two cents.

I have been looking for a solution to this for some time. I had tried CoComment a few months ago, but it kept crashing my browser.

I can now safely say that the new version of CoComment is available and it works like a charm. I especially like it's functionality with FireFox.

If you're looking for a different way to keep track of your comments, I suggest listening to Episode 38 of Six Pixels of Separation. Mitch Joel outlines some fantastic methods in his popular marketing podcast.

Now, just don't forget to leave a comment.

Cheers,
Dave

Yahoo's smoking pipes

2007-02-10T21:43:00.000-06:00

Yahoo released their beta version of Pipes today. Very exciting stuff.
It will take some time before the general public understand how Pipes work. If you have a general understanding for feeds, drop by and give it a test drive.

Pipes is an interactive feed aggregator and manipulator. Using Pipes, you can create feeds that are more powerful, useful and relevant

There's some interesting discussion on O'Reilly Radar.

Web 2.0

2007-02-10T08:13:00.000-06:00

Need I say more?

Off to Montreal...

2007-02-05T19:56:00.000-06:00

I'm off to Montreal tomorrow to pick up my Green card. Woo Hoo! It's been a long time coming.
I'm also very excited to hook up with Julien for a beer and Mitch for a Schwartz's Montreal smoked meat sandwich - yum!!!

Will post more when I return next week.

Cheers,
Dave

YouTube kills innocent videos

2007-02-05T13:48:00.000-06:00

YouTube slapped Viacom last week which resulted in YouTube removing 100,000 videos. The videos removed were suppose to include any Viacom clips such as MTV or Comedy Central.

Unfortunately, YouTube actually deleted videos with keywords that Viacom had requested be removed. Any user who had a legitimate video, but which used one of the keywords were deleted. Ouch.

Many people are upset with YouTube's quick removal of the videos. Surely there could have been a better way.

Aqua Team Hunger Force

2007-02-05T07:18:00.000-06:00

If you haven't heard of Aqua Team Hunger Force or Adult Swim you probably have by now. That's because of the marketing ploy that the Cartoon Network used, planting suspect devices through many major US cities.

It begs the question whether this was a stupid idea, or so calculated that Interference Inc. (the firm responsible) knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. From the press conference you would think they did.

The Washington Post summed up the initiative well:

In one sweeping and inexpensive maneuver, Aqua Teen Hunger Force jumped to the top of search engines, blogs and news aggregators, in addition to garnering coverage from just about every major media source. Millions of people, who probably thought Adult Swim meant skinny dipping, may now tune into the Cartoon Network just to see what all the fuss is about. Compared to the estimated $2.6 million it will cost for thirty seconds of publicity during Sunday's Super Bowl, this phony bomb scare certainly got a lot more bang for the buck!

(LINK)

Nashville Podcasters Group

2007-02-05T07:13:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure of hooking up with the Nashville Podcasters Group on Saturday. It was nice to meet some fellow podcasters in Music City USA. I was pleased to see that half of the group didn't actually have a podcast yet, but were interested in learning more.

What's so great about the podcasting community is that there are people (including myself) who are always willing to help newbies.
If you have any questions regarding podcasting please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you.

Cheers,
Dave

Super Bowl Ads

2007-02-05T06:59:00.000-06:00

Just in case you missed the best (and worst) commericals during the Super Bowl: http://sports.aol.com/nfl/superbowlads

I worked for Global Television in Toronto, which is the network that airs the Super Bowl. Due to restrictions, the American ads are blocked and replaced with Canadian ones. This is always disappointing.

Isn't it great that Canadians can now turn to the web to see what they missed?
I wonder how many Americans now miss the ads due to DVRs.

D

Enhancing your community online (and for free!)

2007-01-31T13:14:00.000-06:00

There's a great story in today's Tennessean about a virtual fence in East Nashville. The story is about the residents of Inglewood, and their need for a new way to communicate to each other. With the help of Laura Creekmore they were able to create the East Nashville listserv.

When the budget ran out for their community newsletter, they decided to take it online.

