Greg @Wymer at #BMM

Greg @Wymer at #BMM, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Visit http://bostonmediamakers.com for a recap of Sunday's meeting.

How to use the Dial Coin Telephone #bmm

How to use the Dial Coin Telephone #bmm, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Steve Garfield | Klout Influence Report

Steve Garfield | Klout Influence Report, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Image: My Klout Score on a big decline.

What do I have to do, make more content?

David Meerman Scott - Opening Keynote - BtoB Digital Edge: A Virtual Trade Show for Marketers

David Meerman Scott - Opening Keynote - BtoB Digial Edge: A Virtual Trade Show for Marketers, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

I had such a great time working with David Meerman Scott recently to film his keynote presentation for the BtoB Digital Edge: A Virtual Trade Show for Marketers.

It's this Thursday, December 8, 2011 and you can register to see it for free.


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I CNN iReport Because I Can - CNN iReport

I CNN iReport Because I Can - CNN iReport, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

I CNN iReport Because I Can

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[Video] Jamaica Plain to Route 9 Driving Directions

Image: Jamaica Plain to Route 9 Web Page from 2002

Back in 2002 I made up a web page to document how to get from Jamaica Plain, MA to Route 9. You know in Boston, you can't get there from here?

Sometimes you need good directions.

I posted three videos, Jamaica Plain to Route 9, to my .mac homepage.

Today I saw from @thatdrew a Peugeot RCZ and Google Maps mashup that combines Google Maps images into a video of any route you choose.

I made a Boston Public Garden to Fenway Park video mashup. Pretty neat.

But not as cool as the actual video I made back in 2002.

So I uploaded it to YouTube and used YouTube annotations to link the three videos together. It's pretty cool and all 2011.

Try it.

[Video] School Portrait (2011)

Short comedy, directed by Nick Scott

Produced by Michael Berliner

As it is used for comment, and criticism, its use in my video is allowed under the US Copyright Act, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section § 107: Fair Use http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Longer Edit on Vimeo.

[Video] IKEA Happy Inside - Herding cats advertisement and Making of Video

Love this video.

Here's how they make the Ikea Happy Inside Commercial.

YouTube - New Channel Design Choices: Creator, Blogger, Network, Everything

YouTube - New Channel Design Choices: Creator, Blogger, Network, Everything, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

YouTube has just rolled out a major design change. You've got a lot of things to look at and customize the way you view and share videos.

One thing that you can change is the way your YouTube video page looks.

Which new view do you like?

I like the Blogger View.

It shows my most recent videos in reverse chronological order.

Violin Girl in Window

Violin Girl in Window, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Boing Toy Store JP First Thursday

Someone is WRONG on the Internet.

Someone is WRONG on the Internet., a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

Get the comic here: xkcd: Duty Calls

This is what my day feels like today.

If Your Website is Down, Don't Run Ads on Spotify

Bonobos.com is down., a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

I heard a great ad for Bonobos.com on Spotify, so I clicked the link and headed over there.

Bonobos.com was down. They had a great 404 page though, and asked me for my email.

I entered my email so I could get notification when the site was back up.

Later on I heard another ad for Bonobos.

I went to the site and it was still down.

I searched twitter and saw that the site had been down for days.

So I sent out a tweet to Bonobos:

"@Bonobos Tell @Spotify to stop running ads, unless you want to keep acquiring email addresses."

It's hard to get the point across in 140 characters, but what I meant was that the 404 page asking for email addresses is actually a good marketing technique to acquire emails, but not so good when the site is down.

They replied:

"Bonobos: @stevegarfield Is it just our ads you don't like, or the ads in general? Any recommendations of ads you do like?"

I needed to write this explanation here for them so it'll be clear.

If your site is down, you probably shouldn't keep running ads that drive traffic to a 404 page.

Dear Boston Magazine, Please link out to the subject of your story.

Boston Magazine has a nice article about my friend CC Chapman, Dawn of the Dad.

The problem with the online version is that they don't link out. They don't link to the main subject of the article, CC's blog post about Ragu.

I commented:

Why don't you have links to the original blog post by C.C. Chapman?

The whole point of the article is to talk about his blog post, but how can a reader go back to the original source to see what CC actually wrote?

Google, I guess.

Here, I'll help:

Ragu Hates Dads
http://www.cc-chapman.com/2011/ragu-hates-dads/

My Final Word on Ragu
http://www.cc-chapman.com/2011/my-final-word-on-ragu/

Update (One more link from CC):
The Secret Sauce – Free Advice for Ragu
http://www.cc-chapman.com/2011/the-secret-sauce-free-advice-for-ragu/

There, that wasn't too hard.

Please link out to the subject of your story. Makes sense. Thank you.

Update:

My comment is still not appearing on the Boston Magazine site. They must have people that need to approve comments before they are made public. Not sure why it's not there yet.



Update - Where did my comments go:

Now I know why my comments never ended up on the Boston Magazine website, they were posted to my Facebook page.

Seriously.

Let's see why.

