I take it back Chromecast, I hate Comcast

Last year, I wrote a post about the announcement that HBO was incorporating Chromecast into their app. I’d like to say that, to an extent, I take back. I own 2 Chromecasts, and I wish more apps had casting capabilities.

What I’ve found is the major flaw, are the licensing agreements networks have with the cable companies. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to watch most major network programming without a subscription to a cable or dish service.

I look forward to the day when I can subscribe to individual shows or networks, instead of having to go through an intermediary like a cable company. It’s amazing in this day in age – when technology is eliminating so many intermediaries, particularly in the retail space – that companies like these aren’t just surviving, but thriving.

When I moved into a new home this summer, we attempted to “cut the cord” and only have a Comcast cable internet subscription (they thew in basic cable & HBO free for a year). After trying an Apple TV and a few other devices, I settled on 2 Chromecasts, a Roku, and 2 XBox 360s for our 3 TVs. What’s unsettling is that even if you subscribe to Comcast, they prevent you from using their services (and the networks, like HBO, you subscribe to through them) on pretty much everything but the XBox (they can’t stop the Chromecast, but do prevent viewing their channels on Roku, Apple TV, etc.).

I apologize to Chromecast for my ignorant remarks, as I now wish even more networks (read this ESPN, AMC, A&E, Discovery, HGTV, and others) enabled Chromecast on their apps. I realize now that it’s Comcast and the other cable/dish providers that are really the ones preventing progress in the entertainment space.

Indiegogo Kreyos Smart Watch Disaster

Last year, I wrote a blog post entitled, “Kickstarter Buyer Beware,” and I talked about the delays with two projects I backed on crowdfunding platforms – The iExpander and the the Kreyos smartwatch.  I won’t go into detail here on the iExpander, but a year after the post and 2 years since the Kickstarter campaign… I still don’t have an iExpander. I thought I’d give you an update on the Kreyos smartwatch I tried funding via Indiegogo.

Much like other campaigns, it started with the announcement of a few delays… and then a few more. However, the folks at Kreyos were pretty good about showing video of their prototypes in action. So, my confidence in it was building… until it came completely crashing down when they finally announced they were shipping the device.

The creators of the device posted a long blog post about how it all came crashing down, but here’s how I managed to narrowly avoid an $175 loss:

There were not signs of issues with the smartwatch when it started shipping – other than the fact that the shipping was extremely disorganized (but that was no surprise for a startup).  I was disappointed, because I moved this summer, and they shipped it to my old address. I was told by their terrible customer service (again, I thought this wasn’t too big of a deal, since they were a startup) that I’d have to wait for the watch to get declined by the new owners of my home, returned to Kreyos, and then it could be shipped to my new address.

At first, there seemed to be a lot of complaints about people not receiving the correct items. Again, I thought this wasn’t too big a deal, since the startup was using incompetent Chinese labor. Then, people began complaining about how the watch was taking on water simply from showering (it was supposed to be completely waterproof, which they revised to say it would be waterproof to 10 meters). Then everything came completely crashing down and the company completely folded up with the blog post I referenced earlier.

It appeared that Indiegogo immediately backed away from the problem, stating that they were essentially just an intermediary. It made me want to boycott Indiegogo completely. I still hadn’t received my Kreyos, so I contacted my credit card company and disputed the charge from Indiegogo. Since I never received the item, my credit card company removed the charge (except for the PayPal surcharge – but being out $5, is better than being out $175).

Again, I urge you to avoid these sites. No matter what kind of discount I might receive for funding something on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, it simply isn’t worth the risk of the item coming out late, faulty, or never at all. I think there’s a place in the market for a crowdfunding site that has more oversight and insurance from such issues… and hope one comes out soon. As for me, from now on, I’m going to wait until a product hits the open market and is tested before I buy.

Mizzou’s New Coach Kim Anderson

When I was in college, there was a huge rivalry game, the Busch Braggin’ Rights Game between the Mizzou Tigers and the Fighting Illini. The game was always in St. Louis over Christmas Break and students could camp out and get tickets.

Camping outside of the Hearnes Center in November often meant enduring 10-20 degree temperatures. We’d start camping out just after dinnertime and were usually among the first 10 or so in line. Around 7 a.m. they’d finally let us in the building to wait until the box office opened at 9.

One year (I believe it was around 1996 or 1997, when his career was winding down), Mizzou Coach Norm Stewart came in around 7 a.m. and on his way to his office, walked past us and barked, “So how many of you are gonna sell your tickets?”

