Shoes, Cupcakes and Birthday Cheer!

Hey there, Parker here.  Happy birthday and well wishes to everyone born on this day :-)

Shoes, cupcakes, merriment and cheer - yep, that's how I celebrate a birthday.

Best,
Parker

Make or Break Your Career with Social Media

all is fair in love and social media domination

Hey there, Parker here.  Sharing my thoughts on current events, marketing and social media.  Also, my DVR didn't record yesterday's daytime Law & Order episodes so I have an idle hour or two.

Anyway, the most popular and respected search engine company just upped their game and are playing for keeps.  Google easily chopped Alta Vista in half, turned dogpile into a dog pile, and had Ask Jeeve's asking "what happened?".  They KO'd their opponents but they've tipped their hand with this latest development - all Google employees are tied to the success of social media.  Wow.  They sound worried.

bing. meet. facebook

Now that Bing and Facebook are best buddies, I guess social media is the most logical step in securing global online domination.  Google is asking employees to enlist the help of family and friends to push social product releases.  If they aren't soliciting feedback I would frown upon the practice of manipulating or skewing data by asking friends and family to vote favorably just for voting's sake.  But knowing Google as well as I do (see my previous love for Google post), I'm sure they are truly testing products for a better user experience, and not just popularity.

Face it folks, we all know building a following using social media takes time and consumer trust and I'm a blatant fan of all things Google. However, my personal experiences with their social media channels have been hit or miss.  For instance;

this is a real thing

I tried Orkut because it was a default add-on while creating my Google Identity.  No one in my social circle was on it (or even heard of it) so that was the last time I bothered to log-in.

Picasa was cool when signed up and I still like it.  Sometimes I want to share photos independent of Facebook and Picasa serves my efforts well.

Wave was all mystery and I was green-eyed that I never got the invite while EVERYONE ELSE I KNEW was asked to test it.  Then I found out what it was and sort of wished I'd stayed in the dark.

i use it

Gmail chat is awesome!  I love the ease of using chat right within my Gmail screen.  And the video chat was as simple to use as a click of a button.  Literally.

Blogger - um, duh! You're reading my blog now.

YouTube's embed feature was my first experience with embedding video or any widget on a web page and loved the simplicity of it.

+1 brings out my inner paranoid conspiracy theorist.  Sometimes I don't want to know what my 'friends' have read nor do I want them to know what I've read. If I post online, it's fair game, but if I'm browsing the web, much like a library, I have an expectation of privacy.

i see google making more money

Buzz made me mad.  Unlike Facebook, I couldn't hide much of my information from search engines (or anyone).  So I worry about buzzing on non-web or professional matters.

No one asked for my two-cents but that has never stopped me from spreading the wealth.  I'm all for their decision.  Top down and bottom up - all administrative, professional and middle management employees have been drafted and will be held responsible for Google's social media efforts.

I can dig it.  I'm watching them closely and I'm taking notes.

I won't be surprised if in 2-3 years we find ourselves ranking Orkut (or whatever new platform they develop or buy) as our preferred vehicle of online conversation and community.

Best,
Parker

Browsing the Web Just Got Easier

Hey there, Parker here with a quick update: Mozilla Firefox is taking over the web world!  Well, on their way to world domination.  And for good reason - check out PC World's article on the success of Firefox 4.

Best,
Parker

Lights, Camera, Action - Critique!

Hey there, Parker here.  Let’s talk television and film.

I was watching Law & Order yesterday when it occurred to me that I've been watching this show (and spinoffs) for more than half of my life.  Briscoe was my favorite Sr. detective.  Jr. detectives Logan, Curtis and Green shined with Briscoe in the lead. Lt. Van Buren took no prisoners.

My favorite cast of Law & Order

Ben Stone, Jack McCoy and Michael Cutter all made excellent executive DA's but Adam Schiff was the best DA in the show's history.  No one came close to Assistant DA's Clair and Abbie, except perhaps Paul.

I talk in terms of characters and not actors.  This is because I enjoy when actors play their parts so well they became the character.  The talent of a tv show’s writers appear when actors are true to their craft - acting.

Some tv actors are brilliantly gifted like Vincent D'onofrio, Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterson, Jesse Martin, S. Epatha Merkerson, etc.  Some major motion film actors are equally talented.

"It's Hard Out There for a Pimp" deserved that Oscar

Taraji P. Henson is one of my favorite ladies in the business.  Before The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, she brought Shug to life in Hustle & Flow.  Shug had me sweating, feeling bloated and accepting that was all the good this world would give as she sang into the microphone in that makeshift studio.  Taraji took a backseat while Shug performed on-screen.  Yvette was as real a person could be in Baby Boy because of Henson's talent.

Good acting.

And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

Maximus Decimus Meridius was commander of the armies of the north, general of the felix legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelies.  You shared his pain upon kneeling at the foot of his murdered son and wife.  You held your breath when his hand waved upon the wheat in the field and saw his family in death.  Then long after the credits rolled, almost as long as it took for the Academy Awards to announce the nominees, you paired Gladiator with Russell Crowe.

Very good acting.

