TheGutenbergEffect

Don't buy a Samsung not-so FlashCAM!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:17:00 +0000

It’s always nice when other people make mistakes so you don’t have to; not so good when you’re the crash-test-dummy yourself. Sadly, I throw my hands up and admit my mistake and urge you not to repeat it. For down the slippery slope I have descended lies only frustration, aggravation and the desire to play quarterback with a new purchase.

I’m talking about my new Samsung FlashCAM – a devise so annoying I wish it came at truly disposable price point. Alas, I have parted with more money than I can knowingly discard. And I need a camcorder over these next couple of weeks so I must make do. However, it will be retired at the earliest possible opportunity. (It might not even be deemed charitable to give it away!)

I was fooled by its cute styling, its YouTube friendly sticker and the fact it wasn’t a Sony. (I’ve had issues with them in the past too!) I wanted to purchase a Canon HD camcorder but they are not readily available in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at least not in the shops near me. Still a model from the Legria range will remain on my wish list unless another ‘dummy’ alerts me to some hidden dangers!

'Grandad'

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Those new to online video might be forgiven for thinking this vlog is nothing more than the fanciful ramblings of a sadly deluded individual. But they would be wrong. I've watched Peter's story unfold, from his 'First Try' video and the ensuing media storm that surrounded him. His story is truly inspirational. It also teaches us an important lesson about social media.

People are only too old to engage with social media if they think they are too old.

It is a mistake to assume all new technology based communication is automatically the exclusive presereve of the hip and the young. Peter also stands as a fantastic case study of how starting with what you can do can open doors to unimaginable opportunities. He says his viewing figures are going down but I'll contend that his influence continues to rise. And yet some of you reading this are already making a list of reasons why it worked for him and wouldn't work for you. Why not stop making that list and make a YouTube video instead!

Creative Cravings?!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:31:00 +0000

‘Creative Cravings’: really not the most compelling name I’ve come across; however, CafePress are based in the States and we are not. I was searching for UK-based company that provides a similar type of service. So, cringe-worthy name notwithstanding, we’ll give them a go. On the plus side the fact I created an online shop, designed and ordered WeDoAdventure merchandise to be delivered to our UK address all from the other side of Europe, and without any human interaction, must almost certainly be chalked up as progress! I guess wisdom says wait to confirm the quality of the finished products before starting to shout about it. So watch this space...!

Bing!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:16:00 +0000

‘Bing’ just opened itself a window as I launched Internet Explorer. Rather than click the ‘x’ in disgust I decided to put it to the ultimate test, what would under other circumstances be called ‘Googling oneself’! ‘Binging’ doesn’t sound too healthy when used in that context so I’ll refrain from attempting to coin a phrase. I typed in ‘Matt Hellyer’ and hit the magnifying glass. The ‘real me’ took the top four places and six out of the top ten, the first page of results.

What were those searchable online references to my good self? First was my Myspace profile page, even thought this lays mostly dormant these days. Next was a YouTube video on my talk74 channel, one that wouldn’t make my top ten most viewed. Novi Most, the charity I work with, took third place with their Bosnian website and my talk74 channel page took fourth. My previous employer’s dot com came in seventh and rounding off the page was a published comment from the Times Online.

Search is one of the most powerful drivers of internet traffic. Twitter, and similar services, are boosting the power of recommendation to generate interest but anyone wanting to be found online should still be bothered about search. So am I happy with Bing’s performance? In truth it doesn’t tell me too much. My experiment was flawed in that I searched for my name; only people who already know me can do that. To be truly discoverable online I need to turn up in results to searches for things people are actually looking for!

My Face Featured on iPhone!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Sat, 30 May 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Someone mentioned in a emails recent that they thought I’d probably have a Blackberry, or similar device. I don’t. Last time I checked Bosnia and Herzegovina still did not have a 3G network. Wifi hotspots are not unknown but there are still rare around Mostar. My Smartphone is still in a drawer somewhere and I use my wife’s faithful old Sony Ericsson Walkman phone of about four generations ago!

