No, this post is about the Athens, GA based band Venice Is Sinking. I’ll clarify below.

Yesterday morning a coworker was doing his normal morning rounds: going to get his tea, smiling and waving. All very neighborly, cheerful stuff for a coworker to do. I like the guy.

Well, I liked him a whole lot more yesterday when he strode into my office and presented me with a gift: a shrink-wrapped CD, “Sorry About The Flowers” by – you guessed it – Venice Is Sinking.

I could use adjectives like “orchestral” or “lush” or “pastoral” or “atmospheric” to describe the band and their music but what does that tell you, really?

I’m no music critic, but all the songs seem handcrafted.

Not overdone.
Not twee (in style or harmony).
Not stark either.

Simple, yes, but equally complex and satisfying.

I’d make some hipster band comparisons but that would be as thin a veil as the adjectives above. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy male-female duets/harmonies, a dash of strings, the jangle of acoustic guitars and an easy, plaintive sway you’ll be dancing in the right sweater, beard and glasses tonight.

Which reminds me, *this* is genius:

I think it's pretty clear from the chart that Venice Is Sinking should earn a few spots on your iPod.

Enough of the tomfoolery. Give Venice Is Sinking a listen.

They were nice enough to follow me on Twitter (and #FollowFriday me too).
They make some nice tunes.
They’ve got a new CD, AZAR, out now.

Enjoy them and your weekend!

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Needing to go outside to run and play.
Wanting to start something new but not knowing what to start or where to start it.
Wishing the stars would just align and get the ascension of damnation over with already, thank you very much.

The push has arrived, mid-back and with an overabundance of force, in the form of Hugh MacLeod’s new book, Ignore Everybody. His crazy deranged fools mailing list and twitter feed are culprits as well.

I’d charge them with assault if I didn’t like the jolt it gave me, popping me right back into the reality of following my creative urge. [Particularly pertinent cartoon to this effect today.]

Last Summer I wrote flash fiction in the form of Ficlet Friday. [Archives]
Last November I crossed the finish line of NaNoWriMo 2008.
Last year is over and this year is half done and what have I done?

So, thanks to Hugh and the always helpful/supportive/creative Will Hindmarch, I’m getting back on the writing train.

Finding an easy outlet (for me) to let my creative juices pool in places online.
Taking care of myself by doing instead of putting off until later (which never comes) when I’m “ready” or I have the “right” tools.
Lowering the barrier to my entry into the things that give me joy and vibrancy and meaning.

For the remainder of the Summer, Ficlet Friday is becoming Ficly Friday (due to the closing of the former/replacement of the latter).

I’m also going to start doing some random 140-characters-or-less poetry on Twitter using the hashtag #poetweet. I think this is practical, clever and productive.

Feel free to join me in either endeavor, if you’d like. We had a ton of fun last year doing flash fiction on Fridays and poetry on Twitter is (theoretically) easy. It makes a great canvas for haiku (nudge/wink).

Anyhow, I think this will be good for me. After a hiatus (too long for me) I’m ready to get back on the horse and start being creative again. Stop taking my inner voice for granted.

Cheers and thanks to both Hugh & Will!

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1. I’m in a different group since the show has ended
2. People don’t often talk about being fans of cancelled series, even if you work in TV. ;-)

During a meeting with some very fine folks about a week and a half ago the subject of fandom was heartily discussed and I admitted my show-crush on Gilmore Girls to the assembled group.

As a matter of fact, it was more involved than that. The actual topic at hand was how television networks promote digital initiatives and I actually used the phrase “Rory Gilmore Sex Boat“.

In a meeting room.
With my boss present.
And several other VPs.

Hold your applause.

Anyhow, talking about the show in that way has made me nostalgic (if that’s possible for a show that hasn’t been gone long) for the fast-paced, witty banter and esoteric pulp culture references of Gilmore Girls. Eager to get a fix I quickly found out that actress Keiko Agena (Rory’s friend and punk drummer Lane Kim) is on Twitter.

Big surprise there, since Twitter seems to be the de facto home for any and all celebrities these days – big or small.

Keiko isn’t much of a microblogger, but I still feel more connected to some of the quirkier, music-oriented bits of the show for following her.

Bonus points: Gilmore Girls characters on Twitter (run by fans who won’t let the story end): (via Gilmore Girls News/@Gilmore_Fan)

http://twitter.com/starshollowkirk

http://twitter.com/RoryGilmore
http://twitter.com/LukeDanes
http://twitter.com/LorelaiG
http://twitter.com/JessMariano
http://twitter.com/SandwichGil
http://twitter.com/LaneLovesZach
http://twitter.com/Gypsyfixescars
http://twitter.com/Sookie_Chef
http://twitter.com/LoganHuntz

Not all of the accounts are very active at all, but the prospect of even just a little of that old Stars Hollow magic is enough of a spark for me.

I think my fandom for the show is actually quite passive.

