1
Jan
2010
13
Nov
2009
A Special “In Your Right Mind” Episode…
From Bird House Rules comes a special In Your Right Mind episode, co-produced with Whispers at the Edge. Three times the size of a usual In Your Right Mind, this special edition is part-Social Media discussion/part-Arts Review of Cirque Du Soleil. Cirque offered to Blogworld attendees free tickets to any of their shows in exchange for reviews of whatever show they saw.
Special guest Philippa Ballantine and I are reviewing three:
Yes, Ká was that good!
We wanted to say “Thank you” and go above and beyond what Cirque asked of us. Enjoy this special edition of Bird House Rules and Whispers at the Edge, and make plans to catch a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas.
Bird House Rules Artwork by Paul Fischer of Dancing Cat Studios
Feel free to syndicate this audio, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on Bird House Rules at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, Twitter, or here at the Bird House Rules Blog!
8
Jul
2009
Radio New Zealand: “It’s All Geek to Me” (Part III)
And here is the conclusion of my morning at Radio New Zealand and Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, arranged this interview with Chris, and here we wrap up with the addiction of Social Media and the best way to handle it.
While you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.
Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!
6
Jul
2009
Radio New Zealand: “It’s All Geek to Me” (Part II)
With special thanks to Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, for making this interview happen, here is Part Two of my morning at Radio New Zealand and Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. On the “National Public Radio” for the Land of the Long White Cloud, Chris and I focus a bit on Twitter and Facebook and we discuss when “so much information” is “too much information.”
While you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.
Part Three (and maybe some pre-interview banter) will becoming shortly. Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!
3
Jul
2009
Radio New Zealand: “It’s All Geek to Me” (Part I)
Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, introduced me to Radio New Zealand who, in turn, introduced me to Chris Laidlaw of Sunday Morning. RNZ is the “National Public Radio” for the Land of the Long White Cloud, and Chris opened his mics up for me to talk about being geek, the impact of podcasting, and a few things concerning Twitter.
This was a fun interview; and while you can find the audio here, Imagine That! presents (with gracious permission from RNZ) an exclusive video of our morning in Wellington, NZ.
Part Two (and maybe some pre-interview banter) will becoming shortly. Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, on Twitter, or here at Imagine That!
14
May
2009
5
Apr
2009
ANTI-Social Media: Part Three — Socially-Challenged Networking
Welcome to Part Three of my video miniseries, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0. This segment is the longest one yet (close around the 20-minute mark!) as I talk about two social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter. I also give some playful shout-outs to Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, and Jeff Pulver. For those of you who are subscribed to the high-resolution downloads, the video is going to be a good chunk of data (the joys of video podcasting) but worth the time and space!
Filmed at the Merrill-Lynch Conference Center in Washington, DC and hosted by the Washington Network Group, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0 are case studies on Social Media when initiatives fall short. It is clear from the demand for Social Media in the professional sector and the popularity of Facebook and Twitter that companies and organizations are anxious to tap into this potential and promising outlet. Unfortunately there are many failures that cast doubt on whether or not these initiatives truly work.
The problem isn’t the media, but how it is handled.
I put myself under the microscope in Part Three as I talk about the blurring lines between the professional life and the personal one. From Facebook, I move to Twitter where I make a connection between new school Twitter tech, old school marketing, and high school hijinx.
Feel free to share this video, and provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
22
Feb
2009
In Your Right Mind — Episode #3: Making an Impact with Avatars
What does your profile picture on your blogs, on Facebook, or elsewhere on the web, say about you? In this episode of In Your Right Mind, we look at avatars, the images associated with your online presence. While some businesses tend to lean toward their logo as an avatar, you can allow yourself a personal touch while still staying professional…
Avatar for Imagine That! on Twitter
Or make a statement as Imagine That! did concerning the Internet Blackout for New Zealand:
Here were other creative statements made during Blackout:
top row (l to r): author and podcaster P.G. Holyfield,
podcaster Brandon Hill, web designer Rita Lewis
bottom row (l to r): David Van Sunder of Flying Squirrel Media,
open avatar as used by Leo LaPorte, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen Fry,
attorney and podcaster Kevin Crosby
So while images can speak a thousand words, avatars can go even further online. So what would you want you avatar to say?
Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
18
Feb
2009
Talking the Talk in Washington D.C.
photo by Kreg Steppe
Are you in the Washington D.C. area, within driving distance of the Nation’s capital, or happen to be in my stomping grounds next week? If you are, you have two chances to catch me speaking on Social Media. The Washington Network Group and The Washington DC Write to Publish Group have invited me to come in and speak, and I am thrilled to present:
ANTI-Social Media: What Not to Do in Web 2.0
Thursday, February 26
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
hosted by
The Washington Network Group
Merrill Lynch Conference Center, 6th Floor
1152 Fifteenth Street, NW
Ξ
Social Media for Writers: Making Web 2.0 Your Marketing Machine
Saturday, February 28
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
hosted by
The Washington DC Write to Publish Group
Arlington Central Library
1015 N. Quincy St., 2nd Floor Meeting Room
Arlington, VA
If you are in the area, I hope you can make it for the discussions. Feel free to pass along the appearance links on your own feeds, and I hope to talk to you then!
16
Feb
2009
This Is Just Part of What I Do…
If you follow me on either of my Twitter accounts, you might have noticed that my updates averaging 50 – 100 a day tapered off for a while…
Well, okay, they dropped off rather suddenly. Two weeks ago, as a matter of fact.
If you missed at TeeMorris.com my interview on Conversations with Coach Ian Scott, I can sum it up as “the last week of January.” A series of events that week suggested I step away from Twitter for a spell. I needed some downtime, some time online where there was no signal as well as no noise. What was odd about this “Twitter Moratorium” was I remained plugged in to Facebook. I took some time to get to know the networking platform a bit better. (Sadly, this was before Facebook came out with their somewhat broad Terms of Service update. Not sure if there is a blogpost from me in there, but I am now looking at them with a cautious eye.) During my break from the community, I was still working on expending my network by attending Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast here in Washington D.C. Even with keeping my toe dipped in the Social Media pool, this Twitter hiatus I found liberating. I found it educational. I also found it a bit ironic.
Why “ironic” you ask? The other reason I took a break from Twitter was because I had just closed negotiations with Que Publishing to write All a Twitter. Yes, my next book will be out this summer and it will cover something I am truly passionate over: Twitter. I guess my 28,000 updates on TeeMonster are finally going to amount to something.
Oh, you didn’t misread me — the book will be out this summer. As in June. As in to make sure we have time and ability to polish and edit the manuscript, I have roughly two months to write this book. Two months. Why the rush? Let’s just say, much like with Twitter itself, it’s a personal issue and an accomplishment I would love to achieve.
Back to that “Cone of Silence” I took a brief getaway in…
So I stepped back from Twitter to ask myself if I could seriously do this. A solid resource for both the experienced and novice user, in two months time. Was something like that possible? Could I have that much to say about Twitter? I figured I would find out soon enough as I took a seat in my studio, installed Que’s Word template, and started Chapter One.
In two weeks I produced over 20,000 words and over thirty screen captures, all based around Twitter. Today I turned in 25% of the manuscript to the publisher.
I think I’m off to a good start.
So what this means is that my MOREVI projects, both the podcast of Legacy of MOREVI and the writing of Exodus from MOREVI, have been put on hold until All a Twitter and another creative project (that I had begun developing only a few weeks before this request from Que) have been completed. I will still be on Twitter, taking notes on what’s happening around me as I forge ahead. I will also blog progress reports on All a Twitter, post forthcoming episodes of In Your Right Mind, and continue commentaries on creative solutions and ideas for the workplace. There will also be video and audio clips from speaking events that are starting to come in, and news on a future talk I will be giving in New Zealand. You can expect all that here.
You can also expect me to be ready to celebrate, come Balticon 43, the pending release of what will be the all-in-one-and-all-around-go-to-guide for Twitter.
This is going to be a fun ride, everybody. Strap in and hold on to something.
9
Feb
2009
Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast: A Review
Jeff Pulver & Tee Morris at the Social Media Breakfast
Washington, D.C.
I have been called a “master of self-promotion” and sometimes been accused of being a “shameless promoter” but I look at what I do as just meeting people and having a good time doing so. Networking is something that, believe it or not, makes me nervous. When I am invited to networking opportunities, I always cringe. (Yes, it’s that same cringe when I’m called a “podcasting pioneer” which I am…but I cringe, nonetheless.) I do not necessarily want to be perceived as someone who has something to sell all the time, nor do I want to be pitched on things that I have no interest in whatsoever. Still, I love connecting with people and I love chatting with folks who are as passionate about subjects I’m passionate about. So when I RSVP-ed on Facebook to Jeff Pulver that I was going to attend his Social Media Breakfast at USTelecom in Washington D.C., I was as nervous as I was excited. Once again, I was connecting with Social Media enthusiasts as I did at Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Jungle in Las Vegas; but I was also heading into what I knew was going to be a networking event.
