Eric Swartz, Sarah Bolton, and baby.

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!

Lastly, there are awesome upcoming events to check out:
Social Expedition Breakfast – March 2
WordPress Memphis Meetup – March 3
Podcamp Nashville – March 26
MobileCamp Memphis – May 7

Thanks for listening, and hope to see you at the breakfast!

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.

Today’s breakfast had a great crowd, which was fantastic because we crowd-sourced our topic! To kick off the year, we decided to ask Expeditioners for their Predictions for 2011 in social media and technology. It seems many of the members are placing their bets on QR codes and mobile devices. Of course it’s all speculation, but it’s fun. We know the Next Big Thing could come from a completely unpredictable source, but here are a few of the developments we’re looking forward to…

2010 saw mass migration to social media, but 2011 could be a different story. Expeditioner Lorrie predicts that the rate of new adopters will drop in 2011, but that previous adopters will get even more savvy, increasing the quality of their engagement and conversations.

Mary anticipates that (like we did with our topic today) more brands will crowd-source ideas, and then award those who contribute. They won’t have to send out surveys or call for customer feedback, they can just ask for suggestions on their Facebook page. Doritos, Pepsi, Dominoes, and Starbucks are already experimenting with crowd-sourcing their product advertising, and we’re thinking it’s about to boom.

Then, Aaron thinks 2011 will see the rise of mobile. The Verizon iPhone, affordable Android phones, the new iPad, and new tablets will put mobile devices in more hands than ever.

Ansley’s prediction goes hand-in-hand with the popularity of mobile – the decline of the app. In 2010, there was “an app for that.” In 2011, we’re likely to see “a mobile site for that,” where brands turn to HTML5 to create a beautiful, interactive, touch-screen compatible site instead of spending time on a stand-alone application.

Tim thinks there will be no white iPhone in 2011. Joe says Google will dominate the world. Or at least dominate the cloud with their new operating system, Chrome OS. It’s in beta now, but this OS stores all your data from photos to music to documents online (in “the cloud”), so you can access them from anywhere.

On a serious note, net neutrality will become a major issue. It will also be the topic of one of our upcoming breakfasts. We will begin to explore what it means for the Internet to be a truly global community, and we will face censorship conflicts. Privacy will deteriorate even further as what walled gardens are left become translucent, and (we believe) people will continue to share online despite the risks.

Most Expeditioners peg 2011 as “The Year of the QR Code.” These (so far) under-utilized bar codes could be everywhere pretty soon, as more people have the smartphones to read them. Make your own QR code with BeQRious or ScanLife, or with a URL shortener like Goo.gl, Bit.ly, or Budurl. Then, get an app on your smartphone to read them! The ScanLife app is good one.

Once we’ve got all these QR codes, and people are scanning everything, we’re also likely to see a rise in push notifications for coupons. Someday soon, your phone may know you’re on the grocery store aisle with the tomato sauce, and send you a coupon! Read up on this new trend on Dave’s blog.

A few other resources (not really predictions, per se) that were mentioned during the breakfast:

• Quora – a Question/Answer site that hasn’t been loaded up with a lot of junk (like Yahoo Answers).
• New Facebook Messages – Get the new Facebook messaging system that will integrate your texts and email.

Our final predictions come from Dave, who anticipates a rise in apps geared towards cutting down on technological distractions. For instance, there could be an app to collect your new message notifications and consolidate them into a single digest that comes to you ever hour, or every five. More vitally, perhaps we’ll see better apps to cut down on texting while driving, an issue AT&T takes up in a compelling ad. Find more of Dave’s predictions here.

Don’t forget about Twilight Camp on the 20th. Plus, get ready for the 48 Hour Launch – a great chance for any entrepreneurs and skilled collaborators to give life to the Next Big Idea!

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?

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.

In the remainder of the podcast, the Social Expedition grants ‘Yays’ to the new Bump application for iPhone and Android, Amazon and Facebook’s integration,*** and (of all things) MySpace. Emphatic ‘Boos’ must be given however, including to Google’s backlash at Yelp and Facebook’s deletion of the “Most Recent” news feed option for some accounts. Check out the other Yay’s and Boo’s by downloading the podcast below!

Then join us next Wednesday (August 4) for our monthly breakfast at the U of M Holiday Inn to hear more from Elizabeth! It’s at 7:30 in the morning, and we promise the delicious buffet is so worth getting up a little early! RSVP here.

***At the time of this posting, this feature seems to have disappeared. Boo.

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

Today in our weekly social media expedition, we discover Social Media Day. This holiday, apparently backed by Mashable.com, went unobserved in Memphis, but maybe we’ll catch the next one. Honestly, we didn’t even hear about it until a few days ago. Then, MIT has some exciting news about lightning-fast optical internet connections, but have we heard this before?

Facebook actually takes a step forward in privacy, and we discuss why Facebook applications never took off (except, of course, Farmville). Then, we project that Facebook will go after Google’s lunch with a search engine, but Google might be getting even by launching a whole new social network soon. And an iPhone on Verizon? Let’s not get too excited just yet.

Lastly, our local listeners might be interested in this: A Memphis Marketers and Social Media Tweetup! It’s next Thursday (July 8), from 6:30 to 9pm at Dan McGuinness on Spottswood.

And don’t forget about the Social Expedition’s own July Meetup on the 15th, 5:30pm at Davis Kidd’s Bronte Bistro!

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

We’ve got news in FourSquare, FourWhere (for what?), and the anticipated Facebook-location integration that is “coming.”

We have a short interview with Jeremy Kendall, founder of a new group for PHP developers and open source enthusiasts in the Memphis, TN area. Memphis PHP will have their kick-off event tonight at 6:30 at Cleveland and Eastmoreland. For more information, contact Memphis pHp at @MemphisPHP.

It’s a big night for Memphis growth and development, since the Launch Memphis Reunion is tonight, too! If you can make it downtown to EmergeMemphis/Mercury Launchpad at 6:30, there will be drinks, free food, and lots of opportunity to connect with Memphis entrepreneurs and start-ups. Check out the event on Facebook!

Dave’s getting ready for PII 2010 and heading straight from there to Gnomedex. PII is all about privacy, so if you’ve got any burning questions or ideas you’d like Dave to bring up at that conference, leave us a comment, and we’ll get an answer to you when he gets back in August!

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

But it wasn’t all about Google — we gave Facebook a little attention as well, mostly because lately Dave can’t stop talking about the Suicide Machine. Facebook has blocked access to the service, so if you want to delete your Facebook presence you’ve still got to do it the old-fashioned way. Dave sees this as a potentially big faux pas on the part of our friends at Facebook — Marky Z, as Dave calls him — but we’re not all in agreement on that point.

And of course, our guest this week is the lovely Rachel Hurley — perhaps better known to some of you as Rachel And The City — who manages the social media happenings at Ardent. She talks to us about the evolution of social media in band promotion at Ardent, but also lots of stuff she’s learned along the way, from the true value of Twitter to finding the right kind of followers.

Be sure to join us tomorrow as usual for the Core Conversation, kicking off at 11:30 a.m. CDT. We’re talking about the recent Social Fresh conference in Nashville as well as online privacy — when was the last time you had a look under the hood of your Facebook profile to see just what the man knows about you? Call and weigh in at (646) 721-9429 or listen live here.

You can download the podcast, stream it via the player below, or subscribe in iTunes.

Matthew Crawford Trisler, Rick Tarrant, Dave Barger

So that’s it for 2009, huh? We’re marking the end of the decade with a new face voice in your ear, some makeshift electronic repair, and a look back at the year’s trending topics on Twitter.

While it seems that social news has kind of drifted out of focus until the end of the year, with favor being given to the traditional end of the year list, there has been word about the very likely Google Phone – the Nexus One – and Google’s press event coming up on Jan. 5.

We also introduce our new intern, Shannon. She’s cool, knowledgeable, and most importantly, shares our expeditionary spirit.

We got so caught up in talking to Shannon, about the requirements for being a social media expert, the concept of 1000 true fans, and what she’s studying, that it ended up taking up almost half of the episode.

We brought in Rick Tarrant of Rick Tarrant Productions for the second half of the episode, and Rick’s trying to find his place in social media and podcasting after a career in radio – just listening to his voice, you can tell that he earned his keep as a radio guy.

He shares with us what he’s been learning, and how. There’s a great wealth of recommended reading and listening to be gleaned from Rick’s interview, from Leo Laporte to Gary Vaynerchuk.

As you go about getting your 2010 underway, keep in mind that we’ll have Eric Mathews from Mercury Technology Labs and Launch Memphis as our guest at the Jan. 6 Social Expedition Breakfast.

We’ll also pick up the Core Conversation podcast again on Jan. 8th, after a holiday-enforced break.

And keep your eyes peeled – we’ll be having a tweetup on Jan. 5, welcoming Jeremiah Owyang to Memphis. Details will be announced shortly.

You can, as usual, download the podcast, play it by clicking the the player below, or subscribe in iTunes.