infinitely finite

Posted via email from nick huhn’s journal

a stop sign is interactive.

a light switch is interactive.

a bacterium is interactive.

when i hear “interactive” i think of these sorts of mundane examples of a person, place, or thing responding to a stimulus or environment.  digital, on the other hand, implies some use of technology on behalf of the source or recipient of said stimuli. obviously we don’t limit interactions to purely digital means, nor is it the only way to evoke or augment a reaction or experience.  not too many factors in an environment are mutually exclusive, in my opinion, though we often perceive them as such.

semantics aside, isn’t tech / marketing / business / life all about the collective experience, really? (i know at least two guys that agree.)

the stop sign is a marvelous, highly successful example of an interactive experience. with a near perfect impression to conversion ratio to boot.  yet [most] stop signs are not digital. and i hope (for humanity’s sake) that a stop sign strategy has never been brought up for discussion.

maybe ‘digital’ should be treated as a segment of an ‘interactive experience’ rather than be used as a synonym.  and interactive should be more of an abstract m.o. or objective for of all tech / marketing / business / life regardless of the medium.

brands aren’t interactive.

websites aren’t interactive.

communities aren’t interactive.

people aren’t digital; digital is a medium. people are interactive.

Posted via email from nickhuhn’s posterous

NH
502-876-9148

Posted via email from nickhuhn’s posterous

I’ve always maintained an interest in the business of business, so I’m looking forward to the challenging aspects of a new life in the agency world especially with a B2B focus.  “I’m long on imagination, and short on resources,” I told them.  I think this move will be a good match in my goal to find equilibrium.

Leaving Louisville will be bittersweet indeed, but arguably overdue.  I look forward to meeting the more of the HSR crew [and working with Ryan DeShazer], and immersing myself in a forward-thinking environment with respect to digital strategy and interactive marketing.  The transition from Louisville to Cincinnati will prove to be a logistical challenge, but I’ll be glad to see many old friends and make new ones too. Pete Blackshaw, Dave Knox, Kevin Dugan: you’re on my radar and I hope to see/meet you soon. Skyline Chili, Chipotle, Montgomery Inn: consider yourselves in my cross hairs also.

I’ve accepted a role as a Senior Interactive Account Executive and I hope my career continues to blossom as I learn and grow with the organization. This should be an interesting and exciting new chapter in my personal and professional life. Thanks, all, for the well-wishes.

I also hope to interact with others that are as passionate as I am about entrepreneurship, digital strategy and the future of all things interwebs such as Peter Kim, Scott Monty, Charlie O’Donnell, Bryan Jones, Aaron Strout, Adam Cohen, Len Kendall.

Yes, there will be a lot of continued discussions about web 2.0, social media and the like, but this year I’m really focused on immersing myself in conversations that deal more with the intersection of all these shiny objects with real-world applications in technology (especially mobile, retail POS), marketing (augmenting customer and brand experiences) and business objectives (show me the money).  I like to ‘think outside the browser’ so my goal is to encounter others who do the same when it comes to interactive.

With a stack of new contacts and business ideas, I’ll return refreshed and energized.  Also, I revel in the prospects of sampling some quality BBQ, [breakfast] burritos, and Shiner Bock as well.  I’m looking forward to a memorable long weekend of friends, fun, and frontal lobe fecundity.  Austin, here we come!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky, because everything there happens 20 years after it happens anywhere else.” – Mark Twain

• What information is broadcast from a mobile phone in a passive state?
• When will biological authentication have meaningful, affordable applications?
• Why is digital media still stored and distributed on pieces of cheap plastic?
• For all the ‘connectivity’ associated with the internet, why are conversations and interactions still difficult to aggregate outside of their silos or platforms?

I’d welcome any thoughts, resources or feedback.  I’ll probably share the results of my research on one or more of these topics later; just hoping to solicit responses from anyone else who might be interested or dabbling in these topics. Thanks in advance…

• I discovered a job I loved, but traded it in for a family I loved more.
• I sold a house and bought a home.
• I tried and failed at more than a few things.
• I met several dozen people who will directly or indirectly shape the rest of my life.
• I am sufficiently bored and seeking new challenges professionally, academically, maybe even spiritually.

