Bottled Purified Water Makes Me Insane

So another topic a little off the beaten tech path for me but I can't help it.  Water Bottles, I'm a fan of telling it like it is and right now Water Bottles have me thinking . . . 

I'm a fan of water - we all need water to live and I typically carry water with me as I'm afraid someday I'll open the car door and find myself in a desert or possibly floating in space and very thirsty.  I've seen the movies, I know it can happen.

When I read in a recent issue of Time Magazine how much we consume in plastic bottles and some push back from readers ( Melissa Gilespie Sept 5 issue for one ) about how they HAVE to consume their water in a bottle and avoid the tap - this really made me cringe.  I try VERY VERY hard to not purchase water in a bottle and I'm a water snob, I admit it, I like my water pure, I like it chilled, not shaken and I'm fine with no ice.  But it doesn't take much to pick up a water filtering system either on the go, at home or at work.  I use a Brita pitcher filter system at work for over two years now, it's the best $20 I ever spent www.brita.com.  At home I have filters on my sink and frig - when you consider the industry is a $50 - $100 Billion dollar ( yes, that's a B as in Billion ) consumer black hole, I'm not surprised people are so easily misled into buying overpriced bottled water.  So when I go out I prepare and fill a bottle . . . from the filtered tap of the local municipal system of course.

I wasn't aware of this but did you know almost 44% of "purified" bottled water actually comes from municipal water systems?  http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09610.pdf

Mother Nature Network posted a 5 easy to understand piece about why we shouldn't be buying bottled water http://bit.ly/qfKIhQ and it makes a whole lot of sense.

It takes 200 million bottles of water to circle the globe, in 2005 over 28 Billion bottles were sold.  Do the math, this is insanity.

Want to know more? Start with the Sierra Club's fact sheet on bottled water.

Michael Sola is a Technologist who finds solutions and can translate tech into english. He's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own.

Slowing down can be dangerous to your blog . . .

So evidently when you go from twice or even once a month posts to  . . . well one in a few months ( like I did ) you loose viewers and readers when you try to start back up.  How hard is it to get re-started?

I can understand that, I've certainly took a break on many fronts as time is very limited and there is only so much to go around.  Now that I have had a chance to reflect and have some free time I need to find a way to get back into the game.  Storytelling is something we all have the ability to do, sharing our experiences, finding an audience who you can engage with but also engages you back - all of this matters provided you don't burn out and find a way to get out there.  And while it's easy to rant and blog and post it's harder to get linked and really connect.

SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) is a real cornerstone to distribution in todays medium.  It's a practice I need to pay more attention to  especially if you desire to engage at a level larger than your immediate family and friends.  For many of us who work the Non Profit world and are focused on marketing and messaging we live on on SEO - as a technologist I need to be focused more on this process.

In researching this there are volumes written on the topic - one very effective group who has a slew of information, especially if you are just getting your feet wet, is from Social Media Examiner.  They did this one article titled 7 Ways to Improve Your Blog SEO using inbound links which makes a lot of sense.  

"Blog posts that solve problems, provide a valuable resource, entertain, demonstrate innovation or even create controversy can all generate incoming links. Average content won’t cut it. It needs to be outstanding."

There's also something about the logo with the cute explorer dude carrying the magnifying glass - I use one of those now when I read the paper, do people still read papers?

Michael Sola is a Technologist who finds solutions and can translate tech into english. He's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own.

Looking to take the iPad into the Board Room?

I'm always on the look out for ways to bring the tablets into the enterprise and this has to be one of the simplest ways - also talk about getting some real buy in at the board level.

Simply put - either provide your board with apps and links to materials for your board meetings if they have an iPad or tablet or and here it comes . . .  give them preloaded tablets as a means to connect them to your organization and activities that are happening with your partners, affiliates and coalition members.

There is a group out there called Diligent which provides a secure service for deploying materials that allows for either online or offline use in and for boards.  This service could even go beyond board practices but could be extended to internal senior managements that meet in diverse locations as they too could greatly benefit from this type of solution.

http://www.boardbooks.com/

 

Think about the paper you will save, think about how few issues you will have with access to internal data stores or SharePoint sites from different Operating system and platforms?  I like this idea, give them the tools and fully load them with a service that is both secure and robust.  

