Are you a Mediasnacker?
October 27, 2007
Quite a strange label, but quite adequate I must say. I would differ with this video though, in that Mediasnackers are not just youth, they’re people of all ages! :)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mldqfN7XCOk[/youtube]
Tim Ferriss – The 4-Hour Workweek
October 26, 2007
I’ve just come across this very interesting video interview with Tim Ferris. He says that in order to be productive in this very demanding world, we need to “unplug and reset” – and I fully agree. There is also something called the Slowness Movement which has a similar theme – see the Wikipedia article here.
I’ve been trying to slow down myself. For example, I used to try to be “on top of things” and always available to clients and collegues – so when I was in meetings or busy training, I’d put my mobile phone on vibrate mode. My thinking was that once I felt the vibration I’d know someone was looking for me, and then I could check who it was as soon as I had a free moment. I thought this was “productive” – but it actually proved to be the total opposite. Everytime my mobile phone would vibrate it would totally distract my attention from what I was doing – either listening or speaking. My attentions was particularly skewed when the vibration would persist, meaning someone was calling continously, which meant it was urgent. Then my mind would wonder…What is so urgent?
Time says in the video to check email twice per day. I realised the wisdom in this long before seeing this video. As a result of that, I set my Outlook’s automated Send/Receive to check for new email every 30 minutes. At the start of it all it worked, but I’ve become so “hungry” for email that every 2 minutes I do a manual Send/Receive. Time to relook at this!
Watch this video and think about how you conduct your life…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX3eJRwJqlc[/youtube]
Facebook Developer Garage Cape Town
October 25, 2007
Joey Da Silva and others are hosting this awesome event in Cape Town on Tuesday, 30 October 2007. I’m training on Web 2.0 all day on the 30th, and then I have to attend a business seminar, so I’ve just cancelled my attendance.
The event is endorsed by Facebook. Naturally there is a group on Facebook, see http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5081056087. Unfortunately registrations have been closed due to the high demand, but there might be cancellations (like mine!), so don’t give up just yet!
This event will hopefully bring together all the Facebook application addicts in Cape Town.
I hope the event is a success and we all look forward to some photos and videos to share in the experience.
Facebook takes the big M’s money!
October 25, 2007
Facebook has sold a 1.6% minority share in it’s four year old company to Microsoft. The deal tallied $240 million. This pegs the social networking website at a value of $15 billion. Microsoft will sell online ads for Facebook as part of this deal.
It seems the Bill Gates Empire has beat Google to the chase. With so many buyouts it leaves one to wonder who will be next. We’ve seen Yahoo buy Flickr, we’ve seen Google buy Feedburner, and many other examples.
The dot.com crash has really become the dot.com rush!
If Social Networking is becoming so valuable then businesses really need to take note. I strongly believe that the current “form” of the Web – Web 2.0 – is a platform aptly suited for business growth and expansion. Collaboration and participation has never been this easy. And businesses who see this are reaping the rewards already.
I’m sure there will be many more big news headlines like this one in the very near future!
Shift Happens
October 24, 2007
This is the updated Shift Happens video by Karl Fisch. See the Shift Happens Wiki here. This is very powerful video with a strong meesage. I’ll be using this video as an intro to my training seminar this coming Tuesday (30 Oct 2007) titled “The Web 2.0 Explosion” – see the web page and the Facebook event page.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U[/youtube]
PodCampCapeTown
October 19, 2007
Tomorrow marks the realisation of the much anticipated PodCampCapeTown. 
PodCamp was started in Boston, MA, USA in September 2006. It’s an UnConference for anyone involved in New Media – whether you’re involved in listening, blogging, podcasting, watching, etc – this is for you.
So what’s an “UnConference”?
With the help of Wikipedia, it’s a “conference where the content of the sessions is driven and created by the participants, generally day-by-day during the course of the event, rather than by a single organizer, or small group of organizers, in advance.”
The event is anticipated to be very dynamic, with people in the industry sharing their thoughts and ideas, and experts giving advice and recommendations. I think it’s going to be inspiring, especially for people like myself who make a living in the world of Cyberspace and New Media.
Date: Saturday, 20th of October 2007
Time: 09:00 to 17:00. Please be there early since we want to start at about 09:00.
Venue: The Wild Fig – http://www.thewildfig.co.za
Directions: Click here for the map to The Wild Fig
Cost: FREE, verniet, niks, mahala!
What to bring: Your laptop, video cameras, digital cameras, audio gear or anything else you want to use to capture the event and most importantly, an extension lead and a multiplug – unless your laptop is fuel cell powered. :)
The event is being capped at 120 people, and at the time of this writing 116 people have signed up. If you want to attend, click (quickly!) to http://podcampcapetown.pbwiki.com/. At the same link you’ll also be able to view the entire “guest list” – lots of interesting people I can assure you.
View the PodCampCapeTown website here: http://www.podcampcapetown.com/.
View the Facebook Event here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=6472716436.
For those attending, see you there tomorrow.
For those not attending, I’ll blog about it next week – or right from the event! :)
Social Networks
October 18, 2007
Google upgrades analytics
October 17, 2007
Today at the eMetrics Summit in Washington, D.C., Google is unveiling new features to its Google Analytics product and an updated version of Urchin software.
According to the company, the enhanced feature set, which includes site search reporting and event tracking, makes Web 2.0 information more accessible and comprehensible, and enables Google Analytics users to better understand their users and to act on reporting information in more sophisticated ways.
The site search feature tracks internal search patterns and aggregates the data, enabling marketers to better measure the effectiveness of their websites and marketing dollars.
“There’s a goldmine of data that you can pull out of that,” Brett Crosby, senior manager of Google Analytics, told iMedia. “It’s a significant source to tell how engaged your customer is with the website experience.”
Event tracking, which launches in a limited beta at the eMetrics Summit, enables Google Analytics users to measure visitor engagement with a site’s interactive elements, such as Ajax, Javascript, Flash movies, page gadgets, downloads and other multimedia Web 2.0 experiences.
“These features take analytics in a new direction where analytics in general is going,” said Crosby.
In addition to the upgrades to Google Analytics, Google is announcing the release of Urchin Software in beta. Urchin Software is an update to Urchin 5 software.
The nearly $3,000 product will be available for a discounted price to users of Urchin 5 once it is out of beta, and will include many improvements including tools to assist in migrating configurations and data from previous versions of Urchin. A free 90-day trial of the beta version of Urchin Software can be requested now from an authorized reseller.
Business Partners
October 17, 2007
Industry Partners
October 17, 2007
