location, location, location

By brad | Published: July 17, 2009

What is the future of location based social networking? Location is the most important part of real estate and in baseball it’s the difference between a Cy Young award winner and a minor leaguer. It’s also something that is making it’s way to most mobile phones and conceivably laptop computers someday. The benefits are vast, and benefit all sorts of users; including regular people, advertisers, gov’t intelligence officials, and stalkers, all in very different ways. Some benefits are pretty damn cool, some are pretty damn scary.

There are many sides of the equation, such as; i have friends and i want to see what they’re doing, maybe I’ll hang out with them right now, i’m a stalker and i want to be a creep, i’m a gov’t and i want to follow my citizens, and i’m an advertiser and i want to spend my money wisely with smart call to actions. All sides need to be addressed for the location based social web to take off, which it will someday.

Existing location based social web apps exist for the iphone right now. All of them have their advantages, some range from neat story-telling with people you don’t know at the place that you’re at, see where my friends are now, play a game based on the location, or see what else is around me. I like all of them for different reasons. I hate all of them because whenever I use them there is no benefit to me. None of my friends are on there, at least the ones that live in my city that I hang out with. It’s only a matter of time.

These social networks are going to take off this way, by focusing on shared experiences and shared events where a lot of tech savvy people are going to be present and leveraging existing mature social networks for promotion. Facebook and Twitter are great, but the problems they need to focus on are very different from the features that these location based networks are focused on. It’s a big area of opportunity. Hashtags are great on Twitter, but they aren’t the final answer.

This is going to be a fun area of the internet to pay attention to.

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It’s the Fourth of July and the Mariners are contending ?!?

By brad | Published: July 4, 2009

Don’t look now, but this Mariners team might actually have a chance to make things interesting. The injuries have been a bummer, the left side of the infield is not what it could be. Junior’s bat has been disappointing, but he still has a flair for the dramatic (and I’ll take a .220 batting average just to watch him one last time). If we can trade one of our relievers for another bat, left field perhaps? Then we have a strong chance of contending for the title. It’s been a while since we had a good time, they flirted with being semi-decent in 2007, but that turned out to be a big dud. This one might have a chance.

Pennant Races are fun to watch.

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the July two music report

By brad | Published: July 2, 2009

Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
This album is sonic candy. I heard once that they are the east coast’s version of the Fleet Foxes. That’s kind of true. I really enjoy the timbre, melodies and how the bass player blends in with the rest of the band. It’s authentically catchy. These guys were meticulous in their song crafting. I was fortunate to see them at Bonnaroo and I walked away a fan.

Santigold:
I almost bought this a couple times when i saw it at the top of the best seller list on iTunes. Apparently the 30 sec samples didn’t sell me the way her live show . After seeing her recently, I immediately came home and bought the album. This is an album for the summer. It’s loud, obnoxious (sometimes), there are some cool dub sections, and it’s catchy. Sometimes you just need to listen to obnoxious catchy music. This is new territory for my ears, and they’re reporting back good things.

Mos Def
The Estatic
I didn’t listen to hip-hop until the summer of 2004. I feel bad about this. While I don’t regret any music I listened to before that (except that Right Said Fred single I purchased when I was 10), I think I could have dabbled a little bit while in music school. Two of the first albums I bought were Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides and his collaboration with Talib Kweli Black Star. I listened to these two albums a lot that summer. I’ve grabbed every Mos Def album that has come out since that summer, and I’ve been disappointed every time. I’m glad I didn’t give up, because this one is killer. Good rhymes, great production by Madlib and others, and nice guest appearances. I need some more time with it, but I can already tell that this one is a keeper.

still in the bin …Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III; Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western; Bright Eyes, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn

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Getting coffee @Starbucks.

By brad | Published: June 28, 2009

A real time look at when Starbucks is mentioned on Twitter. It peaks every morning around 8am …

This is a great site to analyze trends on Twitter: http://twist.flaptor.com

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Meet your new customer.

By brad | Published: June 20, 2009

Lately, I’ve found myself saying, “they should be doing this if they want me to come back,” a lot when it comes to buying products or services. For many reasons, my wife and I are the new consumer, Digital Natives. I don’t think I’m being narcissistic: rather, the new world requires different thinking.

I’ve had a curious mind my whole life, occasionally it gets me in trouble, but sometimes it works out. I decided to put some thought and keystrokes behind what I’ve been saying, and here it is: 

Most of the time, I converse with my friends/coworkers more via text, IM, Twitter and Facebook as I do talking on the telephone. I can navigate my way around a website, and I’d rather find the answer on my own than talk to a robotic customer service rep that can’t actually help.

