Game designers design for those “weirdly satisfying interactions” – found in classic arcade games, recalling random trivia, etc. Increase the activity, make it better for the user.

How these translate to every day life – on and offline

• American Idol – turns pop music into a game
• Slashdot – Using gaming to filter user generated content (Karma score), promote quality conversation
• • Stack Overflow gives moderation power based on points – newbies can’t vote things down or moderate
• Achievement Badges – Slashdot, Foursquare
• • Don’t necessarily publish – let users discover what they are, adds an element of exploration to the site
• Foursquare, GoWala, My Town – keep the badges vague to keep the surprise, exploration
• • Foursquare and GoWala – there is social pressure to discourage fake checking in

What are the common elements in thesee games?

• Points – especially public points (even LinkedIn gives percentage points for how much of your profile you’ve filled out, Twitter users use things like number of retweets or number of followers as “points”)
• Earning Achievements (badges) – you can look at people’s badges on Foursquare and get a sense of who they are
• Unlockables – drives usage with the promise of benefits
• • 2 types – individual and global (the entire group unlocks together – works well when you want to roll out features)

What’s next for social gaming?

• Game boards? – New elements of games that we haven’t thought of yet
• Keep it simple – make it easy to figure out (you have less than 10 seconds in a video game, less time on the web), clutter is clutter
• Education – Games can be great teachers
• Invitations – incentivize joining
• Make people feel good – give them a gift (even small) to make them feel good and embrace the new thing
• Encouraging people to “play fair” – online, often the people who “cheat” are moderated by other users
• Don’t stifle people from expressing themselves – deleting comments can make users lose trust

Why is this important? Why does it matter?

1. Increase user enjoyment – make them “better” users – loyal and likely to forgive your mistakes
2. Better differentiation – think Gowala vs. Foursquare
3. Better colaboration

I plan to come back from SXSW Interactive (did I mention I’m going?) with a list of Books to Read – so I wanted to get the initial list – books on my radar already in 2010 – out first. Look for book reviews coming soon!

Books to read:

1. If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You by Kelly Cutrone
2. The Year of Living Biblicaly – by A.J. Jacobs (also counts towards “books I’ve been meaning to read” on my 101 in 1001 list)
3. Ken Jennings’s Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions in 365 Days by my hero Ken Jennings
4. Me 2.0 by Dan Schawbel (Thanks to @bradtemple for the suggestion!)
5. Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout
6. The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander

What are you reading right now? Anything you recommend?

Photo #3,000 on Facebook

I crossed number 25 off my 101 in 1001 list: Get to 3,000 pictures tagged on Facebook. Number three thousand features my wonderful, vivacious, beautiful, hilarious friend and coworker Courtney Pemberton. Taken at the wedding of another wonderful woman, the one and only Brandius. Love!

The results were exactly 2 to 1  Freebirds over Chipotle. People like Chipotle for the seasoning, freshness, and the CORN SALSA (can I get an amen?), while Freebirds fans like the wide selection, beans, and employees (quote from @btruax:  “employees care” … from @happykatie: “employees with tattoos :)”).

My favorite quote is from my very own boyfriend: “If I had to choose to save between a bus full of puppies and freebirds and had time for both I would choose freebirds just to be safe”

In case you were curious, my choice is Chipotle.

…But it wasn’t at first. Here’s some background:

My first experience with Chipotle was when they opened a location in College Station my freshman year of college. Keep in mind that Texas A&M University is a campus deeply entrenched in tradition, and one of those traditions is eating at the local INSTITUTION that is Freebirds.

Chipotle did what many new businesses do to entice people to come… they gave away free stuff. In the campus coupon book, at sporting events – everywhere you looked were free burrito coupons. At basketball games, the crowd might hiss (the Aggie sign of disapproval) when the logo came up, but they would certainly not turn down a free meal.

I have very vivid memories of going to Chipotle and sitting with friends as they ate. I would sometimes get a drink, but I never had the slightest interest in the food.

Fast forward a few years. I am interning in Dallas in a basement office directly beneath a Chipotle. Every so often a customer upstairs would spill a drink, which would seep through the slats of the wood floor and land on the head (or worse, computer) of a programmer. Eek. I avoided eating there at all costs – the point of lunch is to leave the office, and we were growing a little too accustomed to the smell. Over the next few years whenever the lunch group would opt for Chipotle, I would turn up my nose and decline.

THEN I moved to Houston. In the first few weeks of my new job, a group of coworkers were going to lunch (and I was invited!). Thanks to my favorite pescetarian Fayza (who loves Veggie Bowls but incidentally voted for Freebirds in the poll), we went to Chipotle. I went out on a limb and ordered chicken tacos. And I was hooked. The star of the show (and what makes Chipotle better than Freebirds for me) is the corn salsa. That stuff is addicting. Between that and the guacamole – I’ve been known to eat Chipotle 3 times in one week.

