The Goodness

Bye-Bye Foursquare

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:22:46 -0600

I’ve given up on Foursquare. Not that I don’t think its cool or doesn’t have potential, I just don’t use it and don’t see it fitting into my life. I am giving up on trying to be the mayor of anywhere. I used to be the mayor of 8 or so establishments and took pride in that title. But it dawned on me that being the mayor only means you are spending more time and money at that particular location than anyone else is…big deal. I broadcast my location to a bunch of people I don’t know. Who cares where I am? I don’t care where people are that I don’t know.

Foursquare would be cool if it allowed you to build a private network sorta like Yammer did with the Twitter concept. I guess that’s what Google Latitude is, but who wants to share all their data with Google? But this is predicated on friends and family also using the service, which is a tough sell to someone who doesn’t know or care about LBS.

While I’ve made an example out of Foursquare, I really am trying to unclutter all facets of my life. You’ve probably received advice that you should throw out (or donate) old clothing if you haven’t worn it in 6 months. I am taking that same philosophical approach to my iPhone apps. If I haven’t used them is x-amount of time, they will be deleted.

I want my brain back!

A New Addiction

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:38:33 -0600

I’ve recently delved into the world of bicycles. I started to tinker with a single speed conversion of a red schwinn (see previous posts), but I wasn’t into it yet. I really didn’t know what I was doing, and more importantly, what I wanted. I think I have it figured out now.

I have a plan to have three bikes:

1) Daily commuter - This bike is a Giant ATX 830. Its older, but its aluminum and light. I have been continually upgrading and making it better. I removed the two small rings in the front leaving only the big ring. This allowed me to remove the front shifter and derailleur. I opted for the road slicks instead of traditional mountain bike tires. I need to replace the brakes with new ones and it should be a completed project. I would remove the 7 rear gears, but I really do need them to commute to and from work.

2) Cruiser - I just procured a Schwinn Panther beach cruiser. I had the hand brakes taken off and a coaster brake put in. I also have small sized ape hanger handlebars that I will be painting white. Not a lot to do with this project except ride it!

3) Single Speed Mountain Bike - I have yet to buy a bike to convert as I have been researching what kind of bike I want and how I want it to look afterward. I know that I only want a front brake to keep it as clean as possible. But I’m not sure of frame design yet.

I really enjoy riding my bike(s) and look forward to continuous tinkering!

Great illustration of how Google works and how it makes money....

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:51:31 -0600

Great illustration of how Google works and how it makes money. Although it omits how it gets and stores your personal data to know everything about you.

Riding My Bike

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:46:01 -0600

Its been almost two weeks since I started riding my bike into work. I don’t actually ride my bike from my house to my place of work, rather I drive my car close to work and park on the street where its free. I then take my bike out of my truck and ride from there. Parking in downtown Denver ranges from $1.50 (8 blocks away) to $14-$20 a day at my building. Instead of asking for more money just to pay my parking bill, I decided to ride my bike. I’m not in good enough shape to ride door-to-door yet, but I hope to get there soon. Every couple of days, I am parking just a little further away from work in hopes that one day I’ll be riding from my house.

I’ve learned so much from riding my bike to work. First, it seems that there have been a well devised plan for bike riders. There are a ton of trails and ways to get around the city. Second, more people ride and/or walk than what I thought. Its nice to see so many people commuting without the use of a car.

"We have reached a point where, as a collective, human charater doesn’t mean much in American..."

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:15:41 -0700

“We have reached a point where, as a collective, human charater doesn’t mean much in American culture. As such, now is the time more than ever to be true to your true self.”

- Anonymous

My TiltShift Fake Mini Photos

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:20:00 -0700

Hulu: The Beginning of The End

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:43:00 -0700

Hulu: The Beginning of The End:

I don’t see how my beloved Hulu can survive. The very reason for Hulu’s success (overpriced cable) is now controlling its destiny. This can’t end well for Hulu

Handbrake 0.9.4 Released

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:35:05 -0700

Handbrake 0.9.4 Released:

Its been a year since Handbrake was updated. This is the best ripping software on the market

A while ago, I wrote about converting an old school Schwinn ten...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:06:00 -0700

The "Before" Shot

Scwhinn Varsity Deluxe

Schwinn Logo

Old School Crank

Emblem

Emblem

Components Removed

A while ago, I wrote about converting an old school Schwinn ten speed to a single speed bike. While I have slowed down a bit, I still have the motivation to get it done. Kyle took some photos of the bike before he stripped it down and after he removed all of the components. More to come…

Free Blackberry Apps I Use

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:09:45 -0700

I download and try as many Blackberry apps as possible. You never know when you might find one that helps.

