In Charge of The World, a poem

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photo by FlyingintheFace

Fly Away Home
______________________________

the moon drifts behind clouds
and shuts off its light.
he waits.

the moon jumps out
then back in,
teasing him like a firefly
floating in the dark.

the road bends.

(dere dit is!) he cheers.
he lights up.
he’s found silver.

(touch) he says (moonah?)
(ooooh reach)
Too High, I Say.

headlamps show only a few feet ahead.
we turn again.

(oh no! moonah!)
It’s OK. I Say.
Tomorrow.

(no, mooonah..)
Rest Now. I Say.

the exit comes
and we change direction
once again.

(moonah! dere dit is! oh, yes!)
(winnow? downah?)

i press the button.
the smooth whirr of the motor
sinks the barrier away.

(mama, yook moonah touch)
he pushes against the restraints
to stick his tiny wing
out to coast on
the summer highway winds.

Ooooh. Mooooonah. Touch.

he has forgotten me
he is flying.

Tags:   baby · boy · moon · poem

Increasingly, my group of early adopters and the public at large are finding the need to further define and categorize the general term ‘media’ in order to communicate effectively.  For example, many of us are familiar with the term “traditional media” and know what that means.  We’ve heard the term “citizen journalism” and somehow know that this is traditional media made by a non-professional person.  But these two terms aren’t enough to describe the different types of media that are emerging.  We need more detailed terminology.

Here are some of my ‘in-progress’ definitions of different types of media to help define our growing world.

Basic Terms:

Media: any form of communication: speech, video, audio, pictures, art, written words, animation, webcast, etc.

Content: any piece of consumable media posted on the internet.  Used in reference to one instance or the whole of a person’s or group’s work.  E.g. “I read her blog.  I really like her content.”

Content generation: the act of making consumable communication for the web.  Eventually this term will be generalized to mean the act of making any media.

Content generator: Any person who makes media, but currently it refers almost exclusively to blogging and videoblogging people.

Consumer: Any person who reads or watches media on the internet or off-line.

Media snacker: colloquial term (sometimes derrogative) for people who visit many media sites to read or watch small amounts of media quickly.  E.g., clicking on a website and reading only headlines or post titles, then moving on to another site to do the same.

Various Types of Media:
Traditional media: (also known as Mainstream Media, initialed as MSM): the content that comes from recognized news sources like newspapers, TV news channels, etc.  Traditional media is generated by large or small organizations that hire professional journalists and video crew staff to generate content.  That content is then mass-distributed on a regularly timed schedule.

Citizen media: media that serves a political or journalistic purpose.  Citizen media may be the product of citizen journalism.  Usually produced and distributed on the internet on no particular timed schedule. [Citizen journalism: when “regular” people (i.e. unpaid or untrained journalists) report on current events.  The citizen journalism is the investigative action, the citizen media is the content generated when the investigative action is finished.]

Public media: this is media that the general population generates.  Public media doesn’t serve a specific purpose like citizen media.  Public media can be consumed and/or interacted with by masses of people.  This can also be called “Common Media.”  E.g., YouTube.

Private Media: public media that has been hidden from public view.  E.g., private sets on Flickr.

Corporate media: any media that is made for or used solely by a business.  E.g., training videos.

Ad media: any advertising media, including viral media.

Viral media: media that appears public (that may be public or corporate media) that gathers the attention of many consumers.  Media usually isn’t considered ‘viral’ unless it has garnered attention internationally and has been seen by hundreds of thousands of consumers.

Technology

Social media: This is a confusing term.  Social media isn’t media as defined above and should not be listed under the category of “Various Types of Media.”   Social media isn’t media, it is technology.  Social media refers to an ever-growing set of communication tools and website and mobile applications on that focus on sharing public media and connecting people who share a common interest in that public media.

Social site: a website that concentrates on forging connections between people.  A place where people can share media.  E.g. Myspace, Facebook.

Live stream: a technology that allows a person to generate content and post it practically simultaneously on the internet.

As I said, this is a list in progress.  Let me know what you think.  If you know of a phenomenon that has yet to be defined, please comment and we will think up something together.  If you take issue with my definitions or want to tweak them, please comment.  This is a collaborative effort from this point forward.  Thanks!

