(DIGITAL x BRAND)/TRANSLATE

What can website demos do for your company?

Website demos are the next significant development in the evolution of professional online self-service. Think about how many times you’ve been on a website with no idea of where to go, what to do or how to get anywhere in the site? Drop-downs, roll-overs, submenus, search bars, pop-ups, banner ads, scrolling bars all add to the confusion!  Believe it or not, the internet and navigating a website is still foreign to many professionals and consumers alike.

A webdemo provides a fast and efficient way for companies to demonstrate just how to use the website, its value to the customer and help direct a user to create a certain action. A webdemo is viewable from any computer, anywhere. No need to install an application. Just launch your browser and watch the show. Unlike a video webcast, webdemos demonstrate the value of a website, product or service. webdemos, webmercials or webtutors can target various users such as customers, prospects or field agents.

Still don't understand? Let me show you the Demos that Networks has done recently. These Demos are highly produced with full motion, professional voice over and a compelling soundtrack to keep it moving!!

To view Web demos we've produced; click  http://www.ntwks.com/webdemo.html

What can website demos do for your company?    

1. Promote and Explain Features and Benefits of Your Site
   Demos are the ideal solution when you want to draw attention to certain areas of your website or explain how to do something.

   

2. Improve the Customer Experience
   The conversational and helpful nature of our demos will engage your customers and make them more comfortable with your site.

   

3. Reduce Customer Service Costs with Online Self-Service
   Demos are proactive tools that empower customers to help themselves before they call or email your customer service team.

   

4. Convert Casual Users into Subscribing or Registered Members
   Demos help you quickly illustrate the value of sitemembership.

   

Distribution  is Key

Demos are a cost-effective and innovative way to promote site features and benefits, improve the customer experience and reduce costs by providing online self-service. Here’s a partial list of distribution options to ensure that your web demos reach the widest possible audience:    

• Website       (homepage, help section, dedicated demo center, product detail pages)
• Include       demo links in newsletters and other marketing emails
• Help       buyers track their orders with demos in confirmation emails
• Direct       mail with demo CD collateral
• Embed       links within email signatures
• Internal       product education and sales training

Lets us help build a Web demo for your site or service -

Just call me, toll free -  Mark Wilhelms at Networks 1-877- Siteability – 1-877-749-3224 

Another Tech bubble is coming and its real this time.

Today, Microsoft paid $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook which creates an appraisal value for the 3 1/2-year-old Internet hangout at $15 billion! Thats 500 times Facebooks annual revenues of $30 million dollars. Now, keep in mind $240 million to Microsoft is like a couple of hundred dollar bills to you and I. Microsofts weekly cashflow is way more than $240 million and they can spend it like we buy a round of drinks down at Jillys on Rush. Nevertheless, its a 500 times revenue evaluation!

This is significant for several reasons:

1) It demonstrates just how badly the world's largest software maker wants to deepen its relationship with a startup.

2) It represents and further validates Social Networks and the importance it will play in brand marketing and consumer behavior in the future.

3) Microsoft finally trumped Google after losing previous high-stakes bidding battles involving a stake in AOL and ownership of online video sharing pioneer YouTube and Internet ad service DoubleClick Inc.

This feels an awful lot like the last bubble. There is clearly a pattern evolving and we are going to see much more of it. The difference is that unlike the tech bubble of 2000, which I experienced first hand, the startups of today have real business models with real revenues and real management to grow the business.

To illustrate this new bubble, remember in 2005, News Corp. paid $580 million for outright ownership of MySpace.com, the only social network larger than Facebook! With this investment, Microsoft established Facebook's current market value at $15 billion less than four years after Mark Zuckerberg started the Web site in his Harvard University dorm room.

I love it. Just like the old days, only better and real, for once. As a final note, I don't think Mark Zuckerberg can fully appreciate the position he is in right now and the significance of his deal since he was only 12 years old during the last bubble. I'm sure he doesnt care much either. God bless America and God bless the American Entrepreneur.

Some of the best things in Internet life are free!

Like most of us who care about the rest of the world, I've been watching the devastating wildfires in California and cannot fathom the loss of not only natural habitat for animals and natural beauty but the vast destruction of private homes and property. As much as I like to spend time looking at new and fun applications and opportunity in web technology, there are also some very practical uses that don’t get nearly get enough attention and ought to!

