2 The Next Level

First of all, I want to congratulate the Who DAT Nation for winning their first Super Bowl. With that said I have to give my review of some of the Super Bowl Ads.  Ok if you didn’t know it I am a man and I have to say some of the ads were quite sexist to say the least. I won’t harp on how tired the Godaddy ads have been getting but from what the business model say they have been effective.  The the two ads I am going to focus on are both sexy and sweet. These two ads made the most impression on me because they were done with both the audience in mind as well as the audience at large.

The Audience in the Mind of a Male

The first ad was the Motorola MOTO Blur Ad featuring Megan Fox.  Ok now for the disclaimer.. I own a Motorola MOTO Blur phone but I am not being paid for this review…  This ad used the popularity of Megan Fox’s sexuality to bring a point home on what would happen if she were to send out a picture of herself taking a simple bubble bath.  If you have not seen the ad please take a look below and then read on.

This ad uses humor and the power of a man’s imagination run wild. I watched this ad with my wife and we both laughed and agreed that it was very effective. Now here comes the tech part. At the same time of this ad’s airing, I got a text from, who esle Motorola on why I should go to their website to watch the rest of the commercial. I then went to http://www.motorola.com/super-bowl and saw the rest of the ad and I laughed even harder.  This ad was built for the audience in mind which for the most part was primarily male. If Motorola was smart they would be quick to hire Megan Fox to be the MOTO Blur spokes person and do a series of ads that play off this same idea.

The Audience at Large brings Love

Google did an excellent job of not only promoting their search engine but it told a story of how to use Google search to find love. Please view the video below if you have not seen the commercial and then read on.

This ad helped us learn how to use Google search while in Paris. In this case the user wanted to impress a girl who thought the user was cute.  This ad clearly connected to both male and especially female viewers or the audience at large.  I thought this ad was very effective in not only telling but showing  us why we should use Google as our main search tool.  Google has a series of videos called Google Search Stories. Parisian Love was shown on Youtube over 2 months ago and  just repacked by Google just in time for the Super Bowl.  It is now the most viewed of the series at just over 2 million views.

And the Winner Is….

Even though I am a big Motorola fan, I am going to have to go with Google on this one.  Goolge’s ad was more appealing to a much larger audience.  It not only told the story,  it showed you how to use their service and even better why you should use their service.  It was one of the most low budget yet highly effective ways to produce a Super Bowl ad.  All Google needed was a screen capture software, some music and a few sound effects. Motorola on the other hand had to pay for the services of all the actors plus pay Megan Fox. Google can clearly reuse this ad over and over again like it did for the Super Bowl and it will still have just about the same effectiveness.

Although I picked Google over Motorola, I am a MAN and have to say that I look forward to the next series of MOTO Blur ads featuring Megan Fox.. There I said it.. I will now sit my sexist self down…;-)

No offense to the Colts and the Saints but I clearly had more fun watching the Super Bowl Ads this year.

What was your favorite ad?

All the best

JB

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Ok the reviews are all in and the iPad has impressed us all when it was finally unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 27th. All the hype finally came to an end when Mr. Jobs gave a run down of all the great features the iPad has to offer its users. I was just as impressed with many of the specs of this long awaited device.  I have read many reviews that were Good, Bad and even down right Ugly when it comes to the iPad, so here is my take on those reviews.

The iGood
iPad reviewed by Ben Parr of Mashable.
Apple iPad: A Comprehensive Guide

This review is the most comprehensive of the reviews I read. It is very detailed and well thought out. Ben does a great job of first giving an overview of the iPad by showing the introduction video that is also featured on the Apple website.  Ben goes on by breaking down all the specifications of the iPad. He then gives you the pricing, the availability, the closest competitors to the iPad and then finally what the iPad lacks.

Please click here to see Ben’s full review of the iPad.

The iBad
iPad reviewed by Bianca Bosker of The Huffington Post.
Apple iPad Review (PHOTOS): 9 Worst Things About The Apple Tablet

This review gives you a breakdown of all the things that are not so good about the iPad. I like this review because it uses pictures to tell the story of why you may want to think twice before you run out and pre order the iPad. It starts with the fact that Apple chose to name their new device iPad instead of one of the rumored names like  iTablet or iSlate. This review then goes on to criticize all of the many things wrong with the iPad that include the lack of mutitasking, a camera, flash capability and a USB port just to name of few. I thought this review was very creative in bringing more attention to the weaknesses of the iPad.

Please click here to see Bianca’s full review of the iPad.

The iUgly
iPad reviewd by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.
iPad v. A Rock

This was the funniest review and the most harsh, hence “The iUgly” term used.  Michael goes so far as to compare the iPad to an actual Rock.  Even though this review makes fun of all the things the iPad does not do, it gives  you a cut and dry understanding of why we should not have played into all the hype.  And get this, the  rock almost wins in this side by side comparison.

Click here to see the full story.