After camping out for about 15 hours in freezing temperatures, I was a bit offended that the coach would make such a remark. What happened next renewed my faith in the program.

Around 7:30, assistant coach Kim Anderson got out of his car and brought about four dozen donuts in for those of us who camped out. He thanked us for being there and apologized for not bringing in more.  I was impressed with his class and humility that morning.

As a sports editor of one of the school papers, I got to watch the team often and up close, and I was always impressed with the 1-on-1 coaching Anderson provided to members of the team. While Coach Stewart was nearing the end of his career, and had to deal with lots of players complaining about playing time, Coach Anderson always had a way of putting his arm around a player, calming them down, and getting their head back into things.

After Quinn Snyder made a mess of the program, I was really hoping Mizzou would bring Coach Anderson back as head coach. Instead, they brought a different coach Anderson (Mike). Kim went to Central Missouri State and has been a huge success in his 12 years there, most recently winning the D-II national championship this year.

Finally, after all this time, I’m glad and proud to see that Mizzou finally welcomed Kim Anderson home as head coach of the Missouri Tigers today. He’s a class act and a great coach, and I look forward to where he’s able to take the program.

Kickstarter Buyer Beware

Kickstarter is a cool concept – contribute to a project or idea that might not otherwise get off the ground. In appreciation for your support, developers offer rewards.  I’m not sure if it was intentional when they started it, but it’s spawned a new type of startup company. One that, if a company can entice enough consumers to “buy into” their idea, they should have enough money to make that idea happen. Your reward then becomes the finished product.

I was very intrigued by this new business model, and was very impressed with the creativity and innovation of many of the ideas. One that caught my eye last year was the “iExpander.” It promised an extra battery, much better camera flash, and an expandable memory slot for a microUSB, solving the major issues I was having with my iPhone 4S – bad battery life, bad pictures in low light, and not enough memory. The video they showed was impressive, and the fact that they already had several working prototypes built (and language on the site) lead me to believe I’d be receiving mine less than a month and a half after the campaign ended – ready for Christmas 2012.

More than a year later, I’m still waiting for my iExpander, and it’s not going to function nearly as I thought it would. They’ve hit snags with Apple, engineering, and manufacturing. The battery doesn’t tie in nearly as seamlessly as it was supposed to and the expandable memory is now a proprietary removable module. In the meantime, I’ve also upgraded to an iPhone 5S, which now has a better flash than was planned. Technology moves fast, and while iExpander has been working out it’s issues for more than a year, my need for the product has disappeared (I also upgraded to a 64GB memory in my new phone).

What I didn’t realize, was how common this is. CNN published a list of Kickstarter’s top 50 projects, and when they shipped. So, I share my story, just to say “buyer beware” if you choose to look at Kickstarter (or Indiegogo, or any other crowdsourced sites) as a way to buy some cutting edge new projects.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re not all bad. In fact, one of the most successful campaigns, the Pebble smartwatch, encouraged me to try it again. This time, I was very impressed with the prototype videos of the Kreyos Meteor smartwatch. It appears to be way more advanced than the Pebble, and does more of what I want a smartwatch to do. I took a chance as an “early adopter” and signed up for one.

Again, the Kreyos smartwatch prototypes looked so promising, and they appeared to have it all together, also promising to have them completed within a couple months of the campaign ending. Well, the Kreyos Meteor smartwatch was supposed to be shipped at the end of November, and that date has obviously come and gone. The most recent update said they hope to have it finished by mid-February. This is exactly how the  iExpander started out and I’m still waiting for that one over a year later.  I’m not going to hold my breath.

Who Cares about Chromecast & HBO?

Today I saw the “announcement” that HBO Go is now compatible with Chromecast. Who cares?

If you’re not familiar, Chromecast is a device that plugs into the HDMI port of your TV and allows you to “cast” YouTube videos and your Chrome browser window to your TV.

HBO Go is the service that allows you to watch HBO content on your mobile device only if you subscribe to HBO through your cable or satellite provider.

Now you can send HBO shows from your mobile device to your TV.  Here’s the flaw… you have to have a cable or satellite subscription to HBO to get HBO Go. So, presumably, if you have a cable or satellite subscription, you’re already able to watch HBO on your TV and have no need to “cast” it from your mobile device.

Chromecast… thanks for nothing. Please start adding some better capabilities, like mirroring of my mobile device (would it be too much to ask for you to do this even with iOS?).

