tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1131450449953216602024-02-06T20:53:55.271-08:00Digital PassionNguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.comBlogger292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-89538038287961997772010-05-27T09:51:00.000-07:002010-05-27T09:51:40.170-07:00How to Tell if a Guy Likes you - Five Signs He's Interested<h1>How to Tell if a Guy Likes you - Five Signs He's Interested</h1><strong>By: <a href="http://site-free-articles.blogspot.com/" title="Tonja Weimer's Articles">Free Articles</a></strong><br />
How can you tell if a guy likes you or is interested? You noticed him when you were standing and talking with a friend. You think he noticed you, but maybe it was your imagination or just wishful thinking. He looked at you at about the same time you saw him. Your eyes met for just a few seconds, and then you looked away. When you looked back up, he was talking with some other people. Was he watching you as you mingled? Or were you making that up? How can you tell if a guy likes you? Why are guys so hard to read?<br />
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Here are five signs that he is interested in you too. If any of the following happens, he is probably trying to get close enough to ask you out:<br />
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1. He tells someone<br />
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Is he interested? He likes you if he tells a mutual friend that he wants to know more about you, or he asks other people who you are and where you're from. He is trying to act like he's "just asking" but his questions indicate more than a casual interest. And when he tells someone that he finds you attractive, he probably knows that it will get back to you. He's hoping it does.<br />
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2. The look<br />
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He gives you a look that betrays his calm exterior. Even though he is across the room, "that look" he has says it all. It is sweeping, from your head to your toes, and then his eyes linger on yours. You think you notice the beginning of a tentative smile.<br />
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3. The conversation<br />
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Does he like you? When he manages to get close enough to you, to ask you questions, he is interested. He appears to be listening and responds to what you say. He's moving in to the ultimate question, which is: "Are you seeing anyone." He would only ask this question if he wanted to date you, and he hopes the answer is "No." Never ever wear a ring in public. When a guy is across the room, he cannot tell which finger it is on and he may assume incorrectly that you are taken. If he doesn't ask you the question of whether or not you are attached, he may ask someone whom you both know.<br />
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4. He appears unexpectedly<br />
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He likes you a lot if he shows up out of nowhere. He can only do that if he has been asking people about your schedule, or he has been paying attention to where you are going and at what time. His face may turn red when he sees you. A sudden, "Oh, hi," is his way of saying, "I don't want to seem obvious, but I am interested in you." If you feel the same way, do not act shy. Stop and talk to him.<br />
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5. EVERYONE likes you<br />
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Is he interested? When you are well liked and a happy person, why wouldn't he like you? Of course he does. If you don't have a great life, however, now is your time to start working on one. Take a look at your career possibilities, body image, future, plans, and resources. You may be naturally talented at something, but it won't matter unless you work on your strengths. Misused or unused talents fade away. School and training do not.<br />
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These are the five signs that he is interested and he is on the verge of asking you out. Make it easy for him and be friendly. This is where relationships begin.<br />
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Do you want to know more secrets about how to attract men? Do you know how to dress, what to say, what to do, and the body language to use when you go out? Do you know the 5 steps to take to meet any guy anywhere? Read on to discover all the secrets to having all the dates you want in How To Attract Men: Secrets Every Woman Should Know <br />
<strong>About the Author</strong><br />
Visit http://www.singlesdatingtips.com for more tips, skills, and insight on dating, relationships, singles, and love. Subscribe to our F*ree Savvy Dating Newsletter from master single's coach, life coach, and syndicated columnist, Tonja Weimer. Copyright 2006, Tonja Weimer. (Please note source if reprinting this article.)Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-24177042707136753932010-05-27T09:49:00.000-07:002010-05-27T09:49:01.122-07:00Tips How to View Private Myspace Profiles<h1>Tips How to View Private Myspace Profiles</h1><strong>By: <a href="http://site-free-articles.blogspot.com/" title="PJ's Articles">Free Articles</a></strong><br />
We all notice that if you are a MySpace user, you've come across some profiles that you're dying taboo to view but only to catch out that they're set to private. You realize that the simply way to view their profile is to add them as a friend and hope they accept. Unfortunately, nearly of the time they don't know you and they wont accept your friend request. However, I can show you how to view private profiles on MySpace.<br />
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I know personally, I've stumbled upon a profile of someone I thought I recognized. All I need to do is look into some more pictures on their profile to be sure. But when I try to view their MySpace profile, I find it's set to private. Now I see the only way I can view their pictures is to send a friend request to them. But we all know that this can be tiresome and most of the time not work at all. If their profile is set to private, they'll most potentially not add you as a friend.<br />
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Private profiles is a great feature on MySpace, however they can be a real annoying when it comes to finding friends that you haven't seen in a long time, or becoming friends with someone that you think look cool.<br />
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Fortunately, I came across a site recently in some dark corner of the internet. On this site, you can enter the MySpace user ID and it will return with every picture that user uploaded on their profile, without having to send a friend request or gain access to their private MySpace profile. This is the greatest tool i've found in a long time. Now for all of that have wondered, here is a new way to view Private MySpace profiles. There, you'll find how to view private MySpace profiles.<br />
<strong>About the Author</strong><br />
Check out the View Private Myspace Profiles Toolbar!<br />
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Add up to 500 MySpace friends per day, leave tons of comments and messages, and gain traffic to your MySpace profile by checking out Friend Blaster Try it out for free!<br />
