for the geeks...

this is totally cool. shoulda saved this for a weekly (assignment) post. but, alas... i already wrote mine for the week. pfft

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/aneesh_chopra_americas_chief_technology_officer.php

designing my site

so, i'm building a website using iweb. it's kinda fun given i don't have to code a single piece of html if i don't want to. (the geek in me most likely will end up coding... but the thrill is in not HAVING to... psh). anyways, iweb makes it very easy for you to pull together a website and incorporate plenty of dynamic elements to give your site that 2.0 feel.

i mentioned in a previous post that i will be incorporating google maps into my site. i'm on the fence of whether or not i will add a blog solely dedicated to the site or not. there will definitely be a photo album with slide show capabilities. and, of course, a live count down. if i so choose, i can throw you tube clips on the site as well. but, i'm not so sure i want to incorporate videos just yet. maybe we can make a little movie about us instead of writing it out. that might work! (and i just came up with it as i write this post... brilliant!)

all of these elements are so easily integrated through the use of widgetry (my very own coined phrase... don't hate). each element is basically a "drag-n-drop" element packaged with all of the functionality inside. so, if i want to plop a google map on your web page, you drag the map widget onto your workspace. the widget attributes can be edited with your specific information. so, if i want the map to highlight a location, i simply type in the address and the widget displays the point of interest on the map.

now, i'm on a hunt for other widgets that i can drop into my pages. i'm wondering what rss feeds might be of interest to include on the page. maybe i can find a feed of events and entertainment for out of town guests to get the skinny on happenings. does anyone else no where i can grab some widgets of interest?

seriously??

i mean... for real... 2.0 in my tour of a hotel???

so, as we plan our wedding, we are touring venues, chatting about menus and talking linens. then, the sales woman says, "oh, and included in your package is a free website! we also host an online community of brides sharing experiences and planning tips." is there an industry that isn't subscribing to 2.0 fever? if there is, they need to get a clue! i just didn't expect to have to hear any 2.0 lingo on a non-monday evening is all.

first off... it's a sign of the times when event venues throw in, not only, the cake or the complimentary toast, but a website as well. sheesh.

second of all (and the point of the matter)... this particular venue is using the online communication of already hitched brides in hopes to capitalize on the collaboration and sharing that's taking place. talk about your groundswell! the sales woman made sure to stress the fact that these blog and forum participants are not paid to endorse the venue and she encouraged me to visit the online community for honest feedback of the hotel's services as well as the service and offerings of its competitors. oh she was good! she knew just how to tap into the sucker i am. (sidebar: sales folks can see me coming from a mile away. they could sell me one sock without many sales tricks).

on this site, you can find rantings and ravings from experienced (read: already married) brides about products, vendors, and ceremony do's and don'ts. you can find a few obscure questions in the community as well. this is one of my favorites. lol

anyone else out there have any planning experience or come across any other "wedding 2.0" technologies? i'm building our wedding website and will probably incorporate a blog and a mashup with the venue and google maps. it's been fun thus far. once the site is done, i'll share.

facebook & CNN... bedfellows yet again

much like what facebook & CNN did on inauguration day, they're up to it again. the president will be addressing congress regarding his first piece of legislation live on CNN & facebook. i'm guessing we can expect to watch the live stream courtesy of CNN in one frame while we watch our friends and other facebook users update there statuses and comment on the address (much to debo's enjoyment, i'm sure).

i think it's interesting that the obama camp is using the web and social networking to promote transparency in the administration. well, maybe interesting is a watered-down descriptive term. i think it's pretty cool and refreshing to have more of a connection with government through the mediums most convenient and intriguing to me. i mean... i watch CNN on tv. but, i blame the MBA program on that. if there wasn't the need to stay abreast of current events in order to remain a worthwhile contributor in classes, i probably would not watch it as often as i do. it's either that or i'm just getting plain old! as 30 stares me in the face, i'm latching onto the former and i ain't lettin' go. hmph.

i digressed a bit. as i was saying... my communication mediums of choice are all things 2.0. you have better luck getting in touch with me via text, email, IM, or writing on my wall. all those things will get through to me far sooner than a voicemail. just ask my grandparents. they caught on after a while as well. so, washington has received the memo too it seems. i also think it's smart that the administration is keeping up the momentum of the young voter population garnered during the campaign. i think it makes the whole political process (at least seem) genuine and it makes all the hype that motivated an entire generation to come out and vote in record numbers more than hype.

abc.com

i visit abc.go.com all the time (admittedly not since the start of spring semester, however) to catch up on a few of my preferred (dare i call them favorite) shows.  "grey's..." (of course), "private practice", and "brothers & sisters" are my main attractions to the site.  usually, i visit to view the full episode player which is really awesome.  not novel by any of today's web standards.  but, cool nonetheless. i think abc was actually one of the first networks to offer web viewing of full episodes.  don't quote me on it but i think it was. maybe i should look into it?

at any rate, i figure web viewing is quite 2.0-y.  why not right?  so, i went to abc.go.com to explore beyond my normally tunnel-vision-driven route (i.e. straight to the full ep section).  i discovered that the network has an online community for the shows that air on the network! i got waaay to excited about it, i must admit.  if you head to the homepage and click on the community link, a drop-down menu will appear and there you will find all the worlds 2.0 oysters.  well, at least a couple.  

there are blogs maintained by the writers of the shows.  the blogs detail the writers' experiences coming up with the episodes as well as interviews with cast members of the abc shows.  there are also hints of upcoming episode happenings.  message boards are populated with viewer commentary on varying shows.  you need to become a member of the abc online community to post a comment.  widgets & games are fun pieces of the community.  you can actually grab widgets for a particular show to put on your blog, facebook, igoogle, or myspace pages.  the widgets include a count down clock to the next episode of the show, photos from episodes, and you can even have a mobile version of the widget sent via text to your cell phone.  i posted the widget in a separate post by posting it straight from the abc website.  check it out.

go 'head, b

after all that nonsense ms james was talkin' 'bout b...



she was still respectful.


