Archive for October, 2009

Recently, Google launched a new feature called Google Sidewiki, a browser sidebar that allows people to add their perspective to ANY Web site.  This means, ideally, that if you peruse a site about technology, medicine, or even something frivolous like hobbies, you can see what other knowledgeable community members have to say about it.  Or maybe you’d like to add your two cents to the Web site in general.  It’s another step in making the Web a completely organic and open community platform.

I can see how Google Sidewiki would be a good thing.  It’s amazing how much useful information can be shared.  And it’s another way for organizations to hear feedback from their audience. But then again, a part of me wonders if this toes the line between ‘just enough’ and ‘too much’ audience participation.

Comments on blogs, forums, and other social networking sites make sense because that’s where conversation is specifically encouraged. But would unleashing the flood of the public on EVERY Internet real estate be beneficial?  Or would it be like most YouTube comments: mostly caustic and poorly constructed. Essentially, would this be encouraging “Internet intellect” or “Internet graffiti”?

Some might argue that community generated and shared information can be monitored.  Expletives, inappropriate comments, etc. Wikipedia, for example, has specific “wiki-warriors” that ensure the information on Wikipedia is as accurate as possible. But I also think that companies or individuals should be able to own and maintain a site that is safe from being blasted by ignorance.

One question comes to mind: would there be a way for a company or a Web site to opt not to have random comments associated with it?  Even if it’s something that can only be seen by Google users who have the Sidewiki tool, I imagine that the population of users adopting this could only skyrocket. This could mean a great opportunity for conversation to flourish, pushing companies and Web sites to continue to improve. Or it’s just another headache for people to monitor.

I’m curious - Google Sidewiki: Too cool, or just way too much?

As an avid user of Google Reader, a constant Twitter link clicker and a YouTube video forwarder, sometimes I sit down and ponder why certain things go viral. After all, it’s amazing how much exposure a video, trend, or person can get with just the right amount of pizazz. Is there really some sort of unspoken formula to going viral, or is it just random happenstance?

Of course, we all know what it looks like when a company, advertisement or person “tries too hard.” Sometimes it works (think MSI notebooks being hurled at someone’s buttocks) and other times…well, it doesn’t. That’s when you get the battery of insults and derision across the Internet, much to the chagrin of the highly mocked Windows 7 party planners.

Although it isn’t exact science, I think there are overarching reasons why someone forwards content. This conclusion came from moments of introspection. Why do I forward a link to a friend? Why do I laugh at certain videos?

It all goes back to one question: why do people tell other people things? Although this isn’t comprehensive, I think common answers would be -

1. We share things to entertain

2. We share things to inform

3. We share things to “wow”

Things sent for sheer entertainment like funny videos are self-explanatory, as well as news and gossip that are meant to inform. (Much like how news about Michael Jackson’s passing or the recent Balloon Boy debacle spread like wildfire). I think the third thing, the “wow” thing, is the tricky one. When I mean “wow,” I mean it’s something out of the ordinary, something rarely seen before.  To expand upon the “wow” reason, here are a few common themes that I have found:

Execessive use of simple things. Something as normal as coat hangers, jello, or rubiks cubes used in a massive amount to creative something new is usually enough to entice someone to send it along to their friends. Sure, these are everyday household items that nobody cares about. But when they’re a sculpture, a landscape, or a mural of the last supper, it’s a whole new beast.

Aesthetic designs of almost anything. Unique packaging, furniture, shoe, you name it - if it’s designed well and constructed in a way that isn’t often seen (much like the above reference to unique uses of simple objects) it’s something that people will inevitably ‘oooh’ and ‘ahh’ over.

Uncommon human and animal behavior. A baby that gives an uncanny ’serious evil look’ or a dog that can say “I love you.” These aren’t the typical things that babies and animals can do (at least, not any babies or dogs I know), so of course almost everybody and anybody would find it interesting…right?

What do you readers think?  Why do you pass along certain links and information, and why are certain things viral and others not?