Now the residents posts messages about everything going on in their neighborhood. They interact and even meet each other at coffee shops having never met face to face before.

Link Here

Dave's million dollar T-shirt idea

2007-01-30T14:36:00.000-06:00

It pains me to see teenagers walking around with old/new band tour t-shirts like The Allman Brothers. When I would buy t-shirts from shows it would be as a souvenir from the show. Today it's trendy to buy t-shirts for concerts you've never been to, for bands that broke up before you were born. Of course, trends change.

There is a transmitter you can buy for an iPod called an iTrip. The iTrip brodcasts the music to your FM radio; then it plays your music over it's airwaves. The Zune can actually send the MP3 file to another Zune player, so you can share the music with your pals (temporarily, as the file goes bye-bye after a few plays without purchase).

Here's my BIG idea.
We create a small transmitter to plug into any MP3 player that will send the files ID3 tag information, for example the artist name and name of the song, directly to your t-shirt!

Picture a scrolling LED light, like the one below:

Now imagine the light you see built right into your t-shirt or other piece of clothing. You're walking down the street as you're listening to "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols. As you're listening to the song, "Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen" scrolls across your chest.
A tweak could possibly include the album cover art, like most MP3s in iTunes.

Strangers walking passed you would nod in approval, or turn away in horror. Either way, you'd know who your friends (and enemies) are straight away.

So what do you think? Crack pot idea or pure genius? Should I have used Country Music as an example instead?

Who wants to finance it? We'll be millionaires.

Dave

Podsafe Music Live: Nashville Edition

2007-01-29T10:13:00.000-06:00

C.C. Chapman is presenting a podsafe music concert in Nashville on February 20. I am thrilled that he's coming to town, so I can finally shake his hand and say hello in person. If you are in town please drop by and say hello too.

Here's the line up:
Geoff Smith - Not on the Radio
Matthew Ebel - Every Color
David McMillin - One Way
Kevin Reeves - Afraid & Alone
Codaphonic - Hollawalla Omacalla Wee

Podsafe Music Live. February 20, 2007 5-??? pm CST @ Edgehilll Studios Cafe
Have a listen to the promo here.

Just in case you are wondering. Podsafe Music is music that is free to use for podcasters. Musicians make their work available to share with the world for free. This is great promotion for the artist, while being great for listeners.

For more on the Podsafe Music follow this link.

Join a group

2007-01-29T09:37:00.000-06:00

One of the coolest (and oldest) forms of online social networking is the use of groups (otherwise known as "newgroups"). Yahoo and Google both host an incredibly wide array of groups on just about any topic.

For example: If you are in Nashville and seeking employment, but you want to network, rather than simply posting your resume to every career site, check out the: Nashville Career Transition Group.

I just came across the Nashville Podcasters Group, who happen to have a scheduled meeting coming up. If you wish to join, be sure to let them know you're coming.

The Nashville Podcasters Group will be having our next meeting at Edgehill Studios Cafe When: Saturday, February 3rd, 2007 - (4 - 5:30 pm) Where: Edgehill Studios Cafe - 1201 Villa Place, Nashville, TN 37212 (12th and Edgehill) Phone: 615-301-8539 Bring your laptop - they have FREE wireless hookup.

I suggest you hop on Google Groups or Yahoo Groups and search for anything that interests you. You will need to sign up for a Yahoo or Gmail account, but that's free. You also should use an alternate email address for groups since you'll be getting daily/weekly updates on new messages posted and/or replies to your posts. This all depends on how you set it up when you register to join the group.

Dave

Podzinger

2007-01-26T12:56:00.000-06:00

Are they talking about you or your company on your favorite podcasts? Pod Zinger is a super-fantastic service that allows you to search for keywords. The search engine releases spiders through transcripts that they generate to dig up your name.

Give it a try. Let me know what you find: www.podzinger.com

PODZINGER unleashes the content within audio and video.
To find the podcast you want, don't just search for it ... ZING IT!

LinkedIn: Step Two

2007-01-26T12:25:00.000-06:00

Ok, have you set up your LinkedIn account yet? What are you waiting for?
Now check out Guy Kawaski's awesome tips to make it even better.

Dave

Social networking to further your career

2007-01-24T15:41:00.000-06:00

I am currently working on getting a full time position with a wonderful company in Nashville (wonderful company to be determined). Since I don't know heaps of people in Nashville, I decided to take it upon myself to start networking.

I was listening to the Six Pixels of Separation podcast recently and Mitch Joel referred to a site called LinkedIn.com. I checked it out and the site's introduction reads:

LinkedIn is an online network of more than 9 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 130 industries.
When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.

Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals.

Through your network you can:

Find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, and partners who come recommended
Be found for business opportunities
Search for great jobs
Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
Post and distribute job listings
Find high-quality passive candidates
Get introduced to other professionals through the people you know

LinkedIn is free to join. We also offer paid accounts that give you more tools for finding and reaching the right people, whether or not they are in your network.

LinkedIn rules. I signed up and invited loads of my contacts right away. If you are considering a new position, looking for employment, looking to employ, or simply trying to increase your network of contacts I really recommend you give it a try.

Feel free to add me to your contacts by clicking my LinkedIn logo on the right under my profile. Good luck.
D

Oh oh Google. Please tell me you didn't.

2007-01-22T12:18:00.000-06:00

Ken Schafer over at One Degree wrote an interesting post today about Google's new Page Creator.

Good news: It's now simple as pie to create your own web site.
Bad news: Your email address will be available to anyone interested - yikes.

Let's hope Google springs to some quick repairs on the issue. In the mean time, I suggest holding off on using Google Page Developer.

Thanks for the red flag Ken!

Dave

RSS Feeds. Why you need em'

2007-01-21T20:23:00.000-06:00

Many people have no idea what RSS feeds are yet. If you host a site or blog that is updated (ever) you really need should add a RSS feed.

What is an RSS feed?
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Do you ever watch the news and see headlines ticker by along the bottom of the screen. Those news headlines are being "fed" into the station's master control...well, RSS are actual feeds.

Now a better explanation from Wikipedia:
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated digital content, such as blogs, news feeds or podcasts.
Users of RSS content use programs called feed 'readers' or 'aggregators': the user 'subscribes' to a feed by supplying to their reader a link to the feed; the reader can then check the user's subscribed feeds to see if any of those feeds have new content since the last time it checked, and if so, retrieve that content and present it to the user.

Why you should be using feeds:
I use Google Reader to be automatically fed headlines from news, employment, trades, and just about any sites that are frequently updated. It saves having to fill your Favorites or Bookmarks...and the time to scroll through them to find a site to visit, just to find that nothing has been added since your last visit. If you visit or host a blog then feeds are a must too.

On that point, if you do host a blog, you better be sure to provide a feed service so that your visitors can be updated when you have posted something new. It just makes sense.

If you have a podcast you HAVE to have feeds set up, or nobody will ever know you have produced a new episode (aside from the chance they may visit your web site).

Questions about feeds? Still scratching your head? Let me know.
Now don't forget to subscribe to this blog :-)

Eddie had a great point (see comments). To set up your own feed go to www.feedburner.com
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers.
Dave

Choose your own iPod adventure

2007-01-19T19:18:00.000-06:00

I don't leave home without my new 4 gig iPod nano. Don't get me started about the early* demise of my 20 gig 3G iPod. Sigh, how I miss that 20 gigs of storage.

I wasn't a huge reader as a child, but I remember taking to the Choose Your Own Adventure series. These books spoke to me, because I was the master of my own destiny. I was a creative kid, so having the ability to choose where the book would take me was refreshing.

The good people at Choose Your Own Adventure have finally brought the iPod together with their books.

Check out the first MP3 version of the series. The classic The Adominable Snowman is now available for download!

* Apple Store guy said that I was lucky to get 3 years out of my 20 gig 3G iPod. I had replaced the battery once myself too. He said that the average life of an iPod is 2 years. Hmrf!

