Launching New Start Up - Social Rewards Where Loyalty Marketing meets Social Media

This month I will be launching a new start up. I guess as a serial entrepreneur its hard to not always be thinking about companies or a new way to do things. This new company was born out of a long term relationship I've had with my high school best friend, Tatsuo (Mike) Uesugi. Over 20 years ago, Mike and I attended Western Christian High School in Covina, CA and even though he spoke little English at the time, we became fast friends as I sat behind him in English class during our Sophomore year. We eventually became roommates after high school and Mike went on to fame working at both Apple and IBM, helping Apple design the first Japanese language KanjiTalk OS for the Mac.

I went in another direction, becoming a private investigator and starting my own detective agency but enjoying the tech sector, the start up process and then running my own tech companies. Eventually the start up bug hit Mike and he founded Global Micro Solutions, doing integration work for just about every Japanese company doing business here in the US and growing to over 50 employees in 5 countries. Last year, Mike approached me with an idea regarding merging affiliate marketing with social media and I was hooked joining him as an advisor on building out a back end for a yet unnamed company. I was exiting my last business - Storybids, had stopped SEO consulting and had just taken on a stint as VP of Search and Social Marketing for Fly.com - a new Travel meta search engine which was funded entirely by Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) but the entrepreneurial bug wouldn't stop biting me.

I left Fly.com last month and joined Mike full time as CEO and Co-Founder at the now named Social Rewards, Inc. which we have built into social media based loyalty marketing programs that reward consumers with a brand's own loyalty program points for engaging in social media activity such as brand mentions via Twitter, Foursquare check-ins and Facebook likes and fan activity.

This grew out of our own simple desires to be rewarded with loyalty points for tweeting about brands that we already loved, we are both extreme travelers, he a Diamond Level at Japan Airlines and myself as an Executive Platinum with American Airlines, a Silver Premier with US Airways, a Starwood Platinum and Fairmont Silver President's Club member. I've also become enamored with both jetBlue and Virgin America since US Airways pulled out of John Wayne airport for flights to Las Vegas and AA stopped going to the San Francisco Bay area.

I had become familiar with the social media benefits of rewarding influential online consumers with products via the 'Blogger's Night Out' promotion that I did during the PubCon Internet Marketing Conference in 2007 where we gave away 500 tickets to major Las Vegas shows such as Spamalot, Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil. It was a huge success and evolved into Tweet4Tix that I continued to run during BlogWorld and Pubcon conferences over the last three years. The hard part was coming up with a business model on how to reward consumers for blogging and then ultimately tweeting activity and for three years I met with brands and partners and pondered the logistics of first theatre tickets and then movie tickets online for rewarding online brand mentions.

Early last year I stumbled upon a little start up called Klout that was barely 4 months old and just getting ramped up. I emailed their CEO, Joe Fernandez and after a few meetings, he and his Co-Founder Binh Tranh figured that I could do what I said I could do and started the process of opening a lot of doors for them both from clients to investors as an official member of the Klout Advisory Board. Eventually I began to see how both Mike's software for affiliate marketing via social media and how Klout's online influencer analytical tools could be merged into the business model that I had been pondering for three years with the Tweet4Tix concept. Now we could identify influential online consumers using Klout and reward them for brand mentions using Mike's nearly completed back end CMS with the most obvious choice of online currency - loyalty program points. Social Rewards was born.

Now with our software finalized and ready to go, we launch this month, please wish us luck. ;)

*OFFICIAL* Blog World Expo Party, Tweetup & Events Schedule

The time is now upon us as we gather for the 3rd annual Blog World Expo and the 2009 conference has grown by leaps and bounds and this year's Las Vegas nightlife is no different. This year we bring you not only a solid conference and exhibition hall bigger and better than ever before but a party schedule that even the most hard charging party reveler will blink at. Keep checking back here as well, because I will be updating this post with new information and late breaking news as we add other events and get more information on these events. We present to you - your evening festivities:

Be sure to RSVP!!!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

TheLasVegasTweetup.com & @LasVegasHilton Tweetup

Time: 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Location: Tempo Lounge (inside The Las Vegas Hilton)

Thursday, October 15, 2009

America's Got Talent Tweetup @ Planet Hollywood

Falls Mall Bar Tweetup

Techset and BlogWorld After Hours Party

Time: 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Location: The Bank (Inside Bellagio Hotel)

Friday, October 16, 2009

BlogWorld Opening Night Party

Time: 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Location: Jet Nightclub (inside Mirage Hotel)

TweetBash! @ Lavo @ Palazzo

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Las Vegas Hilton Poolside BBQ Tweetup

Grand Tweetup! at Studio 54

See everyone there!