What was that line from Scotty said in Star Trek?  The right tool for the right job - BoardBooks may be that right tool!

http://www.boardbooks.com/diligentbooks/diligent-overview.shtml

Michael Sola is a Technologist who finds solutions and can translate tech into english. He's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own.

Sometimes you have to enjoy paradise.

I'm on vacation this week with my family in Maui - Island time is a phrase often spoken here and I now know why. After a long day cruising around a tiny bit of this amazing island we headed back towards our resort.

I was behind a relatively slow vehicle when I had the opportunity to pass, but I didn't as would've been the norm. I had this view of the water on my left and a sinking sun about to set.

Who rushes paradise?

Foursquare Meetup - 4/4squared/2011 day, perfect marketing #4sqDay

via meetup.com

I always struggle with the "check in" concept and at times wonder about the value of the geo tagging check-in concepts. Mobile devices have made the art of checking in much easier but posting where I am all the time is . . . well, it's a little intrusive - BUT I will say that when it comes to events and meet-ups, I'm there and checking in!

This coming event on Saturday April 16 looks to be a perfect date that FourSquare is using to market and expand it's level of engagement. The play on numbers is the like striking gold. 4sqDay aka the 16th of the 4th month couldn't be a better marketing bonanza for the foursquare addicts and community event planners are taking full advantage. Some are using it to actually collect items for the needy like this one:

*** MAYOR OF GAITHERSBURG SIDNEY KATZ WILL ATTEND EVENT AND PROCLAIM FOURSQUARE DAY IN PERSON! *** Please bring non-perishable food for donation to Manna Food Center! 15% of all food sales from 12-3pm will also be donated by Dogfish Head Alehouse! See the blog at http://4sqmo.co and see the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189316337777060 we will have our event at Dogfish Head Alehouse 12-3pm on Saturday April 16th! RSVP and see you there! *** FREE T-SHIRT TO THE FIRST 50 REGISTERED

The way 4Square had engaged with Meetup events and the number of schedules popping up all over the place is fun to see. I was surprised how easy and quick it was to use the service - I even managed to set something up for an event at the 16th. If you do any event planning and want to have a little fun give it a whirl. All you need is about 10 min, a meetup account and of course some 4Square savvy technical know how - the app helps.

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own.

Zachary Karabell for TIME: To Tweet or Not to Tweet | Me thinks Zach needs to get outside and mingle

via greatertalent.com

It's Sunday morning, I'm sipping a rather strong cup of coffee, flipping thru my emails, Facebook status, Tweets when I happen to catch Zachary Karabell piece he wrote for Time with a title I had used in one of my blog posts. In this case though the piece from Time was trying to place the economic value on Social Media. The full title was "To Tweet or not to Tweet - Social media sites are all the rage, but what is the added value to our economy?"

I will credit Zach ( can I call him Zach? ) with putting the various business aspects of the products into perspective - I enjoyed the article. It had a nice flow and was well written. But Zach missed the mark entirely when he tried to say that the tools are a "divider" of social and economic class. I think the stat he quoted from Pew Foundation that - "only 45% of adults making less then $30K have broadband service" does not represent or speak to the conclusions he makes between the "haves" and "have nots" when placing value on Social Media.

I don't have the space or bandwidth to get into the reasons why this country hasn't put more effort in making broadband a part of the infrastructure all across the US but between mobile, free WiFi in almost all coffee shops and even pubs, the Library . . . you mean to tell me that my fellow Americans who make under $30K don't have access to broadband content? Give me a break Zach, I don't buy it.

What Zach also missed is how social media has brought people together, how people with similar passions can more easily unite and share. How we connect today is very different with how we connected 5 years ago. If you weren't in my email list the chances of me reaching people outside my small network was slim. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn has changed the playing field and as a result expanded the playing field. As I commented in my blog a few months back, these services have become the new "In-Box" for many of us and the monetary aspect of using these, it's there Zach - it may not be measurable in the terms you are use to working with but value is most definitely there.