Stanley Tucci can wear anything and look good!

Meryl Streep is the greatest actress ever.  As famous as she is, her talent is such that Julia Child was as lovable on-screen has her dishes were delicious to watch.  Miranda Priestly was the quintessential b!tch whose wardrobe, shoes and purses caused me to drool.  Even Mary Fisher, entitled as she was, had me on her side as she whipped those kids into shape and reclaimed her life.  Meryl Streep plays her role so well that you do not see Streep, only the character during the movie.

Great acting.

beauty. song bird. can't act.

Everyone mentioned above are the cream of the crop in show business.

On the flip side, there are famous people who star in movies who cannot overcome their name.  Let's play a game, I name the movie and star, you name the character:

• Lindsay Lohan in Georgia Rule
• Beyonce in Dream Girls
• Beyonce in Cadillac Records (hint: she portrayed a famous living person)
• Madonna in Swept Away
• J-Lo in Maid in Manhattan
• J-Lo in The Wedding Planner
• J-Lo in any movie she's made
• Brad Pitt in any movie after 1995 with the exception of Fight Club

Remember "The Parent Trap"?

You see where I'm going.  Their names are too big for the big screen.  No matter how hard she tries, you only see Beyonce, not Dina or Etta James.  You recall Madonna, not Amber, rolling around on the beach.  Marisa, Mary, Charlie, Gertrude, Ricki, Slim or Sharon might as well have all been named "J-Lo" because that's who you saw.  Linsday was Rachel but she didn't have a chance in hell of escaping her fame while filming Georgia Rule despite the fact that she can really act.

Even Brad Pitt, who is very talented, was Brad Pitt in all of his post-1995 movies except as Tyler Durden in Fight Club.

best.  movie.  ever.

You take the good; you take the bad when it comes to movies and television.  But you stick with what you love.  For me, that is Law & Order for nearly 20 years.  The characters are real, the actors are great and the storylines are riveting.

Well folks, that's my cue to take five.

Best,
Parker

Go Ahead, Give It A Try - Social Media Tool: Posterous

Hey there, Parker here. I'm back online and trying out a few new social media tools.

First, let me say that it's been a while since my last update.  I tell others to go offline and see the real world every once in a while, so for the last month I followed my own advice.

Now I'm back and I'm checking out as many free apps and tools as I can.  I heard good things about Posterous so today's post will cover my experience and thoughts on this particular social media tool.  It allows you to update your social media platforms all at once using email.  I can see the potential.  Currently I write my blog > post the link to AOL Lifestream which in turns updates Facebook and Twitter.  Twitter feeds into LinkedIn, 4square and Tumblr.  It's a piecemeal process but it works for me.

Now I send an email to Posterous and it automatically updates my Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogger.  I have more but you get the picture.

Multi-channel post with a single email - that is definitely a pro!  The low-level learning curve for using the tool and getting setup is a pro.  Another pro is it pulled all of my previous blogger post with a single click of a button.

The only con so far is it doesn't show rich link display on LinkedIn (picture, page title, and short description).  Another con is it only posts the hyper-linked blog title on Twitter.

But I can live with that (for now).  I'll test this out for the next week and if I can't find a really good theme that ties into my other social media profiles, I'll go back to the old way of updating my status - one site at a time.

Best,
Parker

Love What You Do...

And you'll never have to work a day in your life. Hey there, Parker here. That sentiment is spot on and I was recently reminded of that truth while reading Tacoma Perry's article "Turning Your Passion into Profit," My Fox 5 Atlanta (01/06/2011).

I get paid to do what I love – web production and content management. Second only to playing Monopoly and CIV 4, I consider my web career a fun way to spend my time.

I don’t need to be the boss to have job satisfaction. I don’t strive to manage teams of direct reports. My ambition is to be as efficient and talented a web manager as possible and to be a reliable, valuable individual contributor on a team.

Often deemed mundane tasks, I take comfort in the whole process.

• analyzing metrics
• create content in a wysiwyg editor
• editing content in a CMS template
• selecting the right image
• layout of copy and imagery
• reviewing and publishing

I measure my day in productivity, not hours, and providing valuable service to my clients and colleagues. The icing on the cake is that I am paid for doing what I love to do.

Years ago I wrote down a list of my strengths, weaknesses, areas of improvement, salary history and where I wanted to be in 5-10 years. It was my personal business plan for 'me' and that plan led me to where I am today. I continue to assess my skills, marketability and profitability using the SWOT and it serves to reinforce that I am on the right track and I'm happy with my chosen career.

I may not wake up clicking my heels and jumping for joy at the idea of sitting my car for my daily 1hr, 15 min commute (each way). But once I enter the building, I walk with high-heel confidence; I flash my genuine lip-glossed smile to all, then I turn on my pc knowing the fun has only just begun.

Loving what you do makes your day feel like this

The daily grind, the mundane task of doing what I have to do is not work at all, it is great way to spend my time. My answer to Ms. Perry’s first line of the article is “yes, what I do to live is what I love to do.”

Now, folks, take a moment to read the article and ask yourself  "is what you do to live what you love to do, too?"

Best,
Parker