TechKaraoke Shenanigans Tweetup

- Joseph Morin (Your BlogWorld Party Guide)

Hosting BlogWorld / PubCon Las Vegas Tweetup

I'll be hosting a Tweetup in Las Vegas on August 26th at Koi @ Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Hotel and Casino (Mezzanine level by Strip House Steak House). Guests of honor will be Rick Calvert, CEO of Blog World Expo and Brett Tabke, CEO of PubCon. As an added treat Felipe Coimbra, the Founder of TwtApps and TwtVite will be in from Montreal and it's also my buddy Nick Raba's birthday.

We have availability for 50 and Koi will give out a free shot to those that mention they are following @phvegas on Twitter. There will also be 1/2 price drink and appetizer specials during the happy hour.

The event will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 so if you're in town (Las Vegas) come on down! RSVP on the TwtVite to the right (sidebar) and also be sure to follow me on Twitter.

Animated Short Film via Graffiti

This is the craziest short film project I have seen. The entire animation sequence is done via murals on outdoor and indoor walls in Buenos Aires.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Hummingbird mom and baby in nest at night

Hummingbird mom and baby in nest at night, originally uploaded by equitymind.

Hummingbirds in my front yard taken completely dark at night with Nikon Speedlight 900 flash by holding camera high over my head and guessing where to aim - complete luck with this photo!

Taken with Nikon D90, 18MM - 200MM VR Nikkor Lens, F/ 5.6, Exposure 1/60 sec., ISO 800

Start Up Tips #1: Picking the Right Domain Name

I'm always referencing this list when I do strategy consulting for Start Ups so I thought I'd repeat it here as both a tip and as a Friday Funny:

This list comes from Independent Sources:

1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is
www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company…
www.powergenitalia.com

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always
www.ipanywhere.com

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is
www.cummingfirst.com

9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com

;)

Optimism And Opportunity At SXSW

I strongly agree - the majority of people I know in digital media make things happen on their own and don't rely upon an employer to secure their future. Why worry about a job when you can work for shorts stints of time or work for three or four companies at once - all from home? It seems project based is the way to go from what I was observing at SXSW. I definitely didn't see signs of a recessions during the past week.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Storybids Hosts Dinner for Filmmakers in NYC

My company Storybids recently hosted a dinner along with IndieGOGO during Indie Film Week in New York City. Among the Guests were Actress Faye Dunaway, Ted Hope - Executive Producer of 21 Grams, Lance Hammer winner of The Directing Award and Best Cinematography for his film 'Ballast' at the Sundance Film Festival and Arin Crumley and Susan Buice whose film Four Eyed Monsters has won numerous awards. The purpose of the dinner was to collaborate in an informal setting and discuss new ways for distribution for DIY filmmakers and challenges within the indie film making community. The theme was 'When Internet and Films Collide'. The dinner was filmed as part of a three part reality series that will be released on the web in the coming weeks so more to come.

Here are some of the attendees of the dinner:

















Watch the trailer for Arin and Susan's film 'Four Eyed Monsters' here:

Storybids Product Placement Marketplace Launches!

I've been real quiet lately. I haven't blogged. I've missed the last three major Internet marketing conferences that I'm normally known to be a fixture at. I resigned as the SES party director. My travel schedule, while still fairly consistent, now includes more meetings than conferences. I've dropped 95% of my SEO clients and now just refer new inquiries over to my Partner at Boost Search Marketing - Aaron Shear.

I've been busy.

Other than working with Brett Tabke on the upcoming PubCon this coming November (yes, no conflicts this year), the majority of my time has been spent working on my newest venture - Storybids. What Storybids does is provide a marketplace for product placement advertising within user generated as well as professionally scripted online video. Not so much the kids at a skate park videos as much as the serial mini dramas, the episodic webisodes that are garnering a following. Television programming is moving online and the traditional ways of monetizing video content is changing. Online viewers don't like sitting through 15 or 30 second pre-roll ads. They really don't. Yet there has to be a way to offset production and bandwidth costs. As consumers we have learned to accept banner advertising and even contextual ads near the video content, but don't make us wait while we are also dealing with buffering and jittery playback.