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Get millions of song plays, profile views, and even get your song to #1 automatically on MySpace Music with MP3 Song Plays. You can even try it out for FREE!Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-10615414821761141262010-05-27T09:46:00.001-07:002010-05-27T09:46:20.229-07:00Tips How to View Private Myspace Profiles<br /><br /> We all notice that if you are a MySpace user, you've come across some profiles that you're dying taboo to view but only to catch out that they're set to private. You realize that the simply way to view their profile is to add them as a friend and hope they accept. Unfortunately, nearly of the time they don't know you and they wont accept your friend request. However, I can show you how to view private profiles on MySpace.<br /><br />I know personally, I've stumbled upon a profile of someone I thought I recognized. All I need to do is look into some more pictures on their profile to be sure. But when I try to view their MySpace profile, I find it's set to private. Now I see the only way I can view their pictures is to send a friend request to them. But we all know that this can be tiresome and most of the time not work at all. If their profile is set to private, they'll most potentially not add you as a friend.<br /><br />Private profiles is a great feature on MySpace, however they can be a real annoying when it comes to finding friends that you haven't seen in a long time, or becoming friends with someone that you think look cool.<br /><br />Fortunately, I came across a site recently in some dark corner of the internet. On this site, you can enter the MySpace user ID and it will return with every picture that user uploaded on their profile, without having to send a friend request or gain access to their private MySpace profile. This is the greatest tool i've found in a long time. Now for all of that have wondered, here is a new way to view Private MySpace profiles. There, you'll find how to view private MySpace profiles.<br /><br /> Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-2625912161068674172010-04-16T07:36:00.000-07:002010-04-16T07:36:07.349-07:00Kidult - Teen site by Pharrell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GoBUj8j4_vjmRyJuKL9l2i_tuVsJdQwNUKhh94KPZ7lHOfZxqdHKQCLaB5xoXwe2hxd6ZmGVpVaKBa2kB4wQX91rccQfwlYCbftIEVNAtWJNSkOv4B4rZvQFXu8muu0RsmJvHHH1oifI/s1600/Kidult.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GoBUj8j4_vjmRyJuKL9l2i_tuVsJdQwNUKhh94KPZ7lHOfZxqdHKQCLaB5xoXwe2hxd6ZmGVpVaKBa2kB4wQX91rccQfwlYCbftIEVNAtWJNSkOv4B4rZvQFXu8muu0RsmJvHHH1oifI/s320/Kidult.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456987362758992178" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.kidult.com/">Kidult</a> is a news site for American teens, fronted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharrell_Williams">Pharrell Williams</a>.<br /><br />It's pretty good. It offers a range of different topics from sport to celebrity to actual 'news'. I also really like the 'Cool Job' feature, talking to people with cool jobs about how they got started.<br /><br />It's a great idea, and one that could well take off, and in that Pharrell's endorsement (& contacts for getting interviews with other notables) is very important.<br /><br />Read more about it <a href="http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/pharrell-williams-launches-kidult-com/6663665">here</a>.Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-88640265997872215572010-04-14T07:55:00.001-07:002010-04-14T07:55:48.688-07:00Satellite Car Chase: Google Maps AnimationMade originally for a longer move entitled <a href="http://vimeo.com/3945157">Omar Hot Pursuit S.E.A.R.C.H.</a> the producers have now made the Google Maps satellite car chase section into its own clip and its great:<br />
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<center><object height="338" width="500"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9411892&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9411892&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="338" width="500"></embed></object><a href="http://vimeo.com/9411892">Satellite Car Chase</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/honestdirectors">Honest Directors</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</center><br />
The movie was made and directed by <a href="http://stayhonest.com/">http://stayhonest.com/</a>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-30680241036617482562010-04-14T07:52:00.001-07:002010-04-14T07:52:38.214-07:00Please Rob Me.com - GeoTwitter Shows Empty Houses (To Rob).We have been working on something behind the scenes recently that brings up all sort of issues of privacy, our worries pale into insignificance however compared to the twisted genius that is <a href="http://pleaserobme.com/">http://pleaserobme.com/</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOxlM93lIg6PbVeBM14Q6NTB3asK2mrgJaMT-WfOW9NSldnmdCeSlA8FJF-4eRqsWgskVDjwV5DbWA1yYXBYvP2O8EXYlQfHj98Xqe-5ZWH6pltW1IXH6nivItC1F2hoE5Bf6c-d39HA4/s400/pleaserobme.jpg" width="381" /></div><br />
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The site uses terms such as 'left home', compared to your profile to work out your not around, it then links to a map showing where your now empty home is (assuming you live on your own). Genius, as is the sites discaimer 'Our intention is not, and never has been, to have people burglarized.'<br />
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See <a href="http://pleaserobme.com/">http://pleaserobme.com</a>/ for full details and a list of opportunities for those so inclined...Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-61237109894633929852010-04-14T07:50:00.000-07:002010-04-14T07:50:29.627-07:00Architectural Cinematography - Rooftops: ParisThe movie below entitled 'Rooftops' was created as a tribute to Georges Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891), who was behind the beautiful architecture of Paris. Taken by <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2600698">Mister K Cartoon</a> with a Canon ixus 200is/Canon sd 980 using Colorista, Magic Bullet Looks, After Effects & Movie Maker for post production it portays the style and architecture of the city wondrously: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />
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<center><object height="338" width="500"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9428372&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9428372&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="338" width="500"></embed></object><a href="http://vimeo.com/9428372">Rooftops</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2600698">Mister K Cartoon</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</center><br />
The video was captured without tripods, all the sequences were been stabilised under After Effects.Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-70151970734871431422010-04-14T07:45:00.001-07:002010-04-14T07:45:26.037-07:00Pink Floyd's Money arranged for the NES<object width="500" height="365"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yp14xXwnwJA&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yp14xXwnwJA&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="365"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp14xXwnwJA">Here</a><br /><br />You can play the rest of Dark Side of the Moon <a href="http://rainwarrior.thenoos.net/music/moon8.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Via <a href="http://www.metafilter.com/90581/8bit-Pink-Floyd">Metafilter</a>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-81460945895630118902010-04-14T07:43:00.001-07:002010-04-14T07:43:52.719-07:00Mobile genius - M&S kids' name tags by text<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_KCAKkeR3TOV1_FAZqq5Lbvb5-GZWjRXBEVekxcD6kJqvem97sF18vqO0LIwlwZj56w2q2Um0mNw-U0WR1FFskh1vcCd5BXXMMaBXromMUed0x8W_ntGxfCn7ZEnjFvaSyC0bRzgFQIb/s1600/M&S_name_tags.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_KCAKkeR3TOV1_FAZqq5Lbvb5-GZWjRXBEVekxcD6kJqvem97sF18vqO0LIwlwZj56w2q2Um0mNw-U0WR1FFskh1vcCd5BXXMMaBXromMUed0x8W_ntGxfCn7ZEnjFvaSyC0bRzgFQIb/s320/M&S_name_tags.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454392108570382722" border="0" /></a><br />This example was mentioned at today's <a href="http://uk.b2b.yahoo.net/advertisers-and-agencies/whats-new/appetite-hunger-for-mobile-media">Yahoo APPetite</a> event.