New Venture – Tourism Marketing Consulting

Social Media, Travel 1 Comment »

tourism-marketing-consulting-logo

Tomorrow is a coming out party for Tourism Marketing Consulting which is a project that Jen Leo and I have been working on for a few months. We are kicking off this joint venture with a free webinar called “Social Media 101“.

Jen and I met at the speaker’s dinner last year at the Travel Blog Exchange conference in Chicago. We hit it off immediately and soon after Gary Arndt and I asked her to join us starting the This Week in Travel podcast. Jen confessed recently that she thought she was being asked to be on one episode and did not realize that she was being asked to be a regular host. That is probably just as well as she might have said “no” as her job as the lead travel blogger with the LA Times was keeping her pretty busy.

Jen has much more experience in travel than I do and seems to know all the other travel editors and travel writers. I have a bit more social media experience since I was building internet communities full time starting in 1996. She is a blogger and I am a podcaster. I am afraid to ask, but since she lives in southern California she might even be a Dodgers fan. Hopefully this is the start of a beautiful partnership. I hope you can join us tomorrow.

Running a Community is like Throwing a Party

Social Media No Comments »

artichoke dipRunning an online community is like throwing a party. That’s what Jenna Woodul LiveWorld’s Chief Community Officer told me sometime in the 1990s. I have always liked the analogy.

I attended my first meeting of a particular meetup group recently. I arrived with my artichoke dip and entered into a house full of strangers. I did not know whose house I was in. Even by the time I left, I still did not know who was the owner of the house. I did not know where to put my dip so I stood there for a few minutes like… well… a dip. I talked to some people but there were no name tags and no introductions. No one said “Chris, you are new here, I would like you to meet…”. The main presentation was by a husband and wife. It was interesting but the couple bickered the entire time. It is unlikely I will return to that group. Some changes to that meetup or to you community will increase the chance that people will return.

Whose house am I in?

Well run communities have context. When I come to your community I want to know whose community this is and what it stands for. Some of this sense of place should come from the branding even before I interact with anyone in the community.

Where do I put the dip?

How do things run here? Prompts, categories and seeded content help give me a sense of how this community works. A lot of communities put up a community standards in the registration process and think they are done. But why do I decide to register? Why should I join your merry band? Did you let your lawyers write your community standards? Do people read it?

Introductions

Think about a time or place on your community where people can introduce themselves. People like to be welcomed and acknowledged.

Who in your community is an official host or an unofficial one? If you are greeted when you join a community you will be more likely to see that as the way this community works.

Some people here are new

In a lot of communities that I have seen over the years the new person finds out what the expectations are by breaking them. Think I am exaggerating? How about this answer from a typical forum:

what camera is best.. really is stupid unanswerable question and
its time we starting saying so to the myriad of people that keep
asking it…

…and welcome to the community. When that kind of answer becomes tolerated or expected then the community will have a hard time attracting new users.

Bickering

It is very awkward to sit through a presentation where the presenters bicker with one another. Communities are the same way. As communities age sometimes cliques or factions can develop. I am not necessarily even talking about the big picture differences between people who arrived with different world views on politics, religion or the New York Yankees but people who have developed bad blood over time. Ever been to a family reunion or a family wedding like that? Even the best communities need ongoing hosting.

Values

People will imitate the behaviors they see you model, promote or tolerate on your community. Does your community reflect what your company or organization values?

recipe for artichoke dip

The World’s Best Productivity Aid… Focus

Uncategorized 1 Comment »

timer%20utilityI often get asked how I get so much done. Granted I got asked that more before I quit the day job. I have learned that one of the best ways to be productive is to focus. But I only have so much focus in me so the trick that I use involves a timer.

The Amateur Traveler podcast that I put out pretty much every Saturday morning takes hours of production. The problem with that schedule means is I am often working on it late into the night on Friday nights. If there is one night that I don’t particularly feel like working it would probably be Friday. Now the smart person would probably finish the production work on Thursday but this is not a post on how to be smart.

