Steve R Gibson

Charlie Brooker - How To Report The News

2010-01-28T17:40:00.001-08:00

Perfect

Dyson launches the bladeless electric fan

2009-10-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

No Blades, No Buffeting.

It's not a Fan - Its an Air Multiplier.

So maybe it is a fan. It moves air, rather fast actually.

Main Site - http://www.dyson.com

Article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5ba62a00-b755-11de-9812-00144feab49a.html

Google Micropayments

2009-09-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

It's worked for Itunes, eBay and Paypal.

CBS, Pepsi Create Video Ad to Run in Print

2009-08-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- To hawk its fall season, CBS has teamed with PepsiCo and Entertainment Weekly to create a video ad that will run in the magazine.

Yea, just like Harry Potter. I predict you will see many more of these.

Link to the article on Advertising Age

App Advice

2009-08-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

If you have an iPhone you have probably downloaded a few apps. Like me, you probably read the description and reviews, especially on paid apps. Chances are you don't go too far past the "Top 25" or "What's Hot".

Big mistake! There are tons of incredible applications you are missing. Do you want the inside dope? Yea you do. You know it.

Check out App Advice at http://appadvice.com/appnn/

This site is a must visit for any iPhone owner. Yes, even you cheapwad "Free only" guys and gals.

Just kidding, no less than 75% of my apps are Free.

Connectivity translates to Productivity.

2009-08-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Fighting Poverty, Ending Poverty, Yes, its possible although not by the failed methods of throwing money at it.

Connectivity translates to Productivity.

Interesting concept and very well presented. Of course, it only holds true if you have a productive focus or specific outcome. I am connected quite well on facebook but I am not necessarily productive on facebook.

Stay tuned until the end of the video for the best part.

Private Vrs Government

People are "Resources" not "Recipients"
The Poor are not incapable, they are eager and capable.
Services cost less with more involvement.
Aid does damage - It removes the government from the citizens.

Very inspiring.

Google Caffeine Hmmmmm?

2009-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, its been released. Sort of. It's certainly faster. That's about it so far. Not much different. I know, I know. It's a sandbox dev test sort of thing. I am sure it will improve.

The truth is I expected to see something similar to Bing.

I am sure it will get better.

Check Username Availability at Multiple Social Networking Sites

2009-08-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent tool for several purposes.

1. You can check your username on over 130 sites

2. You can find new sites and social networks.

Check Username Availability at Multiple Social Networking Sites

Social Media in Plain English

2009-04-12T18:32:00.003-07:00

Passive Active Follow up

2009-02-09T11:07:00.001-08:00

I recently wrote an article on startupnation.com that stirred up some emotions and created a lot of feedback.

Read the original article Passive and Active or use this link.
http://www.startupnation.com/forums/13952/1/1#PID112031

------------------------------

Active and Passive Marketing Part 2 (The Reckoning)

Consider the title "Is your marketing Active or Passive" but remove the
"marketing" and substitute a word of your choice. Here are a few to
consider.

Is your "Fitness" Active or Passive"

Do you own some workout equipment but never use it? - Passive

Do you go to the gym and workout? - Active

Do you have a personal trainer? - Active
Do you have a Gym membership but never go? - Passive

-----
Is your "Volunteering" Active or Passive?
Do you write a check - Passive
Do you deliver groceries to the poor - Active

-----
Is your "Job Search" Active or Passive
Do you view popular job boards for openings - Passive
Do you participate in groups and forums about open positions - Active

Passive means being involved at the surface level.
Active means diving in head first and probing the depths.

Passive is "Us and Them"
Active looks for what we have in common.

Passive is "Giving Directions"
Active is a Co-Pilot

If your marketing is active, you will know every plus and minus about your product or service.

If your marketing is active, it won't be defined as directional, creative, interactive, pushed, pulled, contextual or any other industry buzzwords.

If your marketing is active, you will have a hard time distinguishing your ad copy from a customer review.

Active marketing means enrolling everyone into your vision.
It means creating Fans, evangelist, enthusiast and supporters.

Of course all of this assumes you truly believe in your product or service.

