Dad says that anyone who can’t use a slide rule is a cultural illiterate and should not be allowed to vote. Mine is a beauty – a K&E 20-inch Log-log Duplex Decitrig

Have Space Suit – Will Travel 1958. by Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988)

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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.

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Cover of London Calling

30 years ago yesterday, London Calling, A.K.A., the greatest rock and roll album of all time, was released.

I was a 15 year old sophomore at Ward Melville Senior High and primed for songs like “Death or Glory.” In fact you could pretty much divide up the whole student body between those who thought The Clash were the Second Coming and those who preferred “The Wall” and “In Through The Out Door.”

Maybe it’s because they just happened to coincide with my years of teenage angst, but I’ll always think of the years from 1978 to 1984 as rock and roll’s high point. 1979 was quite a year for music. Punk was winding down, turning into New Wave which eventually turned into Alternative and got boring. But even so, we had The Ramones, Talking Heads and the B-52s, all of whom that year came through and played in the college town in which I grew up.

I did get to see The Clash twice. Once at the legendary Bond’s concerts and finally when I was at college on the Combat Rock tour. In the blink of an eye they went from outlaws to playing Shea Stadium, opening for The Who. Some of us thought they sold out. Most of us were reluctant to share our little secret with the rest of the record buying public.

Soon after that they were gone – victims of an intense schedule of touring and making records and infighting in the band. I always believed that if they just stuck it out – took that long deserved break after Sandinista!, they could have rode it out and become the band that U2 eventually became. And I hate U2.

Bonus video:

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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.

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Vinyl is making a comeback:

“It is absolutely easy to say vinyl doesn’t make sense when you look at convenience, portability, all those things,” Mr. Jbara said. “But all the really great stuff in our lives comes from a root of passion or love.”

Vinyl Records and Turntables Are Making a Comeback

Nothing good ever goes away. People are still shooting pictures with black and white film.  Art supply stores are doing very well, thank you. And the handwritten thank you card is still preferred by nine out of ten Grandmothers.

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Why is it assumed that social media practitioners are somehow more honest, open, transparent, etc., than old school PRbots?

It’s flattering to believe that social media is somehow immune from the excesses (or improprieties) that have become associated with the black hats of PR.  But that’s a false sense of entitlement.  If we’re all smart, the next stage of social media’s integration into mainstream messaging will focus less on how new messages are spread and more on what those messages are actually saying in the first place.

link

Using social media tools doesn’t make a company or organization or individual more transparent or give them a human face. In fact, being transparent and having a human face are the prerequisites for a successful social media program. Otherwise it’s just marketing bullshit.

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Like a lot of people of a certain age, most of my memories of the 1960s – specifically of the Viet Nam War and of the Lunar landings – are narrated by Walter Cronkite. It’s sort of fitting in a sad way that he left us this week when we are remembering Apollo 11.

For those who weren’t around then, this video might give you some sense of the enormity of what we could accomplish back then.

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Earthrise

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Hugh being denied entry to the first venue, or

Finding out that Jason Korman is Nevel Papperman’s uncle.

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A collection of random thoughts from the past couple of weeks:

• Beth Harte is exactly right when she says PR has never been about authenticity. I can’t add anything to what she says, just go read it.
• Working with the US Olympic Committee, NBC Sports and the individual athletes participating in the Winter Games has introduced me to a whole new world. Beyond watching the Yankees and the Giants I’ve never been much of a sports fan but after spending just a few months working with the members of the US Team I’m a confirmed fan. Come February I’ll be cheering like a maniac.
• I can really do with a bit less Michael Jackson right about now.
• I’m doing a lot of work with video lately. My editing skills leave much to be desired, as do my interviewing chops, but you’ll be able to see the fruits of my labors shortly.
• I’m really happy about Senator Al Franken.
• I’m finding the whole Sarah Palin “I’m not a quiter.. I quit” thing to be very funny.

That’s all for now.

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