Off On A Tangent

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

People Cover - Jennifer Lopez

People Cover - Jennifer Lopez, originally uploaded by stevegarfield.

People: Mot Beautiful 2011. Jennifer Lopez: Being Beautiful Is 'Part of My Job'

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Collabracam

Collabracam, originally uploaded by stevegarfield. CC BY-NC-SA

The world's first multi-camera video production iPhone app with live editing and director to camera communication

More: http://collabracam.com/

Friday, April 08, 2011

Join 24 Social Media Experts at Web’s Largest Online Social Media Conference

Join 24 Social Media Experts at Web’s Largest Online Social Media Conference

Social Media Success Summit 2011 is a special online conference designed to help you master social media marketing (brought to you by Social Media Examiner).

Join me and:

- Jeremiah Owyang (Altimeter Group)
- Guy Kawasaki (author, Enchantment)
- Brian Solis (author, Engage)
- Frank Eliason (Citigroup)
- Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing)
- Erik Qualman (author, Socialnomics)
- Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner)
- Dan Zarrella (author, The Social Media Marketing Book)
- Andy Sernovitz (author, Word of Mouth Marketing)
- David Meerman Scott (author, Real-Time Marketing & PR)
- Jay Baer (co-author, The Now Revolution)
- Hollis Thomases (author, Twitter Marketing)
- Mario Sundar (LinkedIn)
- Ann Handley (MarketingProfs)

Along with experts from Boeing, Intel, Cisco and Verizon – just to name a few.

Go here to learn more: Social Media Success Summit 2011

Note: This is an ad. ;-)

Pixelschatten

Filmed with this!

Long Term Relationship Television

Thursday, April 07, 2011

How to Port Verizon Landline to Google Voice

I'm thinking about porting my Verizon landline to Google Voice.

I found this solution in the Google Voice help forum by love_my_n1, Can I port my land line number to google voice:

Verizon Landline ported in two steps. Total cost $ 26.99

My objective : Two numbers ONE cellphone service
I wanted to loose Verizon landline service but keep the number which i had for 20 years,
and I wanted to keep my current Cellphone number and service which i have for five years.

Step One: Port Verizon landline to Prepaid T-Mobile
Step Two : Port from T-Mobile to Google Voice.

First, I bought " T-Mobile® Prepaid SIM Card Activation Kit " (online for $6.99 free shipping)
- I got it in 3 days, activate and call customer service to request port.
- It took a week to port.
Number ported and working on T-Mobile. The next day I went on Google Voice and ordered the port
for $20.

30 hours later I received email:

"Google Voice Number Porting is Complete! "

Really?

Why do I need to go through a two step process?

More:

Port your existing mobile number to Google Voice

Number Porting: Number Porting FAQS

Update: 4/29/11

I started the process of porting my Verizon Landline Phone # to Google Voice via T-Mobile.

How to: Port a Verizon Landline Phone # to T-Mobile

Step 1: Buy a T-Mobile Prepaid Card

Image: T-Mobile Prepaid SIM Card

I bought the T-Mobile prepaid card at a T-Mobile Store. It cost $10.63. $10 for the activation kit and .63 Mass Tax.

The card comes loaded with $3.34 which works out to 10 minutes.

Step 2: Call T-Mobile to Port my Verizon Landline to T-Mobile

I called the T-Mobile Customer Service # and was transferred to an "Activations" #.

Update:

1-877-789-3106 is the number to call to port a phone # or to check on an existing port request.

They needed the following:

- T-Mobile #
- Home Phone #
- Home Phone # Account #

They said the Port from my Verizon Landline to T-Mobile will take up to 24 hours and they will text message the phone when it's done, or I can call in for a status at 1-877-789-3106.

Using the SIM Card
I wasn't planning on using the SIM card at all, but decided to pop it into my Motorola ATRIX 4G to receive the text message.

T-Mobile SIM in Motorola ATRIX 4G

That didn't work. I got a message on the phone asking for "SIM Network Unlock PIN"

SIM network unlock PIN required

I tried the PIN I got at the T-MOBILE store. That didn't work.

Then I called T-Mobile Customer Service and at the end of the call they told me that I needed a T-Mobile phone.

Works on a Nokia N95
I think this has something to do with getting an 'unlocked' phone, so I pulled out an old Nokia N95 and popped the SIM in there. It worked with no problem.

T-Mobile on Nokia N95

I'll be back in 24 hours to start the next step of porting the T-Mobile # to Google Voice.

Stay tuned...

Update 5/1 9:34 AM:

Last night at 12:30 AM I got a call on my T-Mobile #. Wrong #. Hmm.

My Verizon land line number hasn't been ported yet. It was supposed to be done already.

So I called the T-Mobile 1-877-789-3106 to check on the status.

They are really friendly.

I had to supply the number I am porting and my T-Mobile number. Then I was asked for my birthday. Didn't match. I explained that when I went into the store they asked for my birthday and I wanted to know why they wanted it. They told me they didn't need it.

Guess what.

They kinda did. Some random birthday was entered to my accountably default.

So we moved on to the PIN # that I chose in the store and that matched.

After a while the T-Mobile rep told me that the number would be ported over on Tuesday 5/3.

No explanation as to why it wasn't already ported.

On Tuesday I'll be getting a text message that says, "New # is (NNN) NNN-NNNN."

I'll be back with an update when that happens.

Update 5/3 7:54 PM:

Just got the text message from T-Mobile. The port of my Verizon landline was successfully completed.

Now when I dial what used to be my home phone #, it rings on my cellphone.

Cool.

How to: Port a T-Mobile cellphone # to Google Voice

Setting up Google Voice and porting the number there.

Success...

Port your mobile number to Google Voice
Porting means that you move your number from your carrier to Google Voice. You can then use the full set of Google Voice features without having to change your number.
Port your number

Things to understand before porting your number to Google Voice:
The cost of porting is $20.00 (payable through Google Checkout).
Your mobile phone service plan will be terminated when you port your number to Google Voice and your carrier may charge you an early termination fee.
Once porting is complete, you will not be able to receive calls to your mobile phone until you complete the following steps:
Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must setup a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number.
Once you've secured a new mobile service plan and a new number, you will need to add this new number to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone.
You may be unable to receive text messages for up to 3 business days after the porting process is complete.
Your Google Voice number will be replaced by the number you are porting. It will remain on your account for 90 days.
I understand the risks associated with porting my number to Google Voice and want to continue with the porting process.

Next you need to verify that you are the owner of the phone by calling it from an on screen prompt and entering the supplied number.

Verify - This step requires a cell phone.

When I did this the first time, my phone didn't produce touch tones. So I tried again and it worked.

Account Information
Next you need to supply your T-Mobile information to complete the process including entering your T-Mobile Account # and your PIN #.

At this point I had to call T-Mobile to get my account #. I made a mistake though, when prompted for my cellphone # I entered the Pre-Paid T-Mobile # instead of my newly ported home #. D'oh!

On hold...

Success!

NOTE: Your T-Mobile Account number is your newly ported cellphone #.

Confirm Transaction

Checkout

My porting request is in process.

I got this email from Google Voice:

Hello,

We have begun the process of moving your phone number (porting), 617-NNN-NNNN, to Google Voice.

To ensure that the porting process is as smooth as possible, please read through the following notes:

- Your number should be ported within 24 hours. You may not receive text messages for up to 3 business days after porting is complete.
- You will receive an email confirmation when your number has been successfully ported.
- Your mobile phone service plan will be terminated and your carrier may charge you an early termination fee if you are still under contract.
- Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must set up a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number.
- You will need to add this new number to your Google Voice account as a forwarding phone in order to receive calls on your mobile phone.

Questions? Visit the Help Center to learn more.

- The Google Voice team

Update 5/4 8:33 PM:

The porting is complete!

It worked. When I now call what used to be my home phone #, Google Voice picks up for the caller to leave a voice message.

I got a confirmation email too:

Hello,

We’re writing to let you know that your phone number: 617-NNN-NNNN has been successfully ported to Google Voice!