<br /><br />M&S offer <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/Name-Tape-Service-School-Uniform-Kids/b/79633031">this service</a> to parents. Simply TAG, plus the child's name, your house number and post code to 65006, and they will send you 50 iron-on name tags in the post. The charge of £5 is added to your mobile bill.<br /><br />So simple. Well done!Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-12996831412745104422010-04-14T07:42:00.001-07:002010-04-14T07:42:27.820-07:00The Next Transition in CommunicationOver time, the way in which communication happens has gone through some very interesting transitions. Each of them resulted in profound changes in information flow, and with that, significant changes in the discipline of marketing. We’re about to see the evolution of a fifth form of communication, and it will have an equally interesting effect on our lives.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. One-to-One</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hvd5_uBuNVzK0DcjgdPj8wgPvSpCh6cTmC0DFTKATPXa4CG47dWor3iQmi4QJIFuAwOSAjjX8Mcwl87roZBdhFRtN9AUJBAfQRFPfPXJvOyaKgWOCRf077j8P2TueIoREOzzYgyCkdA3/s1600-h/EvolutionOfCommunication.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441243313842026946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hvd5_uBuNVzK0DcjgdPj8wgPvSpCh6cTmC0DFTKATPXa4CG47dWor3iQmi4QJIFuAwOSAjjX8Mcwl87roZBdhFRtN9AUJBAfQRFPfPXJvOyaKgWOCRf077j8P2TueIoREOzzYgyCkdA3/s400/EvolutionOfCommunication.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 355px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>The oldest form of communication is the one-to-one model. Face to face interactions and conversations were the main way in which messages were communicated. While very interactive, this was not a very scalable model at all. However, because it was the only way of conveying messages, it found an audience that was not overwhelmed with communication, and was likely much more receptive to new information.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Broadcast</span><br />
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The modern marketing industry was born with the advent of mass broadcast communications. Radio, print, or television enabled messages to be mass communicated to broad audiences. This was a highly scalable, but entirely non-interactive, as it was a one-way communication and allowed no way for the listener to engage with the communicator. Also, as broadcast grew, it reduced the attention span of audiences by overwhelming them with too many communications.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Email</span><br />
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The next interesting evolution in communication was with the advent of email. I’m not talking about email marketing, however, as that is much more similar to a broadcast model. Interpersonal email, however, added a very interesting element with the “Reply All” function. Now, the audience members in a communication group could easily respond to a discussion, and do so in a way that created ad hoc, topical group discussions. However, these discussions were closed to outsiders. A person who was not in the discussion would not see the discussion happening and could not join the discussion without explicitly being included by an insider.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Social Media</span><br />
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Solving this discovery problem, of course, was social media. Now, with the discussions happening in an open format, anyone can detect, read, or join existing discussions. The speed with which these communications happen has been well documented, and discussions on a particular topic can quickly grow to involve and influence hundreds of thousands of people. However, social media creates huge volumes of communications, most of which are not of interest. Filtering through this noise is a daunting challenge, and whereas most social media can be filtered by keywords or brand names, this still tends to result in an overwhelming volume of content.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Conversation Discovery</span><br />
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So what's next? As the major search engines apply their computing and analysis horsepower to understanding who is talking to whom about what, we may be on the verge of a fifth major shift in how information is communicated. Passive conversation discovery, guided by the algorithms of Google and Bing and their analysis of vast amounts of social media data, may be the way we discover what conversations are happening that may be of interest. Much like Amazon’s book recommendation systems which looks at “people like us” and sees what they are interested in, Google and Bing may soon be able to accurately detect and show specific conversations that are most likely to be of interest to each person. This finally allows the interactivity and openness of social media while not having the overwhelming volume of unfiltered social<br />
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Each of these evolutions in communication has changed how we interact with each other, how we learn, and how we market. This coming fifth transition promises to be as disruptive as any before it.<br />
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What are you doing to be ready?<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">(this article first appeared as a </span><a href="http://www.savvyb2bmarketing.com/blog/entry/568751/the-next-transition-in-communication" style="font-style: italic;">guest post on SavvyB2B</a><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-29422494930083719492010-04-12T03:04:00.001-07:002010-04-12T03:04:52.807-07:00Timelapse on the iPhone: A look at the free Gorillacam AppJoby, the people behind the Gorillapods, have released a free camera app for the<br />
iPhone entitled 'Gorillacam'. Of note the application features a timelapse mode allowing multiple photos spaced at various intervals, ranging from 1 second apart, up to 2 minutes. We have run a few tests and with a first generation iPhone 10 seconds is the most reliable time frame to chose due to the time taken to save an image, second and third generation seem to cope with faster times. That said, 10 seconds is nigh-on-perfect for timelapses and the application does a sterling job.<br />
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We set the application running on an overcast winters day and the output of 1600x1200 jpgs is more than enough to output a 720p (HD) movie to YouTube with room for some post processing pan movement:<br />
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Music is courtesy of the rather good unsigned band - <a href="http://www.mp3unsigned.com/showmp3.asp?mp3id=31115">Lemonade Joe</a>.<br />
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<div id="TixyyLink" style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
</div>The movie was made simply by opening QuickTime Pro 7 and selecting 'image sequence' with the pan added via After Effects. The iPhone camera is never going to win awards but for a quick timelapse then Gorillacam is a must have for any iphone user, especially at the price, ie free.<br />
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gorillacam/id342972390?mt=8" target="_blank">Get Gorillacam Free through iTunes</a>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-91341985772829093542010-04-12T02:59:00.000-07:002010-04-12T02:59:02.470-07:00Timelapse: Making the Map<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nVhk0sr0Wtx8Uvc6c-QvBN9jp5l3nPiTj58R-QrtuHkHSa3WDkUTb3qsIIG1Ib5CaxeOP07rPOJtjglUG6Xr2Y8CnC8KaXugrmOIgBxdrSasZ7JoXGYqJUwSB9PTS6_C2OCBiQnnNJOR/s1600-h/flamingo_gardens_map.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437679461289698050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nVhk0sr0Wtx8Uvc6c-QvBN9jp5l3nPiTj58R-QrtuHkHSa3WDkUTb3qsIIG1Ib5CaxeOP07rPOJtjglUG6Xr2Y8CnC8KaXugrmOIgBxdrSasZ7JoXGYqJUwSB9PTS6_C2OCBiQnnNJOR/s400/flamingo_gardens_map.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 227px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Whether it is making a map of a city or a map of a local tourist attraction, as is the case below, there is a high level of expertise involved and it is mesmerising to see the process as a timelapse.<br />
