Twinterview with Steve England

October 9, 2009October 9, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / 1 Comment

SteveEngland Starting at 10 am today, I wil be interviewing Steve England, of NewMediaMarketing.

Steve’s got an interesing background in marketing, and I like to think of him as one of the smartest cross-over marketers in the Valley. What’s a ‘cross-over’ marketer?

I’ll let him explain when we get started.

I’ll let you into something else. I plan to get Steve to demo how easy it is to implement a Quick Response tag in your marketing. Be prepared to use your smart-phone!

Note: I will live-blog the interview here.

————- TWITTER INTERVIEW —————

AF: Welcome Steve England @englandsc Glad you were able to make it. Let’s try to keep this moving fast since we’ve got a lot to discuss.

SE: Thanks for the opportunity @heyangelo

AF: @englandsc Tell us about how you got into digital marketing, having started out as a Print guy — in the ‘dead tree communications’ business

SE: englandsc I was always about technology and how I could impact consumers more effectively through communications. Print was just a pathway at the time.

SE: My degree is in Visual Communications…social and mobile fall into that channel.

SE: @englandsc Visual Communications? Most people think of it as putting ink on paper. You’ve moved past that. Is paper obsolete? Or…

SE: @heyangelo We can make better use of paper by integrating with newer technologies at the same time.

AF: @englandsc Tell us about NewMediaMarketing and the awesome product – Quick Response Tags. People’s eyes glaze when I mention this.

SE: @heyangelo New Media Marketing is an Integrated Marketing agency specializing in channel optimization and focused on growing Mobile opps

SE: @heyangelo Quick Response Tags “QR Codes” are the answer bringing print to life simply by taking a snapshot of them with your Mobile Camera

AF: @englandsc I will have to ask you to explain ‘Channel optimization’ with a for instance –but I have a quick question before that

AF: @englandsc Steve, is this a good example of how a tag could be used? Sans paper most of the time… http://bit.ly/4Cmuvh

SE: @heyangelo Great example, any form of visual communications can benefit from the QR Codes with unlimited possibilities as the result.

SE: @heyangelo QR Codes allow a Marketer to deliver unlimited amounts of information to anyone through the simple SNAP-A-TAG interface

AF: @englandsc And where could someone find out more about a Snap-a-tag interface ?

SE: @heyangelo New groups form online daily in support of the tech. Feel free to follow me here for all breaking news. Also follow MicrosoftTAG

SE: @heyangelo QR Codes, TAGS will play an important role in Green Initiatives going forward through print, online and Mobile communications

AF: @englandsc Did you see today’s story about the NFL going paperless with tickets? Have the Coyotes heard about QR tags? http://bit.ly/obTKI

NMM: RT @heyangelo @englandsc Steve, is this a good example of how a tag could be used? Sans paper most of the time… http://bit.ly/4Cmuvh

SE: @heyangelo Most important factor when using QR Codes is the consumer experience and the message or call-to-action in the marketing piece

SE: @heyangelo successful marketing is also dependent on unified message within multiple communication channels and convenience to the consumer

AF: @englandsc Let me ask you to demo a tag. Could you point to one, and explain –stepwise –how it works?

SE: @heyangelo on your mobile device go to Http://snapatag.mobi this will walk you thru quick one-time install so you can snap Microsoft TAGs

AF: @englandsc So it’s a download for Blackberry, iPhone or Windows Mobile. And then?

SE: @heyangelo Once you have the app installed you can scan and activate the content behind any TAG. Also see http://www.beetagg.com as another version

SE: @heyangelo You can find TAG on my Twitter home, my email signature, any of my communication collateral, each results in a unique experience

AF: @englandsc I can see these QR tags on business cards, train stations and cereal boxes. Simplified, mobile pull marketing, finally!

SE: We have examples of video content, Phone numbers, Vcards, microsites, game pieces, surveys, location based maps…it’s endless.

SE: @heyangelo 80% of web-enabled phones can use some version of the QR Codes. More phones are shipped direct from the factory pre-installed.

SE: @heyangelo once you have the app, launch, activates your camera, position over any TAG, SNAP and you’re taken to unlimited possibilities.

AF: So a customer snaps a tag, using a camera, will it directly connect him/her to digital content?

SE: anywhere a user has web connectivity they’ll have access to content linked to that TAG. That content can be changed anytime.

AF: Is Beetag a competitor to Microsoft’s tag?

SE: BeeTagg has a less distinct appearence in their QR Codes than MicrosoftTAG but they result in the same type of experience.

SE: @heyangelo visit our website and discover how the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB will all be influenced by this technology, SNAP our TAG and see how.

AF: @englandsc Apart from sports, is anyone in the sustainability space aware of the this new form of marketing?

SE: Thanks for the opportunity to share our thoughts on how we’ll all be communicating much sooner than expected. Watch for TAGS!

AF: Great chatting, Steve! I always learn so much from you. Where can someone find one of your demos?

SE: Checkout www.Greennurture.com they have implementation launching. Using QR Codes is a Global inititive with our full support.

SE: Demos are updated frequently on our website. you can also follow @Newmediamarket or find us on LinkedIn for SlideShare content.