I wonder if the 1300 plus odd home owners who have lost their homes thus far have the proper insurance to cover their loss? Do they have home inventories? Do any of us really have a solid inventory of all our household possessions and if we do, how do we store it? How do we update it easily? And how do we prevent it from getting stolen, burned up or damaged in a flood?

The most helpful tool I have found to manage household inventory is at KnowYourStuff.org KnowYourStuff.org is where you can download the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) new home inventory software for free!

This software makes creating a home inventory fun and easy. Once you have completed your inventory, it is easy to keep your information up to date

Enter the III! The mission of the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) is to improve public understanding of insurance -- what it does and how it works.

For more than 40 years, the I.I.I. has provided definitive insurance information. Today, the I.I.I. is recognized by the media, governments, regulatory organizations, universities and the public as a primary source of information, analysis and referral concerning insurance.

Each year, the I.I.I. works on more than 3,700 news stories, handles more than 6,000 requests for information and answers nearly 50,000 questions from consumers.

In addition to direct contact with the media, individuals and organizations, the I.I.I. publishes a host of helpful pamphlets and books ranging in subjects from 9 Ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance Costs to the I.I.I. Fact Book. The Institute does not lobby. Its central function is to provide accurate and timely information on insurance subjects. Questions concerning I.I.I. membership should be emailed to members@iii.org.

 
The Know your stuff software has the following features:

 
Creating a New Inventory

When you start the program for the first time, you should click on the "new" button on the upper left hand corner of the screen.

 
The Wizard

The set-up wizard will then ask you a series of questions, including the names of the rooms in your house.

 
Adding Items

Now that you have setup your home, you can begin to add items to your home inventory room by room. On the left hand side of your screen you will see a list of rooms. First, click on the room where you would like to add an item and then click on the "+ item" button on the left hand corner of your screen. When you make a significant purchase, add the information to your inventory while the details are fresh in your mind.

 
Adding Photographs / Receipts

When you add an item to the room, you will see an upload option for pictures and receipts. For photographs, you can use images taken with your digital camera. If you don't have a digital camera, you can scan print photographs into your computer or you can save the photos with a copy of your home inventory report. The same goes for receipts.

 
Printing Your Report

There are a number of report options available to you if you want to print a report of your home inventory. Click on the "print" button on the upper left hand corner of your screen.

 
Storing Your Project

Keep your inventory along with receipts in your safe deposit box or at a friend's or relatives home. That way you’ll be sure to have something to give your insurance representative if your home is damaged or destroyed. For detailed information on where to store your project

 
So, while it may be too late for the unfortunate people in Malibu to inventory everything, we can all learn a lesson and use the marvelous freeware that the internet provides us all! KnowYourStuff.org is only one of many!  

Social Media's Marketing Impact and Opportunity!

Many companies think of the internet like television: consumers are expected to sit patiently and absorb the branded message, and then act accordingly. Now, with the rise of Web 2.0, the internet is much more than a broadcast channel. With the ever-increasing social use of the web, websites are becoming venues for discussion of ideas, opinions and transactions. Social networking is the framework in which these conversations happen. Our challenge as digital marketers is to leverage the power of these new social networks to create innovative brand experiences.

We have been working on a customer acquisition promotion involving Social Networks, namely MySpace and Facebook. One can find many brands offering promotions and coupons to drive traffic such as Chilies and TGI Fridays. Our client will drive new customers to retail service centers as well. The challenge we are having is that while it may be interesting to utilize SN’s as a vehicle to drive traffic it is also very time consuming and expensive for a Client to do so.  We’re experimenting now and understanding what can and should not be done when branding on Social Networks.

For instance, whether to allow customers to create their own messages around products or services is the first important questions when starting a SN Program because if you’re successful, you will get feedback, lots of it!  This feedback may not be what you will want to read. Chevrolet recently created a tool enabling users to build their own commercial, resulting in a highly successful viral marketing campaign.  However, there are risks-- as brand managers no longer control the content, the brand is out in the wild. During the recent Chevy campaign, for example, environmental activists created negative ads.