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John Potter was recently contracted by the tourist attraction, Flamingo Gardens, in Davie, Florida to redesign their visitor's map. He decided to record the project via an on going screen capture:<br />
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<center><object height="450" width="500"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9404912&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9404912&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="450" width="500"></embed></object> </center><center><a href="http://vimeo.com/9404912">Adobe Illustrator Time-Lapse Video</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/escapekey">John Potter</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</center><br />
The style reminds us in some ways of 'Transport Tycoon' and that can only be a good thing. Read more about the project at <a href="http://www.escapekeygraphics.com/entry/118/Adobe_Illustrator_Time-Lapse_V/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">escapekeygraphics.com/entry/118/Adobe_Illustrator_Time-Lapse_V/</a> and see more of John's work at <a href="http://www.escapekeygraphics.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">escapekeygraphics.com</a>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-67004039305765627792010-04-11T07:34:00.001-07:002010-04-11T07:34:50.373-07:00"A Beautiful You"<p><p align="center"><i><b><font size="3"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_B9QptPHH85Y/S7YObdrcPxI/AAAAAAAANV8/e5WFVjqwbjo/s1600-h/BeautifulYouIMG_4726Edit5.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Beautiful You-IMG_4726-Edit" border="0" alt="Beautiful You-IMG_4726-Edit" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_B9QptPHH85Y/S7YObxH3R0I/AAAAAAAANWA/YUTxMM4Ibi4/BeautifulYouIMG_4726Edit_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="345" height="254" /></a></font></b></i><i><b><font size="3"></font></b></i></p><p align="center"><i><b><font size="3">"A Beautiful You"</font></b> <br />©David A. Ziser</i></p><p align="center">I was just asked recently why I don't shoot more journalistically at a wedding.  Well, I have to tell you I do - more so than any other photographer in the Cincinnati area.  When you are putting down 3500 images on a job, I can tell ya' – I’m not posing them all.  Most of my coverage is shot in an editorial manner, I just don't feature them here at DPT.  I'm still a big fan of flattering the people that I photograph in front of my camera.  That's why, in addition to all the editorial imagery I create, my favorites are still my "signature" images that my clients enjoy.  Today I am featuring one such image.  It was made during last week's PSW Pre-Con shoot and I like how this image features and flatters the bride in the beautiful surrounds of the church. For me, it's more that just "running and gunning" to get the shots for the bride and groom.  It's about "crafting" an image with lighting, composition, color, and expression.  That folks, is where the fun is for me.  I love working for the finished result.  Notice how the lines in the ceiling and even the curve of the front arch all lead to the bride.  Notice too how my off camera flash created the beautiful lighting on the bride's face, how it picked up and accentuated the detail in her gown, how it added "dimension" to my shot.  Camera specs: Canon 7D fitted with 18-200mm IS lens at 22mm, F5.6 @ 1/125 second, ISO 400. Lighting from the left - Quantum through Zumbrella 8 feet away, 1/4 power. This shot made with the 18-200mm IS lens would make a beautiful 24"x36" enlargement.  Heck, I might just print it up on the new printer;~)  <i><b>Enjoy!  -David</b></i></p></p>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-65515552557322078152010-04-11T07:24:00.001-07:002010-04-11T07:24:20.990-07:00Marmite Election<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsCPTqQ8_FHefl4aRazROsaTOyuxPSAVdM8Snj79vHxNCrhTG3VnqsySkMGm610rCZIcXOJmah4PGYgtUoixiqvhCdhRYpJnhL7hSea9Jkr1C8AYIfyzMgE8j9RpidenOuTSBF4yQuAS-/s1600/Marmite.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsCPTqQ8_FHefl4aRazROsaTOyuxPSAVdM8Snj79vHxNCrhTG3VnqsySkMGm610rCZIcXOJmah4PGYgtUoixiqvhCdhRYpJnhL7hSea9Jkr1C8AYIfyzMgE8j9RpidenOuTSBF4yQuAS-/s320/Marmite.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453982664557437058" border="0" /></a><br />Excellent <a href="http://www.marmitenewsnetwork.com/">new initiative</a> ('campaign' seems the wrong word these days) for Marmite to mirror the imminent UK general election with a campaign to get people to support either The Love Party or The Hate Party, with Facebook groups, and more.<br /><br />The whole 'Love it or Hate it' idea has been around for over ten years now - well done to them for adapting it to new communication techniques.<br /><br />More background at The Guardian, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/29/marmites-ads-parallel-election">here</a>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-15070969443114083002010-04-11T07:23:00.001-07:002010-04-11T07:23:14.532-07:00...& that's why music matters<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10374013&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10374013&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10374013">Music Matters - Nick Cave (23-3-10)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3438834">Music Matters</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />A new series of videos from the British Music Matters group, promoting legal downloads.<br /><br />I like all of these. In addition to the embedded Nick Cave one (by Sarah Cox & Emma Lazenby), there are stories about Sugar Ros, Blind Willie Johnson, Kate Bush and others <a href="http://www.whymusicmatters.org/videos">here</a><br /><br />Music Matters are putting a new 'Music Matters' mark onto legal download and streaming sites.<br /><br />Here's Kate Bush (by Elliot Dear):<br /><br /><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10379531&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10379531&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10379531">Music Matters - Kate Bush (23-3-10)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3440358">Music Matters</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-14007713875048188982010-04-11T07:22:00.000-07:002010-04-11T07:22:07.977-07:00The rise of the $0.99 eventThere's a <a href="http://www.revenews.com/duanekuroda/will-facebook-eventbrite-and-paypal-establish-new-paradigm-in-micropayments/">great post</a> on the excellent Reve News site discussing the implications of Facebook's deal with Eventbrite, to sell tickets for events.<br /><br />Taken in conjunction with Facebook's recent deal with Paypal to sell credits to use on Facebook ('Facebook money', in effect) Reve News provides this interesting and insightful vision of the future of Facebook events:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The idea is simple, just as the App Store allowed for the mass proliferation of $0.99 apps, the Eventbrite ticketing on Facebook with PayPal micropayments could usher in a new era of $0.99 events. Think about that for a moment. If an event was slightly worth it, would you pay $0.99 to go? Of course, most events will still be free, but suddenly the ability to charge $0.99 for an event changes the event scheduling and ticketing game.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Events could clean up their attendee lists since only paid attendees would be coming. Companies could offer incentives to paid attendees (every attendee gets a $5 coupon for some service, etc). Marketers could be developing a higher quality of list based on those who committed enough to pay $0.99. As with regularly ticketed events, the event organizers would earn their fees as well, and possibly provide a way to cover event costs and possibly more. As with any EventBrite event, you could charge more, but I’m using $0.99 to make my point."