Analog IN Digital out INSPIRED BLOG WEB SITE! WOW, it really works!

SO what if I ripped off a moist towelette for a website. Reuse! Recycle. See new in old and always look beyond.

Its precise, polished, and powerful

Me You Us Them

Serpent and the girl

On a brisk winter day a girl walking home happens across a snake. The snake pleads with her to place it in her winter coat because it will freeze to death soon.

The girl says “You area snake and I know what you can do. I think not.”

The snake replies “If you do not help me I will die here and what good will that do? Save me.”

The girl concedes to the snake’s rationale and puts the snake in her jacket to keep it warm. She continues along her walk home but then she feels a sharp pain in her side. The snake drops out and begins to slither away. The girl says “Why? I saved you?”.

The snake simply replies “You knew what I was when you found me”.

 

Scorpion and the Turtle

A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him on his back across a river. “Are you mad?” exclaimed the turtle. “You’ll sting me while I’m swimming and I’ll drown.” “My dear turtle,” laughed the scorpion, “if I were to sting you, you would drown and I would go down with you. Now where is the logic in that?”

“You’re right!” cried the turtle. “Hop on!” The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle resignedly said:

“Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there’d be no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do it?”

“It has nothing to do with logic,” the drowning scorpion sadly replied. “It’s just my character.”

Interview with Melissa

Ant Farm Interactive is Melissa Honabach’s company that she started 8 years ago this month. She sat down with me and I transcribed the interview here. You can hear the interview HERE

Interview Questions for Melissa

1. What is your name and what business are you in?

Melissa Honabach, nurun | ant farm, interactive marketing

2. What does AF produce?

We produce a lot of different things like marketing plans, websites, interactive ads, search engine programs, DVDs, online video, mobile applications and more. We use all of these ‘products’ to help brands and organizations connect with consumers and create relationships.

3. How long has AF been around?

We started in 1999, exactly 8 years ago.

4. Who did you start AF with?

Michael Koziol – we worked together at BellSouth before starting the agency.

5. What will the future look like for online marketing? Will it change much in the next 5 years?

Online or interactive marketing is going to continue to be grow in importance and will continue to take share from other types of marketing and advertising like television, radio, print, and direct. Beyond just growing, interactive is going to take on more and more of the qualities of other types of advertising. With sites like YouTube, Joost, Joox, NBCi, and others, you are already seeing the internet emerge as a broadcast medium.

6. From a marketing perspective, do you think that the internet will pass television and print in as far as dollars spent in the next 10 years?

Not TV – television is still the best way to reach a mass audience and build a national brand. While there will be shifting of budgets, TV will still be ahead of internet. Print will also likely stay ahead of internet but not for all that long. Interesting things are happening today and will continue. When magazines like Teen People and Elle Girl drop their print pubs in favor of websites, it is a very telling sign and shows that certain audiences are better reached and engaged online than through print and certain types of content are better enjoyed online. At the same, People, Newsweek, Time, and other mainstays of the magazine world are not going to go anywhere. However, there has been speculation for a while that The Wall Street Journal could drop its printed paper and go online only. That would be a big deal and could signal the end of print as we know it.

7. If so, what do you see as happening in the next decade for marketing on the internet?

The internet will continue to grow as I already mentioned but more than that – it will be a significant part of all other types of media. TV shows can be watched on TV or online. Magazine articles in the print editions more and more often reference websites with online content. Internet will be part of everything within 5 years.

8. Do you see platforms such as Second Life as being a viable, marketable arena for companies to advertise in?

Second Life is very interesting – a great opportunity but also a cautionary tale. It proves that many people want and would enjoy an immersive and interactive venue to connect and communicate. But from a marketing point of view – it is also a story of too many marketers jumping into something too fast because it is the next big thing. Many hard core SL users were put off by the rapid over commercialization of the platform. At the core, Second Life demonstrates a new kind of community and even commerce interface.

9. Who do you view as being a pioneer in the ad business? Why?

Kevin O’Connor the founder of Doubleclick. Doubleclick had a vision for making the internet an efficient and measurable medium through its ad serving platform.