Now that your number is ported, there are a couple of steps that you’ll have to take in order to continue receiving calls on your mobile phone.

Make sure you have a NEW number for your phone
Google Voice is not a mobile phone service provider, so you must setup a new mobile phone service plan (with your existing carrier or a new carrier) and request a new number. You’ll need this new number in order to continue receiving calls on your mobile phone.

Add your new number as a forwarding phone in your Google Voice account
Once you have secured a new number directly from your carrier, update your Google Voice settings and add this new number as a forwarding phone. You will then be able to receive calls to your mobile phone. Learn more about how to add a forwarding phone.

Please note that text messages may not be delivered for up to 3 business days after porting is complete.

Questions? Visit the Help Center to learn more.

- The Google Voice team

I just got my first voice mail, transcribed to text, as an email message:

Voicemail from: (617) NNN-NNNN at 5:32 PM

Hi. This is Carol and just checking in about our plans for tomorrow night. I think we need a date night okay call me bye.

Awesome!

SteveGarfield.tv Today at 2:00 ET with Ja-Naé Duane

SteveGarfield.tv Show Ad, originally uploaded by stevegarfield. CC BY-NC-SA

Watch Steve Garfield.tv today at 2 ET.

This week on SteveGarfield.tv, Ja-Naé Duane will be my co-host.

Tune in to talk about Buying and Selling People on the Web via Empire Avenue, Steven Tyler and J Lo, The Invisible Camera, Barack Obama 2102 Social Media Campaign, and 5 New Ways to View Blogger Blogs.

We'll also be talking about The Power of Vulnerability.

Tune in on Thursday at 2:00 ET on The Pulse Network.

You can also watch on your iPhone or iPad.

Call in 1-877-PULSE-411 or SKYPE 'ThePulseNetwork'

Monday, April 04, 2011

The Internet is People! People Buying and Selling Each Other.

I joined Empire Avenue where you can buy and sell people.

Join w/ this link and we both get 2,000e. (Limited to 50,000e)

http://empireavenue.com/?t=ei2gegmw

I just bought 150 shares in Felicia Day. ;-)

Empire Avenue is now on Facebook [App Page]:

Here's my page.

[HD] Carrie Underwood & Steven Tyler - Undo It , Walk This Way @ ACM Awards 2011

Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler, originally uploaded by stevegarfield. CC BY-NC-SA

Carrie Underwood & Steven Tyler

[HD] Carrie Underwood & Steven Tyler - Undo It , Walk This Way @ ACM Awards 2011

View on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZIkzowaATs

The Invisible Camera

Well produced video.

See part 2 of the story of the Invisible Camera.

Barack Obama Kicks Off 2012 Campaign with Social Media

Barack Obama kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign this morning. I first heard the news in an email. I'm interested to see how the campaign uses social media this time around. I followed the campaign last time and wrote about it in my book, Get Seen. I also reported on the campaign using new tools for journalism including streaming live with a cellphone from some campaign events. I'm very interested in what they'll be doing with video this time around.

Right at the start they are using all the tools, email, twitter, YouTube, Facebook, a blog and a website.

The sharing feature on Facebook is going to be big this year.

Let's look at each of the tools I saw in use this morning:

Email:

The email uses a thumbnail image to represent a video and links to the Obama 2012 campaign website with an embedded YouTube video.

Note that the thumbnail image in the email does not match the thumbnail image on YouTube. That might be confusing to some people who might think there are two different campaign kickoff videos.

Twitter - @BarackObama:

Today, we’re filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign. Say that you're in: http://OFA.BO/bWjHd7 #Obama2012less than a minute ago via HootSuiteBarack Obama
BarackObama

It was disappointing to hear that Barack Obama wasn't tweeting himself last time. Let's see how they use the account now.

Obama 2012 website - http://www.barackobama.com/:

The Facebook sharing integration is cool. I hope it doesn't get too noisy on Facebook.

Update: 8:26 AM:

It's getting noisy.