AF: I still like to have a T-shirt with a customized tag! http://bit.ly/4Cmuvh Maybe we should wear some to @podcampaz

Beware of ‘font infringement’

October 9, 2009November 16, 2017 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

You may not often think about this, but there is a branch within intellectual property laws that covers the illegal use of fonts.

Most designers know this, and won’t recommend paying for a font for one use, and copying it for multiple clients. But wanna-be designers don’t always look at the details.

So this case of NBC being sued by the Font Bureau, may explain how tings work.

I found an interesting document at UNESCO, that goes back to 2003, which states that:

“…the most basic legal rule of font copyright is that unless the license specifically allows it, fonts cannot be shared among multiple computers, even if they are all owned by the same person or corporation, and fonts cannot be given away to others. In all cases the EULA is the authoritative source for specific licensing details.”

Just like software licenses, you can’t purchase a single-use license and use ita cross multiple businesses. Time to look for those errant fonts on the computers in your marketing department, don’t you think?

Quotes for the week ending 3 Oct, 2009

October 3, 2009October 5, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

“There’s nothing quite as insecure as a television anchorman.”

Kent Dana, the news anchor for Channel 5 (KPHO) in Phoenix, and previously anchor of Channel 12 (KPHX), retiring after a 30-years work in the news business.

“This is the biggest investment we’ve made in a national launch … “This is not your grandmother’s instant coffee.”“

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, on the launch of Via, the instant brew

“rather than submitting their images and videos to mainstream media organisations, they post them online on Facebook, Twitpic, or wherever their friends are likely to see them.”

Robin Hamman, visiting journalism fellow at City University, London, commenting on the social media use during disaster and tragedy.

“This whole things has been quite scary.”

David Letterman, admitting he had had an affair with an employee.

“It is a whole other universe of risk.”

State Rep Steve Farley of Tucson, on texting and driving, as Arizona considers a bill to ban it.

“… Which is another reason why news operations don’t publish all the good news we hear about. There would be no room for the rest.”

E.J. Montini, commenting on All the Good News Fit To Print.

“But you have to remember if you have a conversation on the wall, you could be opening up the entire conversation to the public.”

Robyn Itule, an account manager with Armstrong Troyky, a PR and Ad agency in Phoenix

‘Then out of nowhere this big wave, as tall as the sky, hit.”

A 21-year old woman in the Pacific Island of Samoa, on the devastating tsunami that hit the area, followed by an earthquake in Sumatra.

“There’s always truth in snark.”

Chris Brogan, during his presentation at New Media Atlanta, commenting on the back-channel tool, BackNoise, saying “always confront the thing you are fear most head-on.”

Two years of ‘broad public access’ at State Dept blog

September 29, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / 1 Comment

Last week Dipnote, the blog by the State Department, turned two.

So much has happened in two years. It was the year that the iPhone debuted, and Microsoft bought a stake in Facebook. A few months before that TIME named all those people creating content and connecting through social media as the ‘Person of the Year’ – the famous “YOU” issue.

Luke Forgerson, Managing Editor of Dipnote

Dipnote took to this new way of communicating with amazing flair. If there is one example of I’ve been using repeatedly to illustrate how any organization could stop firing press releases and start a conversation, it’s been them.

Think about it. Foreign policy to many is as sexy as watching paint dry. But given the right angles –heck, the right to loosen up– and the interest in listening as much as speaking, it turns out to be a different animal.

I have talked to many organizations who are terrified at the thought of saying something that could come back to bite them. Blogs, and videos, and photos pulled from a diverse group of individuals seem like total anarchy to them. It might damage the brand, they fear. The question I get asked a lot is ‘What if someone says something nasty?” –followed by “should we publish that too?”

I won’t go into the responses I give, but you’d think a group of people who represent the brand image of a country must have thought about this a lot. There must be bookshelves of white papers and journals on this subject in their offices. There must be legal advisers shaking their heads in disbelief.

And yet…

If you look at the social media initiatives the State Dept has rolled out over the past few years, these ‘government employees’ seem to take to new media in a way you’d expect of a marketing organization. Maybe they understand that good marketing is all about good communication. It’s more than the ingredients of ‘technology and talent‘ that Sec. Clinton spoke about.

It’s about using social media as an antenna not a bullhorn.

Get-rich-tweets and why we fall for them

September 28, 2009September 28, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

I want to apologize to any of you who follow me on Twitter if you received a direct message from me saying “hey, I made $384 yesterday. this website showed me how.” Apparently my account was hacked because I may have clicked a link in a similar message from others in my network.

I had contacted two senders from whom I received the suspicious DMs with the shortened URL, and thought I was immune. A reader to my post at ValleyPRBlog confirmed that I too had taken the bait.)

So why are we so vulnerable to the garbage that gets passed around the Twittersphere faster than you could say Phish? One word: Trust.

We screen less: We are so inherently trusting of those in our network, we don’t always take time to check if the email jokes, the ‘Must Read This’ links, or the PPT attachments are safe.
We click more. I tend to click more on a shortened URL because I see so much of them. The link economy teaches us to prefer clicking on links rather than typing a URL out.