Before I get to the apps on the Blackberry, I wanted to mention that the most important app is the Blackberry Desktop Manager. I cannot stress the importance of backing up your data…and often. When something happens to your phone, its good to know that you can restore it without losing any contacts, data etc.

Without further ado - Here is a list of the apps that are currently loaded on my Blackberry Curve 8330:

Blackberry Messenger
This is probably the best instant messaging app out there. You can chat as much as you want as the app uses your data plan and not your text plan. The only downside is that this only works with people who also have a Blackberry.

Facebook
This app is pretty good, but there is room for improvement. The layout leaves quite a bit to be desired. The Facebook iphone app is better than the Blackberry version. However, this app is better than using the mobile web app for Facebook, which is slow and clunky.

UberTwitter
If you have Blackberry and like to Tweet, there is no better app than UberTwitter. This is the best Twitter app for Blackberry hands down. Pictures, locations, video…its all there.

Google Maps
With Google Maps version 3.2 (which has the Layers feature) is a must have. Turn by turn directions, layered with retail locations etc. Google Maps can replace your standalone nagivation system.

Google Talk / Yahoo IM
I don’t use these much, but are good to have. There is a paid app that aggregates chat clients.

Flickr
I am an avid Flickr user, so this app is great if I want to upload pics from my phone to Flickr. I don’t do this much, as I usually like to upload phone pics to Twitpic.

OpenTable
When you want to make a dinner reservation, OpenTable is the way to go.

Yelp
I’m happy that they finally decided to make a Blackberry app. In my opinion, Yelp is the best social review site. When you are looking for places to eat, or want to know about a certain business, Yelp usually is where I turn to look. I also like to rate places that I have visited.

ScoreMobile
This is the best app to look at sports scores. The interface is well thought out and is easy to change between sports.

ESPN
This really isn’t an app as its just a quicklauch icon to the ESPN mobile site.

Slacker Radio
This is the app to have if you listen to music on your Blackberry.

iHeartRadio
This app allows you to listen to your local radio stations on yor blackberry.

Pandora
If you don’t know about it, you should.

Opera Mini
Use the Opera Mini browser when you want to look at the HTML version of a web site and not the mobile version.

Google Sync
Google Sync allows you to integrate your Google Calendar with your Blackberry calendar. This is a very useful utility.

Softball Superhero

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:18:18 -0700

I love playing softball for several reasons. I love competition, I enjoy the exercise and I like hanging around my buddies. But I am 100% dumbfounded at the fact that there are guys out there that play softball like its the world series. Don’t get me wrong, I love winning. But to take softball so seriously is a joke. These softball superheroes are going to hurt someone some day because of the way they play. They come in hard to second base, they throw the ball hard when they don’t have to, they pick fights with the other team and they throw bats when they pop it up.

These are your Uncle Ricos of the world: “If only the coach put me in the game, we would have won state”. The softball superheroes are the guys that rode the bench in high school, wish they played in college but tell their buddies that they were all-american ball players.

This is a plea to the softball superheores to get a life, or at least take up another hobby. Come out to the ballpark, drink a few beers and enjoy playing softball with your buddies. I promise you that there is not a big league contract, a world series ring or even a trophy if you win your league. In most cases, you get a lousy t-shirt. I hope all of your anger and seriousness if worth the price of the t-shirt.

Gout

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:17:38 -0700

Gout is one of the most cruel and painful things to ever be introduced to the human body. I go to bed each night praying that I don’t wake up with a gout attack, and am thankful each morning when I don’t wake up with it.

To my surprise, not everyone has heard of this painful disease. However, the people that have heard of it and know someone with it, know how painful it is. It is unfortunate that gout does not get a lot of attention in terms of medical problem solving.

Gout is basically extreme bursts of arthritis. A gout attack happens when uric acid, which sits on a joint, crystallizes. Most people rid themselves of uric acid through normal digestion. But people with gout retain uric acid, leading to an attack.

