The idea is simple enough, collect a team of filmmakers and actors to make a short film of 7 minutes or less in 48 hours.

At the kickoff you are given a prop, a line of dialog and a character that have to be in your film.  Add that to a randomly selected genre, and you are off and running.

Our short film, which screens tonight at the Fleur Cinema in Des Moines, is entitled “Coin Daddy.”  I hear there are several “audience choice” awards, so feel free to vote for Coin Daddy whenever there might be an opportunity to vote for coin daddy.

I heard on the radio today that one team flew in from Los Angeles to participate.  Now, that may be going too far, especially since those filmmakers were professional filmmakers.  But then again, I’m a member of SAG so…  I dunno.

Anyway, to find out more about the 48 Hour Film Project, click the banner below.  And remember, ,vote for Coin Daddy!  (A link to the movie will be posted whenever we are allowed.)

1.

Types of Blog Posts (via Franklin Bishop at http://franklinbishop.net/5-types-of-blog-posts-for-more-traffic/)

Controversial Posts

This is actually one of my favorite kind of posts and it will sure bring you loads of traffic. There are many different ways to be controversial when writing an article. Having a strong opinion on something is okay even if people do not agree with you. That is basically the point. When you get on topics such as is it professional or not to disclose your online earnings, tell people whether a link is an affiliate link or not, whether it’s okay to photoshop your feeds subscriber count, etc. you’re tapping into controversial topics.

2. Death by Blog Post

The posting of a particularly controversial blog post within the owner’s niche, intended to finally “kill” a blog the owner has either lost interest in, or they believe is not receiving the recognition it deserves.  The decisively controversial blog post is designed to create conflict, make everybody upset, and comfort the blog owner by assuring them they are not 100% responsible for closing their blog. ie: “It’s what everybody wants.”

Akin to “death by cop.”

In no particular order, I am proud of…

IMPOROMPTU STUDIO
www.impromptustudio.com

When I first met Daniel he was just a guy working at the Great Ape Trust making a vending machine for a gorilla.  Next thing I know he is pioneering co-working in Des Moines.  While I haven’t had the opportunity to actually work for any length of time at Impromptu, I want to. The place oozes creativity and energy.

TWEETUP BADGES
www.tweetupbadges.com

When Chris Pirillo came to town, Rich made little badges for those in attendnace with their twitter handle.  This idea grew and became a sub-business of his “day job.”  This is the kind of innovation and keying in on trends that really make me proud to be part of the Des Moines tech community.

SMARTY PIG
www.smartypig.com

Ok, so they outsourced their web site to HappyCog, but they are still an Iowa company. Shortly after launching, their site design was hijacked and the DM community rose to the challenge and helped bring awareness to the infringement, and helped push down the search engine rankings for TrustyPig – the infringer.

BITMETHOD
www.bitmethod.com

Ok, so we’re back to Daniel Shipton again.  Diving this time into app development with Igor Dobrosavljevic and Neil Roberts, BitMethod has released several apps and have several “in the labs.”  They already look top-notch with their products and their site, with a little more staff and time, they could really be an app powerhouse in the area.

ROB JENSEN
twitter.com/jensenrf

I throw Rob into the mix because he has been instrumental in trying to organize big events in the area.  He and Aaron Webb (and others) helped organize one of the first barcamps a few years ago, tried to bring a podcamp here (or did we actually have one?) and understands the value of collaboration with unconferences.

LAVA ROW
www.lavarow.com

Ok, so I give Lava Row a lot of indirect flack.  Mainly because I know founder Nathan T Wright can handle it.  We Ames people have to stick together. When I was hearing about firms out East such as Crayon, there was Nathan starting something similar here in Des Moines.  That deserves a lot of credit.

So there are just a few of my top “nods” to Des Moines companies and people making the tech scene what it is.  If yo aren’t listed, it’s not that I don’t like you or think you are important, its just I had to start with a “top list” and after thinking about it, these bubbled up to the surface.

The great thing about Des Moines tech companies is the variety of services they offer, and the different ways they implement their customer’s needs.

This city has a lot of promise, I hope we can keep moving it forward.

The article I am referring to is this one, announcing the arrival of a new social media firm: One Social Media. With this addition, Des Moines has almost as many social media firms/consultants as the birthplace of social media: Boston.

Whereas Boston has CC Chapman, Chris Brogan, Chris Penn and others, Des Moines now has Lava Row, One Social Media and Catchfire Media – and others.  A lot of others.

What is it about Des Moines that is a breeding ground for so-called Social Media Experts? Is it the corn?  Can the city support three social media firms, and countless wannabes who think they have all the answers?

I don’t think so.   Something has to give.

But more importantly, I want you to look closely at the comparison above.  Notice the names from Boston, then notice the names from Des Moines.  See anything… different?

I do.

CC Chapman, Chris Brogan, Chris Penn.   Bam Bam Bam.  Three powerful names.  If you had those names on a conference (which I was lucky enough to meet all three at Podcamp Boston 2) you would have a great event.  Period.  CC Chapman is presenting at Blogworld this year, I wouldn’t doubt Chris Brogan makes an appearance as well.  Chris Penn is one of the co-founders of Podcamp (along with Chris Brogan.)  There must be something in the water, besides tea, that makes Boston the hub of social media.

Then there’s Des Moines.  With one social media expert per 1,000 population, it remains… stagnant.  Full of inbreeding, and mutual pats on the back, its social media leaders stay close to home, giving lectures to college business classes, attending or throwing tweetups (drink-ups) / and meetups on a local scale.

Boston – takes their leadership in social media to a global scale with big conferences, keynotes around the world, writing books and being leaders in the industry.

Des Moines… you get the drill.

But why is this?  Why can’t Des Moines with its 3 (at least) social media firms, step up into world-wide recognition and first-class status?  The answer is hidden above, but I’ll recap it below in a nice form that can be quoted.

Answer:

The Des Moines social media scene is concerned more with being local leaders than global.  They fight with/over each other to be the definitive “expert” while simultaneously patting each other on the back to make themselves feel good.  They throw tweetups for the sole purpose of getting wasted (no real networking happens there anymore) and care little about what is really going on in the world around them.

The Boston social media scene thinks globally.  They write books.  They give keynotes around the world.  They go to conferences like SXSW to actually network and not to party.  They aren’t trying to one-up each other, they are just trying to move themselves and their businesses forward.  If anything else, they are collaborative and supportive of each other.  Plus they extend that collaboration to others through their blogs, talks, and books.

Maybe that’s the biggest difference.  The Bostonians give back to the social media community, not really looking for their own accolades.  While Des Moines experts seem bent on making a name for themselves any way they can.

And they are.  I just don’t think it’s the names they want.

What do you think?  How can Des Moines hold so many social media “experts” like Boston, but not be known as a hub for social media like Boston is?  Is there a Chris Brogan type “expert” in Des Moines ready to break out and actually be a leader?  Thoughts?

(sung to the tune of “Bad Horse” from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog)

Gu-Ru
Gu-Ru
Gu-Ru
Gu-Ru

He surfs across our web sites
He posts a comment thread
And if you disagree with him
You’ll wind up dead.

He tweets and tweets on Twitter,
He’s on that Facebook too.
No real skills, no real job,
He just sits and retweets Bob.

Gu-Ru
Gu-Ru
Gu-Ru
Gu-Ru

The social media gu-ru
He knows what people say
But ask him for a favor,
and you will be dismayed.

So make the guru gleeful
Or he’ll defriend you too…
So please remember followers,
I am watching you!
It’s “buy my eBook!”
Signed Gu-ru.

Amid complaints from many iPhone users who purchased the latest-and-greatest phone, only to have poor signal strength and more dropped calls – word has come down from the mount (Steve Jobs) who has released the following statement:

Basically, you are holding it wrong.

Jobs is quoted as telling a user on MacRumors it is a “Non issue. Just avoid holding it in that way.”

Huh Wha?  Steve Steve Steve, if only it were THAT easy.  The other solution?  Buy a rubber iPhone bumper or other case.  So, in order to use the new iPhone reliably, I have to buy a new case? (I have one anyway for the old iPhone, but still.)

If the way you hold the thing, by its sides, makes it malfunction, then I would say that is a problem… and Im glad I didnt leap on the new iPhone from the starting gate.

Front Row (L-R):

• Ian Siegel – Chief Product Officer at MyLife.com
• Jim Moloshok – Executive Chairman at GoFish
• Greg ? – Manager, Creative Services at Vantage Media

2nd Row:

• Barbara Bagwell
• Kelly Goto – Principal, founder at gotomedia, inc
• ?
• Bob Martinez-Diamond

Third Row:

• Don Lipper – Content Director at GlobWorld
• Rikk Galvan – Principal at ShareYourself Media, Principal at BIG Games
• Anna Smith
• Anne Hart – Theatrical Legal Affairs -  20th Century Fox
• ?
• Joy Marrs – Senior Director, E-Commerce at Kor Hotel Group

Fourth Row:

• Matt Angorn – VP Creative, American Greetings Interactive
• Julian Forniss – Owner, Studio 43 1/2
• Brad Scherick – Executive Director, KorAge.Us Inc.
• Robert Gonzalez – President Artaste Inc., former VP, Production Operations Disney Online
• Julie Noiman – Chief Operating Officer at createthe group
• Troy Rutter – Senior Developer at Captain Jack Communications, LLC
• Sam Smith – Director Technology, Walt Disney Internet Group
• Tony Masciola
• Rod Su
• Steven Pena – Owner, Steven J. Pena, A Professional Corporation

Fifth Row:

• David Dotson
• Julie Crane(?)
• Suzanne Abramson – SVP, Operations at Schematic
• Jeremy Berg – Executive Producer, Firstborn Multimedia

Back Row:

• Brian Coleman – Director of Mechanical Design at eSolar, Inc.
• Dave Urban
• Tony Rogers – Manager of Data Center Systems at Digital Insight
• Jim Banister – CEO Spectrum, DNA

If you know any of the missing people, or any of the missing info, please let me know.  Thanks! It’s fun to see where everybody is.

Troy

In the beginning, people earned the equipment and money they used in game fairly.  Killing monsters, going on raids, etc.  Then all of a sudden virtual items appeared on eBay.  Bam!  The makers of Everquest came down hard on people who sold virtual goods for real money.  Networks sprung up around the world and “farming” became commonplace.  You could go onto one of these sites and pay $20 real money for 100 platinum (money) or $5 for a robe of quickening, etc.

But better yet, an entire character, say a level 57 necro dark elf for hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

We are entering that era for Twitter accounts very soon.

Who can forget Drew Carey offering Drew Olanoff $25,000 for @drew?  That is just the beginning.

As more and more companies are still thinking “i better jump on the Twitter bandwagon” they find their company names taken, maybe unused, or sometimes even heavily used – it doesn’t matter.  What are you to do if you own the business “harisson sports” and @harrisonsports is taken?

Buy it.

Make no mistake about it, Twitter squatters are here, registering every singly twitter name they can think of, hoping companies will buy them out (instead of merely suing them).  So what do you do if you just HAVE to have that @ name of your choice?

#1: Follow the account of @name you want to purchase.
The user will usually receive an email letting them know you have followed them.  If they follow you back, you will then be able to direct message them.

#2: Make them an offer
Most Twitter accounts can probably be purchased for under $1,000, so start low.

#3: Make arrangements to purchase the domain
I would recommend you ask the seller to put the auction on eBay for the amount agreed upon with a buy-it-now price of the agreed upon price.  That way you will be covered by all of the eBay seller/buyer policies.

#4: Complete the sale
You give them the money via PayPal or other, and then you should get the username and password.   If something goes sour, follow through with a complaint on eBay. (see why I recommended that avenue?)

Selling a Twitter account us going to be more and more common as we enter in the next phase of Twitter users.  Expect “power users” to create and grow Twitter profiles with thousands and thousands of followers only to sell it to the highest bidder, or on a “per-follower” basis to an advertiser.   As selling your twitter account becomes more commonplace, people will begin to be more careful about the people they choose to follow.

Think of MySpace and Facebook.

Remember when the buzz was getting thousands of followers on MySpace?  People had “adder programs” that would go through and automatically ask to be friends with each other.   Then, the account would be sold to an advertiser, or they might use it themselves to market products and services to you.

People got tired of this, and Facebook began.  People were more careful about whom they selecting as friends.

Twitter – you are next.

How close do YOU think we are for selling of Twitter accounts to be commonplace?   Are we there already?

Lindsay Lohan Moment for 04/23/2010

You can purchase the theme via ClickBank here.