Let the games begin

Holy cow. I want it.

I'm not a gamer by any stretch of the word, but this looks fun. In the article "Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality" a new "toy" of sorts is discussed which uses a real life flying toy with a camera that displays on one's iPhone. The iPhone interface then overlays a virtual game world on top of the camera display. So you can be flying your helicopter, hovercraft, etc. around your living room against virtual enemies. How cool is that?

I'm trying to envision where the gaming world will go next. It's obvious that this industry is huge. Some budgets to develop games rival those of Hollywood blockbuster movies. This is big business. With the launch of the iPad and further implementation on iPhone, Droids and the like, the game world is at another stepping off point.

Have you flown with Virgin Atlantic recently? On the plane you can play games against other flyers. Think of that to the extreme. Soon I can see myself riding the metro playing all sorts of virtual reality (check that: Augmented Reality) games against fellow metro riders.

Let the games begin! HI-YO!

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality by Erick Shonfeld

Why the iPad is a game changer for virtual environments by Lowell Cremorne

"More, worse, forever"

After having watched Lawrence Lessig's speech (see below for link), I'm left feeling a bit on edge. Mr. Lessig speaks of the many issues and concerns that the internet has brought up on society.

One of these he speaks about is the idea of "More, Worse, Forever." By this, he means that the internet allows us, as a society, to provide and source more information and data than ever before. A first blush, I'm happy with this thought.

But Mr. Lessig goes on to say that much of this information - or comments on this information and so forth - is worse. The anonymity and huge reach of the internet can often bring out the worst in people. People can freely speak as terribly as they feel when given the cloak of the internet.

Perhaps potentially worst of all, every bit of this data is forever. All of these comments, posts, articles, etc. are kept in some form on the internet for all foreseeable time. Good in some cases, yes. But when individuals can find these tidbits and take them out of context for their personal use...bad.

Thus, I'm left on edge. To some extent, I really don't even feel like writing this blog tonight. Maybe even considering taking down other blogs I have. But I really must go on with my life. I'm going to take solace in the overwhelming good of humankind. I feel (with fingers crossed), nothing but good can come from the use and timelessness of the internet.

"Speech, Privacy and the Internet" by Lawrence Lessig

Note to self...

I've GOT to remember to use LinkedIn more. This site is truly fantastic for job hunting. On the surface, it looks as though I'm a great user. I've got my profile up and running, complete with a detailed resume, contacts and even recommendations.

But I need to use it to find a job! I keep forgetting that I'm in the midst of a pretty major job hunt here. LinkedIn should be - and will be - my new best friend. I've heard some great stories about LinkedIn connecting people to their dream job. With any luck and a good bit of effort, I hope to write a blog on here soon about finding that dream job.

The second article on Mashable (great website, by the way) mentioned LinkedIn's "spiffy" iPhone app. They were right. It IS pretty spiffy. But it's lacking the one thing I need. I can't search for jobs on it! Isn't that the point? Or at least one of the major points?

Maybe I'm getting a little too mobile-greedy. I think my last post has me expecting to be able to do everything in the palm of my hand. Soon enough! Until then, it's off to job hunt on this ol' laptop of mine...

Job Hunting With Social Media

How To Get The Most Out of LinkedIn

Follow me

In our readings this week, we see a lot of discussion regarding Mobile Social Networking Software, aka "Mososo" (see Gloria Goodale's article below). This is clearly where the majority of mobile communication is headed. Sure we need to make business phone calls and read a few emails. But the rest of it? It's all going social.

What else would keep us on our phones for so long? Do you think high school and college kids are checking school emails all day, running up their parents' bills? Heck no.

I've recently (read: in the past year) seen a huge explosion of photos that have been uploaded via a mobile phone. Once the cameras on these devices reach the quality of digital cameras, I'm sure we'll see most pocket-sized cameras disappear. Who wants to take a photo, wait to get home, plug the thing in to their computer, upload to their desktop and THEN upload it online? Nobody.

I love being able to upload a photo (or other quick personal information) online. I can let my friends see what I'm up to more quickly, I get much faster feedback.

Being able to share the fun I'm having on a trip in the height of the fun is just that much more fun. It's only the tip of the iceberg. I can't even imagine the programs that will be developed over the next few months that will take this to a whole new level. Keep following me on your iphone to find out!

Rise and rise of GPS mobile By Marc Cieslak

Students' new best friend: MoSoSo By Gloria Goodale

Derrrrrrrr

I'm reading these articles, and I'm thinking, "Huh? I'm not dumber, I'm SMARTER! I can look up facts in the palm of my hand! I can instantly find the definition to any word in any language!"

Two of Boston.com's article's "8 reasons why this is the dumbest generation" reasons are that people under 30 today "don't read books" and "can't spell." I disagree. I still constantly read books. I'm an excellent speller. I think that Boston.com is focusing too narrowly on certain groups and projecting that onto all people under 30.