It really hit me recently that my friends are slowly transitioning from students to professionals. I no longer introduce people as a dental student, a law student, or someone in medical school. They’re now dentists, lawyers, doctors, pharmacists… you name it. We’re no longer aspiring to be something, we are something. Sure, we still get to tag on the adjective “young” in front of the word professional, but after a few more fast years, that will soon drop as well.

Tonight officially wrapped up Sideman Production’s latest show, Bash. Although I wasn’t fortunate enough to be in Dallas to watch the play, I know that it must have been a major success…mostly because I know the creative mind behind the production. He is also the co-founder of Sideman Productions, the newest Dallas theater group: Coit Scharringhausen.

I met Coit more than a decade ago in high school. We sat in the same chemistry classes, worked on projects together in world geography class, took trips with the band and orchestra, and inevitably separated when we went to college. But throughout the college years and even after, I’m thankful that we have remained friends. We still share stories about our lives, ask each other for advice, and help each other through tough times. I couldn’t have been more proud of him and the actors and actresses in the group. I can’t wait to see what the group has in store for the future.

Congratulations, Sideman Productions!

Ahh, fall. Perhaps my favorite season of them all. Not only does fall herald the coming of cooler weather, it also signifies the coming of the trifecta of holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and my favorite of all, Christmas.

Of course, as a kid my favorite holiday was Halloween. After all, any evening where you can run around like a hooligan and get rewarded for it has to be pretty high up there on the favorites list. Sadly, all good things in childhood must mostly come to an end. Instead of looking forward to a night of revelry and free sugar highs, there comes the inevitable moment of dread when you realize you have no idea for a costume for that upcoming party that everybody is attending.

Okay, it’s not like a costume is absolutely necessary. But at the same time, I find that many of my peers are quite fond of dressing up.

I think the quote from Mean Girls nailed it on the head:

Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.

For me, I think a Halloween costume should go beyond just the normal sexy (insert random occupation here).  So I posed the question to some of my friends, specifically asking them not to think along the formulaic lines of sexy (insert random occupation here). I was eager to hear what they had to say. Perhaps a play on words?  A punny sort of costume? Something that is the perfect intersection of clever, humorous, and engaging?

This is the list they came up with -

1. sexy monster
2. sexy airplane suit
3. sexy hobo
4. sexy octomom
5. sexy balloon boy
6. sexy accountant
7. sexy garbageman
8. sexy lexiographer

Although I do give them credit for being creative, they seemed to ignore the fact that I wanted to keep the adjective ’sexy’ out of it.  Oh well. Back to the drawing board for costumes for me…

It never ceases to amaze me what people will think of on the Internet - and how nostalgic geekdom from my past comes out in different ways.  I just wanted to highlight a recent favorite:

Yes, friends, if you have ever wondered what Skeletor looked like before his … well … bare bones look, here is an amateur forensic reconstruction of his face.  Ha!  You can find more at the web site Ironic Sans for some other ideas.

I was skimming along the different updates of my facebook friends when I came across one from a colleague at work. He said that he had signed up for NaNoWriMo, and immediately my interest was piqued. First of all, you can’t help but think “Er?” when you read something like NaNoWRiMo, and secondly … okay, well, you just have to find out what in the WORLD it could be.

To my pleasant surprise, NaNoWriMo is short for NAtional NOvel WRiting MOnth. Given my childhood dream of becoming the next Ann M. Martin or Gertrude Chandler (and if you can identify those authors, you, my friend, are my hero) I couldn’t resist and had to sign up.

In essence, for the month of November, I will be attempting to write a 50,000 word novel along with many others who also decided to take on this endeavor. Yes, I shall cast off my fears and tackle a literary marathon with gusto!  With zeal!  Without spellcheck or agonizing over grammar! As the web site says - it’s all about QUANTITY, not QUALITY. And for once, I can live with that.

From the web site:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.

Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Am I nervous?  A little. Is it daunting?  Definitely. But am I excited?  Without question!  Sure, I know I’ll be writing a lot of nonsense, but in a way, it sounds very liberating. Just as I am eager with anticipation for the physical half-marathons I somehow decide to participate in, I can’t wait to get my typing on in just a matter of weeks.

Wish me luck!

