Welcome to The Doc Block

Did Social Media Ruin The Grammy Awards?

Written on February 1, 2010 by iGoByDoc in Entertainment, Music, Rant, Social Media, Twitter

Photo from @ladygaga twitpic account

I thought of this question last night just before the awards started live in California. I was hanging out on Twitter and I saw all the chatter start to happen about the Grammy Awards.

So I started to kind of tune out the chatter about the show knowing I would end up hearing the results via Twitter from many of the people I follow before the awards actually started here in Utah (where the awards started an hour later).

So, I have the @cnnbrk account on Twitter set to send me an SMS for “Breaking News”… because, well, that is what that account should be used for… right? Well, just after the live show starts, I get a @cnnbrk SMS message saying “Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” wins the Grammy for song of the year”. And of course CNN kept on broadcasting results all night… because as you know, the results are “Breaking News”.

Well, not that I really care in the end who wins what what award and for what song as I have no stake in the game, nor can I really blame @cnnbrk for announcing the winners, but it kind of made me think of how social media can ruin results for live events for people who watch them on a delayed feed. And to take it a step further, how does social media affect the advertisers who spend a lot of money for commercials during the show especially if people accidentally hear the results and decide not to tune in as a because they heard the winner already.

Recently, the Golden Globes (at least I think it was that show) decided to broadcast live in all time zones… and I thought that to be a smart idea. People had the option, if they so chose, to see it live OR record the program on their DVR and take the chance they may hear something before they got around to watching it. In the end, it was the viewers choice right?

Can you imagine if the NBA, PGA, or hell even the Super Bowl decided to air games based on the same principles the Grammys do… or many other shows for that matter? What if you heard the score to the end of your favorite teams game one or 2 hours before your delayed version ended even ended?

We live in a time, with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where you have access to up to the second updates. With people at the event or watching the live feed you can not, unless you live in a cave, escape the information.

In the end, social media did not “ruin” the Grammy Awards for me last night as I mainly tuned in for the performances anyway (Props to Gaga and the Michael Jackson tribute). Also, I did record it on my DVR and ended up fast forwarding through as many commercials as I could, so maybe my concern for the advertisers is mute… or at least as as it relates to me.

What is your opinion? Should television networks change their thinking when it comes to broadcasting live events like the Grammy Awards? Or am I just off my rocker?

Would love to have your comments below!

Until next time…

Doc

(PS: @cnnbrk you annoy me. please only use that account for “Breaking News”. If you must, use an entertainment account on twitter for these types of updates. You are losing trust as far as I am concerned with that account… break it up a bit. @CNNSports @CNNEnt or in this case @CNNSpoilers. I have invited you into my mobile phone for SMS updates… do not abuse it! Besides, every time I get an SMS from you, all I can think about is Wolf Blitzer saying “Please Stand By”… too bad I can not associate a ring tone of him saying that to the tweet SMS messages I get from you. Hehehe)

(PS2: Networks… get with the times as they are a changing! How about The Grammys LIVE actually LIVE everywhere next year?)

Okay, now I am really done… Doc

Tags: Advertising, Grammy Awards, Social Media, Twitter

My Thoughts On the New iPad from Apple

Written on January 31, 2010 by iGoByDoc in Apple, On My Mind, Rant, Technology

6 Comments - Leave a comment!

So, now that a few days have passed since Steve Jobs announced the iPad from Apple, I thought I would share my thoughts about this amazing looking device.

Overall I am excited to see how well this new iPad sells. For the most part I think that the iPad hits the mark for what Steve Jobs said about it in his opening remarks… for the most part.

However, people are complaining that this device does not do a few key things like multi-task, no flash support in the browser, no camera, it is not as feature rich as a net-book, blah blah blah… let’s dig deeper shall we?

No Multitasking: OK, OK, I get it…. I hear it every day. People hate that the iPhone does not multi-task, but I have been using the iPhone for almost 2 years and I have gotten over the fact that there is no multi-tasking. The OS is so simple and elegant to use, and it is easy enough to just pop in and out of apps as needed… so get over it! Instead of having Pandora run in the background while you surf the web, or build a fancy presentation, use the little thing called the built in iPod, for the most part (at least on the iPhone) it runs in the background of many apps.