10. Do you think that outside of the box advertising is going to someday surpass typical advertising such as banner ads, :30 television spots, and print? I am referring to ideas such as the Cartoon Network light box debacle, or BMW films.

No. Advertising will always mostly live within media. I don’t think much of gimmicky programs like the cartoon network one. BMW Films was amazing and showed people that the web is a place where high production value entertainment will work.

11. Do you think Seth Godin has it right? Should we rethink our ideas about the way advertising is done and abandon our traditional methodology of delivering ads to the public to create a new world of marketing?

We have already rethought how advertising is done. Advertising can now be immediately measurable. Search has redefined how people shop and how marketers advertise. This wil continue – so in that regard, yes he is right.

12. Do you have any ideas on what the future of advertising will look like?

Minority report? – Advertising needs to be relevant, entertaining, but not intrusive, less advertising, more personalized integrated content.

13. Who is going to be behind it, are they still in high school or do you think they are working around us now?

Google and the next college kid working in his dorm room that hits on what people want before they realize it themselves.

14. Lastly, could summarize your thoughts on the dot com bust and what it has taught us?

I only know what it taught me – 1) great ideas and innovation do not replace fundamentals and 2) everybody is a great guy when his business is going up…you learn someone’s professional and personal character when things aren’t going so well for them.

Data Blitz (You Tube)

Audrey’s Data Blitz

Singing Data Blitz

Website 3.0

More updated, more legible and less going on.

Media Arts Final Exam Questions

Name: Shane
Blog: BLOG
Flickr: My Flickr

List 10 Quotes from the reading you found impactful and explain why.

1-Green Button – The concept of Green, yellow, red buttons is interesting. I can see how this would improve the work environment, but what if you never get to be a green button? That would reduce you to cog status so I am leery of this principle.

2- Local Max– I like the concept of always trying to evolve, to push harder and to know that you WILL FAIL at some point! Its not the failing that we should be concerned with, its the not trying that will doom us. Failure is just part of the path.

3- 80,000 new blogs a day– The fact that there are that many different blogs starting each day is astounding. The proliferation of people, what they have to say, and Blogs as the chosen format is interesting.

4- “We are down to buying what we want, not what we need”– I think he hit the nail on the head with this one. When we have “Ringtones” magazine, we have certainly become a society of consumers who will actively search out very specific items for our own consumption or purchase.

5- “comfort is the enemy of creativity”– Its true that creating anything worth a damn is generally hard as hell. As the saying goes, its the journey and not the destination that is important. Being comfortable in a situation or with a product generally works to the detriment of everyone and everything.

6- Seth’s Blog: (Maybe not so Dumb)– I like what he has to say here. Its a boring, poorly written sign that catches your attention. Maybe the lack of attention paid to something makes it more important.

7-Seth’s Blog: Blind Squirrels I like what he has to say here. I guess we all have good days when they should be bad and vice versa.

8- “Media Arts is a cross discipline area of study, focusing on methods of communication and expressions of the human condition though the use of traditional and converging mediums” (MPoe). Interesting take on our class and MA in general. I think its a good summary of MA, but because it changes so quickly I think that needs to be represented here as well. The changing landscape of MA is at such a point now where tomorrow will be determined and limited only by our imagination. It will ALWAYS change, and that is why it is so hard to understand. Which leads me to #9…

9- heisenberg uncertainty principle – Essentially this is how I look at Media Architecture. To grasp the concept of Heisenberg’s principle one must understand how little we know about everything that “Media Architecture” is. The more we know about how and why something started, the more accurately we can describe its future. But with something as complex, with as much flux, and something as malleable as Media Architecture, I think it is difficult to see the path that it is on with clarity. Also, its purpose is: TO CHANGE. TO EVOLVE. TO EXPOSE. Maybe we will never find out where it is going or how to classify it. Like the Supreme Court Justice said “I know it when I see it” concerning obscenity, I think it plays well with Media Architecture. I can’t really describe it, but I know it when I see it.