Tags:   definition · Media · social · technology · terms

	PodCamp Philly 2008: Scheduled for September 6th & 7th
Podcamp Philly 2008 will be held this year on September 6 & 7th, at Temple University’s Tuttleman Learning Center (http://www.temple.edu/tuttleman/).  In addition to our usual high quality content covering blogging, podcasting and all things new media, this year we’re pleased to partner with SearchCamp Philly, which offers valuable instruction and insight into the world of Search Engine Optimization and Marketing. As with any PodCamp, we have some good social events lined up in addition to the sessions. Friday night, we have scheduled the Welcome Party for North Bowl (www.northbowlphilly.com) and it should be a blast. We’ve got the 2nd floor loft, complete with four private bowling lanes. Video here: www.podcampphilly.com/node/34.  Saturday night, PodCamp returns to Old City’s Triumph Brewing Company, so get ready to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones. More information here: www.triumphbrewing.com All in all, it should be a lot of fun.With a new year comes a few changes, too. From the programming standpoint, we’re trying to offer more content to experienced participants, while still including beginners. Of course, participation and interaction are still a main component to the event. In addition, we’re charging a modest $21 registration fee, with all proceeds being donated to Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy (www.scienceleadership.org/). With a state-of-the-art facility, broad programming and fun set of social events, PodCamp Philly will once again offer  a great experience that shouldn’t be missed. You can register here: www.podcampphilly.eventbrite.com. If you’d like more information: www.podcampphilly.com Thanks and we hope to see you soon. Whitney Hoffman, Lead Organizer Bill Rowland, Lead Organizer Podcamp Philly 2008
Address: PodCamp Philly, 105 Beach Ln. Chadds Ford, PA 19317, USA Phone: (302) 562-6507 Send this newsletter to friends! Received this from a friend? Sign up now! Copyright © 2006 Company Inc. All rights reserved. This newsletter is sent using Newsberry.

Tags:   conference · Philadelphia · podcamp philly · podcampphilly

You posted WHAT?

Let’s pretend it’s the morning of a new nationally recognized holiday.  It’s called Idea Day.  On Idea Day anyone can announce their intentions and have free Gallup-type polling from the masses.  This can be wonderfully supportive and encouraging if you have a good idea.  But if your idea is thought of as morally repugnant or just generally idiotic by the crowd, your soapbox is kicked out from under you and the noose tightens around your neck.  Obviously, only suicidal bravehearts take the stage on Idea Day.

Well, this morning, Generation Y’er new mom Jules is excited.  She is wrapping up the Cutest Baby in the entire world (whose level of extreme cuteness has been documented on international TV and news outlets) to take to the Idea Day celebration in the local town square.  Jules isn’t particularly brave, just sure about her idea of starting a blog about Cutest Baby.  After all, CB is already world famous and there are tons of unofficial websites dedicated to him.  Surely Jules will hear waves of cheers.  It’ll turn the day into one big party.
[Read more →]

Tags:   mommy blog · questions · Social Media · story

Article from the London Times in the UK.

Poetry at the 2012 Olympic Games? There’s no rhyme or reason why not

If they had poetry and rhetoric in ancient Athens they can have medals for slam performances in London, says Fanny Walker

[Read more →]

Tags:   article · olympics · poetry · slam

In 2001 Barbara Ehrenreich wrote Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting By in America.

You can get an idea of what the book is about by checking it out on Amazon; I won’t waste your time here reiterating a synopsis of a 7-year-old work.  I’ll simply give you some of my observations.

Ms. Ehrenreich doesn’t mention her upbringing, but judging by how she seems to be rubbernecking the poor as if they were a 3-jalopy-pile-up on the interstate, I’m assuming it was solidly middle class.  She details the daily struggles well, but she only touches on the culture of the poor.  She is always on the other side of the divider, peering in.  She seems to concentrate only on the money and survival.  Her tone is more political than condescending, but it seems like she found no solace in anything, anywhere.  About halfway through the book, I was feeling a bit defensive.  You see, until I was 13, I grew up in that car wreck.  Ms. Ehrenreich deigned to stop and watch for a few short months, but my formative years were trapped there.

In my life, I’ve been exposed to ridiculous wealth, depressing poverty, and middle class struggles. [Read more →]

Tags:   book · nickel and dimed · poverty · study

Blog Herald

http://www.blogherald.com/2008/07/15/blogging-jobs-how-much-are-bloggers-paid-to-blog/

“As we continue with this series on blogging jobs, it’s time to look at the income a blogger can make by blogging for pay.