Added value is engagement. Added value is connections and networking. I streamline and work more efficiently because of Social Media and I have seen plenty of folks who make under $30K do even more with these tools. You want an economic value to social media? Try this out: Today I am planning to attend the "SWING INTO SPRING at LES FOLIES BRASSERIE, in Annapolis" I'm doing this because a Facebook fan page of a Jazz group I follow recently posted the event - the tickets are $8 I would have not seen or easily knew about the event if not for social media. and I'll most likely spend much more than $8

When I read how billions are being spent on these tools I'm reminded that when I signed up for Twitter it cost me zero dollars. My Facebook, LinkedIn, Yammer, Foursquare, YouTube, Google, Picasa, Posterous accounts . . . ZERO. These guys are data mining the crap out or me, I get it - anybody not in tune with that is missing the big picture, nothing is free. In fact come to think of it the only thing that cost me money was the subscription to Time - had I known I could read Zach's somewhat skewed comments for free . . . . may have to rethink my subscription.

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own.

The Accidental Technologist at #11NTC Me & Phil being mobile - Vol 2

Having my picture with Phil the Penguin was a lot of fun, I was hot just walking around and this Arctic friend had to have been melting!

Day Two was a continuation of Day One in the life of the Accidental Technologist at #11NTC except . . . . the Science Center was now available and with it came a slew of partners and solution providers that was for me a great time to meet and exchange ideas and see some cool solutions.

One idea in particular remains the Mobile front.  Mobile is plentiful.  Media and Mobile - Mobile is Media, or rather mobile brings media to an untethered audience.  The sessions focusing on this topic at 11NTC will touch on many of the mobile questions and standards the folks I have spoken with seem to crave.  I keep wondering though if standards are really out the window? For many of us we see mobile as a personal preference especially when it comes to device choices.

So what are we using mobile for and is there a way to move some of these mobile apps into the enterprise?

The two groups I spoke with who have taken mobile giving apps to new levels are Charity Dynamics and M-Give.  They are putting something as basic as the text to give programs we have seen groups like Red Cross and NWF use via mobile devices to work on web sites and as part of social networking apps.  http://apps.facebook.com/text-giving/campaigns/g9FlOWL6dpj/donations/new?sn=fb

I like this concept - think about how you could offer payment options other then credit cards for events or registration fees.  Plus I don't know how many times I'm online and I don't have my credit card handy but I know my cell phone! Maybe I'll ring up Phil the Penguin and see what he thinks.

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

The Accidental Technologist at #11NTC - Vol 1

Fellow 11NTC Newbies and Old-fogies, that last definition wasn't my idea but the #11NTCStory group liked it - I am writing to report that the T in NTC is alive and well and after the first night at the StoryTelling session #11NTCStory led by Michaela and Roger followed by the "Peter Campbell BeerFest" @peterscampbell it seems the energy of how organizations are using tech to tell their stories continues to be a theme.  

I was very happy to share several tools from the Droid App world like Cinch, Posterous and TweetCaster to help better make the Droid mobile devices more integrated with the messaging and in the process learned from others - for instance about how the newer versions of the FlipCam ( thank you Cisco ) auto compresses the videos depending on the upload source.  All this time I've been using third party compression tools.

This blog entry and the theme of "Tech" will focus on what I hear from others, no matter the significance, newness or pros or cons as the story is sharing, the sharing is key to learning.  I've mentioned in the past how this conference is much like a "family reunion" where we see faces we knew from previous sessions but also new faces and voices of NTC community.  Hooking up with old friends like Divas @blondegeek and @cariegrls but also fast on their way to becoming rock stars @SLianne and @BRCTweets makes for good conversation and lasting friendships.  

As we all share our stories don't forget to get out of your comfort zone, don't be afraid to go up to a total stranger and simply say:  "Newbie or Old-fogie" see what they say and don't forget to tweet about it!

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

2011 NTC | NTEN - why am I not nervous?

via nten.org

This week I am anxiously awaiting the #11NTC conference in DC - this is an opportunity to hook up and learn from some amazing talent of our industry who are putting tech to work in so many unique and innovative ways.

One of the sessions I was lucky to be selected for was an invite only workshop for Story Telling on Wed evening. On top of that I will be one of many honored by the NTEN team as a contributor to our genre. I really felt humbled getting that notice and silly wearing my "aNTENna" but the contributions and help I have shared with so many is what I do, I don't even think about it. Sharing information, taking time to blog, tweet, call and present is what all of us need to do on a daily basis, inside or outside of NTC.

