Buck Furton visits Pacific Outfitters!

Smokin’ Snowboards very own Buck Furton giving you the lo-down on his new sig. board.

Disclaimer:  This is a limited word project for my viral marketing course.

Hot on the viral scene is this video by Jefferson Bethke titled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”. Over the course of roughly four minutes Jefferson slams religion and paints a picture of an international organized crime that is all but consistent with the teaching of his deity.  While a lot of what Jefferson says can be construed as opinion, including his ideas that any of what he is saying was what a man named Jesus said thousands of years ago spoke, he speaks with great passion and confidence.

From my own perspective, I found the video both enlightening and frustrating.  Enlightening because of the depth Jefferson reaches in only a few minutes and frustrated by the number of views this (assumedly) received by people who think they are like him and not like the religion and hate that he opposes. Those that share beliefs that gay marriage is wrong, that the color of your skin is a measurement of intelligence, that war is justifiable and that if you are not with them, you are against them.  Something that interested me about this video is of how much Jefferson’s perception and description of Jesus was to Buddha. It isn’t difficult to do a quick Google search and find scholars debating whether or not all deity’s came from the same single concept but Jefferson promoted Jesus in a way that is very difficult to determine the difference between the two.

Bethke, Jefferson. “Jefferson Bethke – Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus (Spoken Word) Lyrics | Rap Genius.” Discover the Meaning of Rap Lyrics | Rap Genius. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. <http://rapgenius.com/Jefferson-bethke-why-i-hate-religion-but-love-jesus-spoken-word-lyrics>.

“Viral Video Chart – Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word.” Viral Video Chart – Powered by Unruly. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. <http://viralvideochart.unrulymedia.com/youtube/Why_I_Hate_Religion%2C_But_Love_Jesus_%7C%7C_Spoken_Word?id=1IAhDGYlpqY>.

The Pitch

“Web Start-Ups Pitching Their Companies” was painful for me to watch.  This is not because of speakers or because of their ideas.  Some of the ideas were great, some of the models even better.  The reason this was so painful is because I have been in the exact same spot as those presenting their company.  Elevator pitches are difficult by nature.  Attempting to share your “big idea” in 60 seconds isn’t just difficult, it is impossible.

So why do they make these aspiring-founders go through something like this?  Because the business is not what you are pitching, you are pitching yourself and the judges on the panel can see right through the bullshit.  These judges have a lot of experience and have seen a lot, they have the ability to see an idea, concept or plan and at a minimum understand the concept and associated model.

Those giving the presentation all seemed to be somewhat versed in the art of the pitch and what not to say.  Too often we hear “it’s like product X but better” or “we will be profitable because people will like us”.  By going into a presentation like this it is good to prepare so that you can at least make a half-assed attempt at predicting some of the questions.  What this means is the stuff that you leave out of your pitch is just as important as what you keep in.  The pitch is just a pitch; do not overload the listener with the details.  Sell the solution and they will ask the questions that need to be asked.

Additionally the majority of the groups did not show the actually product.  I understand how this can happen.  A founding group is so caught up in trying to give the panel what they think they want to hear and end up completely missing the sell of the actual product.  This happened to me on my first pitch.  Here is a tip that helped me with the pitch.  Go to a local bar or pub, sit at the bar, have a drink and begin pitching your idea to anyone who will listen.  Meet with your friends and family and give them the pitch.  Find your most critical friends and old professors and pitch them the idea.  Eventually you will get the hang of pitching your company in a manner that is most receptive.  You will also get an idea of the questions your potential investors will ask and will be better prepared to defend your pitch.

The Facebook Graph API

What type of information can be accessed using FB’s API? 

Through facebooks Graph API a web developer or marketer can gain access to different parts of a given facebook profile or page pending privacy settings associated with each individual account.  To name a few examples, the facebook Graph API can gain access to Pages, Events, Status Messages, Photo Albums and Wall feeds among other things.  Another good example is the use of the “like” button.  Because users general stay logged into facebook, when they visit other website, that website with the integrated FB API can pull in the friends of that user that have already “liked” that particular site.  This is the evolution of word of mouth marketing… now with measurable ROI.

How can a business make use of the FB API?

Businesses have a number of options as I listed above.  The two I am most drawn to for business is the integration of a Pages wall posts and the use of the “like” button.  By integrating your wall feed you can keep information consistent across you FB wall and a news feed on your website.  This saves time and can lessen the need for a separate blog.

The “like” button is almost a mandatory addition to websites these days.  FB was there first but now with the launch of the new Google+ service it is more important than ever to integrate your website with your social media efforts to help gain fans and create a strong user base that can help refer your business to their connection.  We used to say “good service tell 3, bad service tell 13”… now with the revolution that social networking has started, that 13 is closer to 300.

ISL Blog Assignment 2: jQuery Script

The jQuery script shows a pop-up box with text the will automatically disappear after three seconds. This method allows a delay to the execution.  This can be useful on a website where the user needs a hint or a quick tip before using a website.  For example,  If a website has a unique navigation that is uncommon, this script would allow a pop-up near the nav to show the user where to click.   It could also be used to let the user know about a new services they offer like their new mobile app or other feature that the site would like to make sure gets your attention.

http://jsfiddle.net/tacarter/r7MgY/7880/embedded/result/

Sync your digital brain

Every now and then I like to share my experiences with different computer applications or services that have made my life easier.  Dropbox, a free online service has made my life juggling multiple computers a cinch.  Dropbox allows you to create a folder that you can share across multiple computers, in fact you can share it across an unlimited amount of computers, your smart phone and even share specific folders inside Dropbox with your friends for say… photos or something. The free Dropbox account gives you 2GB of cloud storage, yes it’s in the cloud meaning if you are away from one of your many computers or devices you can simple use a public computer or a friends computer with internet access to view, retrieve and upload to your Dropbox.