The Verdict

When first hearing about and then seeing all the cool stuff the iPad could do I was convinced this device would be the first Apple product I would choose to own. Unfortunately after then hearing about all the things the iPad could not do, I am going to give it a PASS for the wish list this Christmas. Their were a couple of deal breakers but the ones that sealed it were the lack of USB and SD ports on the device without an adapter or docking station, the lack of multitasking and the lack of compatibility with the T-mobile 3G network. I just signed up for T-mobile and even though the iPad is sold unlocked it will not connect to my cell phone carrier. I guess I will have to wait for the iPad II or see what the HP Slate has to offer when it debuts some time this year.

Will you, get an Apple iPad?

If so please let us know why.

All the best

JB

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I purchased my first Android Application for my Motorola CLIQ. I have only owned my new smart phone since this past Christmas and I am finding more ways to use it every day.  I have been filling my phone up with all kinds of Free Applications like SportsTap, Pandora and Foursquare. I decided to buy this App because of one of my all time vices. When I go to networking events..and yes people still go to face to face networking events. I collect a lot of business cards. I then bring those business cards back to my home office and proceed to put them in a card box that is marked data entry. Well I have about 20 of these same card boxes filled with business cards of the past. Some I have put into my database others are just waiting.. and waiting and waiting. Am I alone on this one?

Well since finding scanR for my Android powered phone, I don’t have this problem anymore. scanR is a privately-held company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. scanR lets you use your camera phone to scan, print and fax turning your paper documents and whiteboards into useful digital information. I am now currently going through hundreds of business cards, first scanning them and then throwing them away.

I went to a local networking event and didn’t keep a business card from anyone.  All I did was scan their business card and take a picture using scanR and then I handed back their business card. I then went back to my office and downloaded the business card information and the picture and imported it all into my CRM database.

My next step is not even carry my own business card.  With scanR all I now have to do is scan my own business card and if some wants it I can share it via email or fax. That business card would come to you via email as a text editable PDF file. Ready for you to cut and past into your own database.

So you see now, why I made this application my first purchase.  4.99 per month or 28.90 per year for an unlimited amount of scans.

The only things I don’t like about scanR is that you cannot share the scans with social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. You can share it with Plaxo but that is not really working yet even though I have it setup on my scanR account. There is also no direct integration with any CRM or Database Management System.

My good friend and Personal Productivity Expert, Peggy Duncan will be very proud of me. She stresses having less clutter and more systems in place to stay more productive and stop wasting time. Well now I am getting rid of the clutter and have a system in place for my business cards that will make me more productive, give me back more time in my day and even save some trees.

What was one of the first smart phone application that you purchased, and why?

Does that application save you time and/or money?

How many applications have you purchased over the last weeks, months or year?

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Day 2 of WordCamp Atlanta was filled with highly educational sessions as well as long awaited and exciting announcements.  The first of these announcements came from the morning keynote Jane Wells. Jane is the User Experience Lead for Automatic the company that created WordPress.

The Merge

The topic of Jane’s presentation was “WordPress Resolutions: What to Expect in 2010.” Her talk came with a pretty big announcement. WordPress version 3.0 release will finally include the “Merge” of  WordPress and WordPress MU. If you are not familiar with the WordPress MU version think about running hundreds of thousands of blogs with a single install of WordPress. WordPress MU, or multi-user can do that. Jane had many other great things to offer in her presentation but to me the “Merge” announcement was worth the price of admission. If  you would like to see her full presentation on Slideshare please click here.

Session 1 “Parental Guidance”

I then went to my first session of the day. I wanted to stretch my mind and go to a more advanced session so I chose Ryan Imel’s presentation on “Building WordPress Sites Quickly With Parent/Child Themes”. I have been following Ryan through his blog that has almost nothing to do with WordPress. This kid is super smart when it comes to programming for WordPress so I wanted to finally meet him and hear what he had to say about theme building.

The concept of Parent/Child organization is not new but I was intrigued at it being applied to WordPress themes. Ryan showed a series of examples on how you should build your original theme off a framework of a parent to child. If done this way you can cut down on having to rewrite code over and over again for yet another project. One programmer in the audience mentioned that this way of building themes has cut his coding work literally in half.

Session 2 “Client Conundrums”

My next session was with Tammy Hart of Tammy Hart Designs. Tammy is an amazing site designer. Some of her work is so good it’s hard to believe that it was done with WordPress at its foundation. Tammy’s topic was “WordPress And Working With Clients”. She gave a break down on some of the do’s and don’ts that one should follow in order to keep your client and you on the same page.

Tammy stressed to ask your client plenty of questions. Don’t assume anything in your client relationship and always, always get everything in writing. She also mentioned that she has had to fire an occasional client or two for not following her rules of conduct when it comes to doing business with her.  Tammy was gracious enough to share a few resources that we as fellow WordPress attendees should take advantage of to enhance our own business. She suggested using both Jumpchart.com to help with client content creation and the plug-in Suma to assist in bringing paid content to WordPress blogs.

I want to personally thank the WordCamp Atlanta sponsor Mail Chimp for allowing us to have a wonderful meal for lunch. The line was long but the food was worth it.

