Thanks everybody that braved the morning’s #memsnow.
(Metaphorically) it was great to meet around the Expedition fire (while it was snowing) fresh with tales from the wild. It was great to share the time with everybody along with two new folks: Liz Jostes (our speaker) and Bryan Burnett of O.R. Nurses, Inc.
It was great to hear what’s happening with the CA’s StartupMemphis site. Check it out and don’t miss Dowd’s Cloud! Thanks James!
Awesome discussion about the many ways to use DropBox, and other great utilities out there like HeyTell and (my favorite) ShowMeWhatsWrong.com (Thanks Bryan!).
Liz did an outstanding job walking us through Klout. Not only did she share the scoring, and some of the controversy about Klout, but she also shared a side by side comparison of her own experience. Check it out: Klout’s not for everbody, and not for Liz (anymore). Here’s her Klout (BarCamp Memphis version) presentation on SlideShare. Great work Liz!
Thank you so much to everyone who presented at our May Show & Tell Breakfast! We’ve definitely got some neat new tools to try out, and here’s the quick recap, in case you missed it!
Works like Twitter for events. You have a feed that shows you not only events from your connections, but also events based on your location and interests.
Subscribe to individual feeds; see where your friends are going and which events they are attending.
Can import Meetup.com info.
Can auto-create an event on your Outlook Calendar.
BEST PART: Allows event planners to reach a wider base, consisting not just of their existing social connections, but also those who’ve specified particular interests.
Then suddenly we looked at our watches and it was May! No idea how that happened, but we definitely owe y’all these GREAT interviews Dave recorded while he was at South by Southwest in March. But first, a few service announcements…
As most of you in the Memphis area are MORE than well aware, the weather has just been dreadful. Between the tornados and the rain and the flooding, it’s hard to know what to expect next. Goodness knows the Weather Channel can’t always be counted on, so we’re crowd-sourcing the weather! If you’re on Twitter, follow the hashtag #MemStorm, and/or @MemStorm to get the realtime updates from the most reliable weathermen out there – the people actually in the weather. Post your own weather updates, too! If you’re not on Twitter, just go to Memstorm.com (mobile-optimized site). Most of all, stay safe!
On the topic of mobile devices and how they can keep you informed – come to MobileCamp on Saturday! All the final details are falling into place, so check out MobileCampMemphis.com for all the latest updates and to get your tickets!
Now, on to the interviews! First up we’ve got fellow SXSW attendee, Anastasia Wiley, who’ll give us a briefing on FOMO, or “Fear of Missing Out.” Then Dave Bisceglia’s will tell us all about a new mobile game called TapCity. And we gotta say, it sounds awesome. It’s a social, augmented-reality city building game! So take Foursquare, Layar, and Age of Empires, throw ‘em in a blender and BAM. TapCity. Sadly for Android users, it’s only available on Apple devices right now, but they promise to have an Android version soon!
Next up is Aaron Banister, one of the founders of Locaii, who will tell us why you should choose this location-based service over any others. Then, Dave runs friend-of-the-show Elizabeth Cawein, from the Memphis Music Foundation, who will remind us (as if we needed reminding) just how awesome Memphis music is. Even the people in Austin think so.
Lastly, don’t forget about the Social Expedition Breakfast tomorrow, May 4th. RSVP here and bring something to Show and Tell!
Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.
Another successful breakfast brought to us by Beth Wilson of Mahaffey Tent and Party Rentals! Beth had just returned from the Search Engine Strategies conference held in New York. The key highlights of what she learned in 5 days, she managed to condense into one hour and share via a presentation followed by a wonderful group discussion.
The highlights of Beth’s presentation were:
How to use the social realm to optimize a public relations strategy. In today’s PR, the media is search and social savvy, and many are collecting story ideas and sources from Facebook, Twitter, etc.
How to cultivate an environment on Facebook and Twitter that engages conversation.
The Amazon.com philosophy: “Don’t spend on advertising; put those funds into service.”
“Listen Before You Measure’ is the new ‘Think Before You Speak.’”
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.