Product placement works. If done correctly where its not blatant and done in a way where the brand is integrated into the storyline. A recent Mindshare study shows that viewers react negatively to interruptive TV style ads and attempt to skip them whenever possible suggesting that consumers are far more receptive to product placement in online video programming than pre- and post-roll advertising. PQ Media released a study in February, 2007 that showed spending on branded entertainment marketing grew 14.7% to an all time high of $22.3 billion in 2007 and is projected to increase by another 13.9% in 2008 to $25.41 billion driven by product placement, event sponsorship/marketing, and advergaming/webisodes.

This is why the idea came to me to incorporate a proven business model in the offline world to the online advertising world except the pricing gets better and it can literally get to the point where anyone will be able to advertise in this fashion. Remember GoTo? Before Yahoo Search and Overture, GoTo brought Internet advertising to small business advertisers. In the early days of the internet before GoTo, if you wanted to advertise online you had to cut portal deals with Netscape, AOL or Doubleclick which priced out small business owners. The same scenario exists today with product placement advertising in traditional television. In order to effectively get your brand messaging out there, a brand needs to forge alliances with a television network via a product placement agency and that agency typically represents one brand in an industry (a product placement agency couldn't represent both Nike and Reebok in attempting to secure a product placement deal for instance).

In a marketplace setting, both Nike and Reebok may bid for the same branding opportunity and the true value proposition may be realized as markets dictate the true value of a placement. In an online marketplace, the placement takes on a new life since any company may bid on the opportunity, not just the agency that the studio happens to have a relationship with. In addition, just as when GoTo brought Internet advertising to the masses, an online marketplace like Storybids can bring product placement advertising to the masses and can be done with tracking, analytics and dashboard reporting and also have distribution channels built in and video search optimization techniques built in for increased viewership.

So my Storybids business partner Juan Prado and I learned all this while developing the business model and realized that this was not a whole lot different than search advertising and that we could apply the lessons and metrics we had learned doing enterprise level search optimization over the past several years. We landed a 'Series A' round of venture capital financing last August from STN Labs in Toronto and began to put the vision to reality. Which brings us to our launch this week. While it may be a bit of a departure from organic search optimization, it really isn't a whole lot different since we're applying a different twist to some proven business models and hoping to capture an entirely new market while showing video content creators how to get product placement advertising in their videos.

Here is a little bit more about our launch as reported on by my good friend and colleague at WebmasterWorld, the very sweet Vanessa Zamora.

Like Las Vegas Shows? I Have Tickets During PubCon

We wanted to do something really big and really different for the WebmasterWorld PubCon conference community this year. A lot of attendees come in early to mingle before the shows and look for things to do and sometimes there are a host of private parties, the trick is finding them. There is also the attendee that isn’t necessarily into the conference party scene but still wants to experience all that Las Vegas has to offer. We also have a very unique type of attendee – the type of attendee that wields considerable influence in the World Wide Web by being very vocal about the types of products and services they consume – the blogger. That type of attendee hasn’t gone unnoticed by several Las Vegas marketers who have banded together to put a rather unusual but unique promotion together for this year’s PubCon.

So to put a twist on things, we are excited to announce that we have secured several hundred tickets to some of the best live theatre that Las Vegas has to offer. After years of having conferences in this town we’ve made a few friends and now these friends of ours at venues such as Blue Man Group, Cirque Du Soleil, MGM Grand, Treasure Island and The Wynn Las Vegas have graciously offered us tickets for our attendees in the hopes that they wouldn’t mind compiling a little review telling them what you think of their shows.

In true Hollywood fashion, where press corps get tickets to top rated venues to provide reviews and commentary, we approached these partners with an even better idea – that we have a conference full of the most innovative social media experts out there and armed with an abundance of user generated content and social media channels for which our attendees to build buzz on - the concept was considered a win win for everybody so ‘Bloggers Night Out’ was born.

Here is a summary and listing of show times for ‘Bloggers Night Out’ taking place on Monday December 3rd and Tuesday, December 4th.:

Show Information

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group’s critically acclaimed show has been called “visually stunning,” “wildly inventive,” and “hysterically funny.” Although it is almost impossible to describe, people of all ages agree that Blue Man Group’s Venetian Show is an intensely exciting and wildly outrageous experience that leaves the entire audience in a blissful, euphoric state.

Blue Man Group takes place nightly in a brand-new 1760-seat theatre built especially for this spectacular show. Join the celebration and see the show that, USA Today calls “an absolutely ecstatic experience” and Time Magazine calls “A Sensation.”