The "storytelling" session is going to be a real learning experience. The workshop will cover how to tell stories across various media and social networks and is limited to 25 people, so getting some one-on-one advice and training is a real thrill. After the workshop, participants will form the official 11NTC Storytelling Team, capturing the spirit of the conference through writing, photography, video, blogging and other media. So look out participants, I may be armed with a flipcam and looking for you!

This years NTC will not only mean catching up with some good friends but meet new ones I have had the pleasure of engaging online. I always look at NTC as a reunion of sorts, brings good like minded people together where we all learn from each other - how do you say no to that?

I don't think I mind missing SxSW, in fact I just checked the Tweets and my liver is happy I sat this one out. Saving my brain cells for 11NTC is just what the Doc ordered! See ya at the Tech Track: Veritably Valuable Virtualization – Voila! (#11NTCttvirt) on Friday Morning, I'll be the guy speaking and holding a camera, ready, set . . . . action and story tell!

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Motorola Xoom vs the Apple iPad - why competition will drive me mad and racing for the store

via eweek.com

Don Reisinger did an interesting comparison of the benefits the Motorola Xoom has vs the iPad. The tablet market is ready to explode on this front and as you follow his piece it's clear Apple will have it's hands full trying to embrace new users. http://bit.ly/dTgYed

The one thing that will set all these devices apart however is going to be the APPS - who has the best access, who is developing them and for what device, which ones make the most sense for us as consumers and LOB folks to use. We keep hearing how there is an "app for everything" and with a plethora of devices about to drive us mad I worry about who will have access to the apps, how do we as technologist apply real solutions and more importantly how easy will they be to deploy.

At first it bugged me to no end that when using the iPad app store I was forced to use an iTunes account - but I understand the logic. If I have a device not connected to a billable service it makes sense to tap an existing provider like iTunes to process the revenue. It's an extra step, even for the freebies but I can respect the process. Should I be worried about the bean counters? At some point the cost of apps will need to be addressed on our mobile policies and who gets to in charge of that in our organizations?

Wondering how the Xoom will work in this field? Guess I'll find out - part of my evil plan for tech domination is to go out and test all the toys I can get my hands on. ( insert evil laugh here )

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Who else is looking at their mobile options? Are your policies / practices updated? It's all about the DATA silly.

via syracuse.com

The past few weeks I have had a rash of inquires as to the use of the iPhones now that Verizon has finally stepped up, I'm betting I'm not alone. The information shared by Syracuse.com http://bit.ly/hIFgNX and a recent article I read in Time shares some much needed light when making your mobile policy tweaks.

The changes in the industry have once again had us revisiting our mobile policies but there are other factors besides carriers to factor in and it comes down to something as simple as "use" and money and the soon to be changing tax implications. Just what are we using these devices for?

In the Feb 28 issue of Time Bill Saporito wrote a piece called "Leaving Cell Hell" and I hate to tell Bill but at times I feel like I will never leave Hell. Much of what I hear is how "cool" the iPhones are and all the cool apps - doesn't sound like Hell at all and for the most part they are right, much of what these devices do is cool. For many of our staff who focus on "social networking" they won't have any problems in using these "cool" tools as the menu and moving around the device OS will be simple and fun. But . . . . that's not the norm for many of of the folks in our organizations. Many of us still have folks who's VCR clocks are blinking 12:00 - you know what I mean . . . but the real issue besides actually having a cell connection that works ( BTW - Verizon won that contest hands down ) . . . the issue is DATA, what about the data use? Does everybody need access to so much of the data that is out there?

We know that more and more the "voice" features of these devices is diminishing and instead the streaming of data and lots of it is where the mobile device has gone - is going. eMail is just a small piece of that data. Cisco is predicting that data traffic driven by VIDEO over mobile will become the leader of the data drain - further hogging an already crowded wireless network.

Many of these tools work fine over WiFi but not all the devices have WiFi which makes getting outside the building a whole new game. Did I mention tethering? Talk about a major lifesaver, to easily link your laptop or iPad or Notebook to your data plan of the iPhone or Droid is pure heaven.

