Miscellaneous Uses for a Blog

I’ve been thinking about taking the step to get a more advanced phone for quite some time. As I’ve become more and more ingrained into new media, I have found and increasing desire to have my toolbox with me. That is, my connection to the internet. This is especially true now that the connections I’ve made via the Kansas City Weather Podcast have come to rely on me for weather information. I want to be able to provide that, and to answer questions as they come in. Unfortunately, I often do not have the means at my disposal at the time. I’ve wanted to have radar information at my fingertips for years, and with this increasing pull from the outside that desire has only increased.

So, here is what I am looking for:

• I’m an active Twitter user, so I would like a phone that is built for text messaging. I can’t imagine trying to deal with the tiny keys of a Crackberry, so a full keyboard would be ideal.
• I need a decent web browser. I don’t want to rely on a mobile browser that doesn’t properly scale a web page because it wasn’t designed for "mobile use." I want the ability to get the information I want quickly and easily so I can put down the phone and get back to regular life as soon as I can. This is especially important as my wife has had some bad experiences with friends who have become attached to their mobile phones. The easier the information is to process, the better. I control my phone, I don’t want the phone to control me because of clunky functionality.
• I could care less about a mobile music store or TV on my phone. The media I consume is not available with these channels of distribution. If I could load some of my media onto a micro SD card for playback, then I might utilize my phone for media.
• Ideally, I would like the ability to run third-party apps on the phone. Not a big thing, but a Twitter client, or possibly the Gmail mobile application would be nice to have. Like I said, it’s definatly not a big deal but functionality I can see myself utilizing.
• I have a decent family plan with Sprint right now, and have been happy to support the company… especially with their world headquarters being right here in the KC metro. I would like to stay with Sprint.

Part of me would like to wait to see how the market progresses over the next several months. Like it or not, the iPhone has changed the mobile business and people’s ideas of what they can do with their phone. With Google Android coming out soon and manufacturers coming out with products to offer much of the same functionality as the iPhone, there are going to be huge changes very soon. I’d like to be on top of this so I can provide mobile users a decent experience with my own media entities. Do I wait to see what comes out? I don’t know. I’ve glanced at a few phones, including the HTC Mogol (thanks Lynette ), and I talked to a Sprint Store employee about the new Instinct (Sprint’s iPhone competitor due out next month).

So what are your thoughts?

What are some phones that you know of that could fit the bill? Would I be better served to simply wait and see what the market throws out this summer? In a way, I really like the idea of the Instinct, if for no other reason than it’s customizable and gets me to that "process my information as soon as possible" plateau I’d like to be at. It also comes with a "full keyboard" via a touchscreen and runs EVDO.
Is there anyone at Sprint that would like to help me out with this? I am a respected local podcaster, blogger, and social media guy that would be more than willing to help you spread the word about this device and how it could fill my needs.

ADDITION: Kudos to the folks at the Sprint Store for pointing me to YouTube for videos about the Instinct. I ALWAYS like to hear companies utilizing social media tools.

I’m writing this as I fly high above a cloud deck, bound for a connecting flight in Charlotte (being a meteorologist, I LOVE flying above the clouds). Thanks to some very generous friends, I’m off for Podcamp Boston 2. Having just finished the Podcast and New Media Expo a month ago, it feels a bit odd to be doing the conference thing again. I’ve been comparing and contrasting the two conferences since I made my reservations for Boston.

In a way, I’ve been more excited for Podcamp than for the Expo this year. The Expo this year was, as CC Chapman put it, more of a summer camp for me. I did not pay for the sessions at the Expo this year, so the education side was much less for me. Also, having gone last year, it was more about enjoying time with friends I had met last year, and to network with a few new people.

Boston will be completely different. There are over 70 free sessions for the 1200  1300 registered attendees, and I anticipate attending many. The demographic will also be substantially different at Podcamp. I would estimate that 80% of the people in attendance will have had little or no experience in podcasting and new media. For me, this trip is as much about networking and developing relationships with those people as it is meeting people for the first time. There will be some large companies that will be educating themselves about podcasting and new media. I hope to engage them and help them find ways to incorporate new media into their business.