The iPhone app has furthered my addiction. With about 3 clicks, I can place my order and pay – then skip the line when I get there. I highly recommend it.

So Chipotle, you’ve made a believer out of me.

For those of you as Chipotle obsessed as I am, here is “the” individual sized Chipotle Guacamole recipe – from ChipotleFan.com:

• 2 Hass Avocados
• 1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced
• 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 of a lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

And for those of you who prefer Freebirds, rest assured that you’re in good company!

Here’s the top 10 reasons why:

10. The Opening Ceremonies

Vancouver knew they weren’t going to top China’s spectacular $100 million extravaganza – so they focused on what Bob Costas kept calling an “intimate” program. The focus on the aboriginal peoples of Canada didn’t really resonate with me (and seriosuly, where was CELINE?), but I did love the 2-D meets 3-D whales swimming across the floor and the giant glittering polar bear rising from the ice. Nice.

Can’t see the embed? View on YouTube

Check out vancouverlens on flickr – some really breathtaking stuff!

9. The Mascots

This year’s mascots are undeniably CUTE. I like their quirky personalities – Miga is half Orca whale/ half bear and Quatchi is a real live Sasquatch. And Sumi is some sort of “animal spirit guide” … with wings.

Can’t make it to the Olympics? Buy the mascot stuffed animals or go see them in person!

The adorable design house Meomi that created them has free desktop wallpapers of all sorts of animals for download at meomi.com. I am currently sporting the three-toed sloth on my work desktop.

9. The Medal Count

If you Google “Medal Count,” you’ll see it at the top of the page. You can also keep up with it on  vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals and the iPhone app (under News > Medal Count). You can even embed it in your blog (as you’ll see on the right sidebar of this page.

And it’s nice that USA is up at the top…

8. USA! USA!

It just feels good to hear an enthusiastic crowd cheering on their favorite athletes. Just sit back and listen.

7. The Firsts (and the Mosts)

It’s almost unbelievable that Canada didn’t win a single gold medal in the Calgary 1976 or Montreal 1988 games – but that drought is over as of last night. When Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada’s first gold in Moguls last night and then ran into the crowd to hug his brother Frederic who has Cerebral Palsey and is his inspiration… that’s what the Olympics is all about.

I’m also especially looking forward to Apollo Anton Ohno potentially breaking the record for most Olympic medals for a Winter Olympian – he is currently tied with a Russian cross country skier with  6).

6. The Commercials

I had to say it, I love the sappy commercials. Love them.

My favorite so far this games – the Go World spot about Dan Jansen winning a medal in honor of his late sister Jane. Just try to watch it with a dry eye. JUST TRY.

Can’t see the embed? View on YouTube

5. Bob Costas

When I think of the Olympics – I immediately think of Bob Costas. His soothing voice takes me right back to the first Olympics I really remember watching – in 1996 in a hotel room on a family vacation in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He’s a legend in my eyes.

4. Cute Olympians!

I stand by my claim that the cutest Olympian is the Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie, but the Winter Olympics is not short of cuties.

If you like tall, dark, and handsome there’s Shani Davis (fun fact – the super hero Frozone from the Incredibles was modeled after him). I’m a sucker for his smile. Bonus points that he’s on Twitter @ShaniDavis2010 and Facebook.

If you’re into the guy next door look, there’s Bode Miller. And for dudes, you’ve got you Lindsay Vonn and other bombshells on ice.

The Huffington Post did a great job with their Hotties of Team USA blog post – it’s a must read.

3. The Stories

There are heartwarming stories – like the real life married couple and Chinese figure skaters earning the highest recorded score in a figure skating pairs short program on Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year.

There are also the tragic ones – like the Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili’s tragic death on Friday.

The stories of these athletes are so compelling. You can’t make big money being the best in the world at the biathlon or women’s moguls or curling… but the Olympics is their time to shine.

2. The iPhone App

The Vancouver 2010 iPhone app is free, and a must have. It shows schedules for each day, medal count, and best of all – short descriptions called “How it Works” for each sport. This is extremely helpful for the more obscure – and confusing events.

Also – the loading screen incorporates the aforementioned adorable mascots doing adorable things.

This app makes watching the Olympics better!

1. The Sports!

Let’s be real, without the sports we wouldn’t be here. My favorites are Hockey, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, and anything high flying and scary (those guys are moving FAST). There’s nothing like cheering on your favorite – whether they’re from your home country or not. Go team!

Anything I left out? What else should be on the list??

The decision to get my first tattoo was an easy one. A peace sign was classic and represented a belief I have that I was confident would never fade. I used to draw the symbol on my right hip and walk around my dorm asking everyone their opinion of it. I counted down the days until I was legal, and debated where I would go to get it done. During Spring Break at home in Dallas (on my half birthday), I rode down to Deep Ellum in a friend’s canvas-sided Jeep and made it official.