I watched a similar show (in my mind) – Northern Exposure – when I was in middle/high school and I have to admit that I never watched Ed, but both of those shows had large, ensemble casts, a semi-outsider lead and quaint, small-town backdrop, so maybe it’s a formula for a “trend” fandom, but if it is, it’s not very trendy right now.

I’m just astounded that after all this time, the cancellation and oodles of web searches, I’m still number one and people still seem to notice, care and give me props.

My one hope – in this blog post and in the job setting that lead to the discussion of the Gilmore Girls – is that I treat fans the right way because, in my heart of hearts, I’m a fan too.

I miss you Stars Hollow and Gilmore Girls, but you’re only a tweet or blog post away.

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I’m not one to talk about my day job here, but I have a little bit of experience in the social media space, just don’t call me an “expert”, “maven” or “guru”. I start hearing Carly Simon when people bandie about those terms.

Other folks – Dave Armano, Buzz Marketing Daily, Remco Kroes, Dale Larson – and media outlets – AdAge, MediaPost, AdRants – have done the best job of recapping and providing thorough insight, so I’ll just ask a few questions.

1. What was the goal of this campaign? Conversion to Facebook friends? Gross number of “tweets”? YouTube video views? Publicity/Press?

My guess is the last one. I think the rest is just gravy and not the point of taking your entire brand to a “crowdsourced” model.

2. Will the redesign affect sales and should it be judged against such a “hard” metric?

I don’t think anyone bought Skittles as a result of this stunt, and that’s how I view this: a flash in the pan and not something that’s a part of social media strategy

3. What am I supposed to learn/glean/experience from the redesign?

That some folks really dig Skittles enough to blog/tweet/photograph Skittles? That Skittles has a branded YouTube channel? (Big woop! Who doesn’t? That they don’t have their own Twitter account and encourage the use of a lame web-based feedback form.

I can’t believe I’m saying this actually, but where is Skittles in this conversation? What do they want of their customers? What are their expectations?

Do they want us to buy more? Eat more? Tweet/blog more?

Where is the connection to a contest or sweeps where I get free Skittles if I take “x” action, where “x” is something social?

Where is Skittles telling us how much it loves us/hates us/is ambivalent towards us?

I’m really baffled by the long-term prospects of Skittles in the social space and I’d love for them to prove me wrong.

They’re not a Zappos or Dell or H&R Block (sorry for all the Twitter examples) or any number of companies who use social media to energize, engage, converse and grow with their customers.

This stunt by Skittles.com seems like a thought experiment taken to its illogical conclusion. It says, “we’re going to hold up a mirror to all this social stuff, but don’t look behind the curtain.”

I suppose people who like this sort of thing – and maybe even Skittles themselves – would say that it’s really the customers who were always at the heart of the brand.

I say that what would really make me involved, make me buy Skittles, eat Skittles and regularly tweet Skittles, was knowing that I was really involved in their brand and not just a sideshow act in a social media circus tent.

But what do I know? I’m blogging Skittles where before I wouldn’t have. But I’m still disappointed.

Comments welcome and encouraged. Tell me how/when/where/why I’m wrong.

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Venting:

1. I’m sick of people who won’t learn

This includes those who don’t want to “get” new technology, don’t want to admit that their industry is changing and those who mispronounce “Sudoku” while claiming not to be a “gamer”.

2. I’m sick of A/B comparisons

I don’t want to hear “cost/benefits”, “casual/fanatical”, or “over/under” for a while. Most TLAs, notably “ROI”, are on notice.

Which brings me to …

3. I’m sick of jargon

Transmedia, social media, social networking, millenials. The whole shebang.

People are people. My “job” at work is helping us reach PEOPLE using technology.

Call it what you want, but remember the fact that living, breathing sacks of meat are at steak, not some pet terminology.

My neck hurts, my tongue won’t taste, I’m still sick, still tired and I have a birthday tomorrow.

Enjoying my blog? Follow my bile on twitter!

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re: a TAXONOMY OF COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE. I will sign and send one to you and the next four who tweet/email an address.

Twenty minutes later, he had somewhat recanted:

And, to thank to the recklessly brave, I WILL send one to all who tweeted their mailing address. BUT OFFER ENDS NOW.

Hodgman then followed up the offer and the recantation/rescinding with a few other tweets about respecting privacy, defining his initial intent and being more forthcoming about how to contact him in the future.

As an avowed Hodgman fan – specifically of his previous book, The Areas of My Expertise – I jumped at the chance to get a free preview of his upcoming book – More Information Than You Require – for the low, low price of free. Well, free if you count exposing your full address to the internet as “free”.

But I do. So we’re cool.

Here’s a goofy, gushy, weird video of me “reviewing” the fact that John Hodgman addressed an envelope to me and sent me a signed, numbered copy (#138, for those scoring at home) of the aforementioned More Information Than You Require. It’s funny just how serious I am. Hold your applause.

That said, I think the excerpt is as funny and as insightful, if that’s the right descriptor, as anything Hodgman has written before. Even reading and responding to his tweets seems, he’s completely in character (himself?) as this know-it-all.

I just wanted my own little piece of internet fame ephemera and I got it.

Yay me!

Instructively, it bears mentioning that Hodgman is such a whiz at Twitter because he’s playing himself on Twitter. I mean, he’s a caricature of an expert, but that’s his shtick and he never breaks character.

If only everyone in media and entertainment got that, the internet would be a happier place. Or filled with more marketing-minded, media/internet-savvy auteurs. Either/or.

Additionally, I’ve just received my signed copy of Matthew Sweet’s lastest CD Sunshine Lies (pre-blogged here), so I’m just swimming in pop culture signatory stuff.

Happy Tuesday!

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What: Color War 2008
Who: ZeFranktw
When: All the time
Where: Twitter primarily, but pretty much anywhere on the internet
Why: Because Summer Campers shouldn’t get to have *all* the fun

This week I’m embroiled in a Scavenger Hunt using Google Maps Street View and the contest ends tonight. Wish me luck.

I found out about Color War 2008 because of someone local (I’ve forgotten whom) who tweeted it. @driveafaster car, maybe?

Anyhow, if you know of ZeFrank you realize that he really loves encouraging folks, has a great sense of humor and can rally a ton of fun supporters around his cause. Color War 2008 is just for fun and if you’re on Twitter, you really ought to be playing. I’m on Team Khaaaaaan! if you want to join up.

And since I’m sharing the love about what *I* do, here’s a link to Lori’s plea to help her win Kroger’s Reusable Shopping Bag Design competition.

Good luck, Lori! And I already voted this week for the wife of a co-worker and it looks like the Atlanta area is well-represented.

Wednesday!

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I’ve blogged this topic previously and I gotta say I’m still a little bit nervous.

This post will be at the top of the page/blog during my presentation and I’d love to show off some of the comments as indicative of the lively, active Atlanta blogosphere. Feel free to use your pulpit to curse, congratulate or just goof off.

Seriously. Anything goes.

I’ll also be demo-ing:

• Technorati
• Twitter
• Creating a Blogger/Blogspot blog
• Bloglines

Anyhow, wish me luck. I promise not to demo any local blog sites (save maybe the Metroblog) or otherwise embarrass you. You’re on your own in the comments there.

Presentation!

UPDATE: It’s over.

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I’ve been interested in Twitter since last year at about this time when Twitter was all the rage at SXSW. Not that I went, I just heard. And then Twittered. Or is it Tweeted?

Since then I’ve been using the service on-again/off-again (and never from mobile; my phone sucks) but I’ve found it more and more useful. I really have grown to enjoy this concept of micro-blogging or broadcast-IM. It’s short, clever and it really scratches an itch.

I’ve also spent some time obsessing over interoperability since I love Twitter but dislike Facebook status. I had an initial fix that became an eventual (current) fix, but I’m still struck by how much data I move around in an incredibly disaggregated manner.

And don’t even get me started on Jaiku (no invite) or Pownce (which I’ve used once). Neither has the groundswell of Twitter and they share most (if not all) functionality.

But those aren’t the only social web services (Web 2.0) communities around, just the most immediate and timely. What if I wanted to either?:

1. Publish to all my platforms
2. Consume all my social media

Well, I’d be in luck. Somewhat.

Yesterday I learned about the publishing side, Ping.fm, and the consumption side (which seems wrong since the point of the “Web 2.0″-era internet is bi-directional), FriendFeed.

Funny story: after tweeting about Ping.fm and using their contact form, I got 3 different beta codes:

1. mashable
2. pingme
3. ping2008

I’m not going to sell you on a service in Beta, but if you’re so-inclined, there you go.

I’m also interested in Twitter from a “content” (ugh) standpoint. I’d like to get my brain around all the conversation that happens there and trying to catalog mentions of the shows/brands/networks who sign my check each week.

We use Technorati to gauge blogger feedback and now I have TweetScan to do the same thing for Twitter.

But I’m still struck by the fact that despite being tied together via RSS I don’t have one workflow to manage all this information/data/conversation.

I use (and have used) multiple tools for Twitter depending on which PC I’m on and (theoretically) my mobile devices. I mainly use Bloglines for blog reading but maybe I should use FriendFeed to aggregate all that “stuff”?

I honestly don’t have a good answer but I’m as curious as Duane is about the tools folks use to make their internet lives easier. I’m also feeling just about as burnt out.

So here’s my overarching point: I really *want* to like all this new stuff and take advantage of the disaggregation as a feature and not a bug. The web is nothing if not a grouping of small pieces loosely joined, but I’m just craving some stronger glue, I guess.

Anyhow, feel free to commiserate, tear down my argument with a newer, cooler tool or suggest ways in which I can change my own behavior or fold existing technology in a better, healthier, more manageable way.

UPDATE: Jaiku invites in the comments and something called battle tweets has caught my attention.

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