LinkTV - Giving the world a voice

August 02, 2008 | Comments (0)

Before you read any further, please know this.

On the left to right political spectrum I admit fully, wholly and down to the very marrow of my bones to an inclination leaning more to the left than not. But I'm a pragmatist above all. And given a compelling set of facts and convincing argument I'm more than willing to alter my view.

That said, in my opinion, one would have to have lived the last eight years with their head inserted firmly and deeply up their own posterior to not have at least some acceptance of the following:

Our nation has behaved poorly - on a good day - for years. And it's time to grow up, take some accountability and be responsible ... not only for ourselves but for those whose lives upon which we have had, are having and will continue to have such tectonic impact.

Disclaimer (of sorts) aside, I hope you'll read on...

Several months ago I had the pleasure of crossing paths with a fascinating and inspirational group of people. They call themselves "refugees from Broadcast television news."

To be honest, I don't recall if they gave themselves this descriptor or if I created it after our first meeting at their offices over near the old Barbary Coast. But now, having had the pleasure of working with them a bit, I have to say that it fits.

The organization is LinkTV. And the team there is comprised by seasoned veterans whose collective experience ranges from newsroom and programming to management and distribution ... and they add to the mix a deep passion for social media, social change and an understanding of technology.

With their network, this group brought together the best of all worlds. They truly approach news and story-telling from as global a perspective as possible. And more so than almost any media organization I've experienced (at least in TV), the LinkTV crew truly embraces what they clearly feel is a moral imperative ... Television without borders.

Imagine the joy it gives me to be able to say that not only do I respect their work, but that I have a chance to work with them!

In partnership with Seesmic, LinkTV seeks to expand the conversation about truly global issues ... literally. Using Seesmic's video conversation technology, LinkTV expanded its Dear American Voter project -- a campaign to engage the world in a truly international discourse about key issues here that have ripple effects around the globe.

The following conversation tackles a topic that makes me alternately angry and sick-to-my-stomach -- the impact that the faltering US economy has internationally.

These are strong voices - and they're voices you won't hear on every single newscast (sick of sound bites anyone?) ... And thanks to the Seesmic platform - you can actually engage and join the discussion.

If you're already using Seesmic, clicking "reply" will prompt you to login. If you don't have a Seesmic account, don't sweat it. The window will prompt you to create one - but it's only your name, email and a username ... you won't leave this site, and you won't get spammed.

I promise.

And if video commenting just isn't your thing, you can leave a text comment below too.

Either way, I hope you'll get involved!

The Truth is Coming - X-Files Film Conversation

July 02, 2008 | Comments (0)

Okay. I admit it. I am a huge X-Files fan.

A ridiculously huge X-Files fan.

As in, I own the first five seasons on DVD, a copy of the first movie, along with a rather embarrassing array of merchandising products.

So when we were approached (we being the gang at Seesmic) about working with 20th Century Fox to participate in a very exciting project for the new X-Files movie, I just about fell out of my chair.

The connection came through one of Seesmic's core community members, Gia Milinovich. She's a blogger, producer and recently worked on the Indiana Jones 4 press junket - a project which also included Seesmic!

Long story short - I went to LA, met with the superb team at 20th Century Fox, and then we started talking about integrating Seesmic into a chat widget they were already developing. As these things go, it turned out that a better option was to build them a branded, standalone version of our threaded conversation player.

So we did.

The idea is simple. The first post of this thread is a trailer for the film. The rest is all conversation among fans!

In addition to this player being available standalone on their site, there will also be a link to it from the text chat widget that they developed - a widget that's now embedded on 2,300 sites!

The truth is out there ... and now so is the conversation...

Gay Marriage - A Monumental Time in California

June 24, 2008 | Comments (0)

As a rule I'm quite the optimist. Well, perhaps more of a pragmatic realist, but in the end I'll always view the glass half full. Even with that I have to admit I wasn't entirely sure that I would see this in my lifetime.

I'm damn glad I was wrong.

On May 15, 2008 the California Supreme Court struck down a previous ruling that had rendered gay marriage against the law. In doing so, the gates were opened for what then took place on June 17, 2008 - the first LEGAL marriages in California.

The superb content crew at Seesmic tackled this topic by sitting down with someone who I describe as being a combination of a cyclone and a warm hug - Kate Kendell - Executive Director of NCLR.

This conversation thread starts with the promo for Rachael Joy's Newspop episode in which she interviews Kate. While the "live" session with Kate is done, you can still join the conversation. Click on reply - if you don't have a Seesmic account it will prompt you to register (don't worry it's easy). You can join the discussion. I'm going to see what I can do about getting some folks at NCLR and EQCA to join up on Seesmic and perhaps dip into this conversation on occasion to answer questions.