KA

KÀ by Cirque du Soleil is an unprecedented theatrical event. A masterpiece in storytelling, KÀ uses acrobatic performances, the thrills and action of martial arts techniques from all over the world, plus innovations in puppetry and multimedia to tell the epic tale of twins on a perilous journey to fulfill their shared destiny.

Along the way, the twins confront characters and events representing the opposing forces of good and evil. Before their world comes under attack and collapses around them, the twins receive a magical talisman for protection. As the plot unfolds, danger lies in wait for them at every turn.

Mystere

Looking for some stimulation? Cirque du Soleil will satisfy with more than you could ever imagine at Mystère! Adventure into an entirely different world where fantasies are played out in vivid color right before your very eyes. Come, be part of the dream!

Honored eight times as "Best Production Show" by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mystère has an international cast of 72 performers featuring dancers, singers, musicians and champion-caliber acrobats. The Chicago Tribune called Mystère, "one of the most innovative and exciting shows to be seen anywhere". An intriguing blend of beauty and strength, power and grace, passion and precision… this is Mystère by Cirque du Soleil. Come, live the exoticism! Directed by Franco Dragone.

SPAMALOT

Tony Winner – Best Musical 2005! Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, SPAMALOT is a new musical directed by Mike Nichols, with a book by Eric Idle and entirely new score created by Eric Idle and John Du Prez.

Telling the Legendary tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and featuring a bevy of beautiful show girls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits and French people, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT “raises silliness to an art form” (The Sunday Times) and has been hailed as “a no-holds-barred smash hit.” (The New Yorker)

Times and Tickets

Monday, December 3rd 2007

7:00 – Mystere

8:00 – Blue Man Group

8:00 – Spamalot

9:30 – Mystere

Tuesday, December 4th 2007

8:00 – Blue Man Group

9:30 – KA

9:30 – Mystere

Rules of the Promotion

To participate you must be a WebmasterWorld PubCon attendee, and an active editorial or video blogger. You may attend more than one show provided that you write a separate review (i.e. separate blog post) about each show. These tickets are in limited supply and this is a first come first serve opportunity and we reserve the right to deny tickets to any blog or editorial that we deem inappropriate to host a review. Please R.S.V.P. to me here: ‘Joe (at) PubCon (dot) com’ with your full name, URL and the name of your blog or video hosting channel or editorial area where you will be posting your review.

We’re looking forward to a great show – see you in Vegas!

UPDATE 11/30/2007

All tickets for KA and Mystere are gone! I have a limited supply for Spamalot and Blue Man Group so if you have not RSVP'd or responded to my email request to pick a show, then please do so ASAP as I need to pick up all of these tickets ahead of time.

Yes, I just resigned as SES Official Party Coordinator

Wow, thanks for all of the emails for those that read into my post at Search Engine Watch stating that it was my last time posting the *Official* SES Party & Events Schedule. It does mean that I will no longer be the party coordinator for SES. Danny Sullivan had appointed me SES Party Coordinator back during SES Chicago 2005 after we had endured a conference with no formally planned events and just following a conference (SES San Jose 2005) where either there were multiple events all at once or nights where nothing was planned. I had already been posting a party schedule for the US SES shows since I was moderator of the SEM Related Organizations & Events Forum at SEW. Danny just figured I was the guy for the job since I had insight in the social scenes at various conferences and always had a crowd with me going from one social gathering to the next.

The appointment entailed working with the search engines directly and with multiple vendors known for throwing great conference bashes to mainly avoid 'party collision' so that the parties flowed well from one to another and didn't overlap too much. It worked well and many event planners and party organizers made sure to check the list or check with me before scheduling their event. For many conferences we had more pageviews of the party thread than for the actual conference session coverage. Kind of puts it into perspective as to where the priorities of the industry lies doesn't it?

Even with that obvious importance, we have begun to see a deterioration of social events attached to SES - now what does that mean? I was speaking to someone today about this and she said to me "You know Joe, we're all growing up...". Maybe she was right, perhaps we are maturing as an industry, maybe it just isn't as new anymore and new client acquisition and branding isn't the goal of the engines and vendors and now its managing their brand and working with the audience that they have built. Years past have had a sparring between Google and Yahoo when Google had their GoogleDance and Yahoo rented out Great America Amusement park trying to compete for best conference party. Ask Jeeves retired their butler in style during SES NYC 2006's Code Red party and the revelers drank the bar dry sending the bartenders out to stores to replenish. Industry veterans will remember the Overture bashes and the dull Yahoo parties and how the Yahoo parties suddenly got better after the Overture acquisition. Coincidence? I think not. Remember the GoToast 'After Over' parties? I think those of us San Jose veterans will always remember The Flying Pig and how we drove those poor bartenders crazy.