I love my tattoo more and more every time I see it. It makes me feel powerful, like I’ve chosen to make a permanent statement to the world. It’s small, but mighty.

The problem with being so in love with this tattoo is that the moment I got it, I wanted more.

Bigger and Better

I have a tiny tattoo on my body in a place where no one ever sees it. This time I want something larger and potentially visible. And as always, it has to mean something.

The Peacock

In all honesty, the member of the animal kingdom that means the most to me is the cat. But I’m enough of a crazy cat lady without felines plastered all over my body. Another animal that I find beautiful and classic is the peacock.

I studied Classical Latin for six years. It’s a passion of mine and it represents a lot to me about furthering my education. I have a Minor in Classical Studies that I decided to get because I just enjoyed it. I was almost done with my Marketing degree with a job lined up at a web design firm – but I wanted more. I used the opportunity to study something I really love and those classes are some of my favorites from college.

In Roman times, Peacocks were a very powerful symbol. The Romans believed peacock flesh didn’t decompose after death – it became a symbol of immortality, renewal, and Christ. Peacock feathers were worn for protection against evil spirits. Early belief held that the gates of heaven were guarded by two peacocks.

One of my fondest memories of my time with Jason is a trip to Sea World we took early in our relationship. We were driving the two lane highway from College Station to San Antonio, and passed a broken fence with at least a dozen peacocks wandering slowly over the road. Immediately he exclaimed “Loose Peacocks!!”, which I thought was the funniest thing I had ever heard. It was a confusing, yet beautiful, yet hilarious sight… one of those seemingly insignificant moments that stick with you.

What’s Next?

So, I’m making a resolution. In 2010, I’m getting another tattoo. I’ve been marinating on this peacock idea for the past year or so, and I’m feeling good about it. I am writing this post to get my thoughts out there, and hopefully inspire some action.

Below are just a few images I’ve collected for inspiration. Most of them are from Etsy, coming from some seriously talented artists. I’ve linked them, so check out their stores!

And stay tuned for more!

My favorite new iPhone app – Younicorn
Originally uploaded by QCait

I don’t often pay for iPhone apps, but I have made a few exceptions.  I’ll pay for games after months spent with the demo  (see: Words with Friends)… or cheap, novel apps that make me laugh.

Two of my favorite recent app purchases are both photo editing apps – that allow you to turn your regular, boring pictures into something either adorable or magical. But which is better?

Battle of the apps! Unicorns vs. Cats

The contenders:

Younicorn – The Younicorn App’s tagline is “Make every day magical” … and this app delivers on the magic. Start with an image of your friend, add a sweet background, and a horn. This app is simple and easy to use – zoom, drag, rotate with ease. With hilarious results. I especially love the logo/branding/site and how it all works together, down to the text on the email it sends your friends.

CatPaint – CatPaint takes regular photos and allows you to add cats to the picture. The best part is that each cat you add has a different sound, and you can drag to make the cats smaller and larger. (You guessed it, larger cats have larger sounds). I laugh every time I place a feline in my photo, and cats love it too.

Let’s get down to it. THE COMPARISON.

And the winner is… Both!

It all  depends on what your thing is. As a self proclaimed Crazy Cat Lady, I can’t turn down a good cat app. But if you’re into trips to Candy Mountain and airbrushed unicorn art, choose the Unicorn app.

And if you can afford the two dollar price tag… enjoy the best of both worlds!

There are many people out there playing Words With Friends who are making some basic rookie mistakes. I’m not necessarily saying you, my dear friend and reader (please don’t be mad)… but say maybe your friends (again, not you) might get something out of this, feel free to pass it along.

Here are some tips for dominating your friends in Scrabble. No SAT-level vocabulary needed.

1. Memorize your 2 letter words – especially the high dollar ones

Contrary to popular belief, Scrabble really isn’t about vocabulary. You’ll do more damage with a well placed 2 letter word than a 6 letter word most of the time.

2 letter words are going to get you through this game, so pay your respect.

Note: Keep in mind that different platforms allow different words, for instance Words With Friends does not allow “ZA,” but Scrabble does. In case of such disputes while playing IRL, always have your Scrabble dictionary on you (I have mine in my car most of the time if you need one).

Here is the list of acceptable Scrabble two letter words, according to the National Scrabble Association. I’ve bolded some of my favorites that can get you out of a jam, or into a lot of points:

AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY BA BE BI BO BY DE DO ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EX FA FE GO HA HE HI HM HO ID IF IN IS IT JO KA LA LI LO MA ME MI MM MO MU MY NA NE NO NU OD OE OF OH OI OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY PA PE PI QI RE SH SI SO TA TI TO UH UM UN UP US UT WE WO XI XU YA YE YO ZA

The following list is not the most up to date (see the newly added words from NSA, including “ZA,” “QI,” and “DOH”), but it includes definitions. Use when impressing haters, who don’t believe you that “SH” is a real word: http://www.yak.net/kablooey/scrabble/2letterwords.html

Learn your 2 letter words… so even if you think you have nothing, you might just have something

2. Never play just one word (unless it’s a really good one)

This is key. Even if you have terrible letters, there is somewhere on the board that you can play two words on top of each other, making a series of vertical two letter words. If there is a triple letter score up next to a word that is already on the board, why not use it twice?