So sit back, take a listen, then lean forward and get involved!

A video to watch and to please forward

May 28, 2008 | Comments (0)

I'm sitting in the lobby at D: All Things Digital with the fabulous Yossi Vardi. He pointed me to a video on YouTube of Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper speaking on the 60th Anniversary of Israel.

It's a very moving, very powerful speech.

Harper is going to Israel at the end of June. Yossi has a call to action - to have this video reach 100,000 views before Harper gets to Ben Gurion airport.

So ... how about we help him out?

You can watch the video right here ... and for your ease of forwarding, here's the link to send out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRwWMJ1NLbM

Poetry on Seesmic

May 26, 2008 | Comments (0)

Something has shifted.

For months now as Seesmic's user base has grown, it's been a slow creep to find faces in the timeline who I knew from the real world.

Yesterday I logged in to find someone who I'd met in a business meeting days before. In that meeting, we talked about various ways people were using the platform. He specifically asked me about performance art, even more specifically he asked about poetry and spoken word.

And there he was - sharing a very cool poem called "Chinatown."

Here's his post:

Watching his post made me think there's a market for some sort of computer teleprompter into which you can feed text so that you can look directly into your computer camera while you recite something like this. Or maybe some sort of clip or rack that holds the copy just above your monitor.

In any case, I felt compelled to share a poem of my own. Well not something I wrote, but something that I love. It's a piece by Pablo Neruda entitled "Leaning into the Afternoons".

What New Media Means ...

March 31, 2008 | Comments (0)

This evening I have the pleasure of taking part in a panel discussion about the role of new media in today's ever-crowded content landscape.

It's sponsored by WISE, and the objective is to help propagate the already rapidly expanding world of blogs and new media - specifically among a female audience.

My fellow panelists include some people whose work I respect quite a bit ... and some others I'll have the pleasure of meeting for the first time.

The panel moderator, Zennie Abraham, asked each of us to give a little overview - by video - on our definition of new media as a "warm-up" of sorts for our panel.

Here's what he posted this morning:

Speak and ye shall be heard - Oklahoma Legislator caught gay bashing

March 15, 2008 | Comments (0)

To be a public person in this day and age - hell to be anyone in this day and age - and not be aware that anything and everything you say outside of the comfort of your home may be subject to capture by photo, video or audio and then splattered on the Internet ... well ... you're just being naive.

I'm not suggesting it's always a good thing. Nor am I suggesting people's privacy shouldn't be respected. But in the spirit of erring on the side of transparency, openness and freedom of speech, I have to say I think that the upside of the Internet as monster megaphone is more accountability for those who choose to behave badly.

Just ask George Allen. His "Macaca" incident derailed any chance he had at running for President, and torpedoed his ability to hold office for anything other than a white supremacist organization in the future.

Yes, cameras and microphones are everywhere, and while those who live in the entertainment world fall prey to prying lenses all the time, I personally believe that for those in political office that magnifying glass becomes all the more powerful. And why not. After all - they're supposed to be representing others.

One state legislator in Oklahoma apparently didn't get the memo.

Interviewed on PodTech about Seesmic at SXSW

March 10, 2008 | Comments (0)

Today was a crazy busy day at SXSW. Meetings seemingly non-stop, I got to see a few sessions and then there were the interviews.

This one was done by Stephanie Agresta for PodTech.

Seesmic featured on G4 TV

March 03, 2008 | Comments (0)

The headline says it all.

Here's the clip:

A day late, but still important - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 22, 2008 | Comments (0)

Yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the United States. Until somewhat recently it was merely a day on the calendar and not really acknowledged as a serious holiday in this country.

Something I always found to be rather insulting considering the incredible role that Dr. King played in helping this country make serious strides on the issue of civil rights.

Though he was assassinated just before I was born, his words and speeches have always played an important role in my life.

So what is Seesmic, anyway?

January 12, 2008 | Comments (0)

For the last several years I've been cruising around Silicon Valley as a hired gun ... I mean, consultant. Though the lion's share of my time between late 2005 and mid 2007 was spent producing conference content and podcasts for Chris Shipley's Guidewire Group, I did so as a free agent.

And the truth is that while the independence is nice, at my core I'm really a nesting, hang my hat, join a team and build something kind of gal.

Last spring Loic Le Meur approached me and asked if I would produce the content for the 2007 LeWeb3 conference. After about a nanosecond I said yes, and it was in a conversation soon thereafter that Loic gave me a bit of news.