The skills and qualities a company or blog owner is looking for from a blogger are extensive, far beyond just writing abilities. As with any freelance job, determining how to put a value on the time it really takes, and the costs associated with the time and production, is really hard when the real cost is in time, not materials. Bloggers should be paid for the time as well as their expertise and abilities. Are they? This is a problem that has been around for a very long time. How much is your time worth?”

Tags:   blog · blogging · pay

(I wrote this as a sample blog post back in March of 2008 for a potential blogging gig.  Don’t know if they ever published it - which they didn’t have permission to do - but here it is.  You can see some much better and funnier posts on the same subject by googling ‘weird facebook groups‘)

Facebook groups provide hours of web-surfing entertainment.  Here are 5 Weird (but active) Facebook groups you will probably never surf into without the help of an internet sherpa.  There are a lot of hilariously titled groups on Facebook, but these 5 have activity, have real life members, and are relatively esoteric:

PHILLIP ZIMBARDO- HE KNOWS WHERE YOU LIVE.  This is just one example of the 12 Facebook groups that center around infamous Stanford Prison Experiment psychologist Phillip Zimbardo.  For those of us who aren’t familiar, the 1971 Stanford Prison study turned squeaky clean undergraduates into ruthless animals in a matter of hours.  Dr. Zimbardo seems to still have his die hard fans!

“I’m a Bostonian and I’ve seen the guy on the bike who makes the siren noise” The title alone is enough to make you click through.  Although the ‘sightings’ timeline hasn’t been updated since 2007, the discussion boards are still active.  What’s great about this group is that its Facebook category is Sports & Recreation.  ‘Boston Broken Toe Avoidance’ will be a a ratified Olympic sport by 2016.

Weird Instrument Lovers Know what mellotrons and duduks are? Do you play watermelons?  Bubblewrap?  How about bowed psaltry, mbiras, or a vibraslap?  No? Then no tibetan signal horn soup for you.

I Tend To Fart In Public. Listed under Philanthropic Organizations, this group is worth looking up just for the first video posted on its page.  Here’s the description: “This is a group for sharing horror stories about farting in a socially unacceptable setting.  It’s happened to all of us and we could all use a safe place to talk about it.”

World Pet Memorial Day (Canada) “This group helps raise awareness of World Pet Memorial Day in a safe and respectful manner” says the description.  There is an unsafe way to let people know about dead pets?  And there are other chapters?

Tags:   facebook · groups · weird

/rant

I’m gonna jump on the bandwagon and finally do a “Twitter rant” post.  But it isn’t gonna go the way you  expect.

Do a blog search for “Twitter” lately and your browser will be lit up with all the latest rants about the service’s failings.  Granted, Twitter hasn’t had the best track record to say the very least.  And their ‘leadership’ gave dubious meaning to the word.  And they schedule maintenance at suspicious times.  And they didn’t seem to care about their users.  And they underestimated the popularity of their little bit of code.  And they run experiments that wipe away followers and followees for a day or two.  And they weren’t enforcing their terms of service. And they annoy developers by locking down their API.  And… And… And…

ANNNNND: I’m growing tired of all the winge!  People need to get a clue.  Twitter still wails on any other copycat service.  Twitter is THE microblogging giant.  They are improving.  They are communicating more on their blog, acquiring supportive services like Summize.  I had a swift response by @Jack to a complaint about a griefer user.  My followee numbers are back to normal.  They are making good faith efforts.

I’m not sure what people want from Twitter.  Maybe they are just the giant we love to hate, like the rest of the world loves to hate The States.  Who knows?  But if I hear ONE MORE EGOTISTICAL SOCIAL MEDIA WHORE whine about losing followers, I’m gonna go BOOYAH on somebody’s ass. Cyndy Aleo-Carreira has it right over on Louis Gray’s site, it’s just plain old HUBRIS that drives people to mourn and moan the absence of their ‘adoring masses.’

IT’S JUST AN APP, people.  For fun and maybe a place to share some good recipes.  YOU ARE NOT FAMOUS.  GET OVER YOURSELF.  TWITTER IS FREE.  And with Twitter, you are definitely getting more than what you pay for it in time and energy.  If I were the Twitter guys, I’d be a bit disgusted by this show of the worst the social media crowd has to offer.

/rant

Tags:   free · rant · service · Twitter