Have important messages you always want to check now and save the rest for later? Google has you in mind as it rolls out it’s Priority Inbox over the next several weeks. In addition to prioritizing emails some of the other features include;

• Custom importance filters,
• Label categorization,
• “Important” and “Everything Else” settings, and
• Ease of email “catch-up” after long absences such as vacations.

To learn more about the upcoming features, watch the video below and click here to go to Google’s info page on Priority Inbox.

Google: “Email is great, except when there’s too much of it. Priority Inbox automatically identifies your important email and separates it out from everything else, so you can focus on what really matters.”

This year we (Lloyd Zeigler and myself) have submitted a very special panel proposal to South by Southwest 2011 (SXSW 2011)  for consideration to present at the Interaction portion of the conference. In this panel we will tell the story a group of college age kids from around the US that have joined together with one of  the world’s most respected humanitarian organizations, Food for the Hungry, to make a real difference. For a more detailed description of the presentation, please see below.

Your vote to have this panel at one of the world’s largest conferences is critical. Voting from the public accounts for 30% of the decision-making process for SXSW panel programming. Also important in this process is the SXSW Advisory Board (40%) and the input of the SXSW staff (30%). We encourage you to go to the Panel Picker page for the presentation and vote. If you have never voted at SXSW before you will need to fill out a 30 second secure, no spam registration to vote.

This presentation will be unique to a venue like SXSW. It is a faith based effort to mobilize people behind a common cause to make an extraordinary difference. The story deserves to be told and the only way it can be is with your help.

Below is a detailed description of the proposed panel.

Please choose our panel at SXSW 2011

A new video from the best band you probably never heard of House of Heroes. Great new video, “God Save the Foolish Kings.”

We interviewed House of Heroes a while back on Build the Church, you can find that interview by clicking here >>> “Build the Church Interview with House of Heroes”

How many times has your favorite service/product/company been purchased by a larger fish and the end result is a watered down (more “larger fish like”) version of your fav?

Dallas area based woot! has been acquired by Amazon. And it seems to me, woot! is determined to stay true to it’s course of a great deal(s) everyday that attracts lots and lots of traffic. It also seems with this “announcement video” woot! is determined to keep its fun and quirky personality.

The lesson is this…

Being different, fun and a value is what made woot! a great site. As long as they continue to do so, they will continue to be a great site. And guess what, Amazon will get great value from the purchase.   Don’t lose the personality that made your corporation great and miss out on the huge returns coming from that big payday.

How cool is it to be outside with your church choir only to be joined by Lenny Kravitz while practicing his song…

What is Boxee?

According to Wikipedia “Boxee is a cross-platform freeware home theater PC (HTPC) program with a 10-foot user interface and social networking features designed for the living-room TV. Boxee is initially a fork of the free and open source XBMC media center software which Boxee uses as an application framework for its GUI and media player core platform, together with some custom and proprietary additions.”

Ok…now rub your glazed over eyes and watch the short video below

Starting right now, three of our podcasts; Bedtime Stories My Kids Love, Bible Stories My Kids Love and Build the Church can all be found on Boxee! So if you have Boxee, just do a search for the podcast and enjoy!

Trying to understanding the size, scale and growth of the Internet? Watch this video by from Jesse Thomas on Vimeo.

There is something about a New Year. Something fresh, a starting point. Something that makes us want to get rid of the old and bring on the new.  Something magical that happens the second the bell tolls midnight and the fall of the crystal ball brings on the New Year.

So what are your plans for the New Year?  What are your resolutions? What do you plan to leave behind?

Read more? Lose weight? Watch less TV? Eat the right foods? Get organized? The list goes on…

Every year I struggle a little with resolutions. Not because I can’t figure out some good ones that will apply but because within a few weeks or months it seems I have forgotten all of them. So this year is going to be different. Nope, no resolutions. Just a few things I need to resolve and here is my list;

• be better at following the “Golden Rule”
• embrace changes in my life (like kids getting married)
• work hard at being a better person
• help others succeed
• re-invent myself once again with my new businesses
• get a better haircut (LOL…but true)
• be a better Leader
• do the right things not just doing things right

Yup, nothing about food, weight, TV, exercise or organization. This year is about resolving things and when 2011 comes around, I want to honestly say, “I left the world a better place in some way last year.”

That will do.

Although not a huge fan, I have always liked the unique sound of Tom Waits. I stumbled across this video today and had to post it… Enjoy.

Build the Church has been selected as a national finalist in the Podsafe Music Award category from PodCast Awards   http://www.podcastawards.com . Voting starts November 13 at the PodCast Awards website. Since the finalists are based on listener nominations and a quality review process I want to thank you for your nominations and recommendations and I hope you get the chance to vote for Build the Church once the voting begins (don’t worry, I will try to remind everyone…) Considering many of the nominees from various categories are podcasts from national syndicated networks and shows such ESPN, Fox News, NPR, Real Time with Bill Maher and the Rick Steves Show (just to mention a few); I am humbled and honored by your nominations and support.

Thanks again for everything,
MB

Go to http://www.podcastawards.com starting November 13th to vote!

Below is the video announcing the finalists.