Could a Nokia N95 & Qik Save Your Life?

I was very fortunate to recently gain access to a Nokia N95 and a Qik account, two marvels of technology that go hand in hand as neatly and deliciously as peanut butter and jelly! (NOTE: I really LIKE P,B & J, so that is a compliment). Compact, sexy and fully loaded with digital delights, the Nokia N95 is the quintessential "connected" device with wi-fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, Voice, Still Camera, Video Camera (and yes, I bet it BLENDS!). As I have been playing with the obvious functions and uses of a wireless phone that can stream live video to the Internet at any time, I have also been dreaming about some of the less obvious uses, and one in particular that has captured my imagination.

An N95 + Qik = A Personal Security Camera!

Could this scenario be far from reality? Imagine walking alone at night on a deserted city block. If you have an N95 and Qik, in truth you are not alone. You have the Internet in your pocket... Let's keep going...

You are walking along and see a shady looking character, the DUDE, cross the street approaching you. You glance around and confirm your fear - there is nobody else around. No cars, no lights in any windows, just you and "the DUDE."

Nervously, you reach into your pocket and wrap your now clammy hand around the sleek metal and, hoping the DUDE doesn't notice, you slowly withdraw your weapon. The DUDE is walking faster now, approaching you from the side and behind. Not wanting to look but having to look, you quickly steal a glance and confirm your worst fear. The DUDE is also withdrawing something shiny and metallic from his pocket. His brisk walk is now a trot as he closes the gap between you.

Looking down in your hand you push the button and trigger the connection. You can hear the DUDE's sneakered feet slap the pavement hard as he crosses into your space and calls for you to "Stop!"

You comply, and slowly turn, your weapon of choice facing out from the palm of your hand. The DUDE is holding a handgun, pointed right at you. He seems as nervous as you are, which makes the situation even scarier. Somehow, you call up the courage to speak to him, slowly and deliberately... you say:

"Dude, I don't know what you have in mind here, but you should know that right now my phone is streaming live video to the Internet. My friends are watching you right now, and it's all being recorded. So, you can do something stupid and hurt me and they will all see it and see you, and you will be caught. Or you can just turn around and walk away, and we can forget we ever met tonight..."

You turn the N95 slightly in your hand, just enough for the DUDE to see the illuminated image on the display... just enough for him to register that it really is a camera and you really could be telling the truth...

The DUDE hesitates, looks at you closely, carefully, then mumbles some profanity, turns, and runs away back across the street from whence he came.

Shaking, you turn the N95 around, look right into the camera lens and say, "Thank you!"

Dramatic? Sure. But could it happen? Why not? What would you do? Would you use a device like the N95 to "stream live" as a "Personal Security Camera"???

What other uses can you imagine for a wireless device that streams live video to the Internet? Please add your ideas to the comments!


Photo Credit: ann triling - Fotolia.com

Twitter Intelligence (is NOT an Oxymoron)

The phrase "Military Intelligence" is often jokingly referred to as an oxymoron. (I used to think "oxymoron" was some sort of bleach product I should be using to get the stains out of my laundry -- now, with "oxymoron!") Regardless of your position on Military Intelligence, I would like to take a moment to examine what I will call "Twitter Intelligence," and how I use Twitter to be less of a Moron.

The Twitter stream contains an incredible wealth of information, seemingly random as countless Twittizens contribute their wit and wisdom in bursts of 140 characters or less. Flowing along with the current of the Twitter stream you will find intense conversations interspersed with random statements, announcements, quotes, links, exclamations, exasperations, arguments, ailments, jokes, jerks, shameless plugs, plugless shams -- in effect, the essence of human communications refined and redacted to fit in a "tweet."

THE TWITTER CONSCIOUSNESS

From high above, this living, breathing "Twitter Consciousness" may seem a bit messy, daunting and difficult to follow. Even a bona fide conversation seems fractured as both sides of the discussion are interrupted by numerous unrelated messages from folks who are wholly unaware there is even a dialogue going on. For the casual observer of Twitter this may provide for some oddly entertaining nonsequitors as you read through the flow of messages. But for the serious Twittizen, the scholarly Tweeter, there is gold in them thar hills!