On the other hand, user-generated content enables a firm to leverage marketing's best tool: a satisfied and loyal customer. Social networking “Greases the wheels” of consumer reviews by emphasizing the ratings and reviews that users care most about-- those from their friends in the networks. Therein lies the gold!

Social Networking sites will enlist 230 million active members by the end of the year and will keep attracting new users until at least 2009, according to an analyst report. Revenues from social-networking services will hit $965 million this year, swelling to $2.4 billion by 2012. Growth in the membership of social-networking sites varies dramatically by region, Asia Pacific will account for 35% of global social networking users by the end of this year, followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa with 28%, North America 25, and the Caribbean and Latin America 12%. Parks Associates found that 80% of broadband users aged 18-25 use social networking sites on a monthly basis.

72% of social networking users would stop using a site if they were required to pay a monthly fee of as little as $2. Advertising looks like the obvious alternative, but the research suggests that nearly 40% of respondents would stop visiting a social networking site if it contained too many ads.

Social networking is not going away and corporate brands and services will have to contend and blend Social Network Marketing Tactics into their Marketing/Media mix. This will be expensive and firms will emerge as experts in the area. Social Network Marketing in some way, is the ultimate consumer touch point but will require "Brand honesty", Corporate and Environmental responsibility and thorough and sincere consumer dialog and feedback to be effective.

“The Wireless Carriers will be the new Record companies of the future”

AT&T is making Napster's entire music catalog of more than 5 million songs available for wireless download starting early next month. To date, only a tiny portion of mobile users have taken advantage of over-the-air download capability, but some of the development has been stymied by network speeds, the limited catalog of music available and disputes over rights management. Now it seems the day has come and it wont be long before we see one of the top records companies merger with one of the top carriers to form the "Record company of the future."

I take some satisfaction in this prediction knowing that in 2004, we pitched Verizon Wireless and “The Record Company of the Future” was the platform of our entire pitch. We were in New Jersey to pitch a “Tour activation” promotion for one of their music sponsorship tours but instead decided, probably to our disadvantage, to pitch them on a much bigger and more far-reaching entertainment strategy. After all, we had over 11 senior people in the room and what better chance for us to "Shoot for the moon." If our "Big Idea" strategy didn’t stick, we would end up looking smarter and they would pick us to activate the tour just for that reason. Well, that didn’t work either for another reason and we didn’t get the business but thats not the point today. I pitched Verizon with some very, very smart people; John Davidoff, now head of Davidoff Communications and Kevin Berg, Chairman of Legacy Marketing Partners. We started by saying that a youth music portal is where they should start and feature all things music and all things digital! They should understand that Verizon and other Wireless companies will be the record companies of the future. They have the delivery mechanism, they have the wireless airways, they have access to the customers and the infrastructure to charge each customer for each service and lastly, they have direct access and influence to the “players” which are our cell phones. Its just a matter of time and they should have a strategy in place now and we were the guys to do it! Back then there was not an IPhone but we told them that there would be. The most senior guy confided in me after the pitch that they were developing an MP3 phone but they had no strategy wrapped around this and while he appreciated our thinking what they really needed at the moment is somebody to hang Verizon signage at all the concert events.

Anyway, the advantage was clear for Verizon as it is today for AT&T:

1. Increase wireless minutes per customer 

2. Reinforce and increase the current program Wireless downloades

3. Generate a new revenue source

4. Competitively position the Company as a provider that is able to use entertainment and technology to better service their customers.

5. Reinforce the company as a brand willing to take chances and listen to the wants and needs of the X, Y and Z consumer.

While today AT&T has beat Verizon to the punch by making Napster's entire music catalog of more than 5 million songs available for wireless download starting early next month. The service, which AT&T is unveiling Monday, will expand the company's over-the-air download offerings beyond the independent music it offered through eMusic.com and allow it to compete with offerings from rivals Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel. San Antonio-based AT&T has not yet announced which devices will work with the new music service. The new service will not work with Apple's iPhone, which is tied to Apple's iTunes service and allows users to load music only from their computers or when they're connected to a Wi-Fi network, not through a cellular signal. "Where we're really focused is getting a broad set of music offerings for consumers," said Robert Hyatt, executive director of premium content for AT&T.