Now if you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver, you should check out his website where his schedule of appearances, his commentary on Social Media, and his photography are all featured. When it comes to Social Media, he is one of the pioneers and continues to spread the word about it through talks and sponsored events like the Social Media Breakfasts. If you are not familiar with Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfasts, I recommend you check out his orientation on Facebook where he explains to you exactly what they are all about. The breakfast starts with a few words from the sponsor (in this case, USTelecom who took great care of us!) and Jeff himself, where he introduces his Social Media Toolkit:
- A ball point pen
- Two blank name tags
- A sheet of smaller labels.
On one label, you write your name and a personal tagline, something that sums you up quickly and memorably. (I was particularly pleased with August Jackson’s tagline: I can haz Social Media.) The other label remains blank, but not for long as the breakfast attendees “tag” you with the smaller labels, creating a “real time-real world” tag cloud. The exercise is not only revealing in how you are perceived by others but a brilliant demonstration in how tag clouds work online.
It is also a wonderful icebreaker.
The Breakfast’s atmosphere, particularly with those who are playing along with the tagging, is extremely disarming. I never felt, at any point, with guards up or anxiety that I was coming across as overly aggressive. (Alright, maybe my networking tactics with Shireen Mitchell as captured in my Flickr account could be argued as “aggressive” but that is open to interpretation…) Those attending the breakfast had no agenda outside of connecting and communicating with others embracing Social Media; and while you might think that would be a given considering this was a Social Media Breakfast, I have attended other “social” events that were actually networking opportunities. Those best forgotten events made me want to shower under high-pressure nozzles afterward. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast was a great mixer, and never was the social aspect of it missing. I not only made connections, but I had a great time.
If Jeff is bringing this to a town near you, attend. Whether you are an active participant in Social Media, someone interested in implementing Social Media, or simply wanting to connect with others working with Social Media, this is unlike any networking opportunity you might attend. For that morning, I joined others unified under banners of blogging, podcasting, Twitter, and Facebook, making the Breakfast less networking and more of a homecoming. I felt very welcomed and met some really incredible people. Jeff Pulver’s Social Media Breakfast also reminded me exactly why I enjoy Social Media so very much.
Jeff will be returning to Washington D.C. in April with his Social Media Jungle. After this terrific event on a very cold February morning, I look forward to warmer weather and even more promising opportunities coming in April.
6
Jan
2009
In Your Right Mind: Episode #1
As you read this posting or listen to this podcast, I will be on a plane heading west. Las Vegas, baby! I’ll be attending the Social Media Jungle, hosted by Jeff Pulver at the CES 2009 Expo. If you didn’t know about this event, you can still join us. If you are planning to be there, I would love to meet you! Don’t be shy.
And if you use the phrase…
“You’re Tee Morris? I’m all a Twitter.”
…on meeting me in Vegas, I’ll have a “special” moo card for you. I only have a few, so make sure you remember the special greeting.
Since I am heading out to Sin City to brave the Social Media Jungle, I thought building social communities would be a good topic for this episode. We take a look at the real costs of a Social Media initiative to your business. It’s not money. It’s not even resources of your workplace, or even your computer.
The cost is time.
Feel free to provide feedback or topics you’d like to hear discussed on In Your Right Mind at 703.791.1701, tmorris (at) imaginethatstudios (dot) com, or here at Imagine That!
2010: The Year Social Media Grows Up
In this posting, I intend to do both. While I never intended to use this blog to wax nostalgic or gaze into a crystal ball and pass along my visions of the future, a tweet did make me stop, think, and write this post.
There is a touch of irony in what seems to be a very passionate cry amongst a deluge of noise on Twitter when you consider:
To coin the iconic, one-word observation from Star Trek: “Fascinating.”
My prediction for Social Media in 2010 is it will struggle against acne, cringe at the sound of its own changing voice, and start to notice the opposite sex. Yes, Social Media will grow up; and its deeply entrenched Snake Oil Sales Staff will be forced to re-evaluate their place in it.
What started as a whisper at the beginning of the year has now becoming quite the trend. Here’s a cross-section of observations my Google-search “Social Media Snake Oil Salesmen” revealed: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2010, All a Twitter, Blogging, business, Chris Brogan, corporate image, creative thinking, Facebook, Jeff Pulver, LinkedIn, networking, New Zealand, public speaking, Robert Scoble, seminar, Social Media, Social Media Jungle, Social Networking, strategy, TechCrunch, Twitter, Washington D.C., Washington Network Group, writing, YouTube
Posted in Blogging, Commentary, Social Media | 2 Comments »