Archive | Twilight Camp
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:
Need a car ride? http://www.zipcar.com/
Random stuff? http://www.freecycle.org/
Place to stay? http://www.airbnb.com/
Non-bank money? http://uk.zopa.com/ZopaWeb/
So what do you think about it? Let us know. Pass your ideas our way, and let’s hang out next month!
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Can using your cell phone on an airplane cause the controls to malfunction? Apparently not. But since take-off and landing are the most likely times for some kind of problem, the airlines probably ask you to “turn off all electronics” so you aren’t distracted in the case of an emergency. Or perhaps, as Andy Glover suggested, they’re just trying to ensure that BrickBreaker is not your last act on Earth. Learn something new everyday!
Our holiday Twilight Camp was nice and chill last night, but of course, we all got a little excited when the conversation turned to the iPad 2. Right now, it’s all conjecture, but we hear the iPad 2 might be here as soon as April, with a retina screen and two cameras just like the iPhone 4. How do we feel about it? Well, “Eeee!” about sums it.
Then we launched into the Aggregator/Distribution conversation. Is it okay to push the same message to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn? Here at the Social Expedition, we stand behind the idea that different social media platforms deserve different messages, taylored to their unique format. That said, running several social media accounts can be time-consuming, so we can definitely appreciate a good multi-platform management tool. That is, as long as it isn’t used to publish the exact same message to many sites. We tend to favor Hootsuite, but several folks at Twilight Camp swear by Tweetdeck. They’re both free (Hootsuite up to 5 social accounts free), so give them a try and let us know which you prefer! We’ve been hearing good things about SproutSocial, a premium social aggregation tool, and we’d love to hear your feedback if you’re using it!
Another tip for our multiple account managers: when you use a URL shortener like Bit.ly or Budurl, set up different shortened addresses for Twitter and Facebook. That way, you can look at the stats later and know where you’re getting more traffic from!
In other Twilight Camp discussions, we found that FBML landing pages are so hip, cloud-based services are on the rise, and we all want to get our hands on the Chrome OS netbooks that Google is giving out for free. Sign up here if you want to apply for the Pilot Program!
Last question – do you prefer reading on the iPad or an e-reader like the Kindle?
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November’s Twilight Camp was about 3 years ago, but fortunately we took some notes and finally have a recap. We discussed several trends branching across several tech categories:
Content Farms: What are they and are they the root of evil or good? The purpose of Content Farms are to increase SEO results. Agencies like Demand Media are making big bucks by writing countless articles a day and plugging them into databases in order to increase content and traffic. For more information, check out this article.
Bing vs. Google: Are you paying attention to your “Social Circle” search results? Bing is the pioneer here, and Google has released this in beta form. Do you read articles based on reviews within your social circle? If one of your friends “like it,” do you read it? During this discussion Dave mentioned Bynamite.com, which allows you to see how internet advertisers “see” you based on the sites you visit.
Social Sphere: We talked about how easy it is to lose ourselves on multiple social networking sites a day, privacy settings, and the different audiences we speak to on Twitter and Facebook. From there, a new social platform was introduced: Path. Path’s difference is that users are allowed only 50 friends. Can we benefit from this? Would this nurture more authentic relationships with the people we maintain contact with? You can also check out Rescuetime.com to see exactly how much time you’re spending on Facebook and Twitter – if you really want to know.
Email Services: We reminisced about the days of yore and email, then discussed the benefits of Mail Chimp and Constant Contact (though we personally love Campaign Monitor). The benefits of each are the statistics they provide as well as the ability to block spam. There are trial periods for each so give them a test drive before making a decision.
And then there was the Girl Talk interlude via Simon and Garfunkle praise. If you know what’s good for you, download the illegal? legal? album for free here.
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This go ’round, we added just a smidge of structure to our still very casual monthly meetup: We went around the room and asked everyone to name one “Yay!” and one “Boo!” they’ve found in the webosphere recently.
For “Yay’s,” folks tossed up…
And a “Yay!” for all the happenings in Memphis in October! For the “Boos,” we heard…
- Windows 7 mobile
- Foursquare + the Chicago Mayoral election (and, in all fairness, this got a Yay too…)
- Facebook Docs. If you can call them Docs.
- Facebook takeover of all civilization.
- Foxmarks going out of business. Appears to have resurfaced as Xmarks, tho!
In the general mingling, talk could be heard of the new MacBook Airs, Angry Birds, the attractiveness of Pete Cashmore of Mashable.com, and The Social Network movie.
We were so happy to have many new faces, and loved the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of starting a webpage on Weebly, SquareSpace, or WordPress. Or, as a fourth option, using a Facebook page as a webpage.
Lastly, we made our fond farewell to long-time Expeditioner, Mark, and wish him the best of luck in Austin! Hope to see you at SXSW.
If I left anything out, please put it in the comments!
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Woo! Fresh blood at Twilight Camp!
We were delighted to have some new-comers, and of course, always great to see some of our regulars. Once again, we did not get kicked out of Davis Kidd, which is really a shame because…
The next Twilight Camp will be at the LunaWeb office! Though I suppose it still wouldn’t be wise to get ourselves barred from Bronte Bistro. After all, there is that yummy chicken salad.
Now for the recap. The conversation kicked off with the news of the hour (of the literal hour), Facebook Places launched in Memphis at approximately 4:30 yesterday afternoon. As of the meeting, only one of us had gotten to use it at all, but what information we did have:
- There aren’t any prizes, badges, or any other “game” element to it.
- You can push check-ins from Foursquare to Facebook Places, but not vice-versa.
- You can tag your friends in your check-ins to let people know they are with you. This could be potentially problematic.*
*If you do not want friends to be able to check you into Places, go to “Account” in the Facebook toolbar, then “Privacy Settings.” Look for “Customize Settings,” then scroll down to the second section, “Things others share.” Find “Friends can check me into Places.” Change the setting to Disabled, and you’re done!
A matter of hours impacted some of the arguments from last night’s discussion of Foursquare vs. Facebook Places. Today, Mashable featured an article on the travel rewards program that will now be affiliated with Facebook Places. Topguest, the service that’s tapping into Facebook’s API, is fresh off the market, rendering its partnerships limited. So limited that, for now, rewards only come in the form of discounted hotel stays, watering down our argument just a bit, but it’s not null and void just yet – and we don’t expect it to be so any time soon… if ever. As for the privacy issues, well, they are still there. All this in mind, it seemed we all agreed that Foursquare is our preferred check-in app/game/stalking mechanism. It seems that it’s becoming that way for many others too. While we were Twilighting, Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley (@dens) was tweeting: “Just heard from The @HarryH that today was @foursquare‘s biggest day ever in terms of new user signups. #dball4life.” Because Rachel isn’t giving up anytime soon, stay tuned for http://www.foursquarememphis.com/ (not yet live).
Also in Location-Based news, did you know there are different levels of editors in Foursquare? Well, I know at least one of you did. When you’ve checked in enough, it seems you can become a “Level 2 Editor,” which enables you to combine locations. So, if two people created two different check-in locations for Davis Kidd, say “Davis Kidd” and “Davis Kidd Booksellers,” a Level 2 Editor could merge the two locations into one. Who knew? Andy Glover did!
In iPad news (and there’s always iPad news, isn’t there?), Andy has an awesome new case with a very clever strap on the back to slip your hand through so you can easily hold the device with one hand. So simple, yet so brilliant. Then, our iPad scholars sang the praises of the Academic research sharing application, Mendeley (also available for desktop!).
Is the iPhone coming to Verizon? Well, of course, none of us know for sure, but signs point to… maybe. Verizon customers thinking about switching to a smartphone might want to wait a bit longer to see if any more evidence leaks (and we all know Apple has some trouble keeping their announcements under wraps these days).
WordPress bloggers – check out the Zemanta plug-in! This thing is nifty. Once you install it, start writing a blogpost. The plug-in combs your content and recommends links, photos, Wikipedia articles, etc., and it’s super easy and awesome. I know another plug-in that does pretty much the same thing was mentioned. What was the name of that one, Andy?
Don’t miss the breakfast on September 1!
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First, a participant created a Foursquare check-in for Twilight Camp, and everyone with access to the program made their presence known. This launched a comparison of Gowalla to Foursquare.
- Gowalla has a better iPad application (Foursquare just has the iPhone app, which you can zoom in on for the iPad’s bigger screen)
- But the Gowalla app is apparently pretty buggy.
- On the other hand, Gowalla has sweet prizes to collect and trade, adding another fun element to the GPS check-in.
- Of course, the main pro for Foursquare is the participation: it has about 5 times as many users as Gowalla, and is growing much faster.
- More businesses are interacting with Foursquare. Apparently, if you show the cashier at American Eagle that you checked into their location, you can get 15% off your purchase through July 31!