</span><br /><br />& then:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"To put this into perspective, the reason that this could be a really big deal is according to Facebook, more than 3.5 million events are created each month. Are all of those events monetizeable? No, but for the sake of argument, let’s say that 1 percent are. That would be 35,000 events that could be generating revenue for Facebook, PayPal, Eventbrite, and the event organizer. Take a guess on how much money could be made for each event, multiply, and bam, you have a serious revenue stream."</span><br /><br />I can see this happening. Pay $0.99, or £0.99 or whatever, and get a goodie bag or enter a raffle.Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-61076297323186380062010-04-11T07:20:00.001-07:002010-04-11T07:20:34.183-07:00The Rise of the "Fanmium" ProductsSocial media has led to a wealth of new ways of thinking about business. One of the most interesting, and most discussed, is the ceding of control of the market message to our audiences. While we as marketers may want to get out there and promote the value of our products and services, the most effective way by far is to have our audience do it for us.<br />
<br />
This leads to an interesting paradox. We as marketing teams have energy and resources that we want to devote to making noise about our products and services, there is no longer an easy path to spending those resources in order to get the desired results. Covert tactics to pay people to write nice things about you are usually discovered quickly and backfire badly.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">The "Fanmium" Strategy</span><br />
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However, there is one technique that I think is interesting and has merit; the “fanmium” strategy. This is a twist on the “freemium” product strategy, but involves giving away licenses of your product (or an equivalent) to those who provide coverage. Coverage could be anything from blog posts, becoming a fan on Facebook, or joining an online community.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrOINRp789TlAtoHNXqmZu06AW3AJxFRgF6E2i2mvif-imVNebcrDS95LsW-_u3ObSsv7jZ6eOY_SEHxaohvIqby1Fz0OCKdJAbu0LhfF79r-eUfgzur7D4s86mU0iy8svaoI5Q6aCDq-/s1600/CerebrataLogo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454143941696327314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrOINRp789TlAtoHNXqmZu06AW3AJxFRgF6E2i2mvif-imVNebcrDS95LsW-_u3ObSsv7jZ6eOY_SEHxaohvIqby1Fz0OCKdJAbu0LhfF79r-eUfgzur7D4s86mU0iy8svaoI5Q6aCDq-/s400/CerebrataLogo.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 88px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 155px;" /></a>I have seen this strategy being used from time to time, but most recently came across this strategy being used by a company called Cerebrata, which offers a product called <a href="http://www.cerebrata.com/Products/CloudStorageStudio/Details.aspx?t1=1">Cloud Storage Studio</a>. In various discussions on Windows Azure forums, I had seen mentions of the use of Cloud Storage Studio, probably coming across references to it 6 or 7 times. Finally, I had a problem that I had seen them mentioned as providing a solution to, and I downloaded a free trial.<br />
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What caught my eye though, was the way they structured their licensing:<br />
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- A trial version, feature complete, time limited (30 days)<br />
- A development version, feature limited<br />
- A professional version ($49,99)<br />
- And most interestingly, a “Fanmium” offering<br />
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<br />
To be more precise, here is what they say:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJtyg5XjEecPsr7Kps4ctQqcE4kCJShJqpD_9uXoP08HzTiwZm69le8sPFbNNqkRippgfWP_kbffDV_t-VNQif2vNg3pHXI539oqE_zKiEhQ9KmJFcfiFN_AfVTv1woNtSlqgOZS7more/s1600/FanmiumText.jpg" onblur="try
{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454144581341691970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJtyg5XjEecPsr7Kps4ctQqcE4kCJShJqpD_9uXoP08HzTiwZm69le8sPFbNNqkRippgfWP_kbffDV_t-VNQif2vNg3pHXI539oqE_zKiEhQ9KmJFcfiFN_AfVTv1woNtSlqgOZS7more/s400/FanmiumText.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 39px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">(full disclosure, I bought a full license to Cloud Storage Studio, and am doing this post only because I found the “Fanmium” concept very interesting).</span><br />
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In looking back on what had caused me to find Cloud Storage Studio in the first place, all of the reviews and mentions were very accurate, and none had been overstated. The product is an excellent product, and well worth the price tag (it saved me about 5 hours of work the first time I used it), and without that the strategy would not work.<br />
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The key to this strategy, I believe, is looking for honest exposure, rather than trying to buy favorable reviews. Cerebrata is very clear on their desire for honest reviews. They are, luckily, able to achieve favorable reviews on the merits of the product alone.<br />
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Looked at from all perspectives, this appears to be a very good strategy:<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Cerebrata:</span><br />
o $49.99 for each bit of exposure is a very reasonable price to pay<br />
o Investing in product, rather than advertising, makes this strategy viable<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bloggers:</span><br />
o Providing an honest opinion on a product in exchange for a free license is a good deal<br />
o $49.99 of value is not enough of an economic motivator to risk alienating the audience you have grown by providing an inaccurate review or false praise<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Buyers:</span><br />
o Finding the uses for Cloud Storage Studio in context of discussions of the problems they solve was much more helpful than high level advertising<br />
o Free trial version allows independent assessment of product quality, regardless of reviews<br />
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What are your thoughts? Have you considered a “fanmium” offering? What do you think the constraints are on when it would/wouldn’t work in a B2B environment?Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-90356440389295579722010-04-09T10:28:00.001-07:002010-04-09T10:28:42.715-07:00Is Foursquare Relevant for B2B Marketers?Recently, I’ve been playing around with foursquare to get a better understanding of it, and think about how it might have a significant impact on B2B marketers. Whereas I’m far from a power user, I have unlocked a few badges (sadly, one of my first was the “Jetsetter” badge that is given for checking in at 5 airports), and I’m in strong contention for the Mayorship of Eloqua.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6_Wl2nvZP3UT-QQn1TiVHeKnykFzonxirWWFZeqzKKvF8gDj7KaXPohh6JQqGTSZG32tiBW8l_j_cbGRmUKwpXKb8hRb5jGAYOCBb8HF3juzvUaY3HxeWGMEateg-ogYNPc0Cz5HqyjL/s1600-h/FoursquareBadges.jpg" onblur="try
{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452040281305494962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6_Wl2nvZP3UT-QQn1TiVHeKnykFzonxirWWFZeqzKKvF8gDj7KaXPohh6JQqGTSZG32tiBW8l_j_cbGRmUKwpXKb8hRb5jGAYOCBb8HF3juzvUaY3HxeWGMEateg-ogYNPc0Cz5HqyjL/s400/FoursquareBadges.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 174px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 360px;" /></a>With South by Southwest happening recently, the number of foursquare announcements on Twitter, of people “checking in” made #SXSW a top Trending Topic. Considering that foursquare only launched a year ago at SXSW 2009, this is clearly a phenomenon worth looking at.<br />