Lesson: Give me options to contact your business that aren’t just email or telephone. Let me contact you via Twitter, SMS, or live chat. Have a well thought and living/breathing FAQ on your website. I’m probably not the only person with this problem. Respond quickly, if needed. Act like you want me back (see: Zappos).

We’d prefer to spend more money on fewer, higher quality items. I want real food, with ingredients I can pronounce.

Lesson: Don’t try to always be a cheapskate. Make food that you’d want to eat. Try to source your items locally. Try to get foods or products with a backstory. People will remember, and even tell their friends if you give them something to remember. If you don’t even try to give your product a story, then why will anybody talk about it?

If you have some neat environmental programs, tell me about them, but it better be legit. We’re smart enough to know when you’re just greenwashing. (special note to the oil companies: I appreciate the effort, but really?)

Lesson: The internet lets us get lots of information, very quickly. Somebody will catch you if your efforts aren’t what you say they are.

Talk to me like a person. 

Lesson: Ignore your PR department, they’re probably doing more harm that good. Especially if these words aren’t available to you, “we messed up, it happens. we’ll try harder next time. sorry.” 

It all comes down to three main points, in order: 

  1. give me something of value
  2. don’t be a dick
  3. be authentic

That’s all we’re asking for. Thanks for listening.

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Bonnaroo 2009

By brad | Published: June 19, 2009

Entering the What Stage

I spent this past weekend in the middle of Tennessee. It took me 24 hours to get there via plane, and I spent the next 24 hours without any luggage. But I’m not going to talk about that here, I’ll save that for a future post about how American Airlines could have used Social Media to get my business again. I want to talk about Bonnaroo, the best music and arts festival in North America.

The music lineup was top notch. I have extremely eccentric tastes in music. My philosophy when someone asks me what I listen to comes from Duke Ellington, “there are only two kinds of music in this world, good and bad.” So yes, there was one band that made me buy a ticket to the festival, Phish. But it was the diverse and deep lineup that made it a great weekend. In just two hours on Sunday I bounced between Merle Haggard , Erykah Badu, Andrew Bird and Okkervil River. My ears are constantly open and Bonnaroo does not disappoint.

The highlights:

My name is Brad and I like Phish. I used to hide myself as a Phishhead, I was tired of being pigeonhold but since Phish has come back, I just don’t care anymore. I was awfully excited to see them on Friday night. I utilized my semi-secret way to get down to the front of the stage, ending up 40 feet back on Fishman’s side. These guys are hot right now. They had a 3 hours to play, so I assumed we would hear 2 sets with a short break in between. That turned out to not be the case. We we’re given 3.5 hours of both classic and new songs. The jams were contained to the right songs and the right places. When I would find my mind wandering, someone would always come through and bring my attention right back. This was a good show. The new songs, Kill Devil Falls and Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan are good tunes with lots of opportunity to grow into being classics. I had never been so close to the stage during Divided Sky, so it was neat to see the silent jam that close. I’d only heard that at the Gorge, while the sun was setting so I can’t exactly complain. Harry Hood, YEM, Silent in the Morning and Down with Disease all were awesome. They were hitting everything with authority and meaning. It sounded like Phish, it didn’t sound like they were trying to be a pop band or a funk band or a cover band. This is the band that I grew up on, and this is the band that I know. They’re going back to being themselves, and everybody should be happy about that.

The fountain at CenterooI love Wilco (the band). Last time I saw them, I believe I said, “this is a band I’m looking forward to getting old with.” Everything they put out is great, and the new album is no different. I was lucky enough to be down in front for the show again. You could tell that everyone was having lots of fun. Nels Cline is one of my favorite guitar players, and did not disappoint. Jeff Tweedy was very chatty, at one point he said, “we’re pretty happy about playing before Bruce, because if you boo, we can’t tell a difference.”

Grizzly Bear translated their lovely new album to the stage perfectly. Wish I could have seen their whole set, but I was transitioning from seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, on my way to see King Sunny Ade and Santigold. All were excellent and they were all at the same time. That’s the wonderful and frustrating thing about these festivals, you can only see so much.

David Byrne brought the house down. I’m looking forward to seeing him again next week in Seattle. He had a number of interpretive dancers on stage with him, they were fun to watch. I wish the drunk assholes from Jersey next to me weren’t yelling every lyric. Then again, I think drunk assholes from Jersey make the world go round (yin ‘n yang?).

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The hectic race to nothing.