This morning I logged onto Facebook to find a friend telling me of their shock to find my face staring back at them from the second page of the featured videos on their new iPhone. I apologised for any undue stress this situation caused them. It was the same video I mentioned at the beginning of the month, the one where I give a few thoughts on St George’s Day. This, again, is just another argument for putting stuff out there. I took an idea, made the video and put it where people can easily find it (YouTube, in this instance). That’s why more people are watching my video than the better one you could make but haven’t got round to!

So there may be little point me owning an iPhone out here but it seems that doesn’t stop me showing up on yours: you have been warned!

Your Content Laid To Rest!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Fri, 29 May 2009 07:30:00 +0000

James used to work for Politico make videos every week day. I miss his take on American politics and current affairs. But the reason for featuring this video here is it tackles the issue of online accessibility. The internet has the power to make access easy for people, wherever they are. As he says, this does not always go down well with 'The Man'. (It's probably not helped by the fact that some of the web's most ubiquitous names still have yet to turn a profit.)

As a content provide to you make you content available to your users / followers / audience / customers? Or do you employ annoying layers of, seemingly unnecessary, login and verification is a blatant attempt to mine data? Heaven forbid you actually charge for what you upload!

I agree with James that the most important bits of information will leak round any form of online premium or protectionism policy. Putting a wall around your content could be the best way to let is rest in peace.

An almost unique web presence!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:47:00 +0000

Over at our WeDoAdventure blogspot I’m blogging about life as we find it in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To my knowledge there is only one other English blogger, blogging in English, from this country. The Fraught Mummy from Brits in Bosnia also blogs on the joys and challenges of motherhood – something I know nothing about! It’s strange to think that we’re the only two English voices representing life in an entire nation. Strange it may be but it does lend a uniqueness unattainable if I were to, say, be blogging about life in Liverpool. That’s why I wasn’t particularly surprised when a co-worker told me today they’d been introduced to another English person living in Mostar who’d heard of us. I’ve noticed our blog content (and YouTube videos) show up well in relevant searches, but when they said they had mentioned ‘WeDoAdventure’ – asking if that was our slogan – I had to smile. Not only does the mighty Google machine recognise we’re here but incidents like this are an encouragement our content is captivating enough to be remembered by real people!

Why is this important to you? If you’re doing something you believe people will want to support, or buy into, blogging and online video is on way to start a conversation with them that costs you nothing more than your time and a little ingenuity. As far as making you ‘searchable’ platforms like Blogger or YouTube may well prove more effective than your current dot-com, they will certainly provide a greater chance of interested people stumbling across your web presence.

Coldplay get it!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:52:00 +0000

Coldplay must be congratulated on the release of Left Right Left Right Left. Too often bands advertise ‘free’ tracks on sites like MySpace only for you either have to fill out unduly complicated web forms to assess them, or only to discover that they’re not available to you because you live in the wrong part of the world.

Coldplay steered clear of both of these pitfalls and raised the bars by giving away an album that their fans would unquestionably paid good money for. It’s a very ‘live’ live album but that’s what the band’s stadium sound is all about. Even their new, experimental sound can’t mask the fact they are all about the arm waving and the sing-a-longs.

To say I’m not complaining is an understatement. I’m really impressed. If I were the hat-wearing type this would be the point I removed it!

Kanye doesn't get it!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:57:00 +0000

So a little bit of petty e-imposting has provoked Kanye West into a CAPS LOCKS rant about the puerility of Twitter. I glad to know he’s either genuinely busy or on the beach. I hate to think of successful recording artists giving up the perks of their position to become internet addicts! He has a point about Twitter: some people do Tweet rubbish about which nobody should care, although sadly some do. But he is misguided to right the platform off. Micro-blogging is a legitimate form of communication, like blogging or online video or magazines or TV shows. All of these can provide us with shocking examples of the power to publish placed in the wrong hands. Used correctly, however, all these platforms can inform, inspire and entertain.