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Lots of businesses, especially those selling to consumers, are experimenting with special offers via foursquare in order to motivate those in the area to drop in, make a purchase, or accept an offer. However, it’s not clear that there is any relevant parallel of this in the business to business environment. Business buyers for any given organization are much fewer in numbers, do not generally make purchases based on their current location, and are unlikely to be motivated by the style of offers (come in now, save $10) that are viable using location-based advertising.<br />
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Certainly, at tradeshows and events, many B2B organizations are experimenting with foursquare, setting up transient “locations” at their booth and offering prizes to people who check in. I suspect, however, that this way of using foursquare in a B2B marketing environment is temporary at best, and will quickly pass.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmjOeOddTIJx6t5WQoGZ59ciY4qF9DVLu5IIv132omzuiL4EWDZduMMPhqB1a9Xgi9F8pLMConF70QhPnS39YgBHkA7-FLyNoThKn1HGOHzBDTb8n5p8By1kY9KqxT8w4IuWCJKNCqU_1/s1600-h/FoursquareCategory.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452040282923133026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmjOeOddTIJx6t5WQoGZ59ciY4qF9DVLu5IIv132omzuiL4EWDZduMMPhqB1a9Xgi9F8pLMConF70QhPnS39YgBHkA7-FLyNoThKn1HGOHzBDTb8n5p8By1kY9KqxT8w4IuWCJKNCqU_1/s400/FoursquareCategory.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 67px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>I was tempted to conclude that foursquare might, therefore, have limited relevance to B2B marketers, but as I looked into what businesses had been tagged in places as disparate as Toronto, Zurich, Brussels, Antwerp, and London, I began to realize that, very quickly, vast numbers of business venues are being tagged. Almost every venue I visited had already been entered into the foursquare database.<br />
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The motivation to do this is startlingly small. Users are able to unlock “badges” with colorful icons and creative names like “Far, Far, Away” and “Playa Please”. Whereas it may seem too small of a motivator to incite behavior, the badges are displayed to the world, and it clearly is driving 100s of Millions of venues around the world to be tagged. I will even admit, it’s a bit addictive, and I found myself looking into the meaning of the badges to see how I might “unlock” the next one.<br />
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And that’s where the true opportunity of foursquare gets revealed.<br />
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The badges are unlocked for all sorts of very specific behaviours, such as checking in at 25 pizza restaurants. In order to be seen as having done these specific behaviours, of course, the venues you visit must be tagged as such. Because of this, there is a motivation on the part of every user to correctly (and with great detail) tag each venue with its correct type. Foursquare uses up to three levels of increasing detail to tag each venue – a very detailed categorization.<br />
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As a B2B marketer, especially one selling to very small businesses that are owner-run and not adopters of technology, this (theoretically) makes available a highly targeted data set. Want to know how many ship’s chandlers are in the port of Zanzibar? (an example that came up in a recent conversation I had with <a href="http://www.shipserv.com/">ShipServ’s</a> John Watton). Foursquare may soon have the best data set. Currently, they don’t collect contact information for those businesses, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable to apply the same model to acquire that data.<br />
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This proves a challenging problem for the classic providers of data who employ research teams to keep their data up to date. The more remote and small the businesses are, the worse the economics are in keeping this data accurate and current. Obviously, Google has been working on this problem too, from a different angle, by allowing business owners to update their own information on Google Maps. However, the dynamic is very different. In foursquare’s model, high-tech enthusiasts with iPhones and Blackberries update the data on multiple locations based on the motivations of a game, while in Google’s model, individual small business owners update their own information on Google based on their own business motivations.<br />
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Looked at side-by-side, the data provider models are very different:<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Classic:</span> Data provider employs researchers to update data on businesses<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Google:</span> Data provider allows business owners to update their own data<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Foursquare:</span> Data provider motivates population of enthusiasts to update data on local businesses<br />
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It’s not clear which one of these models will be able to collect the most up to date, accurate, and deep data on smaller businesses. It’s equally unclear whether foursquare will be able to leverage this data set to enable B2B marketers who target these micro-segments. However, as I think about what effect foursquare will have on B2B marketing, it is this effect that seems most promising. <br />
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Models that leverage the network effects of millions of people can be immensely powerful, and it appears that foursquare has hit on one of these models for gathering deep, location-based information on businesses around the world, that may be extremely valuable to B2B marketers who need this data set.<br />
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I would love to hear comments from other data providers, or anyone familiar with the data space, on how they see this model evolving.Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-68438987797896554462010-04-09T10:27:00.001-07:002010-04-09T10:27:34.546-07:00Information Will Find MeAs the way that we find information becomes increasingly driven by social influence, it’s interesting to look at where this trend goes in the longer term. The logical extension of this trend is that the consumers of information – our prospective buyers – will expect that the information they should be interested in will find them, rather than them finding information. Much as in the consumer world, songs, books, and movies are recommended to us based on collaborative filtering techniques, information in the business world may soon find us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8rNp25UfwF3-guXpCA5QNoV4s4KW6NKRf0Cz5vAx4bggkmiAlghQjmoITJJjLf8p4guhXpPJVBe4Q6lRkVe_08lb6P73u_-1YQLQmAP6jdtayHWlV_idW8nsn-ulPjkqwNOn6g4mAbFU/s1600/Information.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408814274738705138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8rNp25UfwF3-guXpCA5QNoV4s4KW6NKRf0Cz5vAx4bggkmiAlghQjmoITJJjLf8p4guhXpPJVBe4Q6lRkVe_08lb6P73u_-1YQLQmAP6jdtayHWlV_idW8nsn-ulPjkqwNOn6g4mAbFU/s400/Information.jpg" style="float: right; height: 307px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 303px;" /></a>A combination of our own unique social graph, and that social graph’s interests and reading history, may soon make the dominant trend of information discovery one of passive recommendation, rather than active discovery (such as via search). As each individual’s interest areas, business role, and social influence graph becomes more and more known by search engines and content portals, the information being presented will cater itself more deeply to what is likely to be of interest.<br />