No Flash Support: Not an issue for me as I do not like flash based sites for the most part, and flash tends to crash my browsers anyway. But is this a deal breaker for the iPad… is it something that would seriously stop you from buying it? Look, if you come across a site with flash, and you just have to see it, go to your laptop or desktop and check out the site and the flash in all of it’s glory. But seriously, is no flash really that big of a deal? Where the “flash” of this device comes in is in the way of apps, the ebook reader, and all the other cool stuff it does. Hopefully in an update down the road, Apple will choose to add flash support, but until then enjoy the device.

No Camera: This omission is one thing that may stop me from buying it. Not that I will take it everywhere and want to use it as a camera, but I see great use in the business world. If I am traveling and want to use Skype for a video call, or if I was in a sales presentation and I wanted to prop the iPad up in the nifty new stand so it could make the attendees in the conference room visible to the presenter on the other end would be awesome. You know the camera is going to come out eventually, and you KNOW Apple is just sitting back and releasing this version knowing damn good and well that once the camera version comes out people will flock to it and upgrade. If you can get a camera into an iPhone, you can get it into an iPad… and the consumer has come to expect it! #BadApple

Net-books are better: This is a different device. sure on the net-book you can multi-task, and do a couple of things at the same time. Whoop dee doo, but does it have a 10″ touchscreen, or the ability to run your favorite apps, or will it act like a photo frame if you wish, can it be a killer ebook reader? The only thing I see the net-book doing better is the cameras that are built in.

Look, this iPad does so much out of the box, and is simply amazing from what I have seen so far. Can it get better… of course, and that leads me to…

Four BIG things that I think Apple did wrong in my opinion:

Not having the iPad ready for purchase the day of, or at least during the week of the announcement. Put this device in the hands of the people who want it! They have been waiting for years to have it. Don’t allow the rumor mills to ruin the launch, or allow another manufacturer to steal the thunder.
Why have 6 models? Do we need 6 versions? Not only is this a bad idea from a manufacturing standpoint, and a SKU inventory challenge, it is also just confusing to the consumer. Does anyone really need 64 gigs of memory for a device like this? Simplify the buying experience, and drop a model. Launch a 64 gig version in a year or so if you must when memory prices come down.
Not having additional carrier options available besides AT&T. Need I say more about that? And that kind of ties back into #2 above… why not just launch the models with wifi and 3g? Why have a wifi only version? And if I have to be stuck with AT&T offer a contract version that can help to reduce the price of the iPad… why should it be more money for that model when I am guaranteeing AT&T even more money on a monthly basis.
The name iPad. How about an explanation behind the name to help curb the association of the iPad to some feminine hygiene product? iSlate would have been cool, there just had to be a better name. #iBoring

I think the iPad will also be a segway or introduction device for Apple. Think of it, so many people want a Mac, but maybe can not afford a laptop or desktop. This iPad is affordable to almost anyone. If you can afford a net-book, you can afford an iPad, and I think that is a smart move by Apple. In a way is the iPad a loss leader? Hell you can’t even buy an iPhone without a contract for less than you can buy an iPad for!

In the end, is the iPad the revolutionary product Steve Jobs said it is? Time will tell… but I think it is pretty dang close. Is it a must have middle category piece of technology between the smart phone and the computer? Personally I do not think so… it is not a “must have” item for me, but I definitely “want” one.

In the end, if I was to buy an iPad, I would most likley choose the base model… and maybe upgrade it to the 3G version. If I was in the market for an eReader like a Kindle, it would be a no brainer to purchase the iPad for that function alone.

What do you think? Is this iPad all it is cracked up to be?

Until next time…

Doc

photo credit: Richard-G

Tags: Apple, iPad, Steve Jobs

My Review Of The Book Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

Written on January 29, 2010 by iGoByDoc in Books, Reviews, Social Media

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

Not sure why I have been putting off posting my review of the book “Crush It” by Gary Vaynerchuk because I absolutely loved it!

Possibly it was until I finally downloaded the audio book version and listened to it that I decided now is the time to put my review of the book on my blog.

I have been a fan of Gary for as long as I can remember, and almost one year ago I wrote this post “You’re Either Following Your Passion or You Are a “Loser”!”, so when his book was released, I bought it immediately and read it in one day.

If you have been following Gary at all for a decent amount of time, either on Twitter, his personal website, Wine Library, or if you have seen any or all of his keynote speeches, you are going to feel right at home reading this book.