My normal topic of choice, “Keeping the Fire Lit” (how to avoid podcast burnout and podfading) was trumped by the incredible presentation Neil Gorman will give. However, I will be able to sit on a panel of podcasters to participate in some Q&A for those in attendance. While I anticipate doing this throughout the event, it will be nice to be up in front of an organized group of eager minds again.

Of course, I have my list of people I’m anxious to see for the first time as well. Chris Penn, Michelle Woverton, Karen Cardoza, Mitch Joel, and others. If you follow me, let me know if you plan to be in Boston. I’d definitely love to meet you. YOU are the reasons why I continue to grow, explore, and influence in the new media sphere.

So, it’s time to put the game-face on, prepare to engage in conversations with a wide variety of people, and to take full advantage of the networking opportunities ahead of me.

… and get a few hugs in the process J

I arrived home from the Podcast and New Media expo at 12:30am on Monday and have been slowly recovering from another good trip. After missing the first expo in 2005, I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to be at the last two. This is going to be quite a write-up, so stick with me… ?

THE NEWS

The weekend started off with the long flight out to Ontario, CA on Thursday (which included a Cheney-delayed flight out of Las Vegas), then off to the bar at the Marriott for dinner with several friends from the “Bucket Brigade.” Being more of a listener than a talker in groups of people, I often have to prep myself to break out my shell and step into conversations. Dinner would prove to be the opportunity to warm up, if you will.

At the end of the dinner, I got a phone call from my wife. My mother was in the hospital following what Becca described as a mild heart attack. Game over. My mind was no longer on new media or into engaging people in conversation. It was on family. Fortunately, my sister was already about to walk out the door from her place in Omaha to make the drive to Wisconsin because of a cousin’s wedding. My mom was covered, and I was encouraged to stay in California. She got out of the hospital on Saturday afternoon, and appears to be doing well.

I’ve developed great friendships with many people in new media. That connection was even more evident to me this weekend. Thanks to the power of Twitter, I shared the news with many of these friends. For all of you that offered your support, condolences, prayers, and genuine concern about my mother this weekend, I appreciate it more than you know. Thank you.

IN-DEPTH CONVERSATIONS

This year was different from last for a variety of other reasons as well. Of course, this time around I had already met many face to face from last year, which made for a different feel. As a result, the expo was less about meeting a ton of new people, but rather about having serious conversations with a small number of people. I had some great conversations around the value and the need to measure listener engagement. The Association of Downloadable Media was a great start down this road, and I was VERY happy to see the value that the organization wants to place on listener engagement. Big thanks to folks like Chris MacDonald from Wizzard Media for a great conversation on the opening day about this.

I was also fortunate enough to sit down for a short time with Matthew Ebel and Jimmy Golding to chat about making money as an independent musician: Matthew being the trailblazer, Jimmy being the student. A lot of great things came out of this conversation, including a realization of just how important it is for a musician to get their feet into the revenue streams of the corporate world.

HIGHLIGHTS

Of course, the best thing about events like this is just enjoying the company of other great people. Despite my mind being in another place and not being as much of a conversationalist as a result, I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with all my friends. You already saw the fun of the plane ride home in the last post. The Hey Homefries Breakfast at the Spire on Saturday morning was one of those great times. A ton a great people including Mr. Ebel (who I hung around with WAY more than I had anticipated this weekend), CC Chapman, Dave Delaney, Julian Smith, Lynette Young, Pistachio, JennF etc. etc. etc. I could go on, but I know I’d forget many. Thanks CC for breakfast and a great start to the day.