We are becoming digital nomads, seemingly adopting and adapting to new online platforms at an increasing rate. Driven by the desire to connect with people we are less loyal to the means than we are to the end. Once my social networking world revolved around MySpace, now it is Facebook that gets the lion’s share of attention. Why? Not because I prefer it – I don’t – but purely because that’s where everybody else is. This is where Twitter wins. It is the place to see and been seen. To that end anybody serious about keeping up a credible, assessable web presence needs to be there. At least for now. Give it a year and another start up will have reached critical mass and we’ll all be headed off over there. Perhaps by then Kanye will have learnt to get in quick to stake a claim on your identity, whether you subsequently use the application or not.

If only iPlayer...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:40:00 +0000

A couple of weeks back I got hold of a copy of the UK launch edition of WIRED magazine. It’s pretty much all read now. If you’ve seen the cover you might have noticed the words: how the iPlayer saved the BBC. The iPlayer is a genius piece of technology and a largely redundant one for us. We were near enough addicted before we left the UK, by which I mean we were using the site daily. But you can’t access the same content overseas, certainly not the TV shows we were watching in the UK.

The internet can ease the separation felt in moving country in so many ways. So many things are in the same place as they’ve always been. But being locked out of the best bits of the BBC’s greatest invention so far this century really is by far the biggest fly in the anointment. Dare I say, I’d happily pay a subscription to have full access from over here, but I imagine the rights issues would be cited as an obstacle to this. But were it possible, wouldn’t this simple development turn it into a world beating online video destination? It may even lay the ground work for the BBC’s survival when charging a television licence fee become untenable.

Perhaps the truth is the money men – or women – don’t want the truly world-wide potential of the world-wide-web to be exploited. Territorial divides – the discriminating monopolies of media – make them too much money. In my experience everything hosted by American networks flashes up ‘only available in the US’ signs when accessed from Europe. Even YouTube is becoming increasingly territorially discriminatory. But what better way to combat piracy than to make legitimate material accessible. iTunes did it. Admittedly it didn’t stop music piracy but it does give honest people the chance to do the right thing. I am, however, also a realist so I won’t be holding my breath on this one!

Welcome to 'The Battenberg Effect'!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:09:00 +0000

A friend Facebooked me recently to suggest I revived “thebattenbergeffect”. This could, tenuously, be described as a back-handed compliment for my oft-neglected tech-blog. While choosing not to read anything into his substitution of a classic English tea-time cake for, arguably, the inventor of modern mass media, I am going to revive ‘thegutenbergeffect’ with immediate effect.

My situation has changed since I last posted. I was a cog in the wheel of the media/marketing/communications machine of a mid-sized UK-based church/charity. Some of my posts where definitely informed by the experiences and insights of that environment. Now I am a self-supporting charity worker with a UK-based organisation, living and working in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It brings a fresh set of perspective to the challenges facing charities in using new media.

The continuity between the two is my personal engagement in new media, particularly online video. As I post this I have 325 video on my talk74 YouTube channel – the most active of the four channels I post on. I’ve lost count of how many videos I’ve actually made for these and a number of other channels. While I am by no means e-famous I was amused, and perhaps a little flattered, that when UK YouTube spotlighted just one video about St George’s Day just over a week ago it was the one I made last year.

Living overseas means a greater reliance on digital media to stay connected with friends, family and financial supporters. So getting it right is not an academic exercise, it really matters. As corporate old media muscles in on the new media party and people become increasingly cynical about the authenticity of online communication there a need to keep communicating with honesty and integrity, along with generous helping of ingenuity...and perhaps a slice of Battenberg!

Invites and early adoption

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:49:00 +0000

It's nice to be wanted and it seems that I'm wanted as a vlogger! I'm typing this listening to a video called 'The History of Vloggerheads'. The bald, bespectacled gentleman telling the story is, of course, Renetto. Yes, Renetto - the once self-proclaimed 'King of YouTube'! But I'm not on YouTube (well, I am on a seperate tab, but that's not the point).

Renetto invited me and now I'm vlogger #60 on Vloggerheads. That's all I'll say about it right now, partly because I only logged in for the first time tonight and I've yet to have anything significant to report. The other reason being I may well have said too much already!

So watch this space. It's exciting to be part of something I've been waiting for...well, I guess I've been waiting ever since Renetto started intimating that if YouTube wasn't going to change to prioritise vlogging then something else would need to happen. This may be it. But I don't think I'll be leaving YouTube any time soon!

Adsense - makes sense?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Isn't monetizing the holy grail of online activity? Maybe not to those addicted to online gaming, but large numbers of the blogging and vlogging community would auction their mothers if they thought it'd make them a quick buck. Since we're becoming increasingly resigned to the fact Hollywood won't come calling just because we post an online video we must take what encouragement we can for our 'art'!

To our rescue rides Adsense - at least that's how Google sells it. You can run Adsense ads on your blogs (although I'm not drawing you're attention to them!) and they are the basis of the YouTube Partner Programme.

Listen to 'senior' YouTubers play down their earning power and you'd think that mere mortals would be lucky to make a dime. I certainly didn't expect Google to contact me about my Adsense account. But they have. Naturally I'm going to discrete about the details - Google prefers it that way. I am, however, pleasantly surprised. Never again will I begrudge the few seconds it takes to monetize a videos on YouTube!

Know Thine Audience!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:25:00 +0000

We're back on the 'when is free music not free music' thing again. Don't you hate it when someone promises you a gift, you get excited, then realise they have an angle? It goes sour. Push it too far and you can lose friends over it. Tonight I'm losing a 'friend'!

These days it seems the only people who want to add me on MySpace are pornstars - and I decline! So when I got an invite from an artist that had a properly contextual (these things are never truely personal) meassage attached I was interested, especially with the added carrot of free music.

I shouldn't have wasted my time downloading the 17 free tracks on offer. They all came with a spoken intro: hello this is blah, blah, blah, this song is called blah, blah, blah, brought to your by blah! I deleted all the tracks and in the interests of expressing my feelings on this issue I'm off to lose a 'friend'.

If he really was my friend he'd know that while I love free music I love it with no strings attached. Marc Andre gave away an album on the only condition that you tell people they could download it. I've mentioned it before but that is the way to do it. That's really making friends!

A little late on this one...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:22:00 +0000

By now you've doubtless heard that due to a ruling in a US court YouTube must hand over an astonishing amount of data about every video ever viewed on its site to Viacom. I seen people say this is wrong for many reasons but the more I think about it the one that is most insidious is the ruling is retroactive.

Perhaps we were gullible and naive to ever treat anywhere on the web as a lawless new frontier. But people have - if we're honest I'm sure we all have to some degree. And I think web-development has benefited from that. Viacom argue they haven't - and, rightly or wrongly, a judge agrees with them.

However, I can't help feeling there's an aspect of this ruling that's like erecting fences and 'We Hang Trespassers' signs after a caravan of honest prospectors have trundled across an unmarked boundary, only to find themselves the centre of a Salem-style witch-hunt. They say 'innovate or die' but perhaps if you don't fancy either of those options you just need to a bigger gun and go hunting!

Optimising...but not cheating!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:39:00 +0000

I'm taking a chance typing this because nothing is constant on YouTube. However, at the time of posting this worked. Watch the video below - I think it's amazing! When it gets to the end you should notice the first related video it recommends to you comes from the familiar face of talk74.

How did I achieve that? In part it was the usual dose of being in the right place and the right time, but mixed with a little thought it seems to have paid off handsomely. My response to 'Where The Hell Is Matt (2008)' is, or rather will be for a brief period around the 22nd - 3rd June 2008, the #1 Travel and Events video on YouTube, on the global list and in about every territory YouTube runs separate charts for!

