Parents, Video Cameras and Social Media

As I was plowing through my podcasts this morning, I came across CNet's Buzz Report. For those of you that don't know about this podcast, it's basically a quick recap of all the latest and greatest tech news - gadgets, social media, software, rumors, etc.

The piece of interweb they said was clogging up the tubes recently was this video:



This is a prime example of why video cameras are a parent's best friend. Kids are always doing some funny things. In this case, it's a bit different because the dad knew the kid was going to come out of the dentist pretty loopy.

However, once you post a video like that to YouTube, you're bound to get a slew of remixes:













I could keep posting these videos because there are a slew of them. This one takes the cake though...at least for originality.

Read more!

Beanpot, ARoid, Octuplets, MA Politics and Whitey Bulger

A few random thoughts this morning relating to a handful of stories littering the newspapers today:

Beanpot
Boston University won the Beanpot...again. Whoopie ding dong. As a Northeastern grad, I was pulling HARD for the Huskies to dethrone the hated Terriers. The Huskies came out flying around the puck in the first period. Things leveled out in the second. The game was neck and neck up until mid-way through the third when BU score two short-handed goals within a minute of each other. That was the nail in the coffin. Worst part of all this is now I owe a client and friend, @jimrattray a 12-pack of @magichat #9's. Adding salt to the wound is the fact that one of our interns at MS&L Boston is a BU student and we've been talking trash since last Monday. Needless to say, I'm ready to eat a big portion of crow.

ARoid
Out of all the juiced up players during the steroid era, I would never have suspected A-Rod to be on that list. I assumed the guy was just naturally talented. Well, he wasn't. He was un-naturally talented. The numbers really don't lie. His HRs jumped by about 15-20 when he was with the Rangers. I love his "apology" that was cooked up by some spinster:

To all those journo's who have Hall of Fame votes. Don't let him in. Treat him like McGuire, Bonds, Clemens and the rest. They juiced up. They cheated. Want to protect the integrity of the game? That's how you do it. Don't give them the votes...ever. Cheaters. (subsequently, I'm interested to see what Red Sox players are on the list - hello Nomar.) The only thing ARoid did was apologize, sorta, immediately. Any communications professional will tell you to admit wrong doing immediate and begin rebuilding your credibility. That's the only way out from under a PR nightmare. And oh yea, Obama also thinks you're A-Fraud.

Octuplets
We've all read the story about the woman who gave birth to eight kids...yes, eight kids. The kicker is that she already had six at home...yes, six. Did you happen to catch the interview on NBC with the mom and the kids? It was like she was auditioning for a movie. What I found interesting was when she was asked about how she was going to feed all those kids she basically said God will find a way to help her. Sorry honey, you mean the state and your fellow taxpayers. Why, in your right mind, would you want any other kids when you have SIX AT HOME. This is yet another reason why a test should be given to all those that want to be parents. What a moron. I feel sorry for each of those kids. The road that lies ahead is going to be a difficult one. God speed kido's.

MA Politics
A cpuple things caught my attention this morning relating to some political chess by Gov. Patrick and Mumbles Menino.

First up is Gov. Patrick and his attempt to fix our roads. The way he wants to solve MA's chronic shortages of highway and bridge money is to jack up the gas tax by $.29. Doesn't sound like a lot of money, but it would give MS the highest state gas tax in the country while apparently generating enough revenue to potentially rid the Massachusetts Turnpike of tolls. Yea, right. Heard that one before. Let's give you more of our hard earned cash so you can figure out creative ways to over spend on more state projects. Thanks, but no thanks Mr. Governor.

Secondly, Mumbles Menino has decided that he's making too much money. In fact, a lot of peeps in his circle will be expecting some pay cuts - as much as 3 percent. Additionally, Mumbles is asking about 17,000 other state workers to freeze pay raises for a year. While I applaud the effort, Mumbles is only doing this because he's starting to feel the heat a bit as other credible Bostonians are vying for his job.

Whitey Bulger
Apparently, Whitey Bulger is still a priority with the feds and they need help from those on the other side of the pond, specifically scribes. Hey guys, leave the dude alone at this point. He's a million years old and unless he's car bombing American's in Iraq, what can he be doing from his secluded hide-out in Southie that requires tax payer money to be churned like butter.

That's all the news that's fit to print. Until next time.

Read more!