At first I was using Dropbox as a simple way to transfer files to specific computers only when I needed to do so.  I was using it like a USB stick or other form of hard media.  Then I realized if I purchased a premium account my space would increase from the free 2GB to a whopping 50GB!  This gave me an idea.  What if I made Dropbox the “My Documents” folder on all of my computers?  This includes my photos folder with my favorite wallpapers, my documents folder with all of my work and school files, everything important to me in my digital brain is now easily accessible from any of my devices.  Everything seamlessly synced for my benefit and backed up so I can sleep soundly at night without the worry of my computer, errr eating my homework.

For the 50GB account it will set you back $100 a year.  You can take it to the next level and grab 100GB for $200.  But it gets better.  Dropbox offers a number of incentives, even for those with the free account.  With a free account you can earn an extra 250MB for every friend you refer to the service to a maximum of 8 extra gigabytes.  If you have a .edu email address Dropbox will double those earnings to 500MB to a maximum of 16GB.  And if you decide later that you want to use Dropbox for EVERYTHING and pony up for the 50GB account they will give you 1GB free for every referral to a maximum of 32GB!  All of your referrals before the purchase still count and they retroactively increase your space accordingly, how cool is that!  This means if you have a 50GB account and a .edu addy, you could potentially have 82GB of space without out any additional charges.  If you haven’t Dropboxed yet follow the link below, sign up through that link and earn an extra 250MB when you sign up for a free or paid account and have fun in your newly synced world.

Get an extra 250MB when you sign up for Dropbox today!

http://db.tt/jiZ4GPW

Once you have signed up go to this page to double your referrals.

https://www.dropbox.com/edu

Don’t get left in the digital dust

At first it was just a game; who wouldn’t want to be the mayor of their favorite venue? Lost Coast Brewery: “Checked-in.” Masaki’s Kyoto for sushi: “Checked-in.” Even our local community bank: “Checked-in.” At the time of this writing, I am acting mayor and duke of all three, among others, titles I have earned by checking into these places so frequently.

So what is all the hubbub about putting your privacy on the chopping block just to become virtual royalty? The answer isn’t as complicated as it sounds, certainly not as difficult as it was 10 years ago trying to convince a local business that they needed a website, and even less of a sale than attempting to get the companies that make up our modest economy to understand the value of Facebook and Twitter.

Did you feel that? All those buzz words and we haven’t even gotten to the meat. Enter Yelp, Foursquare, SCVNGR, Urbanspoon, Facebook Places, Google Places, Gowalla and the list goes on. What are these things and why should we care? These are the evolution of a book my parents once kept in a drawer near the phone. It had names and numbers in it and always seemed to come in yellow. They called it a phone book but I couldn’t even check my Facebook status with it, let alone do a quick Google search to find my desired restaurant. “Really? I have to search each page by hand?”

Think of these services as a phone book and customer loyalty card all in one. A potential customer will use their smartphone or computer with one of the mentioned services to locate your business. Then once they find you, they are a click away from directions, business hours, contact info and even reviews. “Reviews” — did that send a chill up your spine? We’ll get back to that in a second. These services allow you to offer rewards to your potential and existing customers and grab that searcher over your competitors. These rewards generally come in the form of discounts for frequently using your services or picking your business over your competitor and creating a lasting relationship. Holding the current Foursquare title of Mayor of Masaki’s Kyoto has paid off for this writer more than a few times. So what is so cool about this from a business standpoint? You can track it, analyze it and measure it. We still care about a return on investment, right? Now we have the tools to not only measure our own presence but also enhance traditional media like billboards, magazines and newspaper advertisements.

A little overwhelming, I know. The fact is that it really doesn’t matter if you aren’t up with these Web services; more than likely, your business has already been listed by one of your customers, and if they spent time adding you, they had the time to leave a review. I remember consulting with a local business that was afraid to use Facebook because “what if they say something bad about us?” Guess what? They can do that without you, and you will be left with no easy recourse to resolve the issue. There will always be customers that have a negative experience and we have all had the “bad service: tell 13 people, good service: tell three” permanently imprinted on our brains. Not only has that 13 climbed to 300-plus because of Facebook and Twitter, but now YOU have the opportunity to defend yourself, own up to any mistakes and let everybody know that you care. If a customer has a bad experience, it is highly likely they are not the only one, and because they chose to post their experience on your Facebook page, you have been given the opportunity to respond, not just to them, but to all of your followers, current and future. For that reason alone, social networking for business is an indispensable platform.

Is anybody using these services now? A couple of local businesses are using them with grace. Arcata Scoop uses Twitter to update followers on their latest ice cream flavors. A few local breweries are using Facebook and Twitter to update followers about their latest beers and specials. Pro Sport Center and The Outdoor Store are updating their customers with local events, sales and industry news. Even the CHP has been effectively using Twitter to post accidents and other traffic hazards as they occur. But like most things tech in Humboldt County, the adoption rate for these location based services could prove sluggish. On the plus side, it gives you a little more time to marinate in it before you take the plunge, but don’t wait too long or you will quickly be left in the digital dust with old videos of cute kittens and some guy all stoked about a double rainbow.

-Dank Holliday