 Songs will cost $1.99 each, or $7.49 for five per month. Users who download a song directly to their phones will automatically get an e-mail allowing them to put a second copy on their computers. Customers who have songs through Napster already will be able to transfer them to their phones as well, Hyatt said. The new arrangement with the nation's largest wireless phone carrier opens a huge U.S. customer base to Napster. AT&T plans to make more music content available exclusively for mobile download through deals reached directly with artists. To launch the service, it will offer content from Grammy-winning band Matchbox Twenty's new album. The group's frontman, Rob Thomas, said mobile downloading is inevitable as users begin to treat their cellphones like the entertainment hubs their computers are. "It's easy to see where the trail is headed," he said. "This is going to be the way that people are going to get all their media." He said relationships with wireless carriers like AT&T also potentially shift the way the music business is handled, noting that artists may now be able to find alternative ways to produce, distribute and publicize their work. "When you look at the antiquated model that the record company is, it's becoming more and more obsolete," Thomas said.

I sure wish sometimes that we weren’t such ahead of our times in some client pitches but I just can’t resist pitching a “Big Idea’ to a big company!  Its a curse and I guess I find "Peace of mind" if they don’t buy it knowing that I had the right strategy for the client in the first place when they eventually do buy it. I'm not always right either, I have been wrong. Someday I’ll write about my ill faded “Internet Radio Network” and how I gave up on streaming radio stations over the internet in 1996 to focus on corporate branding and the service side of the internet business. Even though it was a "Big Idea," I felt the service side was more lucrative. Morever, my then buddy, Mark Cuban was struggling to stream Radio Stations on his newly formed Audionet anyway and I couldn’t see the long-term value of pursuing that model and told him that he could have it if we could design the Station sites. Mark, of course, went public and later sold to Yahoo for $4 billion dollars. There was no "Peace of mind" for me that day!  Bottomline: Wireless Carriers will become in some corporate form, a major record label of the future and will develop, nurture and distribute music, artists and entertainment to us all on hand-held devices and more. Count on it.

 

 

Google wins, Microsoft loses…now lets go to lunch.

The fourth edition of Web 2.0 Summit is now underway in San Francisco and the overwhelming result is; Microsoft’s on the Run and needs Ad revenues to save its future – and Google, (whose #1 revenue source is Ad revenues), has become and is the reining King of all Web Programming and Platforms and will be for as long as we will all shall live.

Here are two excerpts from speeches by Google and Steve Ballmer at Microsoft at the 2.0 summit yesterday.

 

GOOGLE

Web 2.0

Summit

- Jeff Huber from Google

Posted by Paul Miller at October 18, 2007 08:26 PM

FACT:
There are over 20,000 Google Gadgets (applications) developed since January 2006. Billions served each week, from iGoogle and from 100,000 or more syndicated sites.

63 gadgets have over 1,000,000 active users.

483 with over 100,000 active users.

50% of traffic outside the top 125 apps.

Applications are fundamentally changing from monolithic sites to smaller feeds and containers. Extending beyond consumers to the enterprise space.

Platforms - Platform race is over. The internet has won. The web is the Platform. It is open, fast, easy.

 

MICROSOFT

Steve Ballmer: How Do We Get 25% of Our Revenues in Advertising?

Posted by Sebastien on the 2007/10/18 at 08:44

 

In a conversation with John Battelle this morning at the Web 2.0 Summit, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, disclosed the four things Microsoft will need to do if they want to reach their goal of having 25% of their revenues coming from advertising in the future.

 

1. Do search well

2. Be good at community and communications

3. Have a strong advertising platform that delivers all payloads in all media compatible with all business models

4. Have ads you sell on behalf of other people.

 

Nuff said – Now, Lets go to lunch.

Sex and Marriage with Robots by 2050

I’m in! Enough said! Except I'll be dead. I always miss the fun. This all might sound weird today but it will happen. Our societies acceptance of unique sexual preferences is increasingly becoming broader. Take for instance the new movie released this week called "Lars and the real Girl" - A lonely guy finally meets the woman of his dreams. Only problem: She's a life-size doll he bought on the Internet. This isn't any cheap blow up doll either she looks good. He takes her out in public and guess what? Nobody cares! The movie is getting great reviews!

