Here is an event I was part of over this past weekend. This is something that I have not written about yet but may in the future. I was selected to take part in a year long news experiment with the Charlotte Observer, one of North Carolina’s largest newspapers. This is due to the hyperlocal community websites that I publish in my community.
The news partnership is described a little better at this page, Networked Journalism Project. My hyperlocal sites are one of 5 local sites selected by the Charlotte Observer to participate in this year long experiment. To say I was honored, would be an understatement. There are 5 newspapers across the country participating and funded for this joint venture between newspapers and hyperlocal bloggers.
The Charlotte Observer held a Social Media conference this weekend to a sold out audience and I was on the panel speaking about building community websites. It was a lot of fun and the questions from the audience were fast and furious. There is a lot of interest and the audience was quite diversified.
Of course I carried my iPod Nano 5th Generation and shot a clip of our closing session. One of the interesting things I noticed about the event was that I saw several local media celebrities attending and they were even a part of discussions in my workshop. The interest in Social Media at all levels is extremely high. I certainly have my own issues with the way so many people use Social Media and have written about it much to the chagrin of others. Since I have now officially spoken at a Social Media Conference, can I claim that I am a Social Media Guru now? Don’t laugh out loud Allyn & Josh & Griz.
You know you are wonderful when your wife buys you a Mr. Wonderful doll. That’s right, I have a Man Doll. This is all the proof I need to show everyone what my wife thinks about me. If Allyn Hane can wear a snuggie while video blogging, I can show you that I own a doll. We are both fully secure in our manhood.
This also gave me an excuse to make another video blog post using my iPod Nano 5th Generation. If you are thinking about adding video to your blog, this is one of the easiest ways to do it.
When you have some cold hard cash to spend and you can’t find the product you want to spend it on, that may be a sign that it’s a pretty good product. In my case, I’m looking to buy 2 Kodak Zi8’s. This is the updated version of the Kodak Zi6 in which I already own. I love the Kodak Zi6. You can watch the video of my Kodak Zi6 Review if you are so inclined.
The main reason I’m going to purchase the updated Zi8 is because of the new capabilities to use a wireless microphone with the Zi8. As a hyperlocal blogger, I have a lot of interview type situations and need the wireless mic. Your viewers will forgive you for crappy video, but they don’t like crappy audio.
My local Best Buy store has them in stock for $230. Amazon and B&H Photo carry them for $179 and both are out of stock as you can see below in the screenshots. I’m not going to pay full retail. I checked the Best Buy website and they state that they will not match prices for online items. Personally, I think that’s a stupid policy from Best Buy. Read their policy below. They will only match their own prices against themselves. It’s stupid mainly because I could have walked out of the store yesterday with my 2 zi8’s and saved $100. Hey, I’m selfish and frugal.
Example of Best Buy Stupid Policies Forcing Me To Shop Elsewhere
With the $100 savings I could join Amazon Prime for 1 year. That would get me free 2-day shipping on just about everything that Amazon sells.
Amazon is sold out of Kodak Zi8’s. I can go ahead a order one and it will be sent when they are back in stock.
B & H Photo is also out of stock but I like the options they give me better than Amazon. Take a look. I can get an e-mail alert sent to me when they have some in stock. I like that very much. B & H does not make me go through with a purchase.
At Best Buy, I should have been able to walk over to the Geek Associate Table, and after being ignored for 10 minutes, they should have looked up the online price at their competitor and matched the price on the spot. I would have walked out with 2 Zi8’s and they would have a happy customer eager to return again to spend some more money. Instead, I am now re-evaluating how I will shop and will probably avoid my local Best Buy Store unless it’s extremely urgent on my part.
I’m back with yet another iPod Nano Video. The new iPod Nano 5th Generation is a great tool for the video blogger, hyperlocalblogger or just about anyone who wants to add to their video arsenal.
I think it can be a very effective toy with many features available, not just video. You can add special effects to the video but I have not played with that feature yet. I work on a Mac and it records video in the .mov file format. That is my preferred format.
