Innovative marketing? Thy name is Mahaffey. You will definitely want to listen to this interview to hear all about this tent and party rental company’s seriously creative QR code campaign constructed with Mahaffey’s Marketing Manager, Beth Wilson. We offer our kudos, and look forward to more awesome uses of QR codes. I mean just look at those t-shirts! Their code was also featured on a flyer handed out at a catering trade show.
Their marketing savvy doesn’t stop there, though. Check out the podcast to hear Beth talk about what they actually did at their trade show booth to promote their company in a non-invasive and even goodwill-inspiring way. We are impressed.
Then, Dave’s on his way to SXSW! He’s still on top of the latest in social and tech though, giving us the scoop on the Beluga acquisition by Facebook, the Foursquare/American Express deal, and blog comment integration into Facebook.
Plus, we’d like to give two shout outs: one to the Memphis Music Foundation for exhibiting at SXSW (and throwing a party!!) to showcase Memphis talent, and one to CA Media over at the Commercial Appeal and their awesome video cast, Clicks and Coffee. Each one is about 3 minutes long, so take a quick break and check one out!
As usual, there are some upcoming events we’d like to tune you in to as well (cause most of us aren’t lucky enough to get down to Austin for the festivities!): March Twilight Camp – March 17 Podcamp Nashville – March 26 MobileCamp Memphis – May 7
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
So the podcast is undergoing a series of logistical trial and error tests. New formats. New segments. Some delays in getting it out to you. To make it up to you, though, we bring you a fascinating interview with the creators of the Children of the Wall film project, Sarah Bolton and Eric Swartz. Never imagined Memphis had much in common with Berlin? Think again. These filmmakers set off for Germany to document the rise of artistry in Berlin after the fall of the wall in 1989, and they found that gentrification of the city was driving the artists away from the city. Then, they realized the same thing was happening right here in our own backyard.
Sarah brought her findings to IgniteMemphis 2 (photo to right), and she and Eric hope to have their film ready for viewing in late March. Listen in and check out the Children of the Wall website for more information on this awesome project. Find more of Eric’s film work at Event One Media, and connect with the Children of the Wall project on Facebook and with Sarah and Eric on Facebook too!
You will also hear a neat social fundraising tool mentioned in the interview, IndieGoGo. The Children of the Wall campaign has ended, but if you’re looking to raise some dough (and aren’t we all?), you’ll definitely want to give this site a look.
Dave tosses out some much deserved props to the Memphis community for utilizing Twitter to get out information about the recent inclement weather and to Google for delivering a heavy blow to content farms. If you can decipher the stockmarket, you can check out the effects over time on Demand Media Inc (a high traffic content farm) here. In our new tech corner segment: the world has gone app crazy. If you’ve got the app fever, and depending on which side of the Google v. Apple debate you fall on, you’ll either want to check out the Chrome App Webstore or previews of Apple’s new app-centric OS, Lion, which is due out sometime this summer. On the former, I highly recommend Scribble, a note-taking app, and I look forward to faster versions of two neat apps: Post Post and GoodNoows. Fun fact – it would appear those links for Chrome Web apps do, in fact, work in Firefox… weird.
We’d also like to give a shout out to our friends at the Commercial Appeal who are putting together a video podcast called Clicks and Coffee. The episodes are only a few minutes long, so go have a look!
Rethink the term “Young Entrepreneur,” folks, because Cole is an 11 year old man-with-a-plan. This past weekend, Cole took his and his brother’s idea for a musical instrument tutorial site to the 48 Hour Launch. Now, he has a domain, a Facebook page, Twitter (@bandtutor), and some real momentum behind his clever idea. Listen in for more information on Band Tutor from Cole, whom we must say is one very well-spoken 6th grader.
And a HUGE congratulations to everyone who contributed to the 48 Hour Launch. You are helping to move Memphis forward, and you deserve a good rest after all your hard work. We’ll be very excited to check back in with you on the evening of May 7 for the 48 Launch Reunion.
In other tech news, Google Goggles is one sweet app. Even more exciting, since the Android Market is finally online, that link for the Goggles app will actually take you to a site where you can buy and install it! Also on Android, Honeycomb has been released. It’s the new Android platform specifically designed for tablets, and at least one, the Motorola Xoom, will be available on February 24. Can’t wait to try it.
If you are also just the sort of person who get’s excited about tablets and apps, check out the Memphis Tech Lunch every Wednesday, 11:30am at Panera Bread on Poplar near Perkins. Follow Brian Swanson on Twitter for the updates.