Syracuse.Com puts the "DATA" into a very easy to understand perspective:

"If you do check the Internet and update your Facebook status often, Verizon's unlimited plan is enticing - but AT&T's $25 data plan gets you 2 GB per month and that's a hard amount to hit unless you watch videos or stream music constantly. You can listen to an hour of music every day, look at 20 sites daily, use 30 apps a week, and send 3000 emails a month and still wouldn't even hit 1.5 GB of data. Plus, any data used while connected to Wi-Fi doesn't count against a data plan - if you have Wi-Fi in your house or at work, it'd be near impossible to use even 500 MB. But still, that unlimited data plan is enticing."

This is why the carriers are looking to profit as the needs of the many expect to do more with the data these devices have access to. This is what's driving 4G networks, speed of that data. Although on a side note, it would be good to get the 3G network functional to the point it actually works - don't get me started on that. Make no mistake, Verizon has a data model in place that will make them a ton of money with the iPhone. I think we sometimes forget these guys aren't a public service group, they are trying to make $$$. This makes the all included plans attractive but unless you are a data hog and I mean a real data hog it won't be worth the costs.

I'm not sure where I'm leaning, I understand and appreciate the Blackberry model yet I simple love my Droid, I'm hesitant of hype and marketing - I always ask my team to find out exactly what the need is when getting a request and look closely at the costs.

It has to be more then "cool" - it has to be effective and you better know how to navigate the OS . . . and if you don't know what OS is you're getting a flip phone and you'll like it!

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Greenzo - IT Power Needs You

I have some friends in Greenpeace, and no I don't think they've been in boats chasing whaling ships, but they are passionate and extremely dedicated, you have to be if your desire is to change the world.  So when I saw their campaign to get Facebook to change how they power their data centers, a big old light bulb went off.  How much electricity are our data centers drawing? will we need to increase the demand and more importantly WHERE will that power source come from?

The need to move from coal sources to smart power choices like wind as MD is attempting to do makes more sense then ever before.  And the quicker the better.

Earth Day as you know is rapidly approaching, lot's of organizations are gearing up to join in the conversation that Greenpeace is advocating for Facebook and that's how Green is IT?  I was recently approached by my good friend Beverly Magda, an Associate Dean at Georgetown, who is bringing folks together in an attempt to make a dent in the Greening of IT.  The summit is April 20 - 21 in Tysons Corner VA and I'm ready to lend a voice and help where I can, hope you can too.  http://www.greeniteconomicsummit.com/

Below are some facts shared by the Greenpeace campaign, the consumption of powering the Internet is stagering!  We need our green superhero Greenzo promoter of environmental consciousness (and G.E. products) - but for real, besides I like the green cape.

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Did you know?

IT companies are rapidly increasing their electricity consumption, making IT one of the largest growth sectors for electricity demand. The amount of electricity needed to power the Internet would place it 5th if ranked among countries by electricity consumption.

Facebook has a real opportunity to lead by example by extending this spirit of innovation to the environment. The company can show that businesses can flourish by being clean-energy powered.

Our IT sector climate campaign

Greenpeace has been working with the IT industry for half a decade to get companies to be greener. Facebook's coal problem is representative of the IT sector's growing demand for energy.

At current growth rates, data centers and telecommunication networks - two key components of 'the cloud' that Facebook depends on - will consume about 1,963 billion kilowatts hours of electricity in 2020. That's more than triple their current consumption and more than the current electricity consumption of France, Germany, Canada and Brazil combined.

Find out more - visit www.greenpeace.org/unfriendcoal

The FOUR uses of the iPhone Confession app - that's right FOUR not three

via cnn.com

When I first saw this on Conan I thought he was joking but this is actually true. There IS an app for confessing your sins. Finally.

But upon reading the directions I think they left out some very important information not to mention clearly a forth part of the application they DON'T want you to know about. So here is my commentary and contribution to the actual application of the "Confession App".

The first is an examination of conscience that's designed to help Catholics prepare for confession before stepping into the confessional, "so you don't walk in and just start making up sins off the top of your head," I've done that, it's part of the catholic guilt they train us in.