Great tips for PR

2007-01-19T13:03:00.000-06:00

Jeff Cornwall, a professor at Belmont University, hosts a blog called The Entrepreneurial Mind. He has posted a great a link to some fantastic Public Relations resources on Kauffman's eVenturing site.

A must read for anyone trying to better there public relations efforts. (LINK)

Dave

Super Bowl

2007-01-19T10:26:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl fever begins with Rassi Interactive. The advertising company has created a site where consumers can score the Super Bowl ads in their Ad Bowl. This is a great idea to increase site traffic and raise user interaction. Plus, visitors will return to see how their votes counted.

It's exciting to be in the States this year, so I can actually see the ads as they air. Although, realistically, I'll probably watch them online again anyway.

Last year GoDaddy.com was very clever. They created loads of buzz online about an ad that was too hot for the Super Bowl. If you recall, the previous year they used this spot.

Last year the word was that the spot they had created was banned from airing during the Super Bowl. GoDaddy used this ban to their advantage and invited people to visit their web site to view the ad during the Super Bowl.

Web traffic increased hugely, plus they didn't have to cough up millions of dollars for a :30 second spot during the Super Bowl. Very clever indeed!

Good Morning America on a flatbed?

2007-01-19T08:26:00.000-06:00

I was watching Good Morning America on ABC this morning. I noticed that the windows had a winter scape behind the set. The weird thing is that the background was slowly scrolling across. This means that:

a) I'm losing my mind
b) They've moved the set to a flatbed truck
c) Something is awry with their blue screen

Anyone else see this?
D

Google Groups: New Media Nashville

2007-01-18T17:10:00.000-06:00

Now's your chance to join the New Media Nashville group.
Sign on today and post a message to let us know you're there.

Looking forward to some heated discussions!

Cheers,
Dave

Tennessee gets tough on trash.

2007-01-18T14:25:00.000-06:00

Ok, so the phrase, Give a Hoot Don't Pollute is a little dated now. I don't even know if the campaign with the anti-polluting owl ever aired in Tennessee way back when. The trouble will polluters is that they never go away, so it's up to us to gently remind them to cut it out.

This is why it's great to see Tennessee getting tough on trash with a great web site and PSAs. They've started a full campaign using TV, Radio, Print, and online for www.stoplitter.org. Of course, by using the web site, they are able to interact with the public. Visitors can share stories and photos, and even rat out litter bugs.

Here's one of the spots. You can see/hear the other ones here.
Apparently this is working...I just added one of their buttons to this blog.

D

Nicest Person We Know

2007-01-17T22:14:00.000-06:00

I like this positive initative of the Tennessean. Drop by and let them know who you would like to see chosen as the Nicest Person We Know.

Link

Six Lessons in Podcasting

2007-01-17T08:38:00.000-06:00

Mitch Joel is a fantastic Canadian new media expert. He hosts a podcast called Six Pixels of Separation (link along my sidebar).

In an article on One Degree, Mitch outlines the Six Lessons in Podcasting. This is a must read for anyone considering starting their own.

Of course, if you need any guidance please let me know. I've had our show, Two Boobs and a Baby since October, 2005.

Digital Nashville

2007-01-16T15:34:00.000-06:00

A bit of a backgrounder. My wife is from Tennessee. She and I met in 1998 in Galway, Ireland. We moved from Ireland to my home town, Toronto, Canada in 2001. We lived together there where I worked in marketing for some incredible companies including: Mirvish Productions, the largest Canadian theater production company; the Toronto Star, Canada's most read newspaper; and Global Television, the second largest television network in Canada.

In the last year we have had two children, yes two! Ella and Sam are the most incredible kids you could ever find; we couldn't be happier. However, the price of having two kids in 11.5 months, can be taxing when you're my wife, stuck at home alone all day with them. Add to the fact that we were renting an apartment in Toronto, because the cost of homes (especially on a single income) were astronomical.