I gave permission to the Obama 2012 app to post to my wall. In one way it's exciting to see people join in, but if it gets too cluttered I can always hide or revoke the application by clicking the 'X' and choosing between:

- Remove Post...
- Remove Are You In?...
- Revoke Publishing Rights of Are You in?...

Video is BIG!

Here's the first one.

YouTube: Barack Obama 2012 Campaign Launch Video - "It Begins With Us":

306 views at 7:45 AM Eastern.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/barackobama:

18,973,087 Likes at 7:54 AM Eastern.

Get Involved - http://www.barackobama.com/get-involved (formerly known as a blog)

3 Comments at 8:00 AM Eastern.

Your thoughts?

Saturday, April 02, 2011

RENT at the Footlight Club, Jamaica Plain: Bravo!

Footlight Club

Saw RENT last night at the Footlight Club. Sara Jane Burns stood out as as Mimi and was awesome.

Sara Jane Burns as Mimi. Source: Facebook

We were in the back row, and must have been sitting in front of her friends, because they were screaming and howling at her gyrations. So funny.

We're big fans of RENT having seen it in NYC, and Sara did a great job, as all the cast did. The music was great too. Guitar solos were dead on.

RENT was the best play ever at the Footlight, and we've been going for 11 years.

It was also the first night that The Footlight Club used their new body mics. It was great to be able to hear the actors so well. There were only a few times where the mics were not up in time, and it was obvious, but for the most part the new sound system is a huge improvement.

I hope they bring in more shows like this in the future. Rock of Ages maybe?

Rent: April 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 & 16 @ 8:00pm, April 10 & 16 @ 2:00pm

Footlight Club Official Page.

The Footlight Club on Facebook.

5 New Ways to View Blogger Blogs

The folks at Blogger just came out with an update to allow site visitors to be able to view blogger blogs in interesting new ways.

It uses the blog's RSS feed, so it's easy to implement, but from a blogger's perspective you loose are your custom content from your header, sidebars and footer.

It's interesting.

Some bloggers are prepared for this by placing additional content, like follow back links or ads, at the footer of each individual blog post.

Here are the details.

All about Dynamic Views for Readers:

Blogger currently offers five dynamic views for its public blogs. These views are only accessible if allowed for by the blog author.

Flipcard: available at [blogURL]/view/flipcard
Mosaic: available at [blogURL]/view/mosaic
Sidebar: available at [blogURL]/view/sidebar
Snapshot: available at [blogURL]/view/snapshot
Timeslide: available at [blogURL]/view/timeslide

Try these new viewing options out on this blog:

Flipcard: available at http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/view/flipcard

Timeslide: available at http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/view/timeslide

Also:

Mosaic: available at http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/view/mosaic
Sidebar: available at http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/view/sidebar
Snapshot: available at http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/view/snapshot

Note:
These views require modern browsers such as Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox 3.5+, Chrome or Safari. Many elements of these views will not work should you have an older browser.

How to set it up on your Blogger blog, All about Dynamic Views for Authors.

Halley doesn't buy it.

Friday, April 01, 2011

[Video] Hangover 2 - New Trailer

via [ typyburn and kylemacnaught ]

Austin 2 Boston: Sharing SXSW Lessons

Austin 2 Boston: Sharing SXSWi Learnings

View more presentations from Fleishman-Hillard

My slides are at the start and include mentions of CNN iReport, Jimmy Fallon, LateNightHashtags, Mobile Video, Get Seen, Chevy Volt Test Drive, Gary Vaynerchuk Thank You Economy Keynote and SteveGarfield.tv.

BostInnovation has a good recap, Austin 2 Boston: Well-Digested Learnings From SXSWi [Event Recap]:

Steve Garfield, Founder, Boston Media Makers - took the stage showing a video called: “SXSW by the numbers” and as an iReporter for CNN, Steve talked about how CNN is engaging people – formerly known as the audience – and making them an active part in the news scenario. His takeways: explore social TV, test the boundaries of video, be there and say thank you! To me, these translate to: experiment with new TV trends and tools, don’t forget about the physical world – keep building offline relationships – and go back to basics by always thanking people. If you want to start exploring and learn more about becoming an iReporter here.