On to iPad apps! And we got a few great recommendations. Starting with Twitter apps, Tweetdeck is of course very popular, but one of our participants had to tout the superiority of HelTweetica. A very pretty interface and the ability to activate a Twitter screensaver are two of this programs nicest features. Definitely worth checking out.
For anyone looking for a great journaling application for the iPad, our friend Andy swears by MaxJournal for $2.99. He downloaded 3 other journal apps, ranging from $0 to $10, and he said this one was by far the best.
The prize-winning iPad app, though, had to be Uzu, a $3 app that puts thousands of particles at your command. With multi-touch kinetic response, you can create a swirling vortex of phenomenal cosmic power the likes of which genie-Jafar has never seen! For the key to that dork Disney reference, skip to minute 3 here. But it’s like that. Only, on an iPad. Apparently, it’s a great stress-reliever/mind-clearer.
The iPad has been a huge success for Apple. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for their most recent iPhone. Much of Twilight Camp was spent in speculation of what Apple should do. Of course, today, we all found out what they are, in fact, giving out free bumpers (and refunds for already purchased bumpers) to all iPhone 4 users, and offering a full refund to those who are still unsatisfied and want to return their device. Oh, the drama.
Those on the Android side of things can simply lean back and chat up the latest apps (as they hold their phones just as they please, of course). Once again, the Advanced Task Killer is ranked as the number one battery saving app of them all. Also mentioned as highly wonderful were Doubletwist (media app), Launcher Pro (an alternate homescreen app), and, just for fun, Retro Camera.
A few other interesting topics that were tossed out onto the table…
- Jigsaw.com is “The world’s largest database of up-to-date, downloadable, & complete contact information.”
- Searching #tcot in Twitter makes for some interesting political debate material.
- Viral videos, especially the Double Rainbow, and of course, the EPIC Old Spice commercials.
Lastly, there were two big issues discussed that we at the Social Expedition will be watching here over the next while. First, we speculated on the complexity of internet anonymity, particularly on forums and comment sections for newspapers. In some ways, the option of anonymity offers users a chance to say what perhaps could not otherwise be said. Especially in the case of countries where dissent is a punishment, anonymity gives a voice to those who would otherwise be unable to bring their opinions to light. On the other hand, you run the risk of receiving a multitude of inappropriate, off-topic, or radical comments. What do you think? Should anonymity remain?
And secondly, we are growing concerned over the lack of conversation happening on Twitter. Maybe DMing has become more prevalent than replying, but we’ve noticed a definite drop in the number of interactive tweets. It seems more like Twitter is becoming a giant billboard, and we definitely don’t want to see that happen. Let us know what you think in a comment, or better yet, tweet it to @smexpedition, and we’ll start a Twitter conversation!
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First, some folks checked into Foursquare. Then, four Expeditioners with iPads made the rest of us green with tablet envy. Oh, they are so so pretty. Have you seen the Alice in Wonderland ebook they made for it? The pocket-watch swings when you rotate your screen! Wired Magazine created an interactive version for the iPad, and you can turn the whole screen into a beautiful, customizable aquarium with the app Koi. For more practical matters, we discussed the InstaPaper app as well as what positions are best for reading on your iPad without getting an arm cramp.
WordPress 3 is out, and all the Expeditioners are enthusiastic. We just haven’t gotten a chance to play with it yet.
In Twitter news, anyone who tweets (or “writes on Twitter,” if you’re at The New York Times) should check out Paper.li. You put in your Twitter name, or anyone else’s for that matter, and it picks up any links shared by the people that the selected user follows. It then sorts the targets of those links by category into a newspaper. Like this…
The links that were retweeted the most, or posted by the most people, will show up at the top. Further down the page, is a section showing all the videos, another for photos, and different sections for technology, health, arts, etc. It’s pretty nifty.
Facebook and privacy made a short appearance in the conversation, as did the recent Intuit breakdown. We oo’d and ah’d over iPad and iPhone cases, and lamented the late arrival of a certain Expeditioner’s HTC Droid Incredible. It’s on the way.
We learned that social media has broken new ground – multi-level marketing. The social network Yournight.com has discovered how a social network can function as a layered, profiting system. It’s hard to get details without signing up, and it’s invite only.