The second part features step-by-step instructions for what to do inside the confessional. Typically this is the exchange of the money part. What? am I the only one who slips the Priest a fivester?

The third part is a space to record any absolution or penance from the priest. This is done directly on the iPhone by holding the phone close the padre - try not to breathe too hard as it will pick up all sounds in the booth, the Droid would NEVER support such a feature - just saying.

And the last part which was not reported in the article, is where the entire incident is digitally captured, a photo opp with you and the priest, the video provided you are on the WiFi service from with in the booth and the whole thing gets posted on Twitter and Facebook.

I lied about the last part . . . damn, I may need to confess now. Frak. Oops, is saying Frak an offense? I sometimes wonder if the App world goes too far and more importantly when is the Droid version of this coming? :-)

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

To iPad or not to iPad . . .

There are so many things I already can't stand. Typing, not a fan. The device is all about flipping screens and navigation of content, I get it. But productivity and practical use like entering lots of content, I'm not sold.

Right now the App I'm in doesn't rotate. Serious? Thought that was the selling point, rotate the device so does the screen. So this means I can't use the bluetooth keyboard. Thanks, not.

Oh, the bluetooth keyboard cover helps but it's mushy and has one shift key and the enter key where the other shift should be. Did I mention when in portrait mode you can't use the dang keyboard? I also don't know how long it stays charged but not long is ny take so far.

And it weighs a ton! With the cover / bluetooth keyboard and iPad this weighs more than my HP Notebook. Which has a cleaner larger screen AND has two shift keys. Just saying.

What else do I hate? The lack of editing a word. Evidently you get to backspace a lot, it's the Apple way.

I hate using the "hate" word, I "dislike" many of the features especially the auto word fill but live for spell check which I can't seem to turn on without the auto fill - that I really hate!

I guess I should try adding some custom apps like Facebook as opposed to using the browser. I did configure the Citrix App and surprisingly it worked like a champ. Of course it worked better with the bluetooth keyboard which died in the middle of testing. Uggg

Scrolling around the net was fun, the YouTube app was cool although I noted that lots of video links in facebook just opened another FB page and not the video. Had to use the link, not very seamless.

And if I have to backspace one more time i'm gonna scream. Too late.

Why do I use Twitter? I get asked this a lot . . . and timing is perfect come #11NTC

via lakesidesoftware.com

It's not because I have a short attention span and only have time to read 140 characters ( not words - as I recently was asked at a conference ) - BUT using Twitter connects you with that random tweet which can be a gold mine.

In sharing some information with one of the folks I follow way across the country that is currently in a deep freeze I got ReTweeted and as a result of their network was picked up provided provided a very useful link on a project that I am in the midst of: VDI - Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. This retweet was from a different group caled Lakeside Software who was most likely spending time scanning and looking for key terms . . . like VDI. Still with me?

Turns out Lakeside Software http://www.lakesidesoftware.com/ has a tremendous amount of information on the topic, including short videos, links and a ton of resources I would never in a zillion years have found if these guys were not using Twitter in this fashion.

The information from their web site will be very valuable as we move forward on this project at NWF and especially as the topic of Virtualization will be front and center on the tech track at the 2011 NTC Conference in DC - it so happens I'll be a panelist on the Virtualization session. http://www.nten.org I love twitter and twitter

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Don't Eat the Yellow Snow or What's the Frequency Kenneth

via facebook.com

Between Zappa and R.E.M. I was torn for this title - neither tune has nothing to do with the picture. This shot is the aftermath of yet another heavy dumping we got here in MD this past week BUT it does tie nicely in with a theme I wish to share - presenting to an audience is all about being on the same frequency.

This past week I got my speaker feedback from a conference I did back in November. I scored an overall 3.9 which when I round up is actually a 4 out of 5 rating - I like the 4 better then the 3.9 part but what really got my attention was a participant comment which I take real serious.

"I felt like Mike assumed we knew what he was talking about . . . " - ouch, I thought I did a good job at translating techenese into english, maybe I'm missing something.

Recently at a day workshop where I co-presented for a room full of EPA folks who focus on the Chesapeake Bay region I was again reminded of the importance in breaking down the terminology of the tools we sometimes take for granted. Seeing the review brought it all together for me.