By brad | Published: June 7, 2009

Next weekend I’m getting away for a long weekend in Tennessee. There’s a huge music festival going, and for four days I plan on wandering the grounds with no real plans, sipping beer, and watching some of the most talented bands on the planet. I’m really looking forward to getting away with no real agenda. These days, the difference between work and home has blended into no difference at all. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology. I love the fact that cell phones in many ways are as capable as computers. And I love that you can do all of this from wherever you like. The blessing is also a curse. It sweetens the time that you’re gone (with email turned off).

To those asking, “who are you going to see?” Check out the rest of the post.

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chaos theory

By brad | Published: May 11, 2009

I’m bumming around Vancouver today for the Convergence 09 conference. This evening after getting some food I decided to take a walk onto one of the piers. The weather was nice and i thought the view would be worthwhile. While walking down the pier I turned around to watch the city. It might have been a mistake, as unbeknownst to me a flower pot was quickly emerging. I discovered the flower pot after running into it, full speed. My flailing arm knocked a rose onto the ground. I tried to play it cool. Not sure if I did.
On the way back, I noticed a young couple just yards away from the point of my stumble. She was smiling, holding the rose. It felt serendipitous. I was hoping he picked it up and said something sweet.
It made me smile.

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The long ride

By brad | Published: May 2, 2009

Last weekend I rode my motorcycle to Chelan, WA to meet the week old offspring of my friend Matt. To date, this is the longest ride I’ve ever taken dwarfing a trip last summer by 80 miles. My sv650 is definitely a city bike, but the seating position is upright enough that long rides aren’t bad. I’ve made a couple modifications to the bike in the year that I’ve owned it, and I was grateful for every single one. The windscreen, aux lights, and tank bag all made the trip very comfortable. The wind didn’t make me fatigued, I kept my gear in the bag, rather than and backpack, and I felt much more comfortable of being visible with the lights. I also kept the tunes going on my iPhone from some new headphones that fit nicely under my helmet.
Traveling long distances on a motorcycle can be a bit of a struggle at times. I found myself thinking about one of my favorite books, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and the constant need to pay attention to everything and nothing at the same time. The music helped tremendously. Half of the trip was spent on 97, the road between i90 at Cle Elum and Chelan through Blewett Pass. It is a motorcyclists dream road. Not too much traffic, lots of enjoyable twistys, and amazing scenery. The only problem with it is the signs that warn of deer. Deer terrify me. They have a habit of running into the road, unwarned. Sure, if you’re driving in your Honda Civic, the might dent your hood and slow you down. Motorcyclists don’t have the same luxury.
It was a fantastic, quick trip. I had a lovely time meeting the newborn. When the weather is nice, there isn’t a better way to travel than on a motorcycle. Feeling the road go underneath you, breathing fresh air the entire time. Plus, I love the minimalism.
I plan on buying a more comfortable seat and some attachable luggage before the summer commences. I have a couple more trips planned that I’m eagerly awaiting.

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MLB.tv, please remove Local blackout periods

By brad | Published: April 3, 2009

Dear Mr. Bud Selig,

I have always been a big baseball fan. Until I reached the awkward years of puberty, I wore a Seattle Mariners uniform to every game I went to. It had my favorite players number on the back and name, Scott Bradley, no. 9. He was the backup catcher, but he always came through in the clutch and he he also had the same name as me. I skipped many school days to go to the Kingdome to watch my team play the first time they went to the playoffs. I cried in 1994 when the world series was canceled, and I’m not sure if the joy I felt when we beat the Yankees in the ALDS in 1995 has been equaled. The summer of 2001 in Seattle was boring because all the Mariners did was win, I didn’t know what to complain about. Baseball was my first love, before the other loves of my life; my wife and music.

That being said, Major League Baseball’s blackout policy on mlb.tv needs some serious help. In the year 2009, content providers should be agnostic in their delivery method. I would gladly pay twice the amount to mlb.tv to be able to watch my Mariners play every night at Safeco, or whereever they are, over the internet. I could watch games in my cubical, on the road at a coffeeshop, or at home. You can still generate ad revenue subscription fees through mlb.tv. Instead, with your current policy, you’re leaving out a whole generation that believes you should pick what you want to view, where you want to view it, and how you want to view it.

I don’t subscribe to cable. It’s not because I wouldn’t enjoy watching cable or because I can’t afford it. In fact, both of those statements are very true. I don’t subscribe to cable because I know I would enjoy it too much. So, instead I get all of my viewing over the internet. I can choose what I want to pay for, ala carte.

Please take a lesson from CBS Sports in their presentation of the 2009 NCAA tournament. Games were available for viewing through an iPhone app, streaming over the internet or on the plain ole’ television.

a lifelong baseball fan,
Brad Nelson

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