I was fortunate is see 'Where The Hell Is Matt (2008)' within 12 hours of in being uploaded, and to have the time to make a response immediately. (Matt, the channel owner, was only accepting 'on topic' responses - which probably helped my cause!) My part was to title and tag my video identically to his. As my video is not just a response but an endorsement of his, asking viewers to name how many of the places he shows that they have visited, I don't see this as a cheat. It's about relevance. I'm telling the YouTube machine my video is extremely relevant to his. And YouTube seems to have listened to me!

This one's for you unbelievers!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:57:00 +0000

There are those out there who mock makers of online video. That's your call. There is a stupid side to it. An infantile fascination with the sound of your own voice. An outlet for the wanna-be filmstar. It's understandable. But watch this video and it becomes inexcusable.

Imagine how you'd feel if you were one of the content creators he talks about. I know how I feel. So are you a believer or an unbeliever?

Partly political broadcast!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:05:00 +0000

Ever since he launched WebCameron a couple of years back I've keep an interested eye on how Cameron and the Conservatives are using the media. I'm typing this while watching Cameron Direct live from Plymouth. This isn't the first of these events but it's the first I've looked at.

I could comment on how it's obvious that the Conservatives are pushing his strength as a speaker who doesn't need a script - unless these events are an extremely elaborate hoax! But I'm not a conspiracy theorist, nor yet a political commentator. So let me comment on what caught my eye.

Selfcast. I'd not seen that name before but I instantly knew what it was about. Here is a site that let you sign up and stream live with little more than a webcam. Imagine YouTube but for streaming video. There are live text comments flying in as he's talking, there's a form for emailing in questions. It also seems to archive previous streams.

I know this isn't the only site doing this but it has an instantly likable interface. I'm very tempted to try it out!

A Tale of Two Albums!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:51:00 +0000

I've ranted before that free music is often not worth the hassle. Today I got my hands on two albums in different circumstances.

A bit of late night surfing tipped me off that The Sunday Times were giving away a Moby compliation in today's edition. It was to advertise his upcoming album. This was obviously a more attractive proposition than the Prisonbreak DVD in the Daily Mail, which was piled up everywhere, while The Sunday Times was nowhere to be seen. (Heaven forbid I reveal my feelings on their comparative journalistic merits!) I had to visit three shops to find my copy.

But here's the funny thing. It's not free music because I paid £2 for a paper that'll be 95% unread. And I know I would have put that much effort in if I have been online searching for a download.

However I did score The Charlatans new album for free. I saw a Sky News story about the giveaway and a quick google found the Xfm site with a beautifully simple, no-stupid-registration-just-right-click-and-save-as downloadable album! It's playing now. Yes, it gets plus points for ease of access but I prefer the Moby!

Renetto makes his move!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:32:00 +0000

This is the video we've all been waiting for. Renetto has given a name to his big idea. In fact he's gone one better than that. Two big ideas and, therefore, two names. Paul Robinett has managed to cast himself a love-him-or-hate-him character but I'll say this in his defence. He has passion. Meet him in person and he is a charismatic leader, a motivator, an inspiration. Now he will no-longer be YouTube bashing - let's hope YouTube finds a suitable replacement thorn-in-the-flesh! Instead his attentions are turned to creating Web 3.0!

I write all this because, at 11 minutes long, his video is only for the dedicated. But here's the names you should be looking out for:

Thetropolis

Renetto writes: "Imagine a city alive with conversation...Alive with connection...Vibrant with voices from anywhere and everywhere...Stories you never dreamt you'd hear...Friends you never knew you'd know......Coming soon... Thetropolis.com"

Sorff

Renetto writes: "Never surf the web alone...The future of the web is Social Surfing or...What will soon be known as...Sorffing...Coming soon... Sorff.com"

Ever since Paul began agitating on YouTube I've pondered my response. Do I agree with him? Would I follow someone like him away from the home of online video? Watching today I think I might. Times change and YouTube has certainly changed. Social media is so much more joined up and will only become more so. Watch his video and you'll see it's not histrionics. He's not spitting out the dummy; he's saying let's grow up and take this to the next level. And I'm inclined to think he's onto something good!