General observations outside of personal life:

• Content may be king, but context reigns supreme
• Generally I eschew most hype, but I’ve realized that hype – ok, imperfect information – greases the gears of capitalism
• social media is imperfect information
• some things are free because that’s all they’re worth
• not all who wander are lost …

If 2008 was all about enduring, my 2009 will focus on overcoming and prospering.  That means I haven’t yet decided if I’ll post here often or at all.

Let’s call this a “guest post”… This weekend my sisters and I will be raising funds and awareness for lung cancer research before, during and after the University of Louisville’s football game against WVU at noon on Saturday. We’re hosting a birthday cookout for my mom, Nancy Huhn, at the Parrish House at which we’ll be offering free hot chocolate, coffee, donuts, hot dogs, and, well, some literature that helps people understand how poorly funded and misunderstood lung cancer is given the stigma associated with smoking cigarettes.

We’re on a mission to make a difference and hope you can help us simply by showing up and learning more about what you can do to help.  Even if you don’t want to partake in all the free goodies, please come by and help me with a C-A-R-D-S cheer!  I’ll let my mom take it from here…

My name is Nancy Huhn. I am a two year survivor of lung cancer. The lung cancer diagnosis was my 50th birthday present. It’s hard enough to hit one of those milestones, but learning you are now fighting for your life quickly eliminated any concerns about wrinkles and gray hair.

Because I have never smoked, doctor’s were baffled when my chest pain turned out to be cancer. (In fact, I had to request the chest X-ray!) When I asked the doctors what caused this, I was shocked to learn, just how
little they know about the causes. As we both know, lung cancer is not a lifestyle choice. I thought about several factors against me. I grew up in a home with chain smokers, neither of whom died from lung cancer. Our home had a coal furnace. I worked in smoking environments up until 15 years earlier. The doctors believe that none of that was a factor. We then had the radon levels tested in our home of 11 years, we were shocked to learn we had an average reading of 12.4. Being Stage IV, they said, my cancer was probably present for 5-6 years.

The oncologist I saw here in Louisville, recommended that I go to a National Cancer center and try to get involved in a clinical trial. I was in a clinical trial until this summer, when a tumor began to grow in my left eye. I am being treated by Dr. Alan Sandler at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Everything about Vanderbilt is impressive, and I wish we could offer similar care in every US city.

In honor of my 52nd birthday, my children are hosting a Lung Cancer Awareness fund raiser. The fund raiser will be held this Saturday at the University of Louisville vs West Virginia University game. This has become
a big rivalry in the Big East Conference and we’re expecting a big crowd. We’ve had many things donate from a variety of businesses and friends. 

We’ll be offering hot dogs, hot chocolate, cookies, donuts, coffee, etc to any interested passers-by.

The money we collect will be sent to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America. After searching around, we liked this organization the best when trying to match up our long term desires for funding more research to
prevent lung cancer.

Thank you in advance for your support, and we look forward to seeing many friends and fellow University of Louisville fans [and maybe a WVU fan as well] this weekend.  Happy birthday, Mom, and Go Cards! -NH

The slides we used in our presentation can be found at slideshare, though I think there is more interesting dialogue in the video below in which we address questions and concerns of the audience:

I tried to create a leave-behind document that maintained a logical crawl-walk-run progression of involvement in social media; the introductory copy is below:

Social media strategy uses objectives, tools and outcomes to serve as your road map for navigating a journey. Social media – much like any journey – requires attention, decision-making, and pace. Social media should be treated not as a bolt-on solution, but more as a set of tools, ideas and methodology which combine to facilitate your ultimate goal: first-person insights and interactive dialog.

Just as in the off-line world, social media relationships and conversations can be nuanced, require undivided attention, and may ebb and flow over time. At its core, social media makes it easier to discover, preserve, extend and interact with conversations already taking place about you, your brand, and your interests. It is not a panacea or plague of any sort, so we offer these objectives and these recommended tools to begin your journey of discovery, connection, and interaction.

For the entire document that discusses a few examples of how to get started with social media, please download the PDF.  I welcome any feedback, suggestions, ideas these resources may generate.  Thanks a million to Bill Dotson for putting together this event and attracting its attendees!