Most weeks I finish the show by bribing myself. I set a timer for 25 minutes. During that 25 minutes I focus only on the show. I don’t answer email. I don’t look at twitter, AIM, or Skype. I don’t listen to podcasts. I don’t check facebook. I don’t sit within the sound of a TV or a radio. Then when the timer goes off I set it again for 5 minutes. During that 5 minutes I play. My game of choice is Age of Mythology. I don’t play it online where I could be caught up in something that would be hard to stop, because after 5 minutes the process repeats. 25 minutes of work, 5 minutes of play.

Sometimes I get sucked into more than 5 minutes of play but more often I get sucked into more than 25 minutes of work. In theory, I could finish faster if I did not take time out for a break every 25 minutes, but what I have found is that without that break I would find excuses to do something else. My mind wants to wander. During that 5 minutes I might instead catch up on twitter or facebook. I probably listen to a podcast while I play. I might check my email, AIM or Skype, but then it’s back to work.

So my suggestion is to find time to focus… but also find time to play.

Anyone Can Make A Live Internet “TV” Call-in Show

Podcasting 1 Comment »

Last month I had the opportunity to join airline pilot / podcaster Joe d’Eon on his new live video show on uStream.tv – Fly with Me Live. It used to be that production of a live broadcast video show would require at least a cable access studio with thousands of dollars of hardware. And even then who watches cable access? The internet has brought video broadcast costs down to the hundreds of dollars. Joe’s setup is for two people with two cameras.
Audio:

  • T.C. Electronic Konnekt 8 firewire interface (they are no making these, but you can find them on ebay)
  • Heil PR 40 mic
  • Shure SM 58 mic
  • Behringer Mixer

Video:

  • 2 x QuickCam® Vision Pro webcams

joe-deon-studio

Joe’s setup is more complicated to run since he is taking Skype calls  live from listeners. If you just want to broadcast via uStream.tv you just need a uStream account, camera and microphone. The software setup Joe is using is free:

  • Skype – Joe takes calls via Skype. Add in a Skype-in account and people could also call from a normal phone.
  • uStream.tv – uStream supports a large number of users watching the video stream. It also adds the ability to have a chat associated with the event and records the event for the people who missed the live broadcast. It does all of this for free.
  • Camtwist - Camtwist is a great piece of free software (Mac OS) that allows you to switch between different video setups. You can program in setups like a lower third graphic, a slide show, picture and picture and also switch between video cameras and showing your desktop.
  • Soundflower – Camtwist is cool, but soundflower is arcane. This piece of software helps you take the audio output of one program and feed it into another. So soundflower is needed so that you can hear the callers on Skype and still have the audio be broadcast to listeners.

Joe and his lovely wife Sarah (who hides off camera) go through a pre-flight check list before the show to make sure all the settings are set. Sarah also monitors the chat room for questions. I look forward to where you can do this same functionality with on itegrated package. You don’t have to be a jet plane pilot to run your own live video call-in show… but it doesn’t hurt either.

The 71 Best Podcasts – Confessions of a Podcast Addict

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They say that the first step in dealing with an addiction is admitting that you have a problem. I have a problem. The list of 71 podcasts below are shows that I listen to or watch. I do occasionally skip an episode but generally consume every episode of the following shows. I do actually subscribe to more shows than this but I did not include any show that does not come out regularly or has not come out recently.

How do I listen to so many shows? I listen mostly on my iPhone at double speed which means that it is easier for an audio show to get my attention than a video show.

There are of course other podcasts out there that are terrific but honestly… I feel I am doing my part. So the list has no knitting podcasts or sports podcasts but clearly reflects my personal interests. But I listen to an awful lot of podcasts so I think my opinion has some merit. It is easier to get on my list if your show is short because of the number of shows I subscribe to.

I put my favorites in bold. This list is subject to change but these favorite podcasts are the ones I am most committed to.