When YouTube doesn't work...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:20:00 +0000

This is not a post about the technical issues that occassionally beset the world's biggest video sharing site. I'm going to discuss why, given the vast quantity of daily traffic, it is still possible to upload videos to YouTube that get little or no views.

In the last two years I've uploaded literally hundreds of videos to YouTube. The most viewed has near-on a million views, the least viewed probably has five! This becomes an issue when you're uploading for a corporate channel, an issue that is compounded because in that instance you are usually just one cog in the wheel - and, inevitably, not the final decision maker.

Is it surprising that videos not made for YouTube often don't play well on YouTube? It shouldn't be. YouTube is a video hosting site, but it also blends mere technical functionality with social media capability and it's that aspect that drives the viral video successes.

What constitutes 'made for YouTube'? Here's a quick, non-exhaustive check list...

1: Be direct- speak to your viewer
2: Be conversational
3: Be brief - 5 minutes is ok, 3 minutes is better
4: Be topical - is anyone interested in what you're talking about?
5: Be tactical - be creative in how you tag, title and make responses

Unscientific research!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Want to know where people are hanging out online these days? Well the best way to find out is ask them!

Now, I did enough maths at school to know that it would be stupid to draw anything too conclusive from a bunch of random, un-controlled, responses but there are some trends. Have a look and consider the question: if I coud pick just three websites to convey my message to, what I want to be, a growing audience what would they be?

Oh the irony...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:59:00 +0000

After yesterday's post is this hubris, a technical glitch or a simple misunderstanding?

I have not violated YouTube!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:58:00 +0000

When you're a YouTube Partner you have the option to submit your videos for revenue sharing. The trade of is this: you may see some small financial return if your viewers avail themselves of the contextual advertising the mighty Google ad-engine provides, provided your content is squeaky clean.

This is a funny one because in many ways there is nothing wrong with YouTube demanding you only post videos that adhere to their terms of service. At the same time, scare stories surface all too frequently of users who have video removed which they maintain were 'clean' with no recourse. Partnership is both carrot and stick for good behaviour. By drawing the editor's attention to your work it you could be hastening its removal from the site.

YouTube likes its cloak of secrecy over all things Partner related but I'm sure I'm allowed to say have two channels covered by my Partnership agreement. One I use a lot, the other I post weekly updates about my weight and fitness activity on. A couple of nights back I decided it was time to submit these video to 'the Program'!

I'll confess it's scary braving the 'if your videos violate...' warning. You consider the prospect of your channel going dark, you check everything's properly backed-up, you hope! And about two days later you notice ads appearing next to your videos, pushing the nice banners you worked so hard on down the page. But at least you haven't violated YouTube!

(Want to know more? Zipster talks about the YouTube Partner beta. Yeah, he had a salary!)

Global warming?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Hellyer) — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:38:00 +0000

I'm sure I'm not alone in being inconsistant in my adoption of new technology. While I've thrown myself whole-heartedly at YouTube I've dragged my feet with Facebook. But everything is subject to change. In the aftermath of last night's Champion's League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool I had a 'wall-to-wall' converstaion with Tom (tlg847 of YouTube Community Council fame!). This sudden, spontaneous, piece of real-time global interaction changed something.

This morning 'Matt is gradually warming to Facebook!' I've never posted a Facebook status before; funny, because I regularly change mine on MSN. With the growing interest in Twitter, and rival services, I see 'status' as being a great way to counter the curse of 'out of sight - out of mind.' It was Tom's 'status' that prompted me to start the conversation. Perhaps mine will provoke responses for those who've heard my anti-Facebook rants. So in the interests of transparency I felt I should share my belated conversion experience!