Alas, we decided to pack up shop and move south to Tennessee. My wife's family are here, and she has an instant network of friends who are fellow moms, something we didn't really have in Toronto. Most of my friends are either single or dating.

We're now here in Tennessee. Nashville is an incredible city; the people are awesome, and the city is clean and vibrant.

In fact, Nashville has been selected as the 5th most digital cities in the 2006 Digital Cities Survey. This is exciting for me, because it's a clear indicator that Nashville is the place to be for new media. I'm thrilled to be here and I'm looking forward to discovering all that is in-store for me in Music City USA.

150 Top marketing blogs

2007-01-16T12:56:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm just an individual with a very new blog. Stick around and see if you can get me up on this chart this time next year. In the mean time...Todd And presents: The Power 150 - America's Top Marketing Blogs.

Podcasting 101

2007-01-16T11:18:00.000-06:00

9 times out of 10, when I tell someone about my wife and I's podcast they look confused. Often times the person will nod in agreement, not having a clue what I'm talking about.

So, don't be shy if you don't know what one is yet. Simply put, I explain that it's an on-demand radio show on the Internet. There's a longer explanation on Yahoo! Podcasts.

If you're interested in the medium, and you should be, I suggest you download a free copy of Apple's iTunes. Then choose iStore and search for "podcasting". There's loads out there, some of which I have listed in the sidebar called "Listens to".

Now, for all of you Nashvillians, here's a great podcast version of NPR from WPLN News. You can also hear more NPR podcasts here. All Songs Considered is one of my favorites. I'll be adding more Nashville-related podcasts here as I dig them up.

Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions about podcasting.

Cheers.
Dave

Country music struggles to find foreign market

2007-01-12T18:56:00.000-06:00

There's an interesting article in The Tennessean about the demise of Country Music sales abroad. The article blames many issues including: illegal downloading as well as the lack of a ready-made network of country radio and TV outlets abroad.

Having had the chance to listen to some "new" country as I had my haircut
the other day, it makes me wonder if one of the commenters on the site may have
hit the nail on the head:

Is it any wonder that Country Music does not sell in other countries? The
content of many songs and the attitude of many of the artists is focused on
the USA being right on every issue and Americans being superior to all
others. This does not go over well in most countries. Country Music is
focused and targeted to a certain part of the US population. If they want to
change that target they have a long ways to change.

There certainly is some validity to this. Perhaps the labels should hire some Mandarin and Cantonese podcasters to start up some Country music podcasts and local radio shows to help boost interest in the regions. Better yet, how about some Chinese country stars? Could that pass in the States?

I'm a big fan of old school Country music, the stuff with the real soul. Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash among others. These are the artists that need to be promoted to help boost sales abroad. Let the people hear where the music came from, that's the best of the best.

D

Presidential Candidates Launch Blog Campaigns

2007-01-11T06:51:00.000-06:00

Online Media Daily reported this morning that Former Senator John Edwards and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are both appearing in ads on blogs such as: Daily Kos, MyDD, AmericaBlog, and Crooks and Liars.

Apparently these campaigns will include ads on Facebook and MySpace, as well as SMS messaging to bring people to the campaign site.

Let's hope the use of new media promotion doesn't backfire on them.

Link

Tim Hortons - something's fishy about this coffee

2007-01-10T21:54:00.000-06:00

Being a Canadian in a Southern US State, this story really jumped out of the news to me. First off, I need to explain that Tim Hortons is a Canadian coffee institution. There are the Starbucks crowd and the Tim Horton's crowd, they both consider their favorite coffee chains sacred places.

It turns out that in Alabama, there is a Tim Horton professional Bassmaster Angler. He's a veteran of the Bassmaster Elite Series, so he's the cream of the crop (not coffee) when it comes to fishing.

Mr. Horton wants to boost his brand awareness by meeting with sponsors to sell their products with his name on it. Only problem is Tim Horton's in Canada have an issue.

Either way, I miss Tim's up north...I would kill for coffee from there today (and tomorrow).

(Link: http://www.thestar.com/article/169576)
Dave