This morning’s breakfast was overwhelming, in the most awesome way, to say the least. Topics covered? Collaborative consumption, neuromarketing, and QR codes (we can’t get enough) – yes, all of them. Why go to SxSW when you can come to Social Expedition Breakfast? These topics are climbing the hype curve, so we’ve got a recap of resources that you can continue to check out. That said, we hope you like lists:
Why it’s important: Advances in multiple technologies is enabling neuromarketing. As the marketing industry wakes-up to its benefits, the demand for more neuromarketing will drive additional innovation and data. It will become part of the marketing vernacular. Consumers and businesspeople alike will need to understand these concepts and how they might also make effective use to connect to their best-fit customers & clients.
Collaborative Consumption:
“Access is better than ownership.” Definition: Traditional sharing, lending, trading, renting and swapping reinvented through network technologies. Opposite of Hyper Consumption
Why it’s important: The aggregation of stuff that spends most of it’s “owned” life unused is a waste of money and trashes the environment far more aggressively than when shared. Did you know that an average power drill is only used for 8 minutes during it’s owned lifetime?
QR Codes:
Definition: A specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.
Resources:
- ScanLife.com - 2DBarcodeStrategy.com - Jagtag.com - BeQRious.com
Why it’s important: QR codes narrow the gap between the physical display world and online down to a click. In essence no further than one website is from another.
Best QR Code Practices: - Don’t just throw it out there.
- Keep it simple
- URL shorteners (bit.ly, goo.gl)
- Codes should link to relevant, mobile optimized content
- Use analytics to gage effectiveness, refine approach and justify further implementation
- Video compression: mpeg4 (best for phones) .mp4
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!
Thanks for coming out to Twilight Camp last night! While we usually gravitate towards the news of the week and latest apps, last night’s discussion revolved primarily around an idea called Collaborative Consumption. If you’ve ever couchsurfed, you know the idea.
And that idea is this: “Collaborative Consumption describes the rapid explosion in swapping, sharing, bartering, trading and renting being reinvented through the latest technologies.” Basically, the social world has created an opportunity for expansion, collaboration, and efficiency. Last week, we were discussing some movies (The Social Network) and TV shows (Six Feet Under) at the office, and decided to just swap out titles out amongst each other, rather than renting them elsewhere. Ultimately, collaborative consumption magnifies “what’s mine is yours.”
That said, you should try it out. Here are some sites ready for you to consume, collaboratively:
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.
We’ve given this start-up a lot of attention in recent weeks, but rightfully so. Our February Breakfast guest was Aaron Prather, CEO of stiQRd and QR Code know-it-all. When we last spoke to him for our Social Expedition podcast, his team was preparing for 48 Hour Launch. If you missed the podcast, 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. Fresh, and sleep-deprived, from the LaunchMemphis weekend, he spoke to us this morning about their latest developments and educated us more thoroughly about the virtual loyalty program that is expected to be out of beta test and in an app store near you by April. But don’t miss out on the fun until then – you can apply to be a tester now. stiQRd has been received with a resounding “awesome!” and will have at least ten venues on board by the end of the month (they’re basically already there). Become a fan, follow them on Twitter, and sign-up for beta testing. Still not convinced? Since launching their social platforms last week, they’ve collected 82 Facebook fans and 123 Twitter followers. Their website has collected 551 unique site visitors with 989 unique page views. Support this start-up, and your tech community!
There was a lot of interest in WordPress at the breakfast, but we had our favorite WordPress-er Beth Sanders there to educate us when we broke out into roundtable discussion. If you haven’t checked out her monthly MeetUp, please do so. In fact, they’re meeting this Thursday night (Feb. 3) at 6:00PM at Republic Coffee. (Psst… if you check in there on foursquare, you can get a free cup of their coffee of the day). Free coffee and knowledge? I dare you to pass it up.
If you couldn’t make it, make sure to put the following events on your calendar. And, please, come next time – we love your smiling faces!
MobileCampMemphis: May 7, EmergeMemphis – Start planning your presentations now!
IgniteMemphis 2: As soon as we have this date nailed down, we’ll let you know. Just know that it’s soon, and it’s awesome, so you should come. Presenters will have exactly 5 minutes to impart a little information about just about anything. You can check out Ignite Memphis 1 footage at ignitememphis.com.