Top Social Tools

2009-02-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Must Have Social Media Tools and Information Sites.
This is not a complete list but it's a great start.

------

Ping.fm - http://www.ping.fm/
Allows you to post to all of your networks from one area.
The service is Free and Essential.

-------

Retaggr.com - http://www.retaggr.com/
Create links and interact with multple social media networks. You can also create a profile that links to all of your SM profiles.

-------

SocialMedian.com - http://www.socialmedian.com/
This is a great source of news for all aspects of social media.

------

CrunchBase.com - http://www.crunchbase.com/
Provides extensive data on social media companies.

-----

Go2web20.net - www.go2web20.net
A very complete listing of just about every social media and web 2.0. Searchable by date, tag and name.

------

Flock Browser - www.flock.com
Flock is Firefox based browser designed for social media. It is a must have if you have multiple social accounts, blog, twitter or basically do anything social.

Feedback

2009-01-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

It's feedback baby. Some call it Karma. Others call it Props.

"Givers Get", "Givers Gain", "Give to Live", "Live to Give"

Cliches? Yes.

Truth? For Certain.

Many companies, large and small are starting to outsource their customer service to their customers. Yea, to the customers themselves.

Online services like Get Satisfaction and UserVoice make it simple for any one who provides a product or service to also provide a smooth line of communication with their customers or potential customers.

People are talking about products and services. They are reporting problems, making suggestions, giving advice and giving praise.

Notice I did not say complaining. Yes you might consider reporting a problem as a complaint but that is really a matter of perspective. Truth is, most feedback is not white hot flames or even really angry people. Most feedback is sincere and appreciative from the " please help me, I want to love your product" point of view. A huge percentage of feedback is praise. Some call it evangelism.

Whatever you call it, I love it.
It's the kind of thing that blurs the line between bought and sold, company and customer, business and client. These roles become less and less distinguishable everyday.

Customers are making great suggestions to enhance the product or service.
Companies are listening (not monitoring for complaints) and interacting with the customers.
People who have bought and love what they bought are becoming marketers for the companies they bought from. In effect they are selling it to others.

So get on it, start right now. If your a buyer/customer, start creating some karma.
If your a seller/company, start listening.

www.getsatisfaction.com
www.uservoice.com

------------------------------
A few thoughts.

Positive
Think contribution, think feedback, think genuine.

What you give.

* Honest, unedited, unplugged, uncoerced feedback.
* Perspective from the user point of view.
* Ideas, tips, wants, feature request.
* Praise and encouragement.
* Simple gratitude.

What you get.

* Acknowledgment - Your feedback, praise, report, etc... will be viewed and commented on by the company, employees and other reviewers.
* Karmic returns - It's a come around go around sort of thing.
* Free stuff - Companies love to hear from you and value your feedback. Sometimes they will give you free trials, membership, etc... (probably not for idle praise or suck ups though)
* Self promotion - A great way to indirectly promote yourself or your company in a non-offensive, unobtrusive manner. Link to your page or blog where you use the service you are reviewing. (if this is possible)
* Satisfaction (The thing we all want in most in life)

Start giving your feedback, check out
www.getsatisfaction.com
www.uservoice.com

The worse Microsoft Commercial Ever!!!!

2009-01-16T13:33:00.001-08:00

Wow! It's hard to imagine a worse ad than the Seinfeld, Gates abortions, but this one beats it.

As a rule, I generally avoid posting negative but this moved me.
I have never seen the level of negative postings as I have on this one.

Here are a sample of some of my favorites.

"Wow. That almost made me kill myself. Thanks Microsoft :)"
"Everyone involved should be beaten, starting with that shrill Little Orphan Annie-voiced girl."
"Excuse me. I have to go take a fork to my ears and eyes."
"I’m pretty sure Eric Holder would put forced watching of that commercial somewhere between Waterboarding and Branding With Hot Irons on the Torture Scale."

Watch it if you dare!

To top it off they are using an Apple Macbook Pro.
The ad agency that created this horrific and unwatchable video had to be aware of this. They covered the Apple logo with a flower sticker?!! WTF. Did they think no one would notice? Yes, I know that you can run windows on Mac.