I have made the point elsewhere that there will soon arise Trusted Friends, or Network Curators, and these may not even be major brands; they could be individuals with great credentials. People we value, and… trust like crazy!

Speaking of which, I am about to purchase a book on the subject called Trust Agents –co-authored by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It comes highly recommended. Brogan’s original thesis for the book was that it was about: “people who use the web in a very human way to build influence, reputation, awareness, and who can translate that into some kind of business value.”

Digidorm could ruffle feathers!

September 23, 2009September 23, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / 1 Comment

The idea of sharing in a 21st century university is a given. Terms like collaboration, cross-disciplinary, interactive get thrown around. The Open-source movement has also crept into class-room and curricular initiatives.

But what might happen when you take this to its logical conclusion, and invite participation and sharing at a different level? That’s what Digidorm is all about. A sort of a social network for colleges. I know what you’re thinking: isn’t that what Facebook was all about in its early days? It hopes to be more, engaging anyone in the education space –enrolled students, alumni, faculty, parents, employees, and even high school students.

Digidorm intends to tap into the culture and vitality of college life and the communities that sustain any college, mashing up knowledge, providing writing tips, and library info, and college applications.

Digidorm is a bold idea by James Palazzolo, formerlyof ASU. Bold because it compiles some 3000 universities and allows anyone -who registers– to publish writing, video, photographs, and documents.

Interestingly, James did his master’s degree at ASU on this topic, and has the chops to make this work. I’ve known him for years as someone always involved in collaboration and sharing, from wikis to text messaging (before the Virginia Tech incident forced every college to go this route) to live blogging.

Will it ruffle feathers? I can expect this for several reasons.

Not only because of the content that will show up there, but because it could become the defacto intranet for colleges that should have created this in the first place.
Being a third party space, it will be out of the range of those who must manage a college’s (or an individual’s) reputation. How will a professor dispute an inaccuracy? How could parents request a takedown of an embarrassing photo of a child?

Already people who are trying to cope with keeping tabs on a school’s image (that show up in Facebook posts, videos on YouTube, tweets and vlogs) have their hands full. Digidorm adds one more headache -or opportunity, depending on how you approach it.

CHECK THIS: video that explains how to get started with a contribution.

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Angelo Fernando's blog since 2004

Twinterview with Steve England

Beware of ‘font infringement’

Quotes for the week ending 3 Oct, 2009

Kent Dana, the news anchor for Channel 5 (KPHO) in Phoenix, and previously anchor of Channel 12 (KPHX), retiring after a 30-years work in the news business.

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, on the launch of Via, the instant brew

Robin Hamman, visiting journalism fellow at City University, London, commenting on the social media use during disaster and tragedy.

David Letterman, admitting he had had an affair with an employee.

State Rep Steve Farley of Tucson, on texting and driving, as Arizona considers a bill to ban it.

E.J. Montini, commenting on All the Good News Fit To Print.

Robyn Itule, an account manager with Armstrong Troyky, a PR and Ad agency in Phoenix

A 21-year old woman in the Pacific Island of Samoa, on the devastating tsunami that hit the area, followed by an earthquake in Sumatra.

Chris Brogan, during his presentation at New Media Atlanta, commenting on the back-channel tool, BackNoise, saying “always confront the thing you are fear most head-on.”

Get-rich-tweets and why we fall for them

Digidorm could ruffle feathers!

Kent Dana, the news anchor for Channel 5 (KPHO) in Phoenix, and previously anchor of Channel 12 (KPHX), retiring after a 30-years work in the news business.

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, on the launch of Via, the instant brew

Robin Hamman, visiting journalism fellow at City University, London, commenting on the social media use during disaster and tragedy.

David Letterman, admitting he had had an affair with an employee.

State Rep Steve Farley of Tucson, on texting and driving, as Arizona considers a bill to ban it.

E.J. Montini, commenting on All the Good News Fit To Print.

Robyn Itule, an account manager with Armstrong Troyky, a PR and Ad agency in Phoenix

A 21-year old woman in the Pacific Island of Samoa, on the devastating tsunami that hit the area, followed by an earthquake in Sumatra.

Chris Brogan, during his presentation at New Media Atlanta, commenting on the back-channel tool, BackNoise, saying “always confront the thing you are fear most head-on.”

Title card in YouTube video aimed at the leaders attending the UN General Assembly in New York this week. The video-as-open letter was by RelaxZen, a mood-altering drink –that was shipped to every world leader.

Barack Obama, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, on the commitment of the US to change.

Nathan Wagner, Relevant Chews,on selling

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, responding to claim that Number 10 was snubbed by the White House, with regard to a personal meeting between the two heads of state.

Microsoft statement about its new image management tool that lets companies monitor, analyze and engage in social media, via its Silverlight technology

Ike Pigott, at Media Bullseye, on Seth Godin’s rebranding Squidoo as a social engine that aggregates online chatter about a brand or company. Pigott also calls this a sinister act of piracy! Squidoo already has “900,000 hand built lenses.”

Soundtrack from the Bollywood movie, Blue, featuring Kylie Minogue and Oscar-winning composer, A.R. Rahman –he of of Slumdog Millionaire.