Note: This is where knowing those double vowel words comes in handy – AA, AE, AI, OE, OI. Also remember that the spelling out of letters (EF, EN, etc.) are acceptable words.

I love a good block where three (or four!) words are played on top of each other. That’s some good Scrabblin’.

3. The S is your best friend

Now that you are resigned to never play just one boring word, use the S to score some free easy points. Add it to the end of an already high scoring word, and build your own word above it. This is the Scrabble equivalent of a buy one, get one free shoe sale… what could be better?

Don’t use your S’s lightly – save for something good… like the triple word score

4. Play defensively

It’s like momma says – don’t give anything away too easily! If you were playing soccer, you wouldn’t just leave the goal open – unless you were distracted by David Beckham’s sexy eyes.

Don’t leave the triple word score open if you can help it (bold, underline, and italics). If you’re playing me, I will play there no matter what letters I have… just so you can’t!

Note: Sometimes while blocking your opponent you will end up stifling yourself a bit, so be aware.

5. Know the weird ones

In reading the book “Word Freak” (a classic about Stefan Fastis’ journey into the world of competitive Scrabble) – his first step is to memorize the 2 letter words,then 3 letter words, then 7 letter words. This is a lot of memorization for your average “I’m just in it for fun” player. What you can do is memorize those couple of words that can help you out in a clutch situation. Here are a few notable words to keep up your sleeve:

• QI
• QAT
• QAID
• QANAT
• ZA (not acceptable in Words With Friends)
• ZAX
• BRRR (thanks JMO for discovering that one)
• SH
• AE, AI, AU, OE, OI
• XI, XU

That’s all I got! Anything I left out? What are your money words or tricks for certified ass-kicking? Share!

Ode to 2009 – our first year in Houston

I won’t lie – I was nervous
When I found out my dear
Had a job down in Houston
Not anywhere near

Yes, it was quite a feat –
To pack all I own
And move to a hot, humid,
Traffic-filled home

Packed the U-Haul… with his bed,
My couch, no TV.
Drove for hours down the highway
With the cat sound asleep

At first we ate chain food
Like Chili’s and Cheddar’s.
We explored our surroundings
And found there was better

I got a new job
And I’m learning a ton,
Saving the world
One website by one

It wasn’t all smiles,
Not all Rock Band and cupcakes.
The economy’s hit us
And we’ve had our headaches.

It’s been an adventure,
A crazy 12 months.
New cats, jobs, and friends
And change can be tough

But we’ve got each other,
Saint Jason and me
Great friends, great supporters,
And this great city

I’m adjusting to humid,
Adjusting to rain,
I’m not so afraid of
The next hurricane

Lots of love to dear Houston
I’ll say it again
May there be much to come
And bring on TWENTY TEN.

I began on October 1 of this year, and in my first 94 days in 2009, I’ve crossed off 7 items. Here’s the recap:

#03. Take lunch to work for a month straight

November 11 marked one month since a pre-SchipulCon lunch at Salata with Fayza – aka the last time I had bought lunch at work in a month. This is honestly one of the list items I was most worried about – because in life you never know what situation you’ll find yourself in. My first venture back out with the daytime lunching masses? Salata.

#43. Go to a book signing

Shel Israel came to the Schipul office to speak to us 10/20 on his new book Twitterville. I loved his book and highly recommend it to anyone using Twitter for marketing. Facebook photo album: Shel Israel in the Schipul office 10/20

Shel Israel in the Schipul office

#80. Get a mixer – Completed 10/19

Yes, I bit the bullet and bought a mixer. And then made brownies. And it was awesome.

#75. Cut my hair off short

I was maid of honor in two fantastic weddings for two of the best friends anyone could ask for. For most girls, long hair makes this important task a little bit easier because you don’t have to worry about what to do with your hair on the big day. But now that those duties have been fulfilled, I was ready to chop off several inches of locks for my fierce new do. And it feels so good!

Before meets After:

Crossed off with Blog posts you might have already read:

• #48. Rocky Horror Picture Show at Midnight – Blog post 10/11
• #100. Get a public speaking gig and rock it -  Blog post on AAF TAMU chapter meeting 10/20
• #49. Watch every episode of the Office (5/5 seasons complete 11/1) Blog Post 11/9

>> That’s 7 down, 94 to go! Bring it on!