2013 World Series Run

I’ve grown up a St. Louis Cardinals fan, so I’ve been playing close attention to their World Series run. Unfortunately, the game just ended and the Red Sox won the series. But I could tell the Cards were out of it about three games ago.

Watching the games, you could see how hard the Red Sox were playing – running hard and beating out throws to first, diving for line drives, and showing a genuine passion and enthusiasm for the games. I just didn’t see the same fire and heart displayed by the cardinals. I got frustrated every time I saw someone trotting down to first base because they hit one on the infield. It was obvious to me (and I think to others), that the Red Sox wanted it more.

I hope it’s because the Cardinals are mostly a younger bunch of guys (compared to when they won the World Series just 2 years ago), and their nerves got the best of them. But whether you’re playing baseball, or doing something else, never underestimate the power of illustrating passion and heart.

Disaster: The Future of Crisis Communications

I followed this session via Twitter and huge thanks to live blogging/tweeting from Elysa Ellis.

Everyone now has the ability to be an immediate publisher, and we are in an age of “permissionless information.” People can post information immediately, with no filter. The real challenge is editorial – getting out information quickly, but getting out what’s most important and coordinating all the information so it becomes relevant and prevents clutter. Even the United States Air Force knows “speed is more important than security in a crisis.”

The real goal is to get the most amount of information out there, in the shortest amount of time. While everyone has the ability to be out there, you as a brand or company have to be out there too. If you’re not out there, speaking to your audience, someone else will do it for you. Audiences are looking for “verified” information, and as a brand or established company, you carry some credibility others don’t. However, as a brand, you need to be prepared for this and plan ahead:

• Understand what you can and can’t say – build corporate/legal approvals – and TRUST – in advance
• Establish boundaries and rules of engagement
• Make sure you have the right technology to tell the story
• Establish networks (police, fire, social media influencers, etc.) before events, so you can call on your network when you need to

Remember, things move fast, so you need to plan ahead, but be flexible and forgiving. If you make a mistake or do something wrong, admit it. Be flexible, be honest and genuine, and don’t be afraid to utilize/curate information from the hundreds or thousands of citizens on the ground gathering and sharing information.

Constantly review the tools in your toolbelt (blogs, photos, videos) and the sites you use, and make sure you’re ready to tell your story in the best way possible, because if you don’t have approval to use it, you’re at a disadvantage, because the average citizen doesn’t need it. That certainly doesn’t mean leaving out traditional media, it’s just that newer tools typically allow you to get out there quicker.

Bre Pettis Opening Remarks

SXSW 2013 Opening Remarks

@Bre, Bre Pettis, Founder Makerbot

I’ve been following Makerbot the last several years, as my SXSW buddy John Biehler has been a big advocate and user of 3D printers (in fact, he’s got a session on the topic at SXSW this year). It’s really cool to see all of the things they can do, and can’t wait until the technology becomes more commonplace.

Here’s a bit of what Pettis shared with the audience:

• In the same way Photoshop changed the way photography works, Makerbot is dedicated to helping change the playing field for innovative explorers.
• They just announced a digital scanner which can help to scan existing 3D items to replicate them using 3D printing, as well as a partnership with AutoDesk which will allow designers to design and make things much more easily.
• While the Makerbot primarily uses the extruder to melt plastic and form it into your design, you can use different types of extruders to make all sorts of things – from a syringe filled with icing or chocolate for cupcakes to metal and other things.
• The vision is to have makerbots everywhere, from schools to homes.
• Yes, you can build your own legos, but it takes quite a long time. It’s primarily used right now to help designers and inventors prototype items. Even Ford Motors is using 3D printers to design and prototype car parts.
• They’ve grown Thingverse – a website for designs of various 3D printed items to over 40,000 items, with nearly a fourth of things submitted in just the last few months.

All in all, 3D printers are very cool and have the potential. It should be interesting to see what happens to things like the toy industry and how big an impact it can have on things like that. Much like Pettis, I think this has the potential to be huge for future inventors – in fact, most of the Kickstarter campaigns I’ve seen recently have used 3D printers to prototype their inventions. Imagine how this levels the playing field!

SXSW 2013

It’s not to strong of me to say I love SXSW, it’s such an awesome event full of digital creatives. It’s a tremendous event to learn and network with thousands there to challenge thinking and try new things.

I’m not there, but I’m watching as much as I can live online and following twitter hashtags. I really want to be there, but will cover as much of it as I can right here, just as I have in previous years when I’ve attended.