When an attack happens, I am out of commission for about a week. There are a few days of ramp-up pain, a few days of extreme (don’t move) pain and a few days of ramp-down pain. I cannot wear a shoe during the extreme phase, therefore, I cannot work. Its a shame when I have to take vacation days due to a painful toe or ankle.

There are certain behaviors that I can change to prevent an attack, but I will always have gout. I can never rid myself of this disease; this is why I think the medical community should pay more attention to a cure. Many people in our country live with gout, too many to just prescribe a daily med that may or may not work. I know with other major incurable diseases out there (Cancer, AIDS, Herpes), gout will never get the attention is should have.

Be Well

Photo

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:16:00 -0700

Facebook Unfriend

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:14:00 -0700

I never thought it would come to this, but I had to unfriend someone on Facebook yesterday. It’s not that this person is a bad person, but I just couldn’t handle the number of Facebook posts. On top of that, it was someone that I went to high school with and kinda knew but not really and I certainly don’t have any type of relationship with now. As I started to feel somewhat guilty about unfriending this person, I began to think about why I unfriended them. The reality is that they added unnessecary clutter to my life. This is symptomatic of what I need to do with my life and unclutter my house, my inbox, my garage, my head!

I want to thank the high school friend that I unfriended on Facebook. They opened my eyes to a bigger problem and one that I will be taking care of this weekend. It feels good to unclutter, liberating really. I am going to start by cleaning my home office. There is so much paperwork and crap that I either need to throw out or file. Once that’s done, I am going to go through the shed. There is quite a bit of stuff in there that are “keepsakes” that I really don’t need or want.

I am about halfway through the book, but “The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta is an extraordinary book about how to unclutter and live better with less. There are several blogs out there that also give pointers on how to unclutter, I subscribe to www.unclutterer.com.

I am excited about freeing myself from useless stuff.

To unfriend someone from Facebook, simply go to their profile page and scroll down. On the left hand side, you will see “remove from friends”.

What Is a Social Media Expert?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:13:54 -0700

What is a Social Media Expert? Is it someone who knows every social media site? Is it someone who makes a living using social media? Is it someone who has passed a social media quiz? The answer is that there are no social media experts. There are people who have experience and success with social media, but an expert? Most social media experts, gurus etc are self-proclaimed.

This type of self-promotion is the reason why social media, SEO, SEM etc has the perception of being a black hat/deceptive industry. The people that claim they are a social media expert are the same people that tell business that there is a proprietary and patented algorithm, formula and software they have developed to make social media magic. This is complete rubbish….these people should be called out, put in the spotlight for everyone to point at them and laugh. These clowns are basically lying and stealing.

There are experts out there, but they have been deemed that by respected authorities in the industry. They aren’t self-proclaimed. If you are an expert, you know it and so do the people in your industry. There is no need for you to tell others.

Who Is Your Target Market?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:13:23 -0700

Are you a small business? Do you know who your target market is? Do you know the reach of your marketing and advertising? Your marketing and advertising efforts are likely centered on the large city of which you live, which is effectivly your target market, right? WRONG!

Your target market is the world! Your marketing and advertising efforts can reach anyone with an internet connection. If you leverage the tools and reach of social media / new media, you have an opportunity to literally get in front of millions of people. You are opening the door to a world possibilities for your business. Its very easy to have tunnel vision and focus on a particular geographic area, the area you live in. By doing that, you are leaving opportunities on the table, opportunities that someone will glady take.

Don’t be afraid of success. Its out there, go get it!

Cold Calling Is Dead

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:12:51 -0700

The hottest thing in the mobile world is “push” services, where data is pushed to the phone. In my mind, the hottest thing in the business world is “pull” sales. Instead of being pushed information (cold calling), business are initiating the conversation (pull sales). That might be a terrible analogy, but it illustrates how business are conducting business.

There use to be a time where businesses heard about a product only through a salesperson calling them on the phone…cold calling. The evolution of the internet has changed how businesses do business. Businesses can learn about products, see live demos and contact sales people via the web. They used to not know what they needed and only found out with a call, now, they go to the web to find out what they want and they initiate contact with the sales team.