Maybe I don't know many teens anymore and maybe these kids are in far worse shape than me. I did actually have to write papers by hand (gasp!) at one point in my schooling after all. Maybe school aged kids today have never had to.

So sure, it's conceivable that younger people (say, under 18 not under 30) could be getting dumber. But what would I know? I only read that online.

8 reasons why this is the dumbest generation boston.com

Nobel Laureate Says the Internet Makes Us Dumb, We Say: Meh by Duncan Riley

Positive Online Presence

Readings this week revolved around conversational marketing. I watched the video "Conversational Marketing" and read the article, "Why Conversational Marketing Requires Fundamental Business Change."

Each of these made me think of on-line personalities that I follow closely. I realized that I continue to follow these figures because they adhere to the three items that the second article says are required for conversations on-line with consumers.

Conversations must be:

1. On-going
2. Two-way
3. Authentic

A personality and businessman that I follow is Gary Vaynercuk. Gary started off in the wine business, but now touts his social media skills and advice across the country. He seems to be making a healthy living with this, but throughout it all, he adheres quite strictly to each of the three above rules. He continuously talks about being genuine in business and, quick to address issues personally, does anything that is possible to please his customers (I have read many positive stories about his business' excellent customer service quality).

If you ever want to check out a guy that knows how to handle himself and cares for his customers (on-line and otherwise) like no other, look up Gary Vaynerchuk. And if you want to watch some fun videos of his wine ultra-unique wine tastings, check out Wine Library TV. It's definitely not low on energy.

• Conversational Marketing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y94Tv_b6h7g

• Why Conversational Marketing Requires Fundamental Business Change: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-advertising-overview/12600515-1.html

Firefox to the Nth power

Crowdsourcing, the use of an open-call by a company to many individuals, has exploded in recent years. As with many other breakthroughs of late, this can also chalk its existence up to The Internet (yes, capital letters).

Computer technologies and the web have created an environment that allow for people to contribute to projects and ideas simply because they are personally interested (or from some other enticing means), and not because they are paid by the employer to do so. To get started, the video "Crowdsourcing" with Jeff Howe is a great tutorial.

Having now learned what crowdsourcing is and how incredible its potential can be, Mr. Dan Woods' article flipped me on my head. His article, The Myth of Crowdsourcing, proposed that crowdsourcing is far less important and groundbreaking that it is made out to be. In fact, he states there is no "crowd" at all. From Dan:

There is no crowd in crowdsourcing. There are only virtuosos, usually uniquely talented, highly trained people who have worked for decades in a field. Frequently, these innovators have been funded through failure after failure. From their fervent brains spring new ideas. The crowd has nothing to do with it. The crowd solves nothing, creates nothing.

So there's no crowd at all? Only "virtuosos"? The more I think about it, the more I can see how this could be. When was the last time I posted something to wikipedia? Never (not counting the one time for extra credit for class). Created a new software code? Never. I would only contribute if it were something that strikes home with me.

Open-calls to "crowds" do seem to create an atmosphere in which people are more inclined to contribute. Though it seems the only ones that step up are those that are already invested in the matter in some way. I'll remember that next time I'm on Wikipedia.

Crowdsourcing by Jeff Howe

The Myth of Crowdsourcing by Dan Woods

Week 1 post

For this week's blog, I read the articles "Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg" and "Clive Thompson on Real-World vs. Social Networks vs. Facebook 'Friends.'" The "Six Degrees" article retold the idea of six degrees of separation through the life of a woman names Lois Weisberg. While reading this article, I found an interesting point was raised which I have included below:

Granovetter, by contrast, argues that what matters in getting ahead is not the quality of your relationships but the quantity -- not how close you are to those you know but, paradoxically, how many people you know whom you aren't particularly close to.

This idea is perhaps more poignant for me at this point in my life, as I am fully immersed in a full-time job hunt. The idea that I could be talking to less helpful people than others simply by speaking those who are close to me is intriguing. Going forward, I may start to rekindle old ties to see what opportunities may reveal themselves.

The Clive Thompson article posed a very different thesis. The author wrote about the rising trend of "reality mining." In this case, real life situations (in the workplace, for example) are analyzed - or "mined" - to determine possible inefficiencies. I have always found this type of analysis very interesting (e.g. the idea of removing inefficient physical movements in an operating room). I had not considered that this could be happening in a work environment, but upon reading this article it became immediately obvious. I couldn't help but to think of my first day of work, or even my first few weeks of work - I couldn't have possibly been a more inefficient worker. This, multiplied across large companies, multiplied throughout the entire workforce, becomes a staggering thought. I leave you with this food for though: Were this inefficient workplace curve to be even slightly lessened, can you imagine the increased output of companies worldwide?

Here we go

Welcome, everyone! I am Austin, an MBA student at the Kogod School of Business. I am writing this blog for my latest class, Social Networking, Social Media and Web 2.0. I'll be making weekly posts, so check back often. Here's to the social media revolution!

On my honor, all posts on this blog are my own.