Gary talks about cashing in on your passion, and how now is the perfect time to get your personal brand in order, and if you do things properly you can cash in and monetize your personal brand! How is this done according to Gary? You “Crush It” by using all the FREE tools you can get your hands on… Twitter, Facebook, UStream etc. But these tools are not the end all be all… you have to have passion for what you want to do, and you have to care about your audience, fans and customers.

What I almost enjoyed as much as the how-to’s in the book was hearing about Gary’s background. Subject matter that up until the book I had not heard about. But the meat of the book is the straight up position that in order to crush it, you have to be willing to do the work… and Gary gives many great ideas on how to get the job done!

After taking both versions of the book in (paperback and audio) I think that I enjoyed the audio much more. Personally I m more of an audio/visual type of person… but if you you follow Gary, and enjoy listening to him already, the audio version is the champ! Not to mention that the audio book just lets more of his personality and passion come through. And as an added bonus, many of the chapters Gary goes off and adds additional content, “riffing” as he puts it, giving more up to date content as the audio book was recorded months after the book was written and released.

In this day and age with all of the social media tools Gary talks about, I can totally buy in to what he says in his book, and I am planning on crushing it myself! I have a couple of ideas brewing that I will soon reveal, but picking just one to start on is the hard decision.

As with any book you read that inspires you, in the end you have to get off your ass and just go for it. I wrote that blog post a year ago, and here I am still not doing what I am 100% passionate about… but that is changing as we speak… and I am so freaking stoked to get this idea off the ground.

I am ready for the hard work that will come with launching my idea because it is finally something I am excited about! Gary says there are a lot of hours between 9PM and 3AM… and you know what? He is right! If you are doing what you love “work” does not seem like work. As the saying goes, time flies when you are having fun!

For one reason or another I connect well with Gary… whether it is his personality, his no nonsense approach, the occasional potty mouth rant (as I am hooked on vulgonics myself), or maybe his ability to just tell it like it is, I really connect! Not everyone will get his style of doing things however… but I will tell you this… like him or not, you better get the message because he is dead on!

I give this book, especially the audio book, a 4 out of 4 Stars! If you have yet to buy it, I have included a link below… and yes it is my affiliate link for Amazon.

Have you read it? What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment below.

Until next time…

Doc

Tags: @Garyvee, Book Review, Crush It, Gary Vaynerchuk, Social Media

Life Is Better When You Have Fun

Written on January 18, 2010 by iGoByDoc in Inspiration, On My Mind, Rant

Don’t you think life is better when you have fun? Take a look at this video and let me know what you think.

Read the full article »

Happy Birthday Mom – 71 Years Today On New Years Eve

Written on December 31, 2009 by iGoByDoc in On My Mind

On December 31st, 1938 my wonderful mom Deanna Goodwill was born, and on February 10th, 2006 she passed away due to complications of her courageous battle with diabetes.
In 1953 she and her brother David won a trip to New York City to perform on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour television show. I had heard many [...]

Read the full article »

Eye Care For Kids – 5 x 5 Project

Written on October 31, 2009 by iGoByDoc in Charity, News

Recently I had a chance to meet with Joseph Carbone, President and Founder of Eye Care For Kids Foundation here in Midvale Utah.

Please take a moment and watch this video.

Read the full article »

Tags: Charity, Eye Care For Kids Foundation

Are You Selling Like Hotcakes?

Written on July 31, 2009 by iGoByDoc in Reviews

Last week I was invited to the Outdoor Retailer Show here in Salt Lake City, Utah by a company called Hotcakes.
This was my first time attending the trade show, and I must say it was a very cool experience. There were around 900 exhibiting companies at the Salt Palace Convention Center and more than 20,000 [...]

Read the full article »

Tags: Dealer locator, Hotcakes, Hotcakes review

12for12K Shows Support For Eye Care For Kids In July

Written on July 3, 2009 by iGoByDoc in Charity, News

Hello Utah and to everyone else around the US, and the world for that matter! I am excited that The 12for12k Challenge announced that it is supporting a charity called Eye Care For Kids throughout the month of July 2009.

Read the full article »

Tags: 12for12k, Charity, Eye Care For Kids, Fundraiser, Utah

my place online to rant, rave or otherwise communicate my thoughts with the world... welcome