The point of this entire post is that web sites and the use of social media now, more than ever, has to be more sophisticated and intelligent to deal with today’s business climate. Your web site must be able to communicate to eager spenders, to show them why they need your product or service. Your social media exposure must be broad enough to reach those who are seeking out what you have to offer. This is an exciting time for those who have a superior offering as smooth-talking sales people are on the decline and the performance of your product and service is on the rise. People are going to web sites to see how your product performs; they might be going to your site for a demo, going to youtube to see others use it in action. They are probably going to any one of the numerous social review and ratings sites (i.e. yelp.com) to see what others think about you and your business.

If you run a business, its time to step your game up. Make sure your product and/or service is legit and offer it to the world with your web site and social media. Present you, your business and your product to the world…..buyers will find you!

Casual Tweeting Doesn't Cut It

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:12:28 -0700

I have been conducting a Twitter experiment over the last few months. I have been very active on my own Twitter account (@jluciano); engaging in the community, re-tweeting, adding value by helping people with Wordpress issues, etc. I have also been using another Twitter account to tweet blog entries and URL’s of sites that I think are good reads, but really haven’t been part of the community. I just tweet and not really interact with the community.

You probably know what my results are. I have a thriving community on my own Twitter account (I’m up to almost 500 followers. Not very many comparatively, but I am proud that I have organically attracted them) , and while I have a small community with the other account, I can hardly state that its thriving. I don’t know any of my followers or who I’m following. Basically, I’m following them because they live in the same city as I do. Most of the people that are following the dud account are doing so because I followed them first. I really don’t think they are following based on my content since most of it is bland and doesn’t have a lot of passion behind it.

This boils down to two things:

1) a “social media agency” will be able to build you a following, but one that doesn’t have a vested interest in what you are tweeting.
2) if you want to be a member of the community, then you have to work at it.

I think social media agencies will serve you better if they teach you how to cultivate the power of Twitter instead of setting up a passive account that won’t drive traffic, create awareness or promote you. If you want to be part of a community, you will need to engage.

Social Media Investment

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:11:56 -0700

Companies of all sizes have marketing and advertising budgets. Large companies have inflated budgets (I read Microsoft allotted $80 million to advertise bing.com), while small business may just spend a few hours at a networking event. In either case, money is being spent and it is often looked at as an expense. It will go on the balance sheet as an expense and it will be a write-off come tax season. This is all true of traditional marketing and advertising methods.

I contend that social media/new media is actually an investment and not an expense. Businesses will need to spend time, money or both to gain the benefits of social media, however the long-term benefits are amazing. Initially, there may not be a ROI and it might take some time to realize any return that directly relates to social media activities. I am not aware of any accounting practice that quantifies the return on building a brand. A reputable brand transcends both time and the expense of building it.

It is much more difficult to build a brand these days in large part to social review sites. There has never been a time in history where a consumer can get quality testimonials from other consumers from all over the world. Because of this, companies that make an investment in social media and build a brand will benefit from the time and money they dedicated to the cause. The days of creating a t.v. commercial or creating a newspaper ad and waiting for the customers to roll in are long over.

Your message must be repetitive across all mediums and the social one shouldn’t be ignored. Consumers that see your ad in the paper or on the tube are turning to the internet to see what others are saying about you. Shouldn’t your company have a voice on social sites instead of others speaking for you?

Your social media campaign success metrics shouldn’t be based on a monetary return. Consider your social media campagin a long-term investment that will pay off with a strong brand that stands the test of time.

It’s out there…go get it!

Kanye West = Marketing Genius

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:11:30 -0700

Most people, including me, doesn’t agree with what Kanye West did at the 2009 VMA awards. Taylor Swift was beginning her acceptance speech for “Best Female Video” when Kanye abruptly jumped on stage, grabbed the mic and told everyone that Beyonce should have won. What Kanye west did was brilliant for his career. Everyone in the pop culture world is talking about him right now…..EVERYONE! While is antics are not apprehensible, they certainly achieved buzz. This is not the first time West has done such a thing (I won’t catalog his antics in this post as they are covered much better on pop blogs). Each time he puts himself in the spotlight with a negative action, he gets more PR than any publicist could get for him.

The takeaway here is that creating a buzz, getting people talking about you is an amazing way to give your company/business/product attention. I wouldn’t recommend the negative route for a small start up type of company, but there are plenty of positive things that a small business owner can do to create buzz and get media attention. Get creative, get attention!