If you want to watch some of the sessions streamed live, visit http://sxsw.com/live

And huge thanks to Oracle for making the live stream available.

Top Takeaways from #RaganMSFT

As you could probably tell by my last several posts, I had a wonderful time at the Ragan Employee Communications, PR, and Social Media Summit at Microsoft.  As I’ve done with the last several conferences I’ve been to, I wanted to wrap things up with a summary of the themes and takeaways I had at the conference.  Here you go:

SharePoint Can Be More
It was the excellent opening workshop by Dux that made me realize that SharePoint could be so much more than simply a document repository.  He showed example after example of how SharePoint could easily implement things like workflows and be used to build dashboards.  I’ve come back with a better sense of optimism and I’m in the process of looking for ways to utlize SharePoint to help my team.

Video Helps Tell Your Story
While the presentation by Drew Keller on using video to tell stories was excellent, it was the presentation connecting internally using video by Justin Fong, of Teach For America, that energized me.  Not only was he able to use video to increase internal reader/viewership by 5 times, but he laid out the phases of his plan.  It was obvious in the video examples he showed, that members of the organization were much more energized with the videos than they were with the newsletter.  Having worked in video for the last 7 years, I knew this, but it took these presentation and examples to remind me of the power of video for internal communications.

Every Company is Different
Some great companies presented on internal communications, from SAS and REI, to Best Buy, Expedia, and Microsoft.  What I learned is that every company is different.  While companies like REI and Best Buy have to worry about a huge portion of their employees who don’t have a company-provided computer, there are other companies like SAS and Microsoft who are able to build robust Intranet Hubs for information.  Every company communicated with employees differently, but that’s because they all remembered to put the audience first and let their audiences’ needs be their guide.

Make Executives More Human
It was  neat to see how, particularly SAS, Expedia, and REI get their executives out of the office and into the mix with employees.  Whether that’s visiting the locations where they work, revealing parts of their lives on a blog, or working side-by-side with them on projects.  The presentation by Mark Schumann (@dmarkschumann), which covered leadership communication in a social world and maximizing leadership communication, gave some excellent examples of how you can help make executives more human.

Change Management is Way More than Communications
Hearing about how Skype was brought into Microsoft was enlightening.  As they showed in their presentation about change management communication, change takes a lot of communication, but it also takes a whole lot more – like partnerships, leadership communities, and a strategic plan.

There are always New Tools
I consider myself to be fairly tech saavy, and while I was aware of many of the tools Dux used in his presentation about maximizing social media success, there were several I wasn’t aware of.  There were some excellent tools for incorporating Twitter into PowerPoint that I’m going to borrow.  Both from this presenation and catching up with @BevJack, I’m always excited to learn about new tools, apps, etc. that folks in social media find useful.

10th Annual Great Pumpkin Ale

Ever since the second year I started brewing (2003), I’ve brewed a pumpkin ale.  It started when I was still brewing with a Mr. Beer kit and found a recipe for it.  At the time, there weren’t many commercial pumpkin beers (the only one I could find at the time was Buffalo Bill’s).  Ever since then, I’ve brewed my Great Pumpkin ale every year (and actually brewed a porter or stout version as well the last couple years).  The recipe usually varies, depending upon what ingredients I have at hand, however, some things never change – like adding pureed pumpkin and spices both after the boil and in the secondary.

Creating Magical Experiences

Disney Parks Social Media Content: Creating Magical Experiences
Thomas Smith (@ThomasSmith) is Social Media Director at Disney Destinations

It was obvious from the start of the presentation that Disney has a significant social media presence.  On Facebook alone, their properties have over 381 million fans.  They monitor (using Radian 6) and respond on their social media properties 24/7.  The Disney Parks blog is the hub of their social media strategy, and everything else is a spoke out from that central location.

The mission of the blog and social media focus is no different than the vision Walt Disney had for his theme parks – “A place for people to find happiness and knowledge.”  Their strategy is driven by the following goals:

• Humanize Disney
• Purposeful Storytelling
• Remarkable Experiences
• Curiosity = Ideas (Ask what if? and why not?)

They prioritize the blog the same way they do any of their other properties, and as Smith said, “We look at every day like a new ‘show’ on the blog,” and, utilizing a network of more than 75 bloggers and content contributors from across the company they prepare a lot of content on a daily basis.  This network of bloggers and contributors ranges from the CEO to managers in multiple departments throughout the company.  Their content strategy is made up of the following: