Jamaica Pond Overflows

We don't have is as bad as other parts of the state, but Jamaica Pond has overflowed its banks making it both pretty and hard to manuever.

Raindrops


Trees in Water


Pond Panorama



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I Love Modern Family: Starry Night | Season 1: Ep. 18



There were so many good moments in this episode.

The characters are so well developed. It's hard to imagine that it's only the first season.

Watch.

Hulu also allows you to comment on the episode. [Click reviews and discussions] Viewers are all saying the same things that I'm thinking.

You can also read through the captions too. Lots of features on hulu.

You can also link to moments:

"I told you it was too spicy for you! Look at your shirt!"


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Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution | Season 1 : Ep. 2



Brilliant!

Jamie Oliver scores for ABC:

Friday's premiere of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" produced what's believed to be the top demo rating for any entertainment series on Friday this season, logging the net's best score in the time period in more than three years.

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The Book on Social Media Metrics


Just got this book in the mail from Wiley, Social Media Metrics: How to MEASURE and OPTIMIZE your MARKETING INVESTMENT by Jim Sterne

It's the 3rd book in David Meerman Scott's The New Rules of Social Media Series. My book, Get Seen is the 2nd, and Inbound Marketing is the 1st.

I started flipping through it and it's a book that I'm excited to start reading. Many clients are asking me about how to measure the value of social media.

Where I've Been Learning About Social Media Metrics



I've found some great blog posts by Amber Naslund at Radian6. Check out her Social Media ebooks.

Social Media Metrics by Jim Sterne looks like it's going to help me learn a lot more.

How Do You Measure Social Media Results?



I love David Berkowitz's list that Jim Sterne includes in the Introduction: 100 Ways to Measure Social Media. Here are the first ten:

1. Volume of consumer-created buzz for a brand based on number of posts

2. Amount of buzz based on number of impressions

3. Shift in buzz over time

4. Buzz by time of day / daypart

5. Seasonality of buzz

6. Competitive buzz

7. Buzz by category / topic

8. Buzz by social channel (forums, social networks, blogs, Twitter, etc)

9. Buzz by stage in purchase funnel (e.g., researching vs. completing transaction vs. post-purchase)

10. Asset popularity (e.g., if several videos are available to embed, which is used more)

Jim says about the list, "If.. you really want to know if any of these metrics are useful and how to use them then you'll nee to heed David's advice: "Ultimately, you need to start with figuring out your business objectives and then apply these metrics accordingly."

This book is about that.




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Boston Globe: That's Not Right

Good morning from Boston.

While reading the hard copy version of this morning's Boston Globe, I read a number of articles that made me think, "That's Not Right."

Since I wasn't reading the electronic version at the breakfast table, I took hand written notes.

I imagine in the near future, I'll have an iPad with an ergonomic stand that will allow me to both read and comment on the articles. Audio and video comments might be problematic though, but that's not important right now.

What's important are the four things that I read about this morning.

1. The MBTA's No Cellphone Policy



MBTA suspends 3 for cellphone violation:

Three MBTA bus drivers who were caught using their cellphones have been suspended without pay, the MBTA said yesterday. One of the drivers, a 22-year veteran of the agency, was talking on the cellphone while driving the bus; the other two were between trips.

In Boston, the MBTA (buses and trains) has a no tollerance policy for cellphones. If a driver if caught with a cellphone s/he is suspended.

I don't get it. They don't trust their drivers to adhere to a more lenient policy of no tollerance for using a cellphone while driving.

2. Tea Party Partiots



The makings of a Boston Tea Party:

It’s easy to define what the Tea Party isn’t — it’s not Barack Obama, it’s not health care reform, and it’s certainly not anything related to Barney Frank — but it’s going to be harder for the people involved to decide what it actually is.

I read an article about a Tea Party Partiots gathering. Based on what I read in the article, this group's only commonality is choosing fear over hope.

Here are some of their sites:
Tea Party Patriots
Tea Party Patriots - Ning Site

I was thinking that an fun alterative to the Tea Party would be a Coffee Party.

The Coffee Party has already started:

Coffee Party USA seeks calm political talk in Bethlehem
Coffee Party USA
Coffee Party Movement on Facebook 184,139 fans.
What is Coffee Party USA?
Why I started Coffee Party USA

3. Verizon is Halting the Build Out of FIOS while Boston Has Dark Fiber for Google



Verizon winding down expansion of FiOS:

Verizon is nearing the end of its program to replace copper phone lines with optical fibers that provide higher Internet speeds and TV service... Verizon could still bring FiOS to Boston and other communities not yet served. But he added, “Now it’s time for us to take a pause and focus on all the communities where we’ve begun to build the service.’’

Verizon is halting the build out of FIOS in the area, which means it won't be coming to Boston any time soon.

Boston joins race to lure Google:

Boston has taken a more conservative approach. The city’s application stressed Boston’s role as a global academic and research center and a major financial hub. It notes that large amounts of unused, or “dark,’’ optical fiber have already been installed under the city’s streets. Google could use this fiber as the backbone of its system, enabling the company to complete construction quickly and at low cost.