Why Social Media is like Parenting

For those that have been following me on Twitter or reading this blog or just know me in general, you've probably heard me complain about the state of social media. I've been talking about how the "conversation" is not going anywhere and how it's time that "experts" start showing the world real uses of social media and product innovation like mobile apps for insurance agents (as an odd, but doable, example).

All this "talk" about the space has me thinking about how B2B companies, big consumer brands, mid-tier market players and non-profits the like can use Twitter, Facebook, Ustream, Qik, Plurk, Flickr, etc. for real and tangible interactions with their audiences - interactions that sell products, support a cause or raise money (which ever the case may be).

As I've struggled with a post on this very topic - a post with real examples of success, how-to's, etc. - I started to think about how social media is like parenting.

As a blue collar-type guy working in a white collar business, I consider myself a no non-sense thinker. I'm not going to write 700 words that will blow your socks off. I'm not going to write something so heady that it'll take you three reads to digest. I'm going to give it to you raw. And, for those that know me or follow me on Twitter or read this blog know, my first priority in life is my family.

With all that said, the wait is over, here's why I think social media is like parenting:

When you find out you're going to be a parent (in most cases), there's this wave of jubilation that crashes over you. You experience excitement and nervousness all at the same time. It's the unknown, but something that you're eager to experience. Social media is the same way. Companies are excited about using available technologies to engage with their audiences but have no clue how things will turn out. It is still the great unknown.

When the baby is born, you are sent on an emotional roller coaster. You are overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of another human being - feeding them, bathing them, ensuring they get enough sleep, take them to the doctor, etc. You are constantly monitoring their progress and are amazed at all the little things you notice: how they grasp your fingers; how they look when they sleep; how they scream in the middle of the night and you don't want to get up. Social media is all about discovery. Companies and organizations have a plethora of tools at their disposal, but really don't know how their audiences will react once they are engaged. Companies and organizations should constantly monitor how their program is working; what their audiences are saying about their brand; how their audiences are embracing or not embracing the "conversation." The process is forever evolving and companies and organizations need to be nimble and quick to react to changes beyond their control.

Once you think you have this parenting thing down, your son or daughter starts to crawl. No longer can you sit on the couch with the baby in one hand and a beer in another. The kid is on the move. You have to kid proof the house and make sure he or she can't snatch anything off a table that they could choke on or break. Luckily enough, you're quicker than the baby at this point so you can be prepared, sorta. Then the baby starts to walk and you find yourself constantly chasing after him or her. At this point, the kid is mobile and there's no stopping them. They want to get into everything, all the time. Social media is similar to this stage of parenting because just when you think you have your program running like a well oiled machine and all your ducks are in a row, it can blow up in your face. See the Motrin Moms case study as an example. Lesson learned here is that companies and organizations need to be prepared for the worst case scenario with all social media campaigns. Whether it's a technical or content issue, good crisis preparation and constant monitoring are keys to success. In the case of a crisis, quick strategic actions are needed to ensure the fire is put out quickly and mending can start immediately so the existence of the program is not jeopardized.

With parenting comes great rewards. The best part of my day is when I come home from work and I open the garage door. At the top of the stairs are my two girls who are beyond excited to see me. The feeling I get with that reception is something I will never forget and something that motivates me to work harder and provide everything humanly possible that my family needs and wants. With social media, the rewards are very high. Today's media landscape is such that a mommy blogger can have as big of an impact on a brand as a front page Wall Street Journal article. If executed in the right way, companies and organizations will receive a wave of support from brand evangelists who in essence will spread good will amongst your core audience. Basically, social media can fuel the fires of change in basically any corporate or non-profit environment.

Finally, as a parent you wonder how your kids will turn out as they get older. You wonder if they will do well in school. You wonder if they will get into good colleges. You wonder what career path they will choose. You wonder if they will be successful and have a family of their own. It's THE big unknown. Social media is the communications unknown. Where is this space really heading? Will Twitter ever mainstream like mobile banking? Will the investments you make up front pay off in the long run? There are just no answers, just more questions.


As you strategize about what your company or organization wants to do in the social media space, think about tangible, measurable strategies - like crawling then walking. Don't announce that you're going to be on Twitter or launching a Facebook group. How are you going to use it as it relates to your business model? What's the strategy behind it? What are you looking to get out of its use and how are you going to measure it? How will you continue to mold it so it's continuously of interest to your audience (keeping in mind the short attention span of online audiences).

Let's move the "conversation" to "conver-actions." It's time to stop the talking and time to start acting.

So you might say, "great post Don, but you're basically saying the same thing as everyone else is - all talk, no action." Well, you're right...for now. Stay tuned to the PR Finish Line - the work-related blog I write for - as we'll be rolling out something on this very topic: an actionable, tangible point of view on cause marketing with a social media slant that really can help companies and organizations move the needle.) Read more!

Parenting is like facing a major league pitcher

Parenting is like stepping into the batters box and facing a major league hitter? How so, you ask?

Well, it starts off when you finally get called up from the minors (getting married). You enjoy the honeymoon for a bit and then you find out you're having a kid. The experience is awesome, you really enjoy it, etc. Then you're called to the plate. It's time to hit.

First off, you have no idea what's coming at you. You've read all the scouting reports, you THINK you know that this pitcher has a good fastball and a helluva a curveball. However, don't sleep on his change-up either. And for kicks, he has a nasty splitter that will make you look foolish.

So you first at bat (a year into being a parent), you have all the background you need to give it a go. More often than not, you're going to strike out, maybe walk or ground out to the shortstop. In essence, you're feeling you way around the game (trying to figure out how to do things like wash bottles, mix baby food, etc.)

As the games go by (kid gets older) you start to really get the hang of it. You're becoming quite the hitter. You're spraying singles to left, going opposite field and maybe evening hitting a couple dingers here and there. This equates to getting comfortable in your parenting routine.

So one day, you're at the dish, facing the pitcher you faced when you broke into the league. You know that he's going to start you off with a first pitch strike and probably follow that up with something just off the plate, in the dirt, etc. The key for you during this at-bat is to wait for a 2-1 count when you know he's going to throw that fastball again and it'll more than likely be middle it. He doesn't want to go down on you 3-1. This equates to eventually you start becoming a robot at this parenting stuff and you've pretty much got it master.

You're digging in, asking the ump for some time. You square up, do your routine, settle down and here comes the pitch.

Instead of the fastball, middle in, you get a 99mph steamer that's got a beat for your head, i.e. the major league brush off pitch. Little did you know, you're 4-4 for the night and have been a pain in the butt all night long and all season long for the pitcher. He's had enough. He wants to dirty that nice white uniform you've got on. The pitch comes in, you're scared to death and hit the dirt. Then you're thinking to yourself, "Man, I thought I knew this guy. Thought I had a beat on him."

Well folks, just like in Puke Fest 2008, myself and the wife got a high heater last night from Godzilla, aka, kid #2.

We went to a friends house and were letting the kids run around, get tired, etc. It was really an excuse for the adults to hang together, have some brewskies and chill out. That all went fine and dandy. We get home later that night and the kids are so wound up that they are not tired enough to go to bed. Our strategy here is to feed them some snacks so they get full and tired.

So we did that.

After the quick feedbag session, Mrs. Big Guy took Godzilla out of her chair and said to me, "Did she poop?" So, like any normal parent would do, I sniffed her butt.

Oh yea, she went alright. She exploded. All up her back, into her PJ's, etc. Not until my wife skidded up Godzilla's PJ's did she realize the severity of the situation.

Basically folks, poop was everywhere. It was the nastiest thing I've ever seen come out of something so cute has Godzilla. I literally puked in my mouth. It was fowsty, horrid, wretched, etc. If I never see anything like that again in my life I'll be a happy man.

My point to all this? Mrs. Big Guy and I thought we knew what was going on. We'd feed the kids, put them to bed and then have some adult TV time on the couch - just chill out and veg.

Did that happen?

Nope.

In comes a high heater right at our heads, knocks us on the dirt and reminds us that parenting isn't all that easy sometimes. No matter how much you think you know the scouting report, it never pans out the way you expect it. Read more!

Child fights for life as parents squabble

Here's yet another story that screams: "Federal Government institutes Constitutional Amendment that mandates pre-Parental testing." (read: they should make people take tests before they become parents)

This story is basically about a mother who refused to give her son the necessary treatment to fight the cancer eating away at his life.

Tell my your heart doesn't go out to the poor kid and makes you want to slap around the mother and throw her off the Tobin Bridge with concrete shoes on her feet. Read more!