* 8 GB capacity for 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos, or 8 hours of video
* Up to 24 hours of music playback or 5 hours of video playback when fully charged
* 2.2-inch color TFT display with 240 x 376 pixel resolution
* Supports AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats; H.264 and MPEG-4 video formats; JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG image formats
* One-year limited warranty with single incident of complimentary telephone technical support
It’s a pedometer, stopwatch, calendar, alarm clock, FM radio, clock, plays games & voice recorder. All of this and it’s only 2.2 x 1.8 x 4.1 inches & 4.8 ounces.
If you want to play Private Investigator, I think it would make a perfect spy camera. It’s a mini video camera and you could easily go undercover with it.
O yea, it plays awesome sounding music when I workout and blog.
This is a review sort of, of my new favorite tech toy. The iPod Nano. I’m not going to go full bore into a detailed iPod review but rather show you a video clip I shot today at the pond. The Nano is my new favorite tech toy given to me for Christmas by my wife. Remember, I gave her a new pair of tennis shoes? She gave me an iPod Nano.
Was that fair? Well, she could have given me more I guess.
I’ll be talking more about the Nano and going into more detail but for now, I hope you enjoy the great quality of video taken by such a small video camera.
I saw this on Fox News this morning and found it interesting. Since I never watch TV without my laptop warming my legs, I gave it a try because I am fair and balanced.
Fox reported that the Big G may be censoring some search results that have to do with Christianity and Islam. Google claims it’s a software error and will correct it soon.
In the Google search bar, type in “Christianity is” and here is the result from the autofill that Google gives you.
Now, type in “Islam is” and look at my results. That’s correct, there are no results.
Holy Cow, I’ve been posting a lot of little short worthless posts lately. I’m buzzed a little on Blue Moon right now so I thought it was time for another meaningless post from a Problogger. That’s right, I’m declaring myself a Problogger. Everybody else is lately. In a way, I actually am, but not here on BloggerLens. If you don’t like my self description, let’s set up a time and place for a fight. I have a goatee and I look like a bad-ass. Sporting a goatee tells the world you are a bad-ass and not to mess with me. See my picture in the upper left of this site? Would any of you mess with Ally Hane? Ok, case closed.
Today, I went to my Google reader which I don’t go to that often. I mostly subscribe to all of the other geniuses by email. My Google Reader was packed with crap and I probably unsubscribed to 50 or so blogs. I want my stuff delivered to me in my in-box where I can sip my coffee and man scratch myself each and every morning.
I started thinking to myself that in 2009 I earned a Masters Degree in some of the things that mattered on the internet. I learned to separate the garbage from the good stuff. I could not believe the crap I subscribed to. It was amazing the number of the blogs I had subscribed to had not posted in months. They were basically abandoned. I removed all of those blogs completely off my radar. I’m getting my focus on.
I don’t get too distracted online anymore. I’m pretty focused. I run my own sites and they take the majority of my time. I’m attempting to make a full time income online. I am first and foremost a hyperlocal blogger. I launched a network of hyperlocal websites in 2009. I have just partnered with a major regional newspaper for a year long “news sharing” experiment that is funded by a national journalism thinktank. I’m very proud of this. There are some dark days when you work online and this was the highlight of my year and validation of what I do that many consider important.
Will I blog about this experience? Maybe. I have worked my ass off for over a year and I have learned many things through trial and error. Will I freely give away what I have learned? The answer to that is hell no for the most part. Now I’m being asked to speak to some local organizations and my local profile is rising. That’s pretty cool but I don’t believe in giving away all of your proprietary information just to gain a following.
If you have developed a technique for shaving hog’s asses that is revolutionary, I think you are an idiot for giving it away for free just so your readers will tell you how great you are in the comment section. Focus the knowledge you have worked to obtain and monetize it. Rosie was the best picture I could find of a hogs ass.
I’m still trying to make a passive income online. The very thought of that is very intriguing. I dabble in the “make money online” niche but it is not the full focus of my efforts online. I love Griz Grizzly and what he teaches. I wish I had more time to devote to it. If your focus is to make money online, why don’t you just do it and stop making excuses. Read less and do more.
