PB&J Publishing asks for your help in finding “Hansel and Gretel” in this fresh update of a family favorite.

DINO is very lucky to be working with these studios who both have such an appreciation for high quality and attention to detail. Both of these fun, deeply interative children’s books will be released for iPad soon. Keep an eye here for more!

Photo Credit: Flickr User nakagawa

So in advance of the Book^2 unconference, and in the spirit of open participation that defines this format, I thought I’d jot down a few notes and approaches if for no other reason than to prepare myself for the weekend.

The Three Words

Usually, unconferences begin with an opening session where organizers set the framework for the day, thank sponsors, point out restrooms, etc. Very quickly, attention returns to the audience (i.e. you) before we sort the day’s agenda of sessions (more on that in a bit).

A very common ice-breaker is for everyone (yes EVERYONE) in the room to stand up, one at a time, and say, in three words, a little about themselves. Mine might be “Quality Creative Technology” or “iPad Book Maker” or “Breakfast Taco Enthusiast”– you get the idea. Inevitably, some people will be clever or even jokey with their words (let’s face it, 30 minutes of people reciting bland business card titles would not be a great start to the event).

The point is for you to listen to the other participant’s words as a way to identify individuals you may want to connect with during the day. Three words limits introductions to a managable time.

In practice, because people going to unconferences tend to have a variety of interests and even job descriptions, they are often too wrapped up in trying to decide on which three words they want to wear that day and don’t really pay close attention to other people. Ergo – People talk, but they don’t listen.

My tips:

• Decide on and write down your three words ahead of time (at home, even, where you can think about it) in big bold letters on an index card
• When it’s your turn – stand up, face as many people as you can (i.e. you may be in the middle of a row so people will be on all sides of you), and speak loudly (if you turn heads with your volume, you did it right)
• LISTEN to other people’s words and try to identify 2-3 people you will walk over to and introduce yourself to IMMEDIATELY after the 3 words session. (Bonus hint: These 2-3 people may be interested in organizing a session with you).

(I don’t know if Book^2 will use Three Words — it’s a pretty common one, but assume you’ll need a pithy intro of some kind)

“A Conference with No Content?”

When you pay thousands of dollars to attend the typical industry conference, you expect a lot in the ideal case – hundreds or thousands of attendees, side field trips, rigid schedules w/ (mostly) deeply vetted (and well compensated) experts offering advice or ideas that reinvigorate your work — heck, maybe a fancy dinner w/ celebrity keynotes.

While this is also arguably the case for “normal” conferences, I cannot stress enough that you will get out of an unconference no more than what you put into it. Your ROI of participation pays back many times over in the value you derive from the experience.

Be present. Be proactive. Be ready to talk. Ask questions.

There will come a time during the event where you will have the opportunity to propose a session on the agenda. I highly recommend making a suggestion for something that you are genuinely interested in LEARNING about and not PREACHING about. Find like minds around you and band together to talk.

For what it’s worth, at Book^2, DINO is likely going to propose a panel discussion with ourselves and 2 other smaller, indie publishers in the iPad/tablet storybook space. We intend it to be an opportunity for us to share some newly-earned wisdom as smaller, scrappy studios facing the challenges of trying to develop premium content on limited budgets.

Here’s a great resource that has more tips about preparing sessions: Scott Berkun: How to Run A Great Unconference Session

Avoid Energy Vacuums

It’s my observation that unconferences attract smart, motivated people with really interesting things to say. Here’s something that nobody ever mentions outloud, but I wish they would:

It is quite likely that you are the expert at something. The people around you are are also experts at things, and dare I say, collectively smarter than you on most things. Nothing ruins an unconference session faster than a blowhard who insists on dominating conversations. Make no assumptions about the skill levels or interests of your audience or you will be wrong.

And when you DO end up in a room with an Expert who is insisting on proving how much he or she knows, you are both empowered and requrired to “vote with your feet.” (i.e. walk out and go find another session that better allows you to participate).

Like most conference-like events, sometimes the better content happens in the hallway conversation, anyway.

Putting Sales, Business and Marketing in Perspective

Make no mistake: an unconference can be a fertile place to generate very qualified prospects for your business. DINO is going to Book^2 with an intent of meeting potential clients, no doubt.

However, unconferences are a terrible place to sell your goods or services if that’s your only motivation. You’d be better off just sponsoring the event or spending your time at a more appropriate venue like a tradeshow floor.

If you have a product or service you are trying to promote, you’ll have far more success if you lean towards transparency, conversation, and participation rather than blatant pitching. For example, while it’s a good idea to open your session with a brief description (30s or less) of your background and why you were interested in leading a particular discussion, it’s really bad form to then spend 20 minutes showing product demos and sales slides. A better approach might be to lead a session that shares best practices as you were developing your product.

I think, unlike a lot of networking events and tradeshows, you’ll get further if you come from an extremely genuine place. Have conversations with people with the idea that you are looking for relationships and not clients and you’re on your way. SHARE OPENLY. Now’s the time to be extra generous with your knowledge… it will pay itself back, I promise.

Having Conversations

This post isn’t meant to be a treatise on how to do effective networking. I will say that all those lessons (ex. listen more than you talk, establish rapport, don’t be selling – be forming relationships) apply. The tenor of the event will be one of openness, optimism, and inclusion. Use whatever personal style works for you, obviously, but I think the casual nature of an unconference tends to reward gregarious conversationalists rather than aloof experts & rock stars.

Bring a stack of business cards and prepare to ask and answer, “What is the coolest project you are working on right now?” rather than the closed-ended “what do you do?” (Bonus hint: I like “what brings you here today?”).

Other Useful Guides

• Freelance Folder Guide
• PubMediaCamp Guide
• Crowdvine Guide

Aaron and I are SO looking forward to meeting you. Our pictures are on our About Page. Please do come say “hi” to us.

Photo Credit: Flickr User Princess Anrchist

The Aluminum Remote may be among the cheapest Apple products currently for sale, but there is an unexpected and truly surprising amount of attention that has gone into its design. I dismissed it at first as simply another cosmetic redesign with the goal of bringing it up to date with the black-and-aluminum scheme of nearly all the rest of Apple’s lineup. However, this was not just a mere cosmetic change – the ergonomics of this little device are something to marvel at.

First off is the obvious feel of the remote when I first picked it up. There’s heft there that I wasn’t expecting after being used to the older white Apple remote for so long. The aluminum remote feels good in my hand. It has the weight, and it has a size that, even in my larger-than-average hands, allows me to position it comfortably. The remote fills my grasp unlike the previous plastic one. It is long enough to give all my fingers purchase on its form and has lost the “toy” feeling of its predecessor.

But it is not just the heft and size of this device that has improved. The usability is nothing short of amazing. I simply do not need to look at this remote to use every feature it provides. The donut navigation ring is large and raised above the surface significantly and surrounds an action button which is subtly concave which gives my thumb a perfect home resting spot. I can feel very clearly when I move over the directional ring and with the divot as a reference point in the middle, I never accidentally click in a direction I didn’t intend. Having the action button located under the resting location of my thumb makes it easy to select items on-screen without having to look down to confirm I’m using the correct button. This concept extends to the additional buttons included on the remote as well. Both positioned within easy reach of the directional ring, Apple has done a phenomenal job of designing the buttons so that my fingers alone, without help from my eyes, can find them. The menu button is concave similar to the action button and running my thumb over it, there is no mistaking its location. The play/pause button (which functions identically to the action button on most Apple products with the current software) is flush with the surface of the remote, but there is left a subtle ridge at the edge of this button which becomes obvious when I brush my thumb across it. I know where all the controls of this remote are without a look, without a thought. It is control that melts into the background and becomes an extension of me.

Photo Credit: Flickr User Stuart Bryant

Even the battery door, positioned directly on the bottom of the remote is well designed. It is easy to open, cannot go in wrong, and is easy to handle. Since the entire remote tapers to the long edges, the bottom is curved. When closed, the battery door is flush with the body of the remote, but when turned 90 degrees to open, it’s bevel is out of alignment and the cover becomes easy to grasp between my thumb and forefinger and is not at all difficult to handle or to replace. It may sound a simple thing, but having replaces batteries in small objects like this for many family members and friends who have limited manual dexterity (or eyesight!) this is one of the most elegant features of the new Aluminum Remote. Overall, this was a surprising device for me to find so many small things that were just an utter joy to use and to feel and to notice. This is the kind of attention that should be paid to all our product designs across industries. I may have dismissed this little design marvel when I first saw it, but it has found itself among my favorite objects I encounter every day.

UPDATE: From Apple’s developer agreement: 2.5 You may not use the In App Purchase API to deliver any items that contain content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, sounds, etc.) that in Apple’s reasonable judgment may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory.So, it seems the iOS world will be that clean parody of the real world after all.

The PBS Digital Learning Library (DLL) applicationThe DLL contains hundreds of videos, images, lesson plans, documents, audio clips, interactives and more on a mammoth range of subjects. The iPad client allows teachers to search and present these items in the classroom and to display previously-created playlists in a variety of methods. While this app was created as a proof-of-concept application, most features were fully implemented in only a five-week development cycle.

ABCs and Animals is a universal iPhone/iPad application providing interactive alphabet learning flashcards. The player taps on various portions of each flashcard to cause animals to move, objects to make sounds, and even stars to appear and disappear. Targeted at young children, ABCs and Animals is an excellent companion to traditional materials for learning the alphabet.

The RDL Insider app was distributed internally within the RDL organization using Apple’s corporate provisioning system.