Zoo animals, f-mortgage Lenders, BBQ, Good Friends, a Celtics loss, Sox skidding, and a formatted PC.

Going in my long weekend (having Friday off - finally taking a vacation day), I knew that it was going to be a fun relaxing weekend. However, the Celtics loss to Atlanta last night and the continuing Red Sox skid has put a small damper on things. With that said, throw in a trip to the zoo, a BBQ at home with family and friends and a couple cases of beer and I'd rate the weekend a 9 our of 10.

On Friday, I took the family to the Southwick Zoo in Mendon, MA. It's a very nice zoo. Lots of interesting animals, lots of things for the kids to look at, experience, ask questions about, etc. We went with my brother-in-law's family, and two other couples with their kids. All in total, there was about 15 of us with mucho kids. Taking random head counts to ensure we had everyone was key. It was the buddy system to the extreme.

The funny thing about going to the Zoo is that always ends up being a great day in general. However, about three quarters of the way through the visit, the kids are tired from walking and the parents are tired of dealing with bratty kids. By the time we got back to the cars, everyone was exhausted. It's all good though. The kids crash in the car and the ride back was nice and quiet. Check out the photostream.

On the way back from the Zoo we were going to swing by my brother's new house. Long story short, things didn't work out as planned and things will work out this week. All I need to say here is f mortgage companies. They have no idea how tormenting their little mistakes can be. Making someone hold off on their dream because of a small computer glitch is bullsh*t. Just get it done. Make it happen.

Saturday rolls around and we planned a small BBQ with the family. Fifteen pounds of meat and over two cases of beer later, we're hanging outside on my patio at 1 a.m. in the morning debating ordering dominos because all the snacks are gone.

Oh zeez.

We Tivoed the Celtics game and were HIGHLY disappointed that they lost. The Hawks came out and played their butts off. They were amped. The crowd was behind them. Needless to say, I'm actually happy the Celtics lost. This will put them in check. They are always ferocious after a loss. I feel bad for Atlanta on Monday. KG and crew will be beastin' it.

While I am on the subject of Boston sports, WTF is up with the Sox? Is it June? Are we in the middle of the classic summer slump? Is it over? Is this not the year, again? What the heck is up with the starting pitching?

My theory is that the team has gotten the flu and it's run through the entire clb house. Injuries and the this bug is doing a real good job in helping the Sox lose. Check the standings. Baltimore and the Sox are tied for first. The Skankees are no where in sight. The AL East is a different playing field this year. It's great to see more competition.

Last but not least on the docket for my classic weekend recap post is that I woke up this morning - slightly banged up - but motivated enough to reformat my PC. It's been a long time coming. It's been running slow and it has been suffering from a major memory leak. For those that don't know, a memory leak is basically when your computer is using system resources above and beyond what it needs to run an application. When that happens, it slows down the PC and everything you're trying to do on it. It's a pain in the butt and it's hard to figure out why. Something is running that shouldn't and is causing other apps to suck up resources. The easiest thing I've learned to do is just wipe the HD clean and reinstall everything. It takes about a day, but in the long run it's worth it. The PC is almost four years old at this point and I've reformatted it at least once a year. It's still living, so I must be doing something right.

That's all for now. Wipe Drive just finished. Going to start the rebuild process now and maybe order a steak and cheese. ;)
Read more!

Deceased teen parents sue MySpace

Here's a story out of Texas that caught my attention.

THE FAMILY OF A CALIFORNIA teen who committed suicide has sued MySpace in state court in Texas, charging that the company was negligent for enabling an alleged sexual predator to victimize their daughter.

In the lawsuit, the parents allege that Texas resident Kiley Ryan Bowers, now serving a nine-year prison term in California, "utilized the site to contact, seduce, meet, assault and then harass and torment" their 15-year-old daughter, Kristin Helms. Bowers pleaded guilty last year to two counts of interstate travel to have sex with a minor and transporting child pornography. Helms committed suicide while an investigation against him was pending.

We live in a digital age when younger generations are extremely open about what they share to strangers online. Parents have to pay closer attention to what their kids do online so these sort of things don't happen. Parents need to talk to their kids and be involved in their lives more than ever. Kids might hate it, but it can be balanced so your kids don't hate you for it. Better to be safe than sorry.

Tragic, yet classic story. What the hell were her parents doing in terms of monitoring her social life - not just after school hanging out but her online social life?

Read more!