Yes, I did include my 4 podcasts, but what did you expect?

Technology

Business

English

History

  • The History of Rome rss – audio – This is probably one of my two favorite podcasts. A show that can come out so regularly and come out with such high quality episodes is admirable.
  • Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History rss – audio – Dan’s show is much less frequent but another popular show for history buffs.
  • BBC History Magazine rss – audio – This show is a new addition for me and I find it a bit hit and miss.

Productivity

Comedy

News

Travel

  • Amateur Traveler Podcast – the best places to travel to rss – enhanced audio – The Amateur Traveler is an interview show focusing on travel destinations. This is my show.
  • Amateur Traveler Video rss – video – This again is my podcast which shows videos from my travel.
  • This Week in Travel rss – audio – I swear this is the last travel show I do. This Week in Travel is a roundtable discussion with Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, a guest and I looking at travel news.
  • Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase! rss – audio – Betty N. Thesky is a flight attendant with a major airline who records crazy stories about air travel.
  • Fly With Me rss – audio – Joe d’Eon is a pilot for a major airline that also records stories on air travel. Joe got Betty (above) started in podcasting.
  • WOR – Arthur Frommer rss – audio – Arthur and Pauline Frommer are each a font of knowledge on travel, although the questions they get asked on this call-in show do get a bit redundant.
  • Peter Greenberg Worldwide rss – audio – I have no desire to travel as much as Peter Greenberg does. Peter has great guests from the travel industry as he broadcasts from a new destination each week.
  • Redbelly Radio rss – audio – This is another great company podcast from Southwest Airlines.
  • TravelCommons rss – video – My friend Mark Peacock talks about life as a road warrior business traveler.
  • Travel with Rick Steves rss – audio – Rick Steves interviews his guides or authors. The content is great but the show has two musical segments I fast forward through since he is repurposing his radio show.
  • Home Based Travel Agent Podcast rss – audio – This is obviously a niche show by my friends Barry Kantz and Lorene Romero.
  • Travel in 10: 10 Minute Travel Podcast rss – audio and video – David Brodie, yes another travel podcaster friend of mine, does a show that is travel destination focused.
  • ontravel.com rss – audio – Veteran travel journalists Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harrington host perhaps the shortest travel show.
  • The Indie Travel Podcast rss – enhanced audio – My friends Craig and Linda are Kiwis who host perhaps the best travel podcast for the backpack and hostel crowd.
  • Heather on her travels Podcasts rss – audio – Heather may have gotten her podcasting start on the Amateur Traveler but now has her own new travel show.
  • TravellingTwo: Bicycle Touring Around The World » Radio Shows rss – audio – Andrew and Friedel may have gotten their podcasting start on the Amateur Traveler but they now host a show about bike travel.
  • Galavanting rss – video – Kim Mance and her crew have one of the nicest looking video travel shows. At times the conversation seems scripted… just like on the Travel Channel which would do well to bring these ladies on board.
  • TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: The Travel Destination Podcast rss – audio – Gary Bembridge does a travel show targeting more of the POSH style of travel like crossing the atlantic on the QE2. Gary always gives practical tips.
  • Lonely Planet Travelcasts rss – audio – This show is a bit hit and miss for my tastes as they try to cover the more unusual side of travel.
  • Hostelworld.com Podcasts rss – audio – This is another travel podcast targeting the backpack and hostel crowd.

Faith

  • The Bible Study Podcast rss – audio – OK, this is the last of my podcasts. The goal of this podcast is to cover the bible without all the politics.

Photography

  • Typical Shutterbug Podcast rss – audio – Victor Cajiao takes his congenial podcast ways (Typical Mac User podcast) and applies them to his hobby of photography.

Music

  • Accident Hash rss – audio – CC Chapman’s oldest podcast is this music show that looks at more independent bands. CC gets excited about music also.
  • Build the Church rss – audio – Podcaster Mark Linder knows I hate the opening and closing of this contemporary Christian music podcast, but I loved the music… usually. Mark’s show runs the gamut from blues and soft rock to head banging and rap.