10- mediaarchitecture.org – Yes it exists. It is NOT a site that is terribly interesting but they do have some beautiful and grand projects that are worthy of a second look, making note of that… At any rate it is all out there. I am out there right now as I type. Is transparency good as Seth would have you believe? It would make companies more honest, certainly. Is it good for individuals? I’m still on the fence on that one.

From this list pick one quote that best represents your experience and create a desktop image/poster based on this idea.

What is free pizza?

Its the thing that you get to entice you into a place. It generally doesn’t cost much to produce. Its the decoder ring inside the package you bought. It’s ancillary. Its a harpoon in the heart of republicans who make you pay for everything. Its a thank you note from someone you NEVER expected to get a thank you note from. (like if Jess sent me a thank you note for lending her the drill, totally unnecessary BTW Jess), its looking at your gas gauge and seeing it more full than you remember, but still fill up, its buy one get 2, its buying one thing and getting MORE, its a road side attraction that pulls you in because its a road side attraction (buy yellow watermelon here), its a big wet kiss after a bad date (not all free pizza is good). It is NOT something you buy directly. It is NOT the purpose of your purchase, but the reason you are there or were drawn there in the 1st place. And of course, its always free and not always pizza.

Why is it important to be a purple cow?

I don’ think its important to be a purple cow. Really. I think lemmings are beautiful. Cogs are a necessity. Conformity WORKS. We spend the SAME money, we speak the SAME language, we drive on the SAME roads and I anticipate everyones next move because of conformity. Stale and boring as it is, I embrace conformity because if we were to ALL be purple cows at this very instance, then it would all break, disintegrate. Sure, that would lead to uniform purple cows everywhere, hence mediocrity in our conformity, and utterly not a purple cow. I’m not a socialist, communist, or a party member somewhere. I do appreciate getting the job done.

I love weirdness though. I really do. However, weirdness is the stuff of cancer, accidents, beauty, and joy. Its everything and nothing. Are you Purple? Now that’s a question!

So, is it IMPORTANT to be a purple cow? I contend that it is not. Look at COKE. IBM. CNN. NIKE. At one time they might have been PC’s. But NOT now. Being a PC is important if you are nobody. If nobody knows you, nobody cares. Novelty is embraced if it is good and can retain my interest for more than 5 seconds, a long time by most standards. Novelty is everywhere. Lemmings are novel sometimes, but rarely. Its not always being a purple cow that is important, its being a PC WHEN it is important. After that, go grayscale, blend in and make a shitload of money. If being innovative and novel really paid off then surely we would see more of it, but just like anything, if it doesn’t make money, it doesn’t get done. Why do you think the Amazon forest is being depleted? Money. Why do churches build buildings? Money. How does civilization work? Money. Once you get down to it, what keeps the lights on? Money. So is being Purple important? Maybe in the beginning it is, but not always. Look at Pepsi, they completely ripped off an existing product and made trillions. Sure they went for the “younger generation” but were they Purple? HELL NO. Its a costume party and Pepsi showed up with one more color than Coke and tried to be hip. Guess what, it worked.

So is Purple important? Does it matter? Will it make you money? That’s why you’re TRYING to be PURPLE, right: Money? If so, then I say maybe not. Maybe you’re a natural born Purple and you can’t help it. Watson & Crick didn’t know they found the roots of Purple but they did one day. Hell THEY were PURPLE. Thank god for that. Be different. Be a lemming. Work like a cog in a cog for a cog making cogs. Be purple. Be gray. Be yourself. That’s it. Be yourself. Make mistakes. Go for it. Pass it up. Whatever. We can NOT NOT be us. The odds are that if you are reading this then you are a Purple on a gray path. We’re all trying like hell to make it all work out and be more Purple than the next. Good for us. But again, is it important? I guess that is up to you. Be YOU, not purple for the sake of being purple, even if it is your favorite color. Read my favorite fable

What does it mean to twist the ones and zeros?