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Analytics across extremely broad populations and vast amounts of data on what was actually clicked or viewed will allow this process to become startlingly precise and highly accurate, further increasing its effectiveness, adoption, and relevance to marketers.<br />
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The question for marketers, of course, is how to have relevant content discovered by appropriately interested buyers in this way. The two key points are relevance and interest. As marketers, we need to focus on creating interesting content that is of relevance to each type of buyer we are likely to encounter. This content, whether it is eBooks, webinars, live events, or interesting data, can then be introduced to the discussion through well targeted nurture marketing approaches.<br />
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<blockquote><strong><em>In a world driven by passive information recommendation, there is nothing more important than having your information be found interesting by people who are "like" the people you want to target.</em></strong> </blockquote></div><br />
<div>When your information is found, and deemed interesting by an influencer population, it will find its way to a much broader population. Vice versa, if it is not found, or not deemed interesting, it will not find its way to a broader population.<br />
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In a world driven by passive information recommendation, there is nothing more important than having your information be found interesting by people who are "like" the people you want to target. The more relevant, interesting, and targeted the content is, the more likely each potential influencer is to read, recommend, or share it, which then guides whether audiences beyond your own will have that content recommended to them based on their unique interests and social graph. </div>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-30697325940790007382010-04-09T10:24:00.001-07:002010-04-09T10:24:53.361-07:00Google’s coming to Austin for SXSWLike many of you out there, we’re gearing up for the <a href="http://sxsw.com/interactive">SXSW Interactive Festival</a>, which starts tomorrow, March 12 in Austin, TX. In just a few short hours, dozens of Googlers and YouTubers will be descending on Austin for a packed weekend of panels, demos and parties. Of course, we’ve also got a few fun things up our sleeve:<br />
<ul><li>Representatives from Google and YouTube will be speaking on <a href="http://www.google.com/events/sxsw2010/speakers.html">more than 20 panels</a> on a variety of subjects, including open source, mobile, real-time communication and user experience design.</li>
<li>At the Google booth, we’ll be doing <a href="http://www.google.com/events/sxsw2010/theatre.html">demos</a> on a wide range of products, including Google Maps, Blogger, Wave, Reader and YouTube, and sessions on building apps for App Engine, extensions on Chrome and accessibility APIs and hacks for Android.</li>
<li>On Sunday, our all-day <a href="http://www.google.com/events/sxsw2010/hackathon.html">Hackathon</a> will give you the chance to get your hands dirty and build applications using a variety of Google technologies. At the end of the day, we’ll award prizes, including Android phones, for the best apps.</li>
<li>We’re sponsoring the festival’s first <a href="http://www.google.com/events/sxsw2010/mothers.html">Mothers’ Room</a>, where nursing moms can go for comfort and privacy. </li>
</ul>Finally, we’ll be seeing you at as many parties as we can go to at one time, including <a href="http://bikehugger.com/mobile-socials/sxsw2010/">Bikehugger’s Mobile Social</a>, where representatives from the Google Maps team will be handing out schwag and dishing dirt on how they <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-time-to-bike.html">built bike directions</a>, the <a href="http://buzz.blogger.com/2010/03/sxsw-2010-blogger-google-reader-party.html">Blogger/Reader party</a>, where you’ll have a chance to chat with members of those teams about <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/express-yourself-with-blogger-template.html">new</a> <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/finding-awesome-stuff-online-with.html">features</a>, and (last but not least) the <a href="http://my.sxsw.com/events/eid/7726">SXSW Film Closing/Music Opening</a>, co-sponsored by YouTube and VH1.<br />
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You can read more about all of the Google happenings on our <a href="http://www.google.com/events/sxsw2010/index.html">SXSW website</a>, and follow <a href="http://twitter.com/googlesxsw">@googlesxsw</a> on Twitter for last-minute updates and news from Austin. We can’t wait to hit the ground running (or biking), and we look forward to seeing you there!<br />
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<span class="byline-author">Posted by Emily Wood, Editor, Google Blog and Twitter team</span>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-3308272325737682502010-04-09T10:23:00.000-07:002010-04-09T10:23:00.440-07:00Express yourself with the Blogger Template DesignerIn Blogger’s <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/happy-10th-birthday-blogger.html">more than 10 years</a>, we’ve learned that blogging is a powerful way for people to express themselves. More than 350,000 words are written on Blogger every minute of every day and over the years we’ve added <a href="http://www.blogger.com/features">a bunch of features</a> to ensure that writing those words is as easy, fun and rewarding as possible. Today, we’re happy to announce the launch of the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/templates">Blogger Template Designer</a> on <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/">Blogger in Draft</a>, our experimental playground where you can try out the latest features Blogger has to offer. Instead of creating a lot of new templates that will grow stale over time, we decided to go beyond static templates and reinvent the whole process of designing your blog, making it even easier to express yourself online.<br />
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The Blogger Template Designer is our big first step in improving not just our template designs, but all the ways that you can customize the look and layout of your blog. If you try out the Blogger Template Designer, you’ll find:<br />
<ul><li>Fifteen new professional templates to start from (and more on their way)</li>
<li>Custom blog layouts with one, two and three columns</li>
<li>Hundreds of free professional background images from <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php">iStockphoto</a>, the leading microstock image marketplace</li>
<li>Customizable colors, fonts and more</li>
</ul>Check out this video for a peek at what you can do with the Blogger Template Designer:<br />
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<object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r6haqZoivBQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r6haqZoivBQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="295" width="480"></object><br />
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For more info, check out our post on the <a href="http://bloggerindraft.blogspot.com/">Blogger in draft blog</a>. Give the Blogger Template Designer a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/templates">test drive</a>, and then <a href="http://productideas.appspot.com/#15/e=e828&t=74109">let us know</a> what you think!<br />
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<span class="byline-author">Posted by Pete Hopkins, Tech Lead, Blogger</span>Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-50820951535047490132010-04-08T23:56:00.000-07:002010-04-08T23:57:04.700-07:00Google Earth API<object width="500" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6mrG_bsqC6k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6mrG_bsqC6k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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Bring the power of Google Earth in your website. Go to code.google.com/apis/earth<br />
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earthplug-in maps api plugin 3d browser webapplication googlearth technology developer mashup I/O codeNguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-70323193710373785372010-04-08T11:18:00.000-07:002010-04-08T11:18:32.103-07:00Steam Punk Beta Tweet-O-MeterAs regular readers will know our <a href="http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/tom/">Tweet-o-Meter</a> features tweets per minute within a 30km area of New York, London, Paris, Munich, San Francisco, Barcelona, Oslo, Tokyo, Toronto, Rome, Moscow and Sydney.<br><br>Ben Blundell, here at <a href="http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/">CASA</a>, has taken some time off from our TOTeM project and has hooked up a series of panel meters to the script via a custom arduino module. The result is a suitably 'steam punk' version of Tweets per minute in New York, London and Paris. We would of hooked up Munich but ran out of meters:<br><br></p><center><object height="338" width="500"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9352631&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9352631&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="338" width="500"></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9352631">Analog Tweet-O-Meter</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1678273">Benjamin Blundell</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p></center><br>All it needs now is a brass case and an 'on/off' handle...<br><br>Currently in beta and part of our wider 'Ask' tool it allows anyone to 'mine' data from Twitter or carry out a survey of either the world, a continent, a nation, a city or a local area. In short, we think it has notable potential for social science and the analysis of trends and relationships in a variety of areas.<br><br><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/tom/"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInL2ikkNCd80adMY11tF6uI4ysSOxHJz0NJeqOX0im1hOd2trmS7cyzm9sWdugNN24UUAHe7PUcFZxo_EMYN_xgVACNc8K0nke1ZQxj7Yg7tWwLEC58lX__xSVv0lJz4Jue01d-LHvnvn/s400/tweetometer3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433216289719641906" border="0"></a>We have run various beta tests on data collection with the main mining process starting next week over a 24 hour period. We aim to collect all tweets with a geo-location tag in the above cities, this is a large amount of data allowing various social, spatial and temporal analysis to be carried out.<br><br>The system is under development here at <a href="http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/">CASA</a> <span style="font-size: 100%;">as part of a wider survey tool as part of the <a href="http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/projects/neiss/about.php">NeISS</a> project being coded by <a href="http://www.stevenjamesgray.com/">Steven Gray</a> in association with <a href="http://www.urbantick.blogspot.com/">Urban Tick</a>, currently carrying out analysis on the data sampled so far.<br><br>See <a href="http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/tom/">http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/tom/</a> to view the Tweet-o-Meter, we should have some early analysis soon and graphs for the cities within the next day or so. </span>For those too young or perhaps simply nostalgic for the late 70's/early 80's hit that inspired the work, here is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HaAOCGb3bw">PopMusik via YouTube</a> (its great...).<br><br><span style="font-size: 100%;">Thanks go to Ben and Steven for their work on this - see Bens </span><a href="http://www.section9.co.uk/">http://www.section9.co.uk/</a>, and Stevens <a href="http://stevenjamesgray.com/">http://stevenjamesgray.com</a>/ for more info on their work both inside and outside of CASA time. Thanks also go to Russ Garrett (<a href="http://russ.garrett.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">russ.garrett.co.uk/</a>) and the London Hackspace for help with the code.<br />
Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-24537686958276993772010-04-08T11:08:00.000-07:002010-04-08T11:08:13.910-07:00Writing: OmmWriter - Write those Posts/Papers Quicker...A post of a slightly different flavour this morning (bare with us), as recently we have been churning out the words for various papers/reports and it got us thinking. Writing, as i think we all know, can be hard at times and the cold yet cluttered look of many word processing packages can make writing the latest scientific paper a laborious process. After all if you have a wide screen monitor and a browser with your word processor of choice side by side, it is only two clicks away from facebook, twitter, YouTube or any google search in the name of research. As such i thought i would write a quick post about OmmWriter, a new kind of word processor that somehow takes away the distractions, presenting a full screen experience without any icons or clutter in sight. In fact the only thing i can see at the moment, as i type, is a winter scene and a tree lost in mist at the bottom right of the screen – such is the interface.<br><br />
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</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOV1Zpy-bhpn1VEcCoRpWDFKkrGUvS8rtOpVRwpgdCTB-azfnCmBTSZrebiceGj2_1B1Zp9gvkejKStbr3xNihbkxYslvGS6yZB7LIMWOlZpOB01eybuqKOrX202ze5Ui3zVM1rJjiYnyQ/s1600-h/Omm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOV1Zpy-bhpn1VEcCoRpWDFKkrGUvS8rtOpVRwpgdCTB-azfnCmBTSZrebiceGj2_1B1Zp9gvkejKStbr3xNihbkxYslvGS6yZB7LIMWOlZpOB01eybuqKOrX202ze5Ui3zVM1rJjiYnyQ/s400/Omm.jpg" border="0" height="260" width="400"></a></div><br><br />
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While your typing OmmWriter also plays gentle calming music, its all very new age and to be honest something we would normally run a mile from. Its certainly a long way from the ethos that is all things digital and urban.<br><br />
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Yet, there is something strangely compelling about the whole experience, sure it cant help with the content but for anyone wishing to find a new way to write i heartily recommend taking a look at <a href="http://www.ommwriter.com/">OmmWriter</a>. It is available free of charge, currently only for the Mac but a windows version seems to be in the works. If they could just put an image of the city in the distance...Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113145044995321660.post-76928303444297630612010-04-08T11:06:00.000-07:002010-04-08T11:06:11.125-07:00Google Buzz Layer on Google Maps: The InfoCrowdGoogle has just announced 'Google Buzz' a social networking tool similar in some ways to Twitter but with location brought to the forefront. You can quickly add your location to your 'buzz' and its viewable on a map. Of note is the 'buzz layer' in the new Google Maps app that allows you to see whats going on in a location via the local information provided by the users using buzz - the InfoCrowd:<br><br></p><center><object height="345" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m-kcVDNi6eg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m-kcVDNi6eg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="345" width="500"></object></center><br><br>Interesting and big enough to cause an upset in the current social networking scene, also powerful enough to change the way we view information about the city.<br><br>Visit <a href="http://buzz.google.com">buzz.google.com</a> from your phone's mobile browser to start using buzz.<br />
Nguyen Van Huonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08201961173956132857noreply@blogger.com0