In the aftermath ... a reminder of hope

December 28, 2007 | Comments (0)

I awoke yesterday morning as many others did - to the news of the brutal assassination (are assassinations ever not brutal?) of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Several years ago I made the decision to change my clock radio alarm setting from the news station to one that plays classical music. I was finding that awakening to news jarred my brain into reality a bit too cruelly. But this is the second time that the first words I heard were those of bad news. (The last time being the morning that John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash.)

In any case ...

Voices and views from LeWeb3 2007

December 11, 2007 | Comments (0)

The work began last July and I can hardly believe that it's finally here, but today we kicked off the proceedings for the Fourth Edition of LeWeb3.

Started by French entrepreneur Loic Le Meur as a gathering for Europe's bloggers, the conference has expanded exponentially since its inception from the modest 200 person audience in year one to nearly 2,000 attendees this year!

Last year Loic connected with me through my work with Guidewire Group, about two weeks before the conference. The job was to organize and manage the start-up competition.

It was a daunting challenge.

The Richter Scales - Here Comes Another Bubble

December 05, 2007 | Comments (0)

I think this video speaks for itself.

So I'm going to let it.

Shifting the I of Innovation

September 28, 2007 | Comments (0)

The lags in posting here might not be a good gauge, but the truth is that I've been pretty prolific content-wise in the last 18 months. During that time, I churned out close to 200 audio interviews. The series was called I of Innovation, and I launched it in March 2006 for Guidewire Group.

Sadly all good things must come to an end, and this series came to a close in July 2006. The reason was simple. Guidewire Group is a market intelligence firm that focuses wholly on early stage markets, companies and products. It is also a start-up itself, and when some stellar opportunities arose for focusing their business and bringing some kick ass research products to market, it meant just that ... focus.

So anything not directly related to their bringing a solid set of hard-core research products and services to market slipped to the back burner for the time being. Thus I of Innovation shifted into hibernation ... for now.

So in the mean time, here's a link to the feed so you can subscribe.

I hope you will!

Haircuts and Story-Telling

February 07, 2007 | Comments (0)

Funny how no matter where I go, no matter what I do, I can never get my mother's voice out of my head ... At least when it comes to my hair.

For years I've made a point of heading for the salon within days of any trip to Southern Florida so as to avoid the inevitable commentary on my shaggy locks.

So when I checked out the interview that the folks from bub.blicio.us TV did with me at SF Beta, I cringed.

Once past that, though, I was pleased to see that I was able to get in such a great plug for Guidewire Group as well as a bit of an explanation about our relationship to the DEMO conference.

As seems to be the case with so many relationships in my life, the one between Guidewire and the DEMO conference parent company, Network World needs a bit of clarification.

So here's the story ...

Crossing Arizona

April 20, 2006 | Comments (0)

When I was at this year's Sundance film festival I spent alot of time seeing documentaries. One of them, "Crossing Arizona", caught my eye in the program but unfortunately I missed all the showings. I did, however, meet the filmmakers one night while grabbing a much needed late night latte.

Their passion for their work was infectious even in our brief encounter, so when I heard their film had secured a theatrical premiere in San Francisco I was thrilled. I was even more so when I discovered they were still in town and had the time to sit down and talk with me.

Intel-igent design ... definitely!

January 09, 2006 | Comments (0)

After talking with Eric Kim, I was curious about what all this platform stuff really meant.

So I asked.

Hear what some of Intel's top executives had to say about the changes and what it means for consumers.

This isn't your father's Intel

January 08, 2006 | Comments (0)

The annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) never fails to amaze, and this year's was no exception. One of the biggest noisemakers was Intel. Long seen as one of the technology industry's more geek-focused players, Intel has been making its way towards a consumer focus. At the 2006 CES, Intel unveiled a whole new image including a fresh logo, new tagline, fresh products and a new platform-based approach to its technology.

I was lucky enough to sit down with one of the masterminds behind this effort, Intel Chief Marketing Officer Eric Kim. Here's a link to the interview I did for PodTech.

Interview the interviewer

October 26, 2005 | Comments (0)

Since I'm technologically handicapped at this moment, I'm opting to share with you an interview that I did for my friend John Furrier's podcast - Infotalk.

We were at the BlogOn 2005 conference in New York. I had just finished chairing a panel on "Pitching to Social Media", and so spoke with John on the subject.

Check it out!

I know, I know ...

October 02, 2005 | Comments (0)

Where's the audio, right?

Besides being more crazed than a one-armed-paper-hanger trying to scratch my head and wind a watch, there are some technical hurdles I'm working on ...

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel ... and it's the spotlight on my microphone so sit tight and stay tuned.