It means to obscure the perfect nature of digital. It is STILL digital, but in order to be creative in this life you must take everything and mix it together. Almost make it organic like analog, but keep it in 1’s and 0’s.

What are 5 major differences between print and interactive.

1- Print goes with you everywhere you want it to. It can be carried, tucked away, read in the back of a car, found on the street, or on a coffee cup.

2- Interactive can be dynamic. It can change instantly. It can be colorful, transmit copious amounts of information while simultaneously engaging the reader into a new atmosphere.

3- Print might not be around forever. I wonder what the last print publication will be? The NY Times is thinking about going digital? A sad day that will be. It is more environmentally friendly to do this, but the tactile experience would be missed.

4- Interactive is the future. It is video and print is the radio star. The future is certainly going to be interactive and the past is going to be tangible. Start buying 1st editions, it might be that last ones ever made.

5- The biggest difference now is that the baby boomers know print, and consequent generations have never known anything but online. The divide is lessening as the boomers die and gen X and on takes over.

6- Audience. Because of age and how familiar they are with technology.

List 5 – 10 videos you feel students next quarter should watch.

1- Web 2.0

2- Sand Art

3- Atomic Cafe

5- Flying dogs

6- Danger Danger

From your blog and other student blogs list 5 sites you feel should be passed onto next quarter students. Describe why each is important.

1- You tube – Because it allows us to get published, seen, and it is easy to access.

2- Flickr – Because sharing photos is important to the digital medium.

3- Joost – Because this is going to be huge

4- – radioparadise – Because music should be heard, in high quality

5- Wikipedia – Because it is instrumental in sharing ideas.

After posting to a blog and flickr what is your perspective on digital publishing? Love it? Why? Hate it? Why?

For me its a love/hate relationship. Blogging and posting to Flickr everyday has been difficult to say the least. Its tedious and can be difficult to get inspiration every day.

I also found this much out from talking to my wife: It depends on who I am reaching out to. I do enjoy it for the class, but unless the subject is something I feel strongly about or am lobbying for, I do not enjoy it – but that could be just me. I think blogging is a great use of media and marketing for the younger generations and generations to come. I also think it is a great tool for women / stay-at-home moms who need a way to discuss with other adults and express their opinions without going to the office. Gaming is big in the moms/women audience, this is considered a gaming / communication tool.

What would be some ideas for theme weeks for the next quarter photo stream.

1- Things we just noticed, things that have been there a while, but we just drive by w/o any concern.

2- Patterns. Be it clothing, wallpaper, the sky, the road, trees, bricks. Anything where there is pattern.

3- Take a picture of something that can be turned into a webite, like a moist towlette.

4- Signs. They are everywhere and can be interesting.

5- Dogs. Because they are photogenic.

6- What is your favorite food. Now make a web site dedicated to it.

What are two projects would you suggest for next quarter?

1- Build a machine that works. Something like this

2- Get together and go anywhere (the park, a bar, Starbucks, an antique store) Record it. Put it on the web.

What are the core tags used to create a web page?

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Mason is a beer god with whiskers</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>

</BODY>
</HTML>

What is the value of using CSS?

It makes cresting websites much easier by using style sheets. Style sheets maintain a uniform set of rules so that the entire document will have a common feel and look. Simply put, CSS makes creating web sites uniform yet flexible.

What questions should be asked for the next quarter students in the final exam? How would you answer it?

1- What is the internet going to look like in 10 years? I don’t know what will change, I do know that it will look pretty much the same as it does now. Remember how we were all supposed to be flying around in small cars? Well, that never happened. Things don’t change that quickly that fast.

2- What function does digital serve in today and tomorrow’s market? Digital is the new method of storage and delivery. Digital is clean. Digital is exact. Digital can go anywhere. So the importance of digital is not to be misunderstood, it is the future method of storage and will remain so for a long time.

dESKTOP

lOOKING FOR ONE? lOOK NO FURTHER!

website 2.0

Its going to be a long process, but I tlike the gravity thermometer idea for buttons. anyway here is the latest: