BarCampNYC3

Hey All, Quick post about an amazing event that is happening here in NYC on March 15th and 16th.

BarCampNYC3 is in its 3rd year that we have held an un-conference locally here in New York. Generally around the 200-300 attendee mark, rsvps are essential.

More details and the event wiki are located here;

http://barcamp.pbwiki.com/BarCampNYC3

This is a two day event with a pyjama party sleepover onsite…..lol or a Red Bull fuelled 36 hours straight, so be prepared to learn, share and experience.


This is a sponsored event so as such there is no fee or charge to attend but BarCamp is an unconference so come prepared to add value.

The obligatory ‘facebook’ group-site is located here;

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10757577065


I know several people of my friends who reside in New York are already registered but for those of you that are maybe out of state this is a great chance to come and meet some really cool people, couch surfing requests and offers are located here http://barcamp.pbwiki.com/BarCampNYC3CouchShare

Just in case there are people who have never participated in an unconference before - check out my review on two other similar events.
http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/mobilecampnyc.html
http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/barcamp-mobile-nyc2.html

Would be great to see more of my friends at an event like this so hope you will consider coming along.



Regards,
Dean

Sun Startup Camp

This is an interview with John Haven on my thoughts about Startup Camp sponsored by Sun Microsystems which was held last year in New York.





You can listen to other interviews at: www.blogtalkradio.com/startupcamp.

Noon: Ross Cohen, COO of Been Verified.
1PM: Ishak Kang, Founder of Vox UI
2PM: Howard Greenstein, Connector, Evangelist and Consultant
3PM: Salim Madjd, Founder & CEO, CrazyMenu
4PM Jonathan Bayer, Owner, Threshold Ventures
5PM: Dean Collins, Director, Cognation

Stock Market Fundamentals

I posted this comment on another site and I thought it was worth posting here as well.


Stuart Henshall: "what could yahoo or ms be thinking? at least google is down 30% since peak... volatile times".

I'm wondering when people are going to realise the only people who make out when there is volatility is the brokers and the investment bankers.

It's crazy to believe that the fundamentals of Google have changed 30% in the last few months.

They'll bounce again and all those suckers who got out are going to be paying brokerage fees to get straight back in.

Stop playing the market and start investing in solid fundamentals - this etheral crap is just transactional friction that wears out your investment equity.


Cheers,
Dean

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart rocks, it's one of the funniest shows on TV ever - watching this the other night reminded me I needed to go and see him live again.

So I'm booked in for the live audience on 22nd of march again.

For anyone in NY reading this - use this URL to get your own Jon Stewart tickets http://www.thedailyshow.com/tickets.jhtml

The only problem is they are booked out way in advance, until then - enjoy the clip below.



Cheers,
Dean

MusicMatch begat Yahoo Unlimited begat Rhapsody....

I have about 15-20 posts in my blogger account at any time which I start but never finish for some reason. Some I eventually delete half written and some I intend to do some more research but never find the time.

One of those posts I started but never finished about how sucky Yahoo Unlimited was as a music service and it really sucked that the developers/founders of Musicmatch Jukebox application sold out to Yahoo.

I purchased a Musicmatch license and have been using it for years through the various license versions with its various issues, but when Yahoo purchased it and rebranded it they changed a number of functions making it worse than ever.

Not that I have a problem with founders cashing in and selling out (though please try and choose a custodian that will honor your original customers) but just how sucky the Yahoo service was.

It was with great joy I read this today;

Yahoo to switch off Music Unlimited
Yahoo is to axe its Music Unlimited service and transfer customers to RealNetworks' Rhapsody offering.

ahh didums. I guess I never will have a chance to finish that post......though some links are below in case you are interested.


Cheers,
Dean

http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/07/yahoo-music-upg.html

http://mb.music.yahoo.com/music/Support/threadview?m=te&bn=mus-ymefeedback&tid=3&mid=-1&tof=0&rt=2&frt=2&off=1

Online Gambling Deals Between US And Other Countries Are A Matter Of National Security?

http://techdirt.com/articles/20080205/220705186.shtml


I've posted about this issue many times before;
http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/who-is-really-in-charge-of-internet.html
http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/wto-rules-usa-gambling-ban-illegal.html
http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/playing-by-rules.html

All I can say is some day this 'global control' thing is going to come back and bite the USA in the ass badly. Lets say OPEC did a deal with China slashing fuel costs 50% to them in order to help them supersede the USA as a global power......you guys would be the first ones crying to the international trade commission.