Storytelling

  • Griddlecakes Radio rss – audio – Ron Ploof is a story-teller and this highly produced podcast shows that the art of story telling is not dead.

So Far, Google Buzz Doesn’t Work for Me

Social Media 2 Comments »

google-buzz

Google Buzz has been out for almost 3 months now and I think it is time to take another look. I find that I am not using Google Buzz and I think there are a few design decisions that have hampered its acceptance.

Privacy

Clearly Google biffed their original roll out with all sorts of bad privacy choices and defaults, but it seems that they have learned from their mistakes and have fixed most of the issues. That is at least better than one large social networking company (which rhymes with acebook) that keeps making bad decisions in the privacy area.

My Login is My Email

The one area of privacy that has not been addressed is that Google took a social network and made the public handle for me my email address. Every single update to Google Buzz is a message to the world what your email address is. Now I built and ran online communities since 1996 and we never had a customer who chose to make the email address the public user name for their community. As your email address is available publically it opens you up to more spam. Google Buzz only has that issue to the extent that your updates are public and can be scraped by bots. But, if you are not selective about who you add to your social graph then expect more spam.

I Don’t Follow Popular People

One thing I did not expect is that I have stopped following anyone who has a popular following. Google decided in Buzz that anytime someone replies to someone I follow that the reply belongs in my update feed. That means when I followed Robert Scoble or Chris Pirillo, to name two, my buzz feed was now just about them. Anyone less popular was lost in the noise. I don’t get that issue on twitter. Now communities and message boards have dealt with those issues for many years. Most message board systems provide different ways of filtering information. They usually show me just the threads in a discussion and let me know which ones have new replies and don’t require that I get all updates for every post. I think that Google could learn something from some of these older methods. Maybe I should only get updates after I have commented or maybe they can give me an option of telling them which discussions I want to follow. This is not a new problem. There are proven solutions.

Do You Want Community In My Email?

I am not a big gmail user so I don’t know the answer to the last question. Is my inbox the best place to put a social network? With so many people overwhelmed by keeping up with their email, is Google Buzz just the wrong place to be social?

Chris Christensen Voice Actor

Inside Chris's Head 3 Comments »

Since I left the day job in January I have been doing more voice over work including some voice acting for an upcoming animated short film from the Netherlands. Here are some of the demos that I created:

relaxed

commercial with humor

commercial – warm with humor

Continental Airlines phone

24 Promo

Powered by Voice123 – Voice-Over

Voice work and voiceovers seemed like a natural extension after recording 400+ podcasts. I have had people comment on my telephone and podcast voice over the years. So if you hear my voice on the next Dreamworks film… or more likely on someone’s voicemail tree please let me know. See my voice over profile on Voice123.

I Love Teaching About Social Media

Social Media 1 Comment »

speakingI am reminded this morning how much I love teaching about Social Media. I had the opportunity to speak on the Google campus to a group of RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) alumni and guests on Social Media. Since I live in the social media echo chamber it is easy for me to forget that not everyone knows terms like RSS, podcast, and social network. I love getting a chance to explain what social media is and how it can actually help your business. Consistently when I have been speaking recently I am told that actually talking about business strategy and social media is not common. Why is that?

If you are interested, here is my slide deck, but my slides are not the kind where you sit in the room and read my presentation.

I don’t have the audio from this event but part of the talk on strategy is similar to what I talked about at a recent Social Media Breakfast presentation which was captured on For Immediate Release Speakers & Speaches series.

Speaking at Google Campus on March 18th about Social Media

Social Media No Comments »

googleI will be speaking on the Google campus in March. This is for the alumni group from RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York) where I matriculated. You don’t have to be an RPI alumni to attend. If you would like to come and hear me speak either register or let me know and I can add you as a guest of my registration.