Read on: David Levy’s article on robots is compelling and has many implications with respect to not only sex but learning environments of the future, administrative assistants, pets etc.. but again…sex and adult industry lead the way in new technology and its many uses for the future!...kinky or not!

"My forecast is that around 2050, the state of will be the first jurisdiction to legalize marriages with robots," artificial intelligence researcher David Levy at the Massachusetts told LiveScience. Levy recently completed his Ph.D. work on the subject of human-robot relationships, covering many of the privileges and practices that generally come with marriage as well as outside of it.

At first, sex with robots might be considered geeky, "but once you have a story like 'I had sex with a robot, and it was great!' appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I'd expect many people to jump on the bandwagon," Levy said.

The idea of romance between humanity and our artistic and/or mechanical creations dates back to ancient times, with the Greek myth of the sculptor Pygmalion falling in love with the ivory statue he made named Galatea, to which the goddess Venus eventually granted life.

This notion persists in modern times. Not only has science fiction explored this idea, but 40 years ago, scientists noticed that students at times became unusually attracted to ELIZA, a computer program designed to ask questions and mimic a psychotherapist.

"There's a trend of robots becoming more human-like in appearance and coming more in contact with humans," Levy said. "At first robots were used impersonally, in factories where they helped build automobiles, for instance. Then they were used in offices to deliver mail, or to show visitors around museums, or in homes as vacuum cleaners, such as with the Roomba. Now you have robot toys, like Sony's Aibo robot dog, or Tickle Me Elmos, or digital pets like Tamagotchis."

 In his thesis, "Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners," Levy conjectures that robots will become so human-like in appearance, function and personality that many people will fall in love with them, have sex with them and even marry them.

"It may sound a little weird, but it isn't," Levy said. "Love and sex with robots are inevitable."

Sex in 5 years

Levy argues that psychologists have identified roughly a dozen basic reasons why people fall in love, "and almost all of them could apply to human-robot relationships. For instance, one thing that prompts people to fall in love are similarities in personality and knowledge, and all of this is programmable. Another reason people are more likely to fall in love is if they know the other person likes them, and that's programmable too."

In 2006, Henrik Christensen, founder of the European Robotics Research Network, predicted that people will be having sex with robots within five years, and Levy thinks that's quite likely. There are companies that already sell realistic sex dolls, "and it's just a matter of adding some electronics to them to add some vibration," he said, or endowing the robots with a few audio responses. "That's fairly primitive in terms of robotics, but the technology is already there."

As software becomes more advanced and the relationship between humans and robots becomes more personal, marriage could result. "One hundred years ago, interracial marriage and same-sex marriages were illegal in the United States

Interracial marriage has been legal now for 50 years, and same-sex marriage is legal in some parts of the states," Levy said. "There has been this trend in marriage where each partner gets to make their own choice of who they want to be with."

"The question is not if this will happen, but when," Levy said. "I am convinced the answer is much earlier than you think.

"Humans are very unusual creatures," Arkin said. "If you ask me if every human will want to marry a robot, my answer is probably not. But will there be a subset of people? There are people ready right now to marry sex toys."

The main benefit of human-robot marriage could be to make people who otherwise could not get married happier, "people who find it hard to form relationships, because they are extremely shy, or have psychological problems, or are just plain ugly or have unpleasant personalities," Levy said. "Of course, such people who completely give up the idea of forming relationships with other people are going to be few and far between, but they will be out there."

 Ethical questions

The possibility of sex with robots could prove a mixed bag for humanity. For instance, robot sex could provide an outlet for criminal sexual urges. "If you have pedophiles and you let them use a robotic child, will that reduce the incidence of them abusing real children, or will it increase it?" Arkin asked. "I don't think anyone has the answers for that yet—that's where future research needs to be done."

Keeping a robot for sex could reduce human prostitution and the problems that come with it. However, "in a marriage or other relationship, one partner could be jealous or consider it infidelity if the other used a robot," Levy said. "But who knows, maybe some other relationships could welcome a robot. Instead of a woman saying, 'Darling, not tonight, I have a headache,' you could get 'Darling, I have a headache, why not use your robot?'"