Maybe WordPress is more your style, though, in which case definitely look into Beth Sanders’s WordPress Meetup group. The meet once a month at Republic, and at this past meeting, they packed the house!
Lastly, get excited for MobileCamp Memphis on May 7. Why a mobile camp? Well we will tell you why here!
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Aaron trying to scan something or other with his phone.
Coming to an app-store near you: StiQRd! Founded right here in snowy (at least for today) Memphis, Tennessee, StiQRd is a location-based check-in service (like Foursquare or Gowalla), but it’s unique characteristic is in the program’s marriage of QR codes and GPS location. Aaron Prather, the CEO, is the real expert though, so we’ll let him explain it more fully to you when you listen in.
If the StiQRd concept really strikes you, then you even have a chance to help push the program into reality! The team is taking the app to Launch Memphis’s 48 Hour Launch next weekend. If you have some talent to lend to this or another project, or if you have your own great enterprising idea, this event is definitely worth the small entrance fee. You’ll make some great connections, get some hard work done, and maybe even find yourself partner in a start-up. Check it out!
In other news, Ashton Kutcher can be both attractive and a geek, Dave patently refuses to update his iPad, and the nation is ditching physical Starbuck’s cards for a mobile phone version. Drive Safe.ly or Drive Reply might save your life, but if you must text and drive, at least go Dave’s route and use the voice recognition feature on your phone. Hint: on Android, install Google’s Voice Search app to utilize the fantastic voice recognition software for searching the web and your phone.
Lastly, MLK Day 2011 has gone, but learning about civil rights is always important, so check out LunaWeb’s Mid-South Civil Rights Trek on Scvngr. Read this post about it over on the LW blog, too! Perhaps don’t get started on the trek tonight, though. It’s looking like a good night to stay off the icy roads and dig into some chili.
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Well if you’re referring to the Verizon iPhone? Hot. If you’re referring to buying your girlfriend a virtual bouquet for Valentine’s Day… most definitely not. This week’s podcast explores the ins and outs of these topics, but (as usual) we can’t stay on topic too long. So you’ll also get a smattering of…
Resolution-assisting apps! Endomondo is a great little exercise app. Just turn it on while you run/walk/bike/ski and it uses GPS to figure out how fast and far you’ve gone and how many calories you’ve burned. Then it adds the info to your online log, so you can track your progress. The app also supports golfing, “orienteering,” and swimming. The Social Expedition does not suggest you take your phone in the pool, though.
Dave also mentions the Nike running shoes that tweet your progress. Well it’s not the actual shoes that are tweeting, but you do need a little gadget to hook up to your iPod. If you’re up for buying the necessary gear, join the Nike Plus running community here or here. Rachel is a fan of the Couch to 5K app, though, and it’s only $2.99 compared to $30 or so for the Nike transmitter.
Then, we’re thinking Productivity Resolutions when we get into the queue feature on YouTube (it’s not exactly new, but we’re loving it), and the Read It Later app that will help you remember to check out articles and videos you don’t have the time right then. We like Twitter Favorites for this same purpose, too!
Verizon iPhone. Need we say more? Speculation abounds, but we are definitely curious to see the impact on the Android platform. Particularly in app development. As the splash page on Verizon says – “iPhone 4. Verizon. It begins.”
This podcast also features a few of the finer qualities of HotorNot.com. We’ll let you hear more when you listen in.
Lastly, we are insanely excited for the 48 Hour Launch on the 28th! Whether you have a great idea for a start-up, or you just want to get your hands dirty in some really spectacular collaborations, this event is not to be missed. You never know, you might walk out a business partner. For a preview, check out the 48 Hour Pitch Night on Thursday, January 20.
Speaking of the 20th, it’s our January Twilight Camp! 5:30 to 7:30 pm at LunaWeb’s offices, 5180 Park Ave, Suite 305. Bring your questions, bring your answers, and bring your apps.
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Our 2011 kick-off podcast touches on a wide array of topics, but we’ll give you a little preview here: QR codes, the latest in location-based services, default settings (and the pros and cons thereof), customization, and hand-crank phone chargers. Confused? Listen to the podcast, and it will all become clear!
Quora – a question/answer site we really hope doesn’t get filled with a bunch of trash.
Blekko – a great new search engine. Try following your search keyword with “/date” to see the most recent results at the top!