RPI Speakers Series — Social Media/Networking
Thursday, March 18, 6:30 p.m.
Google Headquarters, Mountain View, California

RCNC is pleased to announce the next RPI Speakers Series meeting for Thursday, March 18, 2010, to be held at the Google Facility in Mountain View.  Our speaker, Chris Christensen ‘83, ‘84G Computer & Systems Engineering, has been the Executive Vice President of Engineering and Operations for a company in Silicon Valley (LiveWorld) that runs online communities for companies like eBay, Marriott, American Express, Campbell’s, Kimberly Clark, A&E, and Mini Cooper.  Chris has recently established a consultancy to focus on podcasting and blogging including his popular Amateur Traveler podcast.

Chris will be covering some of the history of social media, the different types of social media and how your company’s business strategy can help determine how best to use social media.  Chris encourages attendees to bring your questions about LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

There is no charge for this event, but we ask that you register.

Project Homeless Connect

Inside Chris's Head No Comments »

Project-Homeless-Connect

I wrote a while back about Disney’s Give a Day Get a Disney Day program where Disney was giving away a day at a Disney park in exchange for a day volunteering. I thought this sounded like a great program so I joined and found a volunteer program near me… well sort of near me. Yesterday I took part in Project Homeless Connect in San Francisco. I had volunteered to help people find jobs by helping do internet job searches and mock interviews. There were other opportunities closer to me, but this one seemed like it would be worthwhile.

Project Homeless Connect was an amazing effort to provide services for San Francisco’s homeless. The volunteers were encouraged when we arrived to look around at all that was happening. The DMV was there to provide id cards as was social security. There were medical services, and dentists doing teeth extraction, people performing HIV tests, acupuncturists and a popular group literally providing hands-on help with massages. There were groups providing help finding shelter and several groups dealing with victims of abuse or with people dealing with addiction. There were barbers, podiatrists and wheel chair repair people. Both the number of homeless and the number of volunteers were stunning.

My expectations to simply sit behind a table and wait for people to come look for a job were quickly shattered as I was handed a clipboard and told to talk to people and find those who wanted help finding a job. Some of my expectations of what a homeless person looks like were accurate and some were shattered. I talked to one young man who is a student at USF working on his degree in operations research. One man had just moved to the area and was looking for a job he could start tomorrow. Another man laughed at me that he had not had a job in 20 years. Two men informed me that they could not get jobs because they were homeless. Who would watch their stuff?

When I did get a chance to help a few people with an internet job search I was reminded once again that acts like checking your email, remembering your password and doing a job search that I take for granted are skills that I have learned over time. It was satisfying to help one woman get past her frustration submitting a job application and to provide some guidance what employers might be looking for. I would certainly consider participating in Project Homeless Connect when it happens again in two months. I think that was the point of the Disney project. If you get people to try volunteering, they might just like it.

update 2/25 – I just got the stats for the event:

The numbers of people needing your help yesterday at Project Homeless Connect #33 was enormous – 2497. Thanks to the 1598 volunteers we were able to accomplish so much.

91 ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTS
52 BANKING ACCOUNTS
168 BENEFITS Cal Works, Food Stamps, GA
162 CALIFORNIA STATE ID’s
47 CHIROPRACTOR
124 DENTAL TREATMENTS   300 SCREENED
153 EMPLOYMENT
635 EYE EXAMS & GLASSES
22,727 lbs GROCERIES
115 HAIR CUTS
22 HEARING SCREENS
113 HIV TESTS
162 LEGAL SUPPORT
72 MASSAGES
258 MEDICAL & 64 FOLLOW UP APPTS
125 NEEDLE EXCHANGE
352 PHONE CALLS &  102 VOICE MAIL ACCOUNTS
58 PODIATRY
145 SSI/MEDI-CAL
106 SUBSTANCE ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH & METHADONE TREATMENT
95 VETERANS SERVICES
78 VETERINARY CARE and PET SITTING
31 WHEELCHAIR REPAIRS
46  SHELTER &  STABILIZATION 52 pending HOMEWARD BOUND