I officially nominate this ad as "The worst ad ever"
If I owned stock in Microsoft, I would sell it.
As for the product, Songsmith, I can never buy it after watching this ad. Even it it cured cancer.

On the positive side.
Microsoft's advertising direction and methodologies are a great example of what not do to.
The overwhelming postings and comments on this ad demonstrate the power of social media and social community.
This ad provides absolute proof that tons of money can't buy great marketing.

Links
http://i.gizmodo.com/5128182/microsoft-songsmiths-corny-musical-infomercial
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/16/video-the-horrifically-bad-microsoft-songsmith-commercial/

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Prezi resume

2009-01-15T02:01:00.001-08:00

Just created my first Prezi on prezi.com
So cool! Check it out at http://ping.fm/SJYwL

Powerful Praise for Prezi!

2009-01-14T23:53:00.001-08:00

It's most likely you have never seen a presentation like a Prezi presentation. Interact with a presentation designed in Prezi for the first time and you will quickly see the advantages, uses, opportunities, applications and so forth.

It's new.
It's very different.
it's truly interactive.
It's incredible.

Surprisingly (and remarkably) its very easy to use and easy to create your own presentations.

Attempting to describe Prezi in more detail is pointless as I have to use old school, 2D, linear tools like text on the blog you are reading now.

Think about it.
It's still just text on a page, typically in black and white, presented to you in a window, paragraphed, bulleted, maybe a pic or two. Basically a sheet of typed paper delivered on a computer screen. Not a lot different than it was 100 years ago or even 400 years ago for that matter.

Speech gave us communication.
Language gave us structure and identification.
Writing gave us a the ability to transfer knowledge through time.
Printing made the whole thing faster and easier.
Computers gave us non tangible data.
The Internet gave us distribution.
Mobile gave us easy data collection and retrieval.
Social networking gave us community.

And yet, we still have the same structure. The same basic book type layout we have used since we first started writing on paper.

Prezi changes that. Yea, it's that big of a deal.

Prezi is non linear, 3D, open perspective and total freedom and thus it requires a small paradigm shift when viewing and a medium paradigm shift when creating presentations.

It's not "think outside the box" but rather "box out side the think"

Make the shift and the editor takes about 5 minutes to learn. The controls are amazingly intuitive. It's all online with no software to download. PNG's are preferred. Videos can be added to the presentation as well as pdf's, images, etc...

It's still kind of pre-release.
I don't know when they will start charging.
I don't know how much it will cost.
I DO know that I will probably pay it.

Want to see it in action? Check out my Resume at
http://www.stevergibson.com/images/stories/prez/

Check out the main site at http://www.prezi.com

Notes:

"Prezi" is the Hungarian diminutive translation of "presentation".
PNG files are the best option.
I have not tested it but I bet multi touch rocks with Prezi. Good news for New Apple owners.
Youtube plugins are coming soon. for now just convert to flv.
For links to show, you must use the full URL with the HTTP

Like this "http://www.stevergibson.com/images/stories/prez"
Not like this " www.stevergibson.com"

No bugs to report yet, everything worked very well. I have not tested n Ubuntu or Linux yet.
Creates a flash file (swf)
You can download your presentation and easily add it to your site with FTP.
Not very strong on embedding or social spacing yet but it's only a matter of time.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Flock is Flucking Essential!

2009-01-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

Flock is a browser based on the Mozilla Platform. It is available for Mac, PC, Linux, Ubuntu, etc...

This browser is essential for anyone with more than one social network or social based site.

Flock is a browser made for social media. Were talking facebook, twitter, digg, delcious, youtube, vimeo, revver, and so on. In one browser (in multiple windows) you can view and interact with multiple social networks while browsing, reading news, working.
For instance here are a few images I pulled from other sites and will drop into this blog.

One of my favorite features is the web clipboard. It lets you just drag text, links, images, whatever. This is a great feature if you are doing research.

Yep, just like that! Just click and drag.

You can do pretty much the same with the media stream option. Click on media streams and have instant access to your youtube, facebook friends, revver, flickr and so forth.

Example: Here are a fewfacebook pics from my friends.