When you click to add a comment, you are presented with this dialog box:


Image: Boston Magazine comment Dialog Box

So, like every other comment box on the internet, I clicked FACEBOOK, to, as I thought at the time, LOG INTO THE COMEMNT SYSTEM with FACEBOOK.

I left a comment.

Then I left.

I just went back to see if my comment had been posted. Nope. But another one had.

So I looked into it some more and read the comment dialog box more carefully.

It says:

Share your comments with your Facebook friends.

So the comments are posted to your own Facebook Page.


Image: My Facebook page

That's not right.

The dialog box makes you think.

You've got to decide if you want your comments on the Boston Magazine page or not, AFTER you click the comment button.

Makes no sense.

Update:

Now there are 10 comments. How am I supposed to see them? Go over to the article and try to see the comments. All I see is one.


Image: Boston Magazine 10 Comments

Update 12/2/11:

They added two links:


Image: Boston Magazine story with two links

Constant Contact : File Not Found

Constant Contact : File Not Found, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

After you send an email with Constant Contact [ affiliate link ] and then try to share it with their SIMPLE SHARE tool, on Twitter, the link that's generated goes to a 404 page.

The link only works LATER, after 'the email is sent."

My suggestion:
Make the link work immediately.

If you can't do that, add text to the page saying that SIMPLE SHARE isn't so simple and that you need to wait until the email is sent for the link to work.


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CanvasPop Prints Instagram Photos With Secret DNA Technology

I just ordered a CanvasPop print of an Instagram photo.

I chose this one:

Image: Paris Flowers

TechCrunch has a nice explanation of how CanvasPop can print out high quality Instagram Prints on Canvas: Blow Up Instagram Photos Into 20″ x 20″ Paintings With CanvasPop

The steps to print out an Instagram photo on canvas using CanvasPop are simple.

STEP 1: CHOOSE SIZE
First you choose your size and border.


Instagram | CanvasPop | Step 1

STEP 2: CHOOSE INSTAGRAM PHOTO
Then you linkup to your Instagram account and select a photo. The images could be bigger.


CanvasPop | Instagram | Step 2 - Choose an Image

STEP 3: PAY
Then you pay. Shipping is $14 flat rate.


Istagram Print Order Receipt | CanvasPop

DISCOUNT:
Instagram Introductory Special
Go to the main CanvasPop site for Instagram Prints and pay $29.95 for an introductory special on Instagram Prints.

CanvasPop Affilate Link:
http://canvaspop.extole.com/a/clk/2SjPc

$30 off your first order of $80 or more.

If you spend $100, I get a $50 CanvasPop credit.

Update:

Here's how it turned out.


Image: CanvasPop - Front


Image: CanvasPop - Back


Image: CanvasPop - Detail

Vibrant colors. I like it.

Happy Blue Beanie Day 2011

Blue Beanie Day 2011, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

About Blue Beanie Day 2011

The Fifth Annual International Blue Beanie Day in support of web standards will be celebrated Wednesday, November 30, 2011.

Take a self-portrait wearing a blue beanie (toque, tuque, cap) and upload it right here to the Blue Beanie Day 2011 pool on Flickr.

====

Today, 30 November 2011, is the Fifth Annual international Blue Beanie Day in support of web standards.

Standards keep the web from fragmenting into tiny fiefdoms best viewed with a particular browser or plug-in only. Web standards keep our content portable and accessible across platforms, devices, and operating systems. Each November 30, we celebrate. You wonderful people can help spread the word.

For those wishing to participate:

* Hat color: blue (no specific hex value)

* Hashtag: #bbd11

Here's what you can do:

1.) Upload a blue beanie photo as your avatar on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Flickr, etc. (or add a blue beanie to your existing avatar)

2.) Upload blue beanie photo to this BLUE BEANIE DAY 2011 pool right here on Flickr: www.flickr.com/groups/bluebeanieday2011/

3.) Upload blue beanie day photo to Instagram with hashtag #bbd11

4.) Use your social networks to wish your friends and followers a Happy Blue Beanie Day! Link to www.zeldman.com/bbd/ if you like (it explains Blue Beanie Day and offers simple participation instructions).

Thanks!

jeffrey
www.zeldman.com/bbd/

[Video] The Artist: A NEW Silent Film

Image: The Artist courtesy [ The Film Stage]

Trailer:

The Film Stage: Cannes 2011: Trailer for Black & White Silent Film ‘The Artist'.

Kim Sherrell on Google+: ‘The Artist’ Wins Best Picture @NYFCC2011.

[Video] Page 23: They Live Inside the Ikea Catalog!

I Made an Instagram 2012 Calendar with Keepsy

Making photo albums easy | Keepsy, a photo by stevegarfield on Flickr.

www.keepsy.com

Great interface. Easy.

[Video] Stephen Colbert's me Reporters

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

CNN lays off 50 staff members, claiming that iReport has made their jobs redundant, and Stephen gets in on the uncompensated future of news at the me Reporters 6700.

Me and You!