Play by the rules you want your neighbors to play by and the world would be a better place.

Maybe I'm naive but thats just the way I am.


Cheers,
Dean

www.mytalkingstain.com = Smart UGC

User Generated Content - if you are in consumer marketing and dont have a campaign planned for 2008 using UGC as a basis for some form of end user marketing then expect to be fired/replaced/usurped by someone in your department who is (oh and anyone who thinks this is wrong....dont worry your boss probably doesn't know/understand it either so you'll be fine.....maybe).

Tide's Talking Stain Ad Invites Spoofs
The Cincinnati EnquirerProcter & Gamble's talking-stain ad, which made its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, sends viewers to a Tide To Go Web site-- http://www.mytalkingstain.com --where they are greeted with games, prizes (1,000 will be given away each day) and a chance to submit their own YouTube ad spoof. The best ad submitted will be aired on primetime TV later this year.By the end of the night Sunday, mytalkingstain.com had received more than 30,000 unique visits, and more than 5,500 customized ads were created, the company says. The ad spot was also viewed more than 100,000 times on YouTube.com. Visitors to mytalkingstain. com also could download various items, including the stain's "voice" as a ring tone for a cell phone. The number of Super Bowl advertisements with an online component, such as Tide to Go's, will surely grow in the years to come, says Larry Vincent, who leads the brand strategy group at Siegel+Gale. "You can't do it with 300 brands," Vincent says, "but this was a P&G crown jewel brand asset. - Read the whole story...


Now this isn't a new concept - hell it's not even the first time it's been done in a superbowl (eg last years doritos advertisment) but it gets people using, talking and marketing on your behalf (albeit not WOM - word of mouth marketing).

The best part about it.......let google spend the money in bandwidth charges - YouTube or one of the other 'public' platforms is a great free technology to leverage. Basically all you as a vendor are up for is the time/energy on creatives and the prize money - how cool is that.


Cheers,
Dean

"IS Sorry" Facebook group - Feb 13th

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8539429785


Information Group Info
Name: I'm Changing My Facebook Status to "is Sorry" on February 13
Type: Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
Description:
The Australian Government will be making a formal apology to members of the Stolen Generations on Wednesday, 13 February, 2008. It's an apology from the current Australian Government for the actions of those of the past. I may not have been personally responsible for what happened but I would like to say sorry too.On Wednesday February 13th, I will change my facebook status to say "is sorry". It would be great if others would join me.Your reasons can be your own. Mine are below (but you by no means need to agree with them).ThanksI want to say I'm sorry because;I believe the Australian Government does owe an apology to Indigenous Australians and I want to support them in that statement,I believe that non-Indigenous Australians exploited Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders for their own benefit and that I have indirectly benefited as a result of their suffering,I believe in showing empathy with the most disadvantaged and neglected group within our community (even if only in such a small gesture as this),I truly wish that it never had happened and that Indigenous Australians deserve an apology.


Choice is yours but for Australians of similar think is an interesting suggestion.


Cheers,
Dean

Google Maps Mashups

Came across this today http://gmapsmania.googlepages.com/100thingstodowithgooglemapsmashups it's primarily USA focussed (come on Australia surely there are mashup developers there who can repurpose some of these ideas).

Some really purposeful ones and some.....hmmm interesting ones. Apparently my home rates a 95/100 for walkability based on locality to shops, retaurants, schools etc http://www.walkscore.com/get-score.php?street=34+west+120th+st&go=Go considering I live in Harlem I think anywhere else in Manhattan would rate higher considering the lack of 'things' we have near us.


Cheers,
Dean

Superbowl Commercials

Yeh Giants (game was average, but the last 2 minutes were pure nail biter material).

One thing I wanted to comment on though, was it just me or did everyone else think that this years Superbowl Commercials were a little average?

I mean if you are going to pay $2.7m for your 30 seconds of fame.....wouldn't you make sure it was an amazingly fantastic commercial.

I liked the Audi R8 commercial (amazing car btw...expect to see a lot of them on the streets this year) and the Planters Nuts was ok - and Jodie liked the Fedex Carrier Pigeons and the Etrade Baby talking commercial but apart from that....where were the showstoppers?

Are we just expecting too much/ Or did Madison Avenue 'phone it in' for this years event?

Check them out here and post your favourites
www.myspace.com/superbowlads

BTW If you are interested in the business of the Superbowl check out this article - http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/jan2008/pi20080128_435071.htm


Cheers,
Dean