Video is not quite as cool as it wont embed on most blogs.

Example below.

Flock & Digg:
http://www.youtube.com/?v=pBaNnBrRg-s

Active and Passive Marketing

2009-01-03T15:38:00.001-08:00

Is your Marketing Passive or Active?

As a business owner you are probably most familiar with Passive Marketing. It's been the standard for 75 years or so and while it's not going away, it is undergoing a dramatic shift.

The online world (where most of your future customers are) tends to lean toward active marketing. Most local businesses however focus almost exclusively on passive marketing.

So what's the difference?

Passive- Businesses finds customers.
Active- Customers find businesses.

Passive Marketing
Think of passive marketing as a flash of information distributed to a large group. It could be a TV commercial, radio ad, magazine ad, website banner, printed materials, etc… Terms like branding, color theory, getting your name out, presentation, etc… are all forms of Passive Marketing. Even such activities often thought of as active, like sales calls and emails are passive. Passive marketing is almost always an interruption
In short, Passive marketing is any marketing that involves YOU finding customers.

Active Marketing
True active marketing is any marketing that involves your customers finding YOU. The catch is this. Active marketing only works on active customers. The good news is that more customers become active everyday.
Anyone using a search engine is an Active customer. Anyone calling information services, doing a local search, using their GPS system, using their mobile device (cell phone) or researching products or services are active.

Active marketing simply involves being there when a client is looking for your product or service. The challenge for most businesses is that they do not know where to be or how to get there.

2nd

2008-12-08T22:29:00.001-08:00

Working on the 2nd chapter of Box Outside The Think "Better dissed than missed" Book launch date is February 25th. Tour starts March 8th.

Groundswell Audio book

2008-12-04T13:32:00.001-08:00

Listening to the audio book Groundswell. 8 + hours of excellent content on all aspects of social media.

Steve R Gibson facebook fan page

2008-11-29T20:33:00.001-08:00

Instastar! Perhaps not but here it is.
SteveRGibson.com facebook fan page.
http://ping.fm/RY4We

2008-11-29T20:31:00.001-08:00

Join the Steve R Gibson fan club on facebook and get free online courses!
http://ping.fm/RY4We

2008-11-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

working on podclass.com

Ed2go

2008-11-26T00:16:00.001-08:00

learning more about ed2go.com and cengage.com
Great sites with an excellent selection of classes.

2008-11-25T01:09:00.001-08:00

Developed facebook ad for me. SteveRGibson.com
Created new facebook page as well.

2008-11-22T23:44:00.001-08:00

adding get satisfaction to several of my sites. Great site, great option. www.getsatisfaction.com - Very cool

2008-11-11T21:18:00.001-08:00

working on facebook groups and pages for temeculakarate.com

2008-11-01T17:40:00.001-07:00

testing ping.fm on www.skyabovelocal.com and www.promoyou.com

KidBizInc

2008-10-31T22:42:00.001-07:00

I feel great about this direction

2008-08-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

SkyaboveLocal.com is going great and I am jsut about done with all of the finishing touches.
I feel great

Support Skyabove Local in the 2008 StartupNation Home-Based Business Competition

2008-08-21T18:05:00.001-07:00

Support Skyabove Local in the 2008 StartupNation Home-Based Business Competition

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All advertising is local

2008-07-18T08:27:00.001-07:00

Online users are getting better at finding goods and services online and because of this; local online advertising is becoming a larger factor in online success. In 2007, industry experts reported that local online advertising spending is up 54% over 2006 and forecast more explosive growth for local search engine marketing in the coming months and years because it delivers results.

Businesses cannot afford to miss out on the local trend in Internet marketing. Your potential customers are out there trying to find your goods and services online everyday and in order for them to find you, it's imperative that local online advertising becomes an integral part of your Internet marketing strategy

Many companies run through their online advertising budgets only to find out that they were marketing nationwide when all they really needed to do was target their geographic region. A local dentist mainly wants to target their town; online marketing that is reaching across the nation is a waste of valuable marketing dollars.
All Marketing comes down to Local Marketing

Technorati Verify

2008-07-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

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