I have to admit, sometimes it still boggles my mind how quickly news travels - especially now that we have tools like Twitter and Facebook at our disposal, as well as a number of other social networking tools.

(image from Brian Solis)

First, it was the news of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson’s death.  Then, it was all about Patrick Swazye. How about some discussions about a scandalous picture from McCain’s daughter?  Check.  And from the beginning of the day until now, I managed to catch glimpses and snatches of the chatter about the infamous ‘Balloon Boy’ who was just found hiding out in the attic.

It was such a phenomenon that CNN even wrote about it and, surprise surprise, cited actually Twitter users and accounts for quotes.

It’s no wonder that people, companies, and anybody with the desire to throw in their own digital two cents is all a flutter about Twitter. If you’re not on Facebook, it’s almost as though you don’t exist.  Oh, and isn’t it interesting how LinkedIn has now hit 50 million users? Each and every day it’s as though people can’t stop buzzing about how vital these platforms are…and it’s amazing to watch it unfold.

Although it’s understandable why all of these things are such a phenomenon, I have to wonder what’s next on the horizon. GPS social networking videos on handhelds in real time? Or Twitter-enabled billboards for meetup spots?

Either way, I can’t wait to get my tweet/blog/tumble/yelp/link/update/loopt on!

This past weekend I took my final trip back to Dallas for the year of 2009.  Although I do sound a bit melodramatic, to me it really is a very big deal.

It was a whirlwind of activity as usual, but this weekend was just a little more special than other weekends. In addition to celebrating the marriage of another person that is really important in my life, I bumped into several familiar faces from middle school and elementary school. I was also fortunate enough to have friends from high school stop by to catch up, and of course the weekend wouldn’t be complete without some good ‘ol fashioned dumpling and eggroll making family time.

The show “How I Met Your Mother” had an episode where they talked about how people tend to revert back to the person that they were when they see childhood friends. It was a really humorous episode because it’s true. When I’m back home with family and friends, it’s as though things slowed down for a bit. Catching up is just like the days back in high school when we’d loiter about at someone’s house or a coffee shop.  My mom can’t stop trying to feed everybody to full capacity. As my newly married friend said, “it’s as though we haven’t skipped a beat.” Yes, I have full-fledged revertigo back in the good ‘ol Lone Star State.

It didn’t hit me until the plane touched down on the ground that I wouldn’t be back home this Thanksgiving or Christmas.  For the first time since I can remember, I’ll be spending the holidays away, and I already know that it will also be very tough. You can’t replace the feeling of comfort when you’re with friends that have been with you for over a decade, and family that you know and love.

Although I’m very excited for my trip in December, and ecstatic to be spending Thanksgiving with some great people in the bay area, it’s true that my heart will always be at home.

Recently - and I don’t know why - I’ve been getting random phone calls from numbers that I don’t recognize. For some people, it doesn’t really matter whether or not they know who is calling; they will pick it up. Of course, as long as they are available to do so. I, on the other hand, will stare at the phone while my mind churns out the different possibilities of who is behind the mystery number.

A part of me yearns to pick up the call from the unrecognizable person or automated machine. But I resist the temptation. The main reason I attribute this somewhat strange behavior is related to the fact that my mother said to NEVER open the door to strangers. Ever. Even if it’s a girl scout. She managed to drive this message deeply into my skull by concocting ridiculously frightening scenarios.

For example:

• If you open the door a stranger will force their way in AND KILL YOU
• If you open the door a salesman will make you buy things and TAKE ALL OF YOUR MONEY
• If you open a door to a Jehovah’s witness they will make you convert AND RUIN YOUR SOUL

At any rate, much like the physical door to my home, I keep my digital doorway shut and bolted tightly.

Of course, I just can’t help but wonder about the caller, and the different possible reasons for trying to reach me on my phone. These calls don’t really bother me…until they don’t leave a voice message. Suddenly, for a split second after the rings subside, my mind reels at the possibility that I just lost the chance at gobs of money or a trip to Hawaii. Or Paris. Or the chance to meet a long-lost cousin that is a gajillionaire.

The moral of my story? Leave a voice message, and spare someone like me the momentary depths of imagined regret.