Lastly, the Expeditioners offered an interesting perspective on speeches and mobile phones. In social media land, it is customary, and in no way considered rude, to be constantly looking at one’s mobile phone during a convention or workshop. It is presumed (or hoped) that you are tweeting about the event. Yet, in lands other than social media, this may not be so accepted. So if you find yourself in a conference, make sure to observe the general mobile vibe of the room, since looking down at a mobile device is still considered inappropriate in some settings.
Thanks for a great conversation, everyone. We hope to see you at the next one in July!
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This past Thursday, members of the Social Expedition gathered over coffee and quiche-of-the-day for our casual monthly chat on media, social networks and technology. The hot topic this time was Android and a couple of its new applications. After a short foray into Twitter clients, we discussed Scvngr, a new Google-backed app for Android and iPhone. Like Foursquare, it’s a location-based check-in app, but with a little something extra. After you’ve checked-in, you can earn points by completing a challenge, like taking a photo or updating info about your location. By using this user-created content, Scvngr can build virtual tours and create guides to exploring your hometown or a vacation destination. It’s definitely up-and-coming, so keep an eye out for it and the 21-year-old creator, Seth Priebatsch.
Also, for those of you having trouble with your Droid battery dying too fast, try out the Advanced Task Killer Free application. It helps you close out of the applications you haven’t used in a while so your phone is using less power!
After few netbook recommendations, our views on gambling in Tunica, podcast talk, an explanation of the difference between torrents and regular downloads, we once again found ourselves in Facebook privacy discussion. It almost seems inevitable. Every news source in the country has been running articles on the issue for weeks now. Every word out of Mark Zuckerberg’s mouth is a new story. Every high-profile person who deletes their account gets media coverage. Congress is getting in on the action by trying to pass restrictive measures on Facebook, and now, one Twilight Camp participant revealed, there’s even going to be a Facebook movie!
Yes, in October of this year, Columbia Pictures will release The Social Network about the founding of Facebook. The script is written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), and stars Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland, Zombieland) as Mark Zuckerberg and, get this, Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, founder of Napster and founding president of Facebook, Inc. None of the Facebook staff has been involved in the film production. It may not end up as a great movie, but it will certainly be interesting to watch the marketing for the film (and Facebook’s reaction) unfold.
In the meantime, though, if you’d like to show your anger with Facebook, visit FacebookFreeFriday.com. If the site can generate enough support to make a sizable dent in Facebook’s usage this weekend, maybe they’ll finally listen to the pleas of their users.
Don’t miss the next meet-up, which will be our Social Expedition Breakfast at the University of Memphis on June 2nd at 7:30 a.m. The speaker this month is Melissa Moon of WREG, and then as usual, we’ll have our Core Conversation to talk about whatever is on your mind in the social media world! Head to this link at Meetup.com to RSVP!
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It’s been a while since we last saw each other outside of the early morning hours, as our evening meetings – better known to us as Twilight Camps – have gone by the wayside a bit in the past couple of months. But on October 21 they make a comeback at our usual location, Davis Kidd Bookseller’s Bronte Bistro on Perkins Extended. Meet us there at 5:30 for good food and a catch-up session. There’s no structure or formal presentations, just free-form conversation, mixing, mingling and the chance to share ideas.
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Social Media Expedition’s TwilightCamp is no longer a new part of our regular event schedule. It has graduated to simply being a regular event. That hasn’t stopped it from being a refreshing catalyst for burgeoning relationships and ideas.
Gary Duke shares his Social Media Yay
We were happy to see new faces and familiar friends at the Bronte Bistro in Davis-Kidd Bookstore this past Thursday doing exactly what Social Media is meant for… socializing.
We had a lot of good conversation about our individual Social Media “yays” and “boos” for the past few weeks. People shared their big wins with the group and some of the things that they were struggling with in the social realms. We had a lot of awesome yays from the group and by the end of the dinner, many people had helpful suggestions on how to fix some of their boos.
Here’s some of what we heard from the group:
Yays –
- New Facebook Public Profile
- General social well-being
- New social opportunities
- Fun community involvement from Social Networks
- New Facebook widget
- Posterous
- A successful campaign
- A start up realizing that Social Media is an integral part of its strategy
Boos -
- Facebook app trouble
- WordPress struggles
- The Need for a Facebook Public Profile
- Needing to learn more about social
- Lack of motivation for blogging
- Ignored reccomendations
- Sleazy marketing links on Facebook walls
- Social media regulations and policies (social buzzkills)
- Always having LOTS to learn
Thanks to everyone who came out! We’ll see you at the breakfast on August 5th.
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