Tthe City of Boston has applied for the super fast built out of internet from Google saying that there's plenty of dark fiber ready to be put to use to bring high speed internet to Boston.

Curious and Ironic.

4. Anderson Windows is not Values Based



The Anderson windows advertisement encourages people to use cheap windows if they are moving out of thier house soon.

They imply that it's ok to install cheap windows prior to selling your house. Of course that's not right.

In fact, if you've got an old house, it's better to repair your original windows and consider installing storm windows. That's what we did.

See: Values Based - Steven Covey.


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President Obama's Hand and Speech


Editor and Chief:

"I was struck by this picture I saw on the New Yorker’s Book Bench blog, which they found on the White House’s Flickr photo account. Those are the president’s hands."

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Streamy Awards 2010: Best Comedy Web Series Nominees

Best Comedy Web Series Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis Easy to Assemble The Guild The Legend of Neil Wainy Days

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Speaking at Bentley University: Videoblogging & How Businesses use Social Media

I'll be speaking at Bentley University on THURSDAY MARCH 25th to Mark Frydenberg's class, #cs299, on videoblogging & how businesses use social media.



I'll be talking about my personal experiences, how companies are embracing casual video, how students can use video to get hired, and tools to put video on the web including live streaming from a cell phone, choosing a camera, lighting and sound, shooting video, editing, uploading and distribution, embedding and future developments including user lead video.

Watch live on ustream.tv THURSDAY March 25th at 11:20 am EST.

Bentley University Ustream account

Bentley University Ustream Show Page.

Watch the Archived Video:


The details of a lot of these topics are in my book Get Seen.


Photo from Flickr

Class Blog: CS299-001 Spring 2010

Real time twitter notes from class by Brice Soucy, @bricesoucy11:

#CS299 from w/in the video , choose how you want it to proceed, user in charge of the experienceabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Future: "user led video": VISIBLEGAINS, a person choosing how a video goes, means they are more engagedabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 tubemogul -> upload once and distributes to a bunch of sites , include YT & blip , also track all statsabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Hosting, can use wordpress blog and paste url and will host YT vid, blip.tv for series -> crosspost & Pro version w/ MP3 , & statsabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 use music in videos you have the "rights" to use -> iodapromonet, link to artist so you can buy music, also soundcloud.com, notedabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299: On YT you can track how interested people are in a video by whether they click away or not, way to make your videos betterabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 usus. use one light, but background light for well lgith, back light is behind or Sima light -> handcam KoDak Zi8about 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 use an "xshot" for different shots using a handcameras , any1 can send video in the iReport & producers put good stuff on CNN.comabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 interviews are less formal now as cameras are smaller w/out camera crews, use arms as a tripod or hold against solid surfaceabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Side Obs.: uses iPhone during presentationabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Be Timely: Curb Your Enthusiasm, got video up right away to get seen & get hitsabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 better video: get a microphone and tripodabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 NECN did a series about SG's mom, older blogger, 84, keeps them connected and stimulated on the webabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 therefore followers can direct what is happening with the videoabout 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Mobile: m.qik.com , in NYC 2010 can post right to youtube from iPhone , huge breakthrough & sends tweet with YT w/ chatabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 had to upload AVI to computerabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 2005 snowstorm in NYC -about 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 publishers also liked it, qik.com/videocamera -> SG is investor, can broadcast live fromabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#cs299 Tools to use: iPhone 3GS , used in NYC B&N for book signing, -> then can email, MMS, post to YT, then B&N decides to do for othersabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 or start a blog on a "niche" that you are interested in, can make connectionsabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Get Hired:HubSpot, made a blog "heyhubspot.com" -> have TV show on FRI @ 4, hired @ 140about 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Chevy put an unedited 7sec vid on, now SG asks, what "value does professional video have?" -> place for both, casual & proabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 is Chevy embracing casual video, authentic and real -> 7 sec video, usu. want a long video with eq't and graphics and prerollabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Chevy cars to drive and made a vlog on peoples' experience driving , used a free site "unique" -> casual videos 5 secs to 1.07about 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 had phone to livestream a video w/ JF -> call him "stevegarfield" , 7 min vidabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 moment that JF says "feel like he knows SG" from vlog, experiencing the power of vloging , then JF gets SG VIP tixabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 SG sends in video comment to JF -> asked how to include the audience in the show , then met @ CESabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 JF putting video on the blog but 2. most important to watch what people say about itabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 knows Jimmy Fallon - 12/9/08: JF put up a vlog behind the scenes, said making a "new blog every night" -> making a new post, SGabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 1/2005: had VloggerCon , met 70 people from group , like already knew each other -> powerful there are people behind itabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 "video on the web is all about people" -> 1/1/04 first v-log as a new years resolution as a technical challenge, put html on webabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 blip.tv is useful to put video on the web, add. to YT, can do a series, YT can customize player tooabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 esp. important on twitterto own your name for a business, Platform -> leads to blog , vlog , youtube vids, etc. -> clear name to itabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 stevegarfield.com : Get Seen : get a Platform to own your name on the web, rec. to buy your domain and buy it, grab it so you own itabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

#CS299 Steve Garfield guest speaker in class today@11:20 @stevegarfieldabout 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

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