Arkin noted that "if we allow robots to become a part of everyday life and bond with them, we'll have to ask questions about what's going to happen to our social fabric. How will they change humanity and civilization? I don't have any answers, but I think it's something we need to study. There's a real potential for intimacy here, where humans become psychologically and emotionally attached to these devices in ways we wouldn't to a vibrator."

Levy is currently writing a paper on the ethical treatment of robots. When it comes to sex and love with robots, "the ethical issues on how to treat them are something we'll have to consider very seriously, and they're very complicated issues," Levy said.

Levy successfully defended his thesis Oct. 11.

The future: Web Branding, Promotions and Webvertisements for ad campaigns!

This is one of the coolest brand promotions I've seen to date http://www.freakyourmind.com/

It's produced by an Agency called EVB out of San Francisco. I had cocktails with CEO/Pres Daniel Stein at the Hotel W not too long ago and we talked about the future of Online Advertising and the future of Agencies and Digital Production houses.These guys are a company you should watch.  Omnicom has invested in them as well. The bottom line is that the Internet is capable of delivering far more compelling advertising and content then it is. Many agencies are simply not keeping up with the newest trends in digital design and frankly there are not enough production houses that are innovative enough to fill the demand even if they wanted to.  

The future, I think breaks down like this; Agencies will find, define, target, locate and manage/track the numerous consumer touchpoints for any brand campaign. They will provide some creative BUT the digital production of that content will be done outside and by a specialized group of highly skilled digital media professionals.

I found a little research from even smarter guys than me. Here's a great article from David Benady of Market Watch, June 13,2007, on the ascendancy of digital and the resultant changes in the agency landscape:

“In future, advertising will be driven by agencies that are capable of digitally locating and monitoring audiences rather than those that can create beautiful campaigns aimed at anyone prepared to watch and listen.

If you look at the industry over the next ten years, you will see a group of very premium agencies emerge that will provide a new total service. These high-quality, full-service agencies will combine the technical skills of the digital specialists with the planning and creative abilities of the traditional agencies.”

Ad agencies have long served as creative nerve centers that farm out production to effects houses and design firms; more and more, they’re doing the same thing on the interactive advertising side.

The problem is that there are very few interactive shops creative enough and capable enough to service the current needs of the market.

If you’re young and happening on the Internet, the place to be these days is advertising. Forget e-commerce and website work; the firms doing Web Branding, Promotions and Webvertisements for ad campaigns are now getting the biggest budgets and the most creative latitude.

“Blogger Broadcasting”

October 16^th, 2007

I have a lunch today with one of the Top Radio Executives in Chicago and Senior manager in one largest Radio/Media groups in the world. We’re going to talk about ideas and challenges in Radio and Technology. Having spent so much of my time in Radio working with (or babysitting) Top radio personalities, but more importantly, placing over 30 radio stations in nine markets online in the past, I have a lot to say about the state of Internet Radio and its future impact on Terrestrial radio. At least I think I do and I suppose he thinks I do as well or he wouldn’t waste his time. I wasn’t sure what my plan of attack was until 4:05am this morning when the “Midnight Monster” woke be up, as he does every night, and I started brainstorming on this meeting today. I have some pretty good ideas now.

Any of us that have read “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson will clearly understand what I’m about to preach at noon and that is; That while I think broadcasting is an important medium and very effective way to reach a consumers today it is of course not targeted nearly enough to reach and impact the niche markets of tomorrow. However, and here’s the revelation, Radio broadcasting it is an incredible way to distribute content and not going away anytime soon. It’s highly convenient and efficient. As much as the internet radio gurus will tell you that audiences are increasingly becoming fragmented and Internet broadcasting is the future, there are just as many of us who want to be told what to listen too and what is trendy or important and what’s not by somebody else which is often times a form of Media. An important advocate for this is Andrew Keen, in his book, “The Great Seduction” in which he states that most content (like this Blog LOL) is "user-generated nonsense". Keen believes the promise of the technology movement might not be as positive as everyone believes, hence the seduction. Whether you agree with him or not, Keen confirms that the technology and user generated content is exceedingly vibrant right now. Any time you have people creating and philosophizing and questioning each others' values, good things can happen. The entire world is still and will still be wired for broadcasting and will be for it for the next 20-30 years at least. Moreover we are not about to replace our terrestrial boxes and car radios for wireless internet connections anytime soon, at least not in the next 10 years. Some of us Gadget Geeks will, of course but it will be a slow adoption rate for the common folk who buy most of the stuff people on the planet sell.

