Archive for the 'Profound Thoughts' Category

Image by Stuck in Customs via Flickr

In the world of restaurant reviews I’m squarely in the Zagat demographic. Moderately affluant suburban married spends time in major urban center dines out…  you know the type.

But yesterday, while out to lunch with a couple of my moderately affluent suburban marrieds who spend time in major urban centers, we realized that despite the ‘Reviewed in Zagat’ sticker on the restaurant’s front window, none of us have even considered consulting the little black book in ages. I’m pretty sure I haven’t even owned a copy since 2002 or thereabouts.

What has happened is that as more and more of my friends and neighbors are using smart phones for play in addition to work, they are relying on location aware services like Yelp to find a place to eat. Not because Yelp’s reviews are more or less reliable than the competition, but because they are available easily at the push of a button.

Simply put, Yelp has a free app and Zagat is behind a pay wall. The sense of participation that Yelp offers is icing on the cake for my more opinionated neighbors. The sense of community that comes from the social networking aspects of group reviews is also a neat value add.

Once again, free and open wins out over pay walls and closed gardens.

And please don’t forget to friend me on Yelp.

The December 1999 Cover of Wired: Such Optimism

This was the decade that kicked us in the ass.

Of course this was also the decade of blogging, Social Media, the Open Web, Flickr, tagging, APIs, etc. etc. insert your Web2.0 buzzword here. But most of the really really good and smart stuff came out of the adversity, desperation and (post 9/11) panic we all went through as the new century dawned.

But even with all of these toys (hey look, I found out about Jon and Kate’s divorce before TMZ broke it! Yay Twitter!), I’m a child of the 60s and 70s. I’ve seen men walk on the Moon and I remember what the 21st Century is supposed to be like. We haven’t been to the Moon in almost 40 years, but we can tell all of our friends about our cat. Instantly. With video!

The decade has had some ups and downs. Personally my family grew larger, we moved to the house in which we hope our children will grow up. Being with my children, watching them learn and grow, has been such an amazing experience. I think on a good day, I learn more from them than I can ever teach back.

Sue and I have developed quite a juggling act, with one child homeschooled, the other two in public school and a constant list of activities and destinations I have to drive one or the other. This is what Martin Amis calls the “chauffer years” of parenting: conversations about Life, the Universe and Everything held through the rear view mirror.

Professionally I went from being out of work, to working, to involuntarily joining the ranks of social media consultants / freelancers. I met some wonderful people, participated in some amazing projects and grew as a professional and as a person. But like a lot of others in my shoes, the last year and a half have been rough.

This year started with me having to sue a former client who refused to pay me a five figure obligation. That experience, and the subsequent back and forth with this client over Twitter and elsewhere, knocked me for a loop, made me question my motives, working arrangements and if I even wanted to continue in this space. Thankfully new client work came along and now I’m working on a major project that’s far enough out of my league to be interesting and an educational experience, all the while being quite a blast. If you know what I mean. I also got back into political work – my college degree is in Political Science and I worked for the NY State Assembly and NY City Council before joining the PR world. So that was a return to my roots but bringing my social media chops to the table. I”m hoping to do more of that in 2010.

So for 2010 and the decade to follow – I want to continue changing, growing, evolving. I want to do more workshops, more video, more projects that don’t just involve blogger outreach but add something of value to the social media ecosphere. I’m looking for new projects and interested in getting back into the agency world, full time if possible.

If you are someone who is interested in working with me, or just want to say hello, please drop me a line. And have a great New Year.