TWITTINTELLIGENCE

When you look at Twitter from the point of view of your personal network of folks you follow and folks who follow you, there is a particular flavor to the flow of information that is cooked up by the specifically unique community you are a part of. Although they may seem diverse and random, the comments, conversations, themes and memes you will experience are dictated by a relatively controlled universe of minds. Your network is not random. You chose to follow certain people for a reason, and certain people chose to follow you for a reason. In some cases those reasons are obvious and blatant, in other cases the reasons for following may be subtle or even unconscious. In all cases, the reasons are there because an active choice to follow was made.

When you forget about the individual streams and look at Twitter as an ocean of messages -- the entirety of all tweets from all users -- things are very different. There is no particular flavor or position and the flow of information is truly random and all encompassing. Even peeking at the public timeline does not give a fair representation of the vastness of the Twitter Mind, as your view is limited to a linear look at a snapshot sequence of tweets.

SEARCH AND DESTROY! (YOUR COMPETITION)

There are a number of easy to use tools that allow you to cleverly and effectively tap into the power of the whole of Twitter and leverage the consciousness and intelligence of all of the information Tweeting through Twitter's (often stressed) pipelines. You can TRACK a keyword and have every message containing that keyword sent to you. You can SEARCH through the masses of Twitter messages and find all Tweets with a certain keyword. Many of us use these features and tools for vanity checks, and to ensure we don't miss replies and messages intended for us. This is certainly a valid and useful application of tracking and searching within Twitter, but I believe the potential is much, much greater.

Used thoughtfully, the ability to track a keyword across the entirety of the Twitter universe is an awe inspiring and powerful business intelligence tool. As a sampling of the minds and marketplace of a global community, Twitter has it all. Messages are flowing through Twitter that are representative of the real-time pulse of different ages, locales, professions, economics and tastes, covering politics, entertainment, technology, health, fashion, news, gossip and just about any imaginable topic. With proper tracking and searching Twitter can perhaps provide the most current and accurate look at interests and trends that has ever been so widely and easily available.

As a practical example, I have been using Twitter to stay on top of trends and potential competitors for Myxer. My tool of choice is TweetScan, a great site that lets me set a keyword search within Twitter and create an RSS feed for the search results. I set up a TweetScan search for "Ringtone" and now every Tweet containing the word shows up in my Google Reader. It has been a fascinating and useful experiment. Through these random "ringtone" tweets I have discovered three potential business competitors I had never encountered or heard of before. I have found opportunities to join relevant conversations where introducing Myxer to the mix was beneficial and appreciated. I get a continuous take on what is popular, liked and disliked from an amazing mix of people who innocently comment about ringtones. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. For businesses and marketers, Twitter may well provide the ultimate focus group and landscape for competitive analysis.

WE ARE NOT ALONE

There have been a lot of creative and clever uses of Twitter popping up and "Twitter Intelligence" is just one of many examples of how Twitter can provide valuable feedback. During time sensitive events such as political debates and even the Superbowl, Twitter has been a focal point for insightful, real-time feedback.

How are you using Twitter Intelligence to your advantage? What tools and services do you use to maximize how Twitter helps you?

Please add your thoughts and ideas to the comments. With your help and knowledge (and Twitter's) I will continue to be less of a moron!


Photo Credit: Stephen VanHorn - Fotolia.com

Gone Fishin' (in the Twitter Stream)

I remember fishing with my Grandfather. City boys we, our idea of fishing was standing on the pier with a Popeil's Pocket Fisherman, using store bought frozen shrimp as bait. We had more than our share of stories about "the one that got away"... but we also had many successful hauls of the hook. The pier was always there, and anytime we wanted we could grab the rod, toss a line in and see what we might be able to reel in.

WHY TWITTER IS LIKE FISHING...

So what does "goin' fishin'" have to do with Twitter? Because, dropping by the Twitter stream is a lot like tossing a baited line in the water, never quite sure what, if anything, you may catch.

Everyone has their favorite analogy for the Twitter experience. In a previous blog post I have said "Twitter is like the chocolate conveyor belt in I LOVE LUCY. Lots of great treats flying by...you pluck the ones that look sweet!"