Session 3 ” Readablity? That is the Question.”

I continued in the Design Track with session 3 and decided to see the presentation from Mitch Canter. Mitch is currently the “Chief Creative Mercenary” of his own company, studionashvegas. Mitch’s presentation focuses on three things when designing a blog or a website. 1. Readablity 2. Usability and 3. Findability.  The point that really hit home to me was his first, Readability. Readability asks the question, if someone came to your blog would they take the time to read the content? Do you have more distractions to reading your content in Widgets and Banner ads? Mitch also stressed that if you are a blogger it would be a wise thing to know some basic html code. Not that you are going to become a programmer but that if you had to look at your site’s code you could identify where some of your content is placed on the page. Mitch then shared some great educational sites for both learning more about WordPress code and for getting inspiration for future WordPress designs.

Session 4 “How Stuff Works with WordPress”

The last session I will speak about is one in which I learned more about the founder and creator of the website HowSuffWorks.com than about WordPress. This session was presented by Jason Hoch VP, Product Development for Discovery Communications. Jason talked about how HowStuffWorks.com was started in 1998 by former North Carolina State University professor Marshall Brain started the site as a hobby. That hobby turned into full blown company that was then bought out in March of 2002 by Convex Group.

HowStuffWorks.com attracted at least 58 million visitors annually by 2008. So why would they use WordPress? WordPress allowed them to create a way to have a two way interaction with all the fans of HowStuffWorks.com. It also gives Marshall Brain a way to personally answer questions which he could not do via just the website.  WordPress also made it easier to create and display podcast. Jason also mentioned that they were one of the first to introduce the Facebook Connect WordPress plug-in.

Closing remarks & Gary V Givaways

The evening was wrapped up with a few givaways that included about 10 signed copies of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book “Crush It”, ..which I didn’t win..;-( and  a Q and A session headed by WordPress lead developer Mark Jaquith.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the first WordCamp Atlanta here in my own backyard. The event was such a success they have already announce that WordCamp will be back in Atlanta February 11-12 2011. I was so impressed with all of the knowledge shared and the talented people I met.  If given the chance I would definitely look to one day go to one of  the WordCamps abroad. I would be more than happy to volunteer to organize the first WordCamp Barbados..;-)Who is with me!!!

All the best and see you next year.

JB

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Happy New Year Everyone,

I started out 2010 with something I have been wanting to do for some years now. I attended my first WordCamp. What made this WordCamp so much better is that it was in my own town of Atlanta, GA. I wanted to get there early and get a chance to soak in all that this 1 1/2 day conference had to offer. What made this such a challenge is that on this day our host city was on the verge of a snow storm with temperatures in the 20’s. There was even talk of the event being canceled or at least rescheduled. I took a chance and pressed on anyway and got to my destination without any mishaps. To my enjoyment and surprise there were many Wordpress followers who braved the cold and ice as well.

Day 1

The first Wordcamp Atlanta was held at the  Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD for short. The evening was kicked off with a brief welcome to Atlanta from the two organizers of the event Brandon Sheats and Tessa Horehled. We then broke up into the three session provided for us that evening. I attended a session presented by Amani Channel of Visual Eye Media. Amani talked about “The Secrets of Mobile Vlogging”. You may know Amani by his blog My Urban Report. Amani shared some great stuff on using video for your blog. The one thing I learned was that lighting and sound were just as important as shooting the video. Amani also recommend the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera over the Flip MinoHD because of its external microphone jack. Take a look at the video and the blog post he did for WordCamp Atlanta.

My next session was with Topher Kohan of CNN.com. Topher’s session was on SEO and Wordpress. Topher really broke down some of the great SEO solutions you can get with Wordpress plugins. I learned how you can optimize your Wordpress template by just simply adding breadcrumbs to boost your search engine love. Topher suggested many Wordpress plugins for SEO but listed All in one SEO pack, WP Super Cache and Breadcrumbs as his top 3. I had already been using the All in one SEO pack but added both WP Super Cache and Breadcrumbs right after his session.

I then ended my evening with Chad Parizman’s session. Chad is currently the Director of Community Management for Scripps Networks’ shelter sites. These sites include my wife’s favorite cable channel  HGTV. Chad’s topic was “5 Situations Where WordPres Can Save the Day.  He gave some great real life scenarios on how using Wordpress could literally save yourself a whole lot of headache. His best example by far was his “Oh Sh-t Moment, where he told us the story when his team has to construct multiple Wordpress sites in order to be ready for a 12 am deadline where they didn’t know if one of their cable show channels contracts would be renewed. This meant that many of their viewers who were Cablevision customers lost two of their favorite channels, HGTV and Food Network. Wordpress saved the day by allowing them to construct both www.ilovehgtv.com and www.ilovefoodnetwork.com in a matter of hours before both channels went black on their Cablevision provider.

Day 2

Day two was even better so I hope you come back tomorrow to find out how excited I was with the news of Wordpress 3.0 future release for 2010.
Click here for Day 2

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