Then, you’ll definitely want to check out the video below of the Man with the Golden Voice. As Dave notes on the podcast, this man’s story is a truly great example of how social media can bring about social good. When this video went viral, this man got a second chance at life.
Lastly, come to Twilight Camp on the 20th and to the 48 Hour Launch on January 28th! In the meantime, we’re gonna attempt sticking to our resolutions, which include flossing and remembering to check-in. How bout you?
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Happy almost 2011! Only a few hours until champagne and resolutions, so while we had some time left before next year, the Social Expedition took the liberty of gazing into our fancy high-res crystal ball to see if we could decipher the future.
We couldn’t, but we can still make some guesses. Listen in for our predictions, and then let us know some of yours at the Breakfast on Wednesday, January 5! It’s our “Predictions 2011 Panel” Breakfast, so bring your best guesses into the next year of social media. RSVP here if you haven’t already!
Then, Dave catches up with Andre Natta, publisher and managing editor of the Terminal, a Birmingham hyperlocal blog. We hope you’ll bear with us through a little wind and ambient noise (there might be a cat in there somewhere), as Dave met Andre down at Tom Lee Park. Don’t miss a few of Andre’s predictions, as well as a few cool tidbits about the social scene down in Alabama’s capital. Catch up with Andre on Twitter or Facebook, too!
We hope that everyone will be safe on New Year’s Eve, especially on the roads. To help you, check out DriveReply, for Android and Blackberry, an app which will detect if you are traveling at over 15 mph and automatically stop notifications of calls and texts to your phones. It will also send an auto reply to the person trying to contact you. Take away your temptation to text and drive!!
Lastly, while we’re on the subject of predictions – watch this completely awesome video of a Nokia concept phone. It won’t be here in 2011, but they’re hoping by 2019… Nokia Morph Concept. Happy New Year!!
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
We promised it last week, and here it is: The Social Expedition’s Holiday Wish Lists! We would say you’ve got to listen to find out what geeky items we’re dying to see under our trees, but we also wanted to get you some links, so…
Ansley:
Dots Gloves – for use with conductive touchscreens.
When Dominique sat down at our podcasting table, we were struck by her big smile and obvious savvy. The Hispanic market in Memphis is ever growing, and it will become increasingly important that businesses do not neglect this portion of the community. But it’s not as easy as just plugging copy into an automatic translator. It’s not even as easy as getting a legitimate translation. What a company hoping to attract Hispanic business may not realize is that, in some cases, there is a whole different value structure to appeal to when presenting the benefits of a product or service. That’s where Dom comes in, and my goodness does she shine! Definitely give her a listen – we guarantee you’ll learn something about the Hispanic population that you did not know.
In the remainder of our 53rd podcast, maybe you’ll learn something you didn’t know about Angry Birds (oh, how we love it), this awesome Ruckus antennae, FCC regulations, or one of the new Android tablets. Or, if you already know all about all that, maybe you’ll just enjoy our banter!
Don’t forget about Twilight Camp on the 16th. There will be pizza. There will be iPads. There will be Christmas music. What’s not to love?
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Oof. That’s probably how you feel right now after having eaten all your turkey and potatoes and given your thanks. But after your nap, check out this podcast! The big hullabaloo these days is over the TSA and their invasive security precautions, and naturally, the social networks are jumping on the hype wagon. Specifically, Foursquare is offering a special badge in mockery of the new full-body scanners and pat-downs. Find out how to get it by listening in!
Speaking of traveling, anyone who will be stuck in an airport for a while over the holidays should check out Point Inside, an awesome app that will provide a map of most US airports, all the shopping and food vendors, smoking areas, and Wi-Fi info. It’s free and it’s available on iPhone and Android.
At Rachel’s recommendations, find some awesome Thanksgiving and Black Friday applicable apps here, and be careful in the holiday traffic with this app that helps prevent texting while driving, DriveReply.
We’re off the enjoy our own turkeys. We wish you rest, relaxation, the yummiest of meals, and all the warmth of the season. Hoping to see you at the December 1st Breakfast at 7:30 am at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Innovative marketing? Thy name is Mahaffey. You will definitely want to listen to this interview to hear all about this tent and party rental company’s seriously creative QR code campaign constructed with Mahaffey’s Marketing Manager, Beth Wilson. We offer our kudos, and look forward to more awesome uses of QR codes. I mean just look at those t-shirts! Their code was also featured on a flyer handed out at a catering trade show.