I recently saw the following analogy on a tweet and it seemed to fit so well in breaking down what these social networking tools do to an action. We assume everybody now knows what Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, Quora, YouTube and LinkedIn are used for - but what I was reminded of is that these tools still remain foreign enough that many just don't get WHAT they are. They've heard of them, but if pressed to put them into action or define their purpose in the proverbial tool shed . . . well now we got problems in Rivercity.

Let me use this example and tell me if it makes sense - this is where the yellow snow part comes in - here goes:

Twitter = I need to pee.
FaceBook = I peed!
FourSquare = I'm peeing here.
Quora = Why am I peeing?
YouTube = Watch me pee!
LinkedIn = I pee well.

So now that we got that going for us it's still a good rule of thumb to NOT eat the yellow snow and I'm hoping for my next conference speaking engagement I will be more understanding and appreciative of the silent majority who don't wish to acknowledge their gap in understanding what the new tools of engagement are used for. I now have a new analogy in my tool box, as do you.

I have this sudden urge to tinkle . . . .

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Conference Technology . . . it's not just fishing and magic, notes from the front lines

via choosecleanwater.org

The 2nd Annual Choose Clean Water Conference is over but still on my mind as we recap, document and provide feed back for what future NWF conferences could be like. This is my second conference with the NWF Mid Atlantic Regional office staff who work at bringing together 160 coalition members and the Chesapeake Bay regions movers and shakers who fight for clean water and a Saved Bay.

These events don't happen easy and a lot of planning and prep occurs prior and during to make them successful. Implementing tech in a fashion that helps promote and keep connected those who could not make the event a powerful motivator to continue the effort. Even more important those who attend but want more - more video, more pictures, more presentation material to bring back and share with their respective members.

What we were able to provide for the team was seen by others in our organization as a model for our other regional offices that are planning similar conferences. In fact the Great Lakes region is our next similar project happening in October and as we did for the Chesapeake here is just a taste of what to expect:

UStream Services - paid for service that at $99 provides an ad free service for up to 100 hours of broadcasting and video capturing - a decent cam that can focus and zoom from the back of the room is key. Also a very tall tri-pod.

YouTube - being able to have an account that exceeds the 10 min limit makes posting videos captured from FlipCams much easier, provided you edit and can easily compress your captured files. Also being able to convert captured UStream videos and converting them to YouStream keeps all your clips in one spot.

Flickr - having an account to quickly post images captured of speakers and guests. The trick is having more volunteers capturing images. Reducing those images is also critical as we learned that the free Flickr accounts has a space limit. Having card readers at your upload systems is a time saver.

SlideShare - getting the presentations posted prior to or during the speakers time slot was key to being able to link to them during tweets

Twitter - the power is always in the retweet and we had at one point 4 of the team tweeting various sessions always being sure to retweet each other or asking others in our network to share the posts.

FlipCams - spare cams is critical so you don't miss a session due to battery or space issues.

PowerPoint clickers - sounds simple but oh so important as you can't always predict where you can place the laptop to allow for advancement of slides.

Visible Tweets - http://visibletweets.com/ awesome program that takes a Twitter Hashtag and provides a display of all the tweets from the conference. Joined with a projector makes a great display in the lobby or during down times in the main conference ball room.

What The HashTag - monitors the Twitter Traffic and captures the twitter posts for documentation purposes

Laptops, Netbooks, iPads - what ever it takes to connect to a projector, we had them, and spares as you never know. This actually saved the group tremendous rental fees by providing this equipment.

Table Top video tripods - perfect for placing FlipCams in very small unobtrusive places.

Cabled access to Internet - most conferences you can arrange for WiFi, which can be costly FYI depending on how you negotiate with the conference or hotel. But having a cabled land line to ISP service is key to broadcasting or quick uploads as your files could be large.

Video conversion / compression software - I'm hooked on XiLisoft Video Converter http://www.xilisoft.com/ For $60 it's a no brainer and provides so many options my fingers would get tired from typing.

WiFi and Cell Service - being able to access the net or cell towers means mobile applications become very very useful. This makes the Droids and iPhones a powerful communications tools.