Laura "Pistachio" Fitton calls Twitter "her village."

Now I am going to add the fishing analogy:

As my own Village in Twitter has grown, I find that my visits to my Twitter stream are very much like little digital fishing trips. When I stop by Twitter, at any given moment there are lots of interesting fish swimming by. I set my bait (in 140 characters or less) and drop a line in (in the form of a Tweet!) Sometimes the fish bite right away, and I feel the line get taut with a quick series of "@sass" replies. Sometimes I catch a big one and my tweet sets off a veritable meme. But many times the bait sinks without making a ripple, and try as I might, the conversation passes me by, and I spend my time in the Twitter stream reading and writing tweets, seemingly without a nibble.

When fishing, often you reel in the line and find your bait is gone, yet you didn't even feel a tug. Of course, that means there is a happy fish somewhere that just got fed. Twitter is the same. When you post a Tweet, just because you don't get a response it doesn't mean someone hasn't read and consumed your contribution. Just because you don't get a response it doesn't mean someone hasn't read or even been influenced by your words. Every tweet feeds the Twitter ecosystem. Don't judge the experience by how many fish you catch. Just relax, and enjoy the fishing!

As in fishing, there is a lot of luck, timing and serendipity in your Twitter experience.

If you are on Twitter, please follow me at www.twitter.com/sass and lets try to hook each other with interesting, pithy tweets.

If you are not on Twitter, this post must seem like a mess of confusing mixed metaphors. Sign up for Twitter, and hopefully in time you will understand.

In either case, enjoy this old Pocket Fisherman commercial I found!

New Pocket Fisherman

Posted Aug 08, 2006

Ronco's Pocket Fisherman is easily the best fishing invention of the century.

Mobile Marketing Has Nothing To Do With Alabama

Just before the holidays I was invited to be a guest on Paul Dunay's Buzz Marketing For Technology podcast to talk about Mobile Marketing. At first I was confused because I have never been to the State of Alabama and I have no clue as to what they may do special to market things in the fine city of Mobile. Then I realized that Paul wanted to talk about Mobile Marketing as in Mobile phone! What a relief... I have a mobile phone! In truth, I have been involved in the mobile commerce and content arena for almost 10 years and I currently work for Myxer, a leader in ad-supported mobile content, so it was my pleasure to participate in a conversation with Paul, and marketing strategist Greg Verdino. Here is the podcast as it appeared in Paul's blog and on the Marketing Profs Daily Fix blog. Enjoy...and I welcome any comments you may have.

Social Media: I Can See Clearly How Blurry It Is!

It's all getting blurry... In the world of social media, our network(s) become our friends and our friends become our network(s). The business of social networking becomes the socializing of our business. It is increasingly difficult to separate who we are from what we do or whom we work for. After all, if you embrace the transparency that makes the web work so much better, it is nearly impossible to lead a double life online. We are who we are, and all of our Blog posts, Twitter Tweets, Facebook Updates, Utterz utters, Seesmic and YouTube Videos, Flickr photos and the entirety of our daily digital droppings shapes our persona in the eyes of "the community." The lines between personal and professional are dotted and not solid. This is not a bad thing. After all, we spend the majority of our adult lives working and our life's work experience invariably helps shape who we are and how we behave.

A SEPARATE PIECE?

It was not too long ago that I tried to keep my personal online presence separate from my professional online presence. While I did not hide the fact that I work at Myxer, when I did Myxer stuff online I felt I should keep it separate from this personal blog, and vice versa. Little by little, as I found my social network expanding I increasingly encountered people that, aside from being "social" with, I could actually be doing business with. I realized that there were potential partners in them thar social networking woods! So slowly but surely, I have eased a little more of my work life into my social networking and without question my social networking life has eased its way into my business. This has been encouraging, fun and productive on both sides of the fence as I continue to explore ways to appropriately use social media to expand my business, and at the same time leverage my business to expand my social network.

WORK'S A BEACH!

Most recently, I have been having a lot of fun creating short videos as part of my social networking. Whether posting them on Facebook, Utterz, Seesmic, YouTube, or my Social Networking Rehab parody blog, I have been finding video to be a great way to satisfy some of my creative urges. Along the same lines, the other day I took a short video on the beach with my Treo smartphone, and turned it into a silly "recruitment" video for Myxer, since we are actively hiring. On a whim, I posted the video on YouTube and sent the link out on my Twitter stream. Within minutes, in addition to some encouraging comments, I actually received resumes sent to the "HR" email address at the end of the video. A social media video, posted to the Twitter stream, proved to actually be an effective tool to attract potential employees. The lines may be blurred but the results are clear: Social Media and business can and do work together!

How have you incorporated your social media life into your business (or your business into your social media life)?

Send "Work's A Beach" To Your Phone. Click the button >

Video by Sass. Photo Credit: GJS - Fotolia.com

You're So Vain (You Probably Think This Blog Is About You)

Variety may be the spice of life, but VANITY is the spice that seasons the blogosphere. Face it, you can't spell B L O G G E R without E G O! It takes a certain amount of self-love, self-confidence and self-centeredness to put your words out there for the world to see. Frankly, few of us would be doing it if we didn't have enough of an ego to believe our words, thoughts, creativity, opinions and observations were worthy of note by others. We want to be noticed, recognized (literally and figuratively) and we want to be heard.

Thanks to technology advances an individual's ability to create and distribute their own content has been democratized. It is the proverbial power of the pen and press on steroids. Whereas man has always been able to create with a scroll and ink or a canvas and paint, the audience was limited. Today, with the same ease we can create something that can literally have infinite global reach. Someone in Australia can read this right now, as simply as someone in the house next door (of course the person in the house next door is probably stealing my Wi-Fi signal. My Mate in Australia is a "legitimate" reader!)

THIS TIME ITS PERSONAL

We have entered the age of Personal Brands, where being master of your domain (name) is as important as your wardrobe and hygiene choices. Parents are choosing child names based on the availability of theirkid.com (and I used to think "GoDADDY" was an odd name for a Domain Registrar... Bob Parsons is a genius!) Contrary to popular belief, we are NOT what we eat. We ARE what shows up when we Google our names! Lifestreaming, Liveblogging, JustinTV, just in time to make an inordinate amount of content available using cool, free and easy tools.

Micro-blogging is making Macro changes to the what, where, why, when and how we communicate and share our opinions and our lives. In social media, everyone is like your first college roommate... a stranger whose life is suddenly exposed to you bit by bit as you spend more time together, sharing more and more tidbits of both the mundane and the meaningful. Over time, the bits (and in our case, bytes) of information shape your perception of the person and make them "real" and before long that stranger is no longer strange, and in fact, has become a friend. Is that any different than what happens on Twitter and Facebook? By the time you go to an event or a "Tweet Up" and meet someone you have been following or have befriended for a while, you are already virtual roommates and well on your way to becoming true friends.

TREES FALLING IN THE WOODS

Now that we have such a powerful and simple ability to reach an audience (and an audience is someone who is listening to YOU, whether it is one person or one thousand). If you write in a blog, Tweet something, or Utter something, or post a video on Seesmic or YouTube or Write on a Wall on Facebook and SOMEONE responds, then you have succeeded and your ego will have been stroked. But is Social Media like trees falling in the woods? If you post something on your blog and the comment meter remains on "0" does that mean nobody can hear it? How does that make you feel? Do you gauge your Twitter tweets by how many @yourname responses you get? Do you feel disappointed or even slighted if you craft a clever 140 character mini-manifesto and see it drift away with the current of the Twitter stream without making a single @you ripple? Honestly... I do! Thanks to our egos I think we all crave feedback. Perhaps even a negative comment is more satisfying than silence. Perhaps it is our ego driven nature that has unconsciously built the infrastructure of Social Media and on-line "community" around channels of linking, commenting, tracking, sharing and re-posting. What do you think?

So, now that we are "roommates," please feel free to stroke my ego by commenting on this blog post and sharing and linking to your heart's delight! And yes, this blog IS about you!

Photo Credit: Albo - Fotolia.com