2009 was the year that I developed some genuine online friendships. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t visit the sites of my online friends. Click the Friends tab on the top of this page to see who I read and respect online.
If you are not involved in video in some form, you are missing out. I’m totally focused on video. I’ll be doing more here on Bloggerlens but 2010 is year of the video. For $150 or less you can become a cool video blogger. I will watch your $hit before I will watch Lost on ABC. If I like what you do, I’ll make you a cool intro to your videos.
I hope you will get off your ass, read less and do more in 2010. Focus people, Focus!
I pulled up behind a Jeep a few days ago and snapped this with my Blackberry. I thought it was pretty cool and another form of cheap marketing & advertising. I doubt this person has $200 invested. I would imagine that this simple marketing technique has sent a good bit of business their way. Would use use vehicle advertising decals to brand yourself or your business?
I use it on my vehicle.
Click the link if you want to see the stupid video I made where I actually installed this sticker. Vehicle decal video.
I like to use my personal Facebook for friends and people I actually know and have some sort of relationship with. I’ve not met everyone that I’m friends with but there is some sort of connection usually. I do not friend everyone who friends me either. On my personal Facebook I may post some photos of my family and Grandson and I don’t want everyone seeing them.
Some people don’t get it. Below is a recent Facebook message sent to me from a supposed friend. Notice I received her sales pitch and an invitation to view her website. She finally asked how I’ve been.
She could care less how I’ve been that’s obvious. I wonder how many of her other friends were pounded with the same message. I will have to un-friend her now and it’s too bad. She is a shallow, uncaring person hawking her products on me. I wouldn’t buy a piece of jewelry from her if she was the last salesperson on the face of the earth.
What would you do? Do you consider this acceptable from your friends on your personal Facebook page?
“Dont forget I am selling Lia Sophia Jewelry now and your wife would love some for Valentine’s Day. Check out the website and let me know what you think. Great sales! How have you been?
We all make them and very few of us actually hold to them. I dare say that 90% of New Years resolutions have to do with our weight. Every January I get very frustrated at my gym because of the influx of new people who seem to be sent there just to aggravate me. The smoothie bar at the gym does very well. All of the new chubbies seem to really like the smoothie bar instead of the machines.
Recent events in my personal life over the last 3 weeks have served to remind me of just what is actually important in our lives. It’s also been a reminder of just how bad I sometimes fail in my own efforts.
A Simple Resolution
I’m going to do a better job reaching out to family and friends during their time of need. My eyes have been opened to what simple small gestures can mean to people. It’s really almost an effortless gesture on my part and can mean so much to others. I’m guilty of not taking the time out of my life that can be so meaningful to others. Sometimes a visit or a telephone call will do. Maybe dropping off some food or even stopping by to cut grass when they need it most.
for 1 year. That would get me free 2-day shipping on just about everything that Amazon sells.
I’m back with yet another iPod Nano Video. The new iPod Nano 5th Generation is a great tool for the video blogger, hyperlocalblogger or just about anyone who wants to add to their video arsenal. 
Holy Cow, I’ve been posting a lot of little short worthless posts lately. I’m buzzed a little on Blue Moon right now so I thought it was time for another meaningless post from a Problogger. That’s right, I’m declaring myself a Problogger. Everybody else is lately. In a way, I actually am, but not here on BloggerLens. If you don’t like my self description, let’s set up a time and place for a fight. I have a goatee and I look like a bad-ass. Sporting a goatee tells the world you are a bad-ass and not to mess with me. See my picture in the upper left of this site? Would any of you mess with Ally Hane? Ok, case closed.
If you have developed a technique for shaving hog’s asses that is revolutionary, I think you are an idiot for giving it away for free just so your readers will tell you how great you are in the comment section. Focus the knowledge you have worked to obtain and monetize it. Rosie was the best picture I could find of a hogs ass.
I like to use my personal Facebook for friends and people I actually know and have some sort of relationship with. I’ve not met everyone that I’m friends with but there is some sort of connection usually. I do not friend everyone who friends me either. On my personal Facebook I may post some photos of my family and Grandson and I don’t want everyone seeing them. 
Brilliant Comments