Well thought out organization is key, many meetings and prep goes into the planning but so does being able to roll with the punches and make do with what you have. We had audio issues the first day and a half with our streaming - video is nothing without good audio, alway keep that in mind if video is going to factor in to your engagement strategy. This is why paying for an audio service or good Public Address services might be worth the costs.

If you don't have WiFi service or good cell service consider an alternate location - people attending these conferences expect to get connected. Boosters may work but I've had mixed luck with these services.

I know I'm forgetting a whole bunch of details but I don't want to end up writing War and Peace. If you want to know more, comment or message me or send me a tweet. I'm game to share . . . look, nothing up my sleeve.

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Why Facebook Newsfeed is the new and improved in-box

via johnhaydon.com

John Haydon is without a doubt one of the most insightful and respected social media non profit guru's on the net. Hands down - great stuff comes from John.

This piece http://bit.ly/eXRzSW about why collecting email addresses on Facebook fan page won't work is a perfect case in point. Why would you even try?

So much of the news feed on Facebook has already replaced much of the notifications email alerts I use to subscribe to, there isn't much appeal to want a duplicate of the same content hitting my overloaded in-box. I would agree with one of John's comment contributors, the news feed is fast becoming very noisy and hard to filter what friends vs organizations you have "liked" or become a fan of. But that's on me, these are organizations or interests I've asked to be part of. Seeing those posts is part of the deal.

In a sense the Facebook Newsfeed is my very large in-box.

That's not to say there isn't a place for both tools being used with the intent to engage me but my hope would be to see different content in the two mediums. It doesn't take much effort to block emails anymore - now on the other hand the news feeds . . . I've asked for that info so unless you spam my wall too often keep the posts coming, it's not like there's an inbox limit on the wall!

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own

Mastering the FlipCam for Conferences and Tweets

CleanWaterConf Tweets Report.pdf (81 KB)
View this on posterous

Last week I attended the 2nd Clean Water Conference that focused on the Chesapeake Bay - the coalition gathered by National Wildlife Federation MidAtlantic Regional field office successfully brought together experts and members to share how to best engage and collaborate in promoting clean water initiatives that could impact all of the countries watershed environments.

Happy New Years . . . or rather Welcome more fatigue

I was reminded that I had not indicated what my New Years Resolution would be . . . Besides living beachside, I only get to have one? That's typically my standard answer.  I can never wrap my head around this concept of resolutions as it sounds a lot like goals.  

As fictional character and Dodgeball hero Peter La Fleur once said about goals: "I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya... it feels phenomenal"

So of course I jest on the topic, it's important we all strive for something that we feel passionate about.  This new year is no different, I see a lot of changes on the horizon - hopefully for the better but not all will be without sacrifice or hard work.  

Last week I saw posted on a DC NPTech fan page a question that made me think of what the new year has in store for the world of social media: Is social media going to die in the next two years? has social media fatigue set in making the medium not as "social" or "community" anymore? How will people force it to evolve and make it more social?

One of the responses I got from a friend who's opinion I value a great deal stated the following:

Perhaps the Peter Principle in a way... Social media has taken social media as far as it can go and beyond that it's not within Social Media's ability? I think it has become generic in a way, to the point where people will stop paying attention to it and move on to something else? What that something else is, I don't know. Oh only if I did.....

There is an experiment underway here, perhaps we could be mice in a very complex maze but a fun maze of connections, story telling and sharing to be sure.  I do feel a fatigue of sorts happening, or maybe it's burnout of trying to stay excited about the services that are out there. I see many of the early adopters of this medium are constantly looking for that NEXT BIG THING perhaps that's what I feel - or am I looking for that integration of all this noise happening, maybe another part of the fatigue is simply filtering out the noise.

Is there a solution?  Perhaps service like Rockmelt would be an example or even Paper.li that formats a great many sources into something that almost looks and feels like an old fashion newspaper can help bring the fatigue factor in check.  But let's be honest, there are a LOT of people who have been given a megaphone, the noise will become even more deafening.  

Let me look into my magic eight ball and see what the new year has in store . . . . ooooo, Zombies - I'll be right back.

Michael Sola heads up the IT program at NWF. he's a blogger, invited presenter and speaker - he also rarely has to show ID to walk into a pub. Follow him at http://twitter.com/michaelsola : his views and comments are his own