I got a chance to meet and befriend Laura Fitton (aka Pistachio) for the first time this weekend. Laura is a truly wonderful, intelligent, fun, caring, and firmly grounded woman. All things I greatly admire. Plus, her smile could brighten even the darkest rooms. Although she’s relatively new to the podcasting and new media space, she knows her stuff. One of the best times I had at the expo was the few hours I spent with her and PW Fenton down at the Marriott Bar on Saturday afternoon. PDub is also a wonderful guy, and someone I have admired in this space for a LONG time. It was definatly a hightlight to finally meet him. I won’t soon forget those few causal hours of conversation, nor this picture after PDub said he was going to go powder his nose. Thank you Laura and PDub for a wonderful few hours.

The thing I most anticipated at this year’s expo was the concert. Jimmy Golding, Whitney Steele, Jimmy Bratcher, Matthew Ebel, and Lee Coulter were booked to play a half hour of music each on Saturday night. Being the music lover I am, I was excited. Being a big fan of most of these artists, even better. Jimmy Golding played a great set with Geoff Smith backing him up. Jimmy Bratcher showed the crowd that the blues does indeed rock (although I wish the house mix was better), Matthew played a great solo set, and LeeCoulter made all the women swoon. Whitney Steele, on the other hand, absolutely blew everyone away. This was the first time I got to see Whitney with a full band. Unhindered by her guitar, her performance was incredible. She’s an awesome performer and vocalist, not to mention a total sweetheart. I hope the show gets her some well-deserved promotion and visibility.

One last and certainly not least in the train of highlights was the spontaneous recording of Accident Mash #4 with CC Chapman and Ewan Spence poolside late Sunday night. After the Wizzard Media party was dissolved early, a bunch of us headed back to the Marriott Bar. After a few drinks, Ewan Spence got the idea, and out to the patio we went. We gathered around Ebel, Whitney Steele, Geoff Smith, Slau, Brother Love, and Jimmy Golding who each did spontaneous live songs. Completely unplanned, completely live, and absolutely incredible. While we were hushed by hotel security several times for being too loud at 2am, we managed to finish up the show without incident. The whole thing was one of those events that none of us will forget, and one that those that missed it very jealous.

THANK YOU

I’m so thankful for all the friendships that I got a chance to bond and strengthen this weekend. While I was off-center and not the most talkative most of the weekend, I appreciate the support of all these incredible friends. YOU are the reason new media works, and I can’t say thank you enough for your part in it.

My pictures from the Expo.

I got back from the expo late last night, and as always had a blast. Due to family craziness that appeared the first night, I was a bit off center. BUT, when you are surrounded with great friends, it helps. I’ll blog more about everything later.

Speaking of great friends, I got a chance to share the first leg of the flight back to Kansas City with Matthew Ebel, Geoff Smith, and Dave Delaney. Matthew made this on our way to Vegas…

I don’t know what it is, but there have been a ton of things in my life over the last several weeks that have begun to change my perspectives and refine my focus. Everything from fatherhood, to my Christian walk, to my presence in new media. There have been realizations of things that I had failed to notice in the past, advice, validations of years of effort, and unexpected encouragements. In all of the new and unexpected slaps to the face, I’ve been renewed and my purpose has been refined.

With all of us, there are various times when these perspectives change. Once in a while, it’s something small: A word from a friend, a truth spoken to you, or another person’s perspective about something you are involved in. More often than not it’s those times of struggle that clears away the other junk in our lives so we can clearly see direction. I can point to specific times in my life where times of struggle has pointed to new perspectives and direction.

No matter what the circumstance is that brings you new perspective YOU have the opportunity to make a change. You can use these new realizations and truths and run with them, or maintain your status quo. Hindsight is 20/20, and so often we realize we have lost opportunities to grow if we choose not to act. The next time you are faced with a new perspective, does this new knowledge prompt you to action?
In the coming weeks, there are two huge events in Podcasting and New Media: The Podcast and New Media Expo, and Podcamp Boston 2. Each event will likely draw close to if not more than 1000 people. I have the incredible fortune of being able to attend both events. I know many of you that read this blog will be attending one or both of these events as well. It will be a time of learning, networking, and perspective changing. When the knowledge transfer, face-to-face networking, and good times are over, what will YOU do?