"at last" by etta james is quite possibly my favorite song of all time. so, needless to say that i was more than excited to hear b's rendition on the cadillac records soundtrack. and she damn near nailed it! i mean it was so close to being as amazing as etta's. and i'm even more of a fan of b's for being the bigger person and remaining respectful.

picasso, picasa...

anyone use picasa? or is all the world a flikr??

i've to admit that i've never used flikr to upload my photos. i've received a few invite to view albums but i've never actually been a subscriber. i choose picasa as my web album of choice. with much of the same core features as flikr, it gets the job done.

mostly, i use the site to put up pics for my family members to see. once, when a group of friends and i took a cruise together, we were all able to upload our pics to picasa and share with one another different perspectives of the trip. it was kinda cool to see the attractions and events that i'd missed while i experienced different adventures.

picasa is the web photo sharing environment for web 2.0 power house, google. so naturally, picasa albums have all the latest wiz-bang about it. you can link albums to corresponding greographic locations on a map, play back video, and (obviously) share photos with friends. you can even receive notification when your "favorite" friends make updates or post new photos to their albums. users can search public albums to see what random folks are up to and the staple 2.0 attributes, like tagging, are also features of the picasa albums.

another thing i find to be cool about picasa is that it will find all of the pictures on your computer and organize them for you. further, if you're using iPhoto (the mac photo application), there is a seamless interface between your iPhoto library and your picasa account (much like a lot of google applications). there seems to be quite the love affair between apple and google. do any of my fellow mac users concur?

any who... i thought i'd embed one of my albums here. we're currently renovating our basement. actually, finishing it. we're sharing the job with a few contractors that put up our drywall. from here out, however... it's all sweat equity. i enjoy watching it unfold step by step. what i don't enjoy is the muscle aches and pains after manual labor.

enjoy!

a new type of profiling

say what?

inauguration day, CNN, & Facebook

amidst all of the hoopla of this past tuesday's events, there was much to discuss, watch, see, take pics of, and just marvel in. unfortunately for me, however, i was stuck at my desk watching the inauguration festivities streaming over the web courtesy of hulu.com. surprisingly, the stream was awesome. it was like watching tv! long gone are the days of internet via phone lines. remember when you could here the dialing and connecting? or even worse... the waiting. these days, technology, and the web in particular, is so responsive and provides so much to its audience. for a split second, i was lamenting about how i was going to miss the inauguration and that i'd have to set my dvr. what was i thinking?!??! with google being one of my best inanimate friends, my momentary lapse in judgement quickly turned resourceful as i "google"d (yes, it's a verb these days) "streaming inauguration." BAM! therein lied my solution. whew! crisis averted.

so, after tuning into hulu for about two hours, i (figuratively) turned to the CNN stream of the festivities. CNN had the coolest sync with facebook! the window was split into two frames: the left being the streaming screen and the right frame of facebook status updates. users were able to view their friends updated status or all facebook user updates... real time! it was awesome to watch as folks updated their status. updates were posted in less than one second intervals. facebook reported its highest usage during the inauguration and status updates surpassed the one million mark. the collaboration made plenty of headlines peaked the interest of a lot of journalists... obviously.

yet another example of the internet platform bringing folks closer to events and other folks. in this particular case, the event just happened to be one of the most memorable, historic events of our lifetime.

toodles.

change of pace...

okay so... even though there are tons of wonderful things to write about here recently, i have to switch gears for a few weeks. i'm taking a special topics course on web 2.0 technology. i don't know much about the topic... hence my enrollment. so, in the weeks to come, (as part of a recurring assignment) i'll be talking about different emerging web technologies as i learn and gain exposure to said technologies. i'll also be asking for your opinion, feedback, and wisdom on the subject matter.

right... so... one of my first assignments is to create an alter in second life. racking (sp?) my brain on a name. stay tuned and i'll keep you posted on what i come up with.

(fast-forward a few days)

i created my avatar. i thought about whether or not i should go total beyonce and create an uber alter ego. but, alas, i decided to forgo anything that is dramatically different and i'll keep her rating in likeness to mine (G-PG). after all, this is for an assignment shared with academic peers. i named her (yes... i elected to remain the same gender) after my sister and the program provides the last names available for selection. so, cheyenne overland was born. i made

if no one has ever experienced the second life environment, you should check it out. it's mind boggling (to me) that folks have developed this environment to this extent! the options available to even create my alter being are endless. not to mention the gestures and all the movements that come along with the personality. it's going to take a while for em to get the moves down. in that arena, i feel as if i'm at a complete handicap. but, if i can get used to texting on the iPhone, i guess i can concur anything. well... so to speak.