big blog

here’s the info on my speaking thing:

Date:     
Wednesday January 23, 2008

Location: 
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
901A South Coast Dr.Costa Mesa, CA  92626 

Price: 
$40 AeA Members/$50Nonmembers

Time:  
5:30PM Registration & Networking       
6:00-PM-7:00PM Program       
7:00PM-8:00PM Networking 

Please forward this to others who may benefit by attending this event! Space is limited 

The Confluence of Social Networks, Technology and Entertainment Gives Birth to New Opportunities 

“The best form of advertising is word of mouth.” This adage and itsprinciples are extremely well-suited to the explosion of Internet-mediatedsocial networks. If gaming and dating sites encourage member interactionthrough chat rooms and instant messenger, then Web 2.0 ushers in newopportunities as social media, technology and entertainment converge. Robust platforms that facilitate interactivity will create converged userexperiences, new content classes and new interaction paradigms. Potentiallynew revenue-generating models will emerge, such as virtual merchandisesales, in-game product advertisement, digital content subscriptions andsales. As content migrates from the Internet to mobile phones, incumbentsand new entrants are moving in quickly to capture these opportunities. Forbusinesses, market segmentation is easier than ever before as consumersnaturally rally around common interests and passions. As such, perceptivebusinesses can advertise meaningfully to and interact with consumers toincrease sales, enhance customer loyalty programs and for the developmentand testing of new products and services. Join us for this event as weexplore the ways in which all companies along the value chain can benefitfrom the value creation of this new frontier. 

About the speaker: Vinh Ha, founder, bigdevelopment Since 1998, Vinh Ha hasdefined how businesses harness the Internet as a primary marketing tool todrive commerce and connections. Ha is an evangelist who espouses the valueof social networking as a powerful marketing tool for companies and brands. Some of his clients have included Op, Wienerschnitzel, Orange CountyPerforming Arts Center and Sir Speedy Franchises. Ha holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and public law with an emphasis in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. 

How to register for The Confluence of Social Networking:To attend this January 23 program, please register by one of the followingmethods:or complete and return this form with your check or credit card.  A creditcard is necessary to hold the reservation.  Phone or Email: Call Alan Wald at (949) 450-1500 x104 or emailAlan_Wald@aeanet.org. Please include Name, Company, Email, and Phone. Ifregistering via email, please phone or fax the following credit cardinformation into the AeA office. 

Online:http://www.aeanet.org/events/EventsCatalog.cfm?Product_Major=OC010806

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Apple. And since I was reared in a PC household and began my career in IT and then web development, Apple always represented a giant thorn in my side. I remember writing contracts back in 1999 where we asked clients to pay extra for their website to work on a Mac. My thought was, Apple only had 10% market share and it would have taken an extra 20 hours to make the damn thing work on a Mac…

more in a moment…  

I was sick today so I was working in bed. The TV happened to be on and some texted me about Idol. So, I actually turned it on, breaking my promise that I would never watch it again. There’s a story behind that: a woman I dated, dated Ryan Seacrest. We got into some huge fight one night and she told me that, and I vowed never to watch Idol again. I’m so glad I broke that promise to myself. I can’t remember the last time I laugh for 2 hours straight.

 I was also watching on TV and my computer, firebrand.com. It’s a show and website dedicated to commercials. It’s brilliant really. Good commercials are so very entertaining and 30 seconds long, perfect for my attention span. There’s Firebrand Live, which is a show hosted by a commentator, and since I’m such an infophile, I love the facts about the commericals: the ad firm, production company, and director. The interface is gorgeous, and works very well. It’s very well designed actually. Associated with each commercials are any available offers, promotions, contests, and links to the site. Brilliant.

I was watching TV the other day, and saw a show about how technology is growing faster than it ever has. The newscaster was saying how we have more and more pieces of technology: mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, iPods, video iPods, etc. Computers are getting more complex, the internet is growing, and there’s more and more software out there that must all work together. 

At first, I thought to myself, “duh.” And initially I thought that even though technology was growing and proliferating, people were getting more tech savvy. But I think the reality is, technlology is moving along much faster than regular people have time to learn. here are some examples:

• There are computers in everything now. your toaster, oven, and fridge have computers. they are getting smarter and harder to use.
• And we thought VCRs were complicated? we now have digital cable, Tivo, HD flat screens, and surround sound. Have you ever tried hooking all that equipment up? The manual does not help, and once you do have everything set up, how confusing are the 5 remotes?
• Devices are getting more integrated/reliant on each other. iPhones have to work with iTunes on Windows Vista. Treos have to work on Macs running Leopard.
• Every day I read about how social networks are going to be woven into the fabric of the web. Three years ago, barely anyone knew what they were.

So, what’s the point? I guess the point is, I thought my type was headed down the road to obsolescence. But as it turns out, we are needed now more than ever. Thank god.

Have you been noticing a trend? Everyone is opening up their API (again), concerned about saving the environment, and all graphics have reflections.

All good things really. Hopefully the first 2 trends will persist, and um, the third too since our logo has a reflection, I just noticed.