Now I am fully aware of the rapid adoption of internet radio and sliver casting but I believe there is a unique balance here that marries the two very nicely. I believe there is need and opportunity to merge Bloggers and Broadcasting. There are some attempts right now; listen to http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/blog/ Working at home Moms” Talk Radio, Blog and Broadcast or go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com and you’ll see this emergence and balance of Radio Networks of the future. These networks will not only stream on the Internet and MP3 cast but more importantly exist in sub FM frequencies broadcast for anyone to hear. The future is not Broadcasting to the Niche Markets, its niche casting to a broader markets through conventional broadcast distribution and Internet Technology. I’m going to call it “Blogger Broadcasting” and I’m going to pitch it today.

To quote, from the movie American Pie, “God bless the Internet”

Advances in Internet Technology has never stopped jazzing me up! Since, 1993 when my Radio Engineer Friend, Dale showed me my first BBS system on an old “No -86 Greenscreen Microprocessor” I have been forever amazed and astounded by the possibilities of this incredible “New Media.” (That’s what we called it back then). He used his BBS boards to communicate to other Radio Engineer Geeks across the globe to talk about “Radio Engineering Stuff” I also think he was running an Adult BBS system for Swingers as well but he wouldn’t tell me about it when I asked. Someday, I’ll write about the benefits the “Adult Entertainment business” had and continues to have on advances in Internet technology and its use. I need to do more research, which scares me out of writing the Blog. The point today is, that every morning I see more and more possibilities with Technology. Far more then I saw 15 years ago. Some new ideas I will suggest, and pitch to my clients immediately and some I just have to dream about until the average Corporate Client can find its value and then pitch it.

Lets fast forward from Green screens BBS systems to Streaming Video; Video streaming on the Internet is the most exciting thing for all of us right now. We all know the benefits of Youtube and have been sharing videos, watching News clips for the last few years but now we are beginning to see a real use of Internet Video Technology for the common person for practical use. We recently pitched a new “YouTube” application designed for corporations and can be adapted to any brand very easily and is very effective for streaming videos and other digital media such as Podcasts, Commercials, Corporate meetings PPT presentations with audio, Flash presentations and sharing ideas with different levels of viewing and permissions. Our Client wants to use it Globally to stream messages from the Senior management and Show current TV commercials from all the Agencies, Podcasts, Sales meetings and even Ringtones of old Radio spots for employees to download! They liked it and should launch it soon!

Video in all its forms is here to stay and flourish in the coming years. In another far less commercial but far more important and significant use of video is today’s announcement by Autism Speaks new Web site http://www.autismspeaks.org. which offers dozens of video clips of autistic kids contrasted with unaffected children's behavior. Some of the side-by-side differences will make you gasp! This is an astounding display of the benefits of Internet technology that we will continue to value and make use of in the coming years. New parents across the globe will benefit from watching these videos on the site if they are the least bit concerned about their new child’s behavior. No other form of media in the past could offer this! Not Television. Not books. Not Radio. Not anything. To quote, from the movie American Pie, “God bless the Internet”  

The free site, is sponsored by two nonprofit advocacy groups: Autism Speaks and First Signs. They hope the site will promote early diagnosis and treatment, which can help young children with autism lead more normal lives. Several autism specialists who reviewed it at the request of The Associated Press called it an unusually helpful tool for parents and doctors. "The moving pictures speak a million words," said Dr. Edwin Cook, an autism researcher and educator at the University of Illinois at Chicago."Not only do I see this as useful for the general public and for parents who might be wondering ... but I will frankly be using it for education" and training, Cook said.

So, hurray for Technology! Hurray for the Internet! Hurray of Dale the engineer and guys like him who continue to innovate! What an incredible world we live in and I can’t wait to see what’s new in it tomorrow!