Nowadays it seems to be all private parties as the engines and vendors try and trim their budgets, also the conference grew in size to a point where no one wants to foot the bill for a conference now numbering in the thousands of attendees. Perhaps it's the end of an era, but after compiling this years list and waiting forever for any word whatsoever to compile an even somewhat decent party schedule and getting 'we're only having a private party this show' or 'we aren't doing anything for this show' time and time again plus given that unfortunately PubCon Las Vegas 2007 and SES Chicago 2007 happen to fall during the same week (where I happen to be one of the conference organizers), I now have a good opportunity to relinquish my role as party coordinator and pass the torch on to someone else. I'm not sure who will take over my position or if there will be enough event activity to warrant an 'official person' but I wish them well and I cherish the time that I have spent in this role.

See you guys in San Jose!

The OFFICIAL SES San Jose 2007 Party & Events Schedule Has Been Posted

I just posted the *Official* Party and Events Schedule for the 2007 Search Engine Strategies Conference (SES) in San Jose.

There is one VIP Private party on Monday evening and three private parties on Wednesday nights but here is a recap of all of the public events:

Sunday August 19

Marriott Bar

Downstairs to right of reception at Marriott is usually the place to be.

Monday August 20

Women In Internet Marketing Luncheon

Time: 12:30pm - 2:00pm

Location: The Grill on the Alley

172 S Market St (at The Fairmont Hotel)

Space is limited, to rsvp send an email to Li Evans at smg@searchmarketinggurus.com

Monday Evening


SEMPO The Search is Right Night

6:00 - 7:00 PM

Come on down to “The Search Is Right Night” Following brief
remarks about the state of the organization, attendees are invited to learn how they can get involved with the various SEMPO committees and enter for a chance to win door prizes such as an iPhone, gift certificates and more.

The event is open to SEMPO members and non-members alike, so brush up on your Plinko skills!

Location: Room B at the Conference Facility

Open Bar.

SEMPO In-House Search Marketer Networking Event

7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Drinks and snacks to be provided, but come early or the snacks will run out.

This event is for In-House SEMs only. We will be checking folks at the door - agency reps will be politely asked to leave.

This event is an excellent opportunity for In-House SEMs to meet and grow their network of contacts. No sense going it alone when there are folks just like you who are happy to share what they know.

Location: St. Claire Hotel

Tuesday August 21

3rd Annual San Jose Classic

9:00 a.m. to ???

Once again, random golfers are welcomed to take some time out from SES San Jose (only if you have a permission slip) and join the organizers of this informal golf outing -- Chris Boggs, Andrew Goodman, John Krystynak -- for 18 holes of rather mellow semi-sporting activity.

Location: Sinnabar Hills, 25 minutes from downtown SJ

Leave a post on the classic thread if interested.

AOL Search Lunch

12:00 - 1:15 p.m.

Watch a demo of the new AOL Mobile Search, enjoy free lunch and network with other search engine professionals. Also, enter for a chance to win an iPhone! This free event is open to all registered SES San Jose attendees, but RSVP is required since space is limited. Please bring your SES badge, photo ID and your RSVP confirmation for admittance.

Location: Room J (next to the Keynote Hall)

RSVP: http://www.ersvp.com/r/aolsearchlunch082107

Google's GoogleDance VI

7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Come party the night away at the Google Dance 2007 at SES San Jose.

For registered SES attendees, buses will depart from the San Jose Convention Center beginning at 7:00pm and run continuously until 11pm. Parking will be available at the Shoreline Amphitheatre parking lot "C", across the street from the Google campus.

**SES badge and photo ID are required for admittance.

Location: GooglePlex

1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

RSVP: http://services.google.com/events/googledance07

Wednesday Night August 22

Webmaster Radio's SEARCHBASH 3

7:00 - ???

SEARCHBASH continues in their quest for the ongoing lubrication of the SES set. Vivid Night Club is located just a few blocks from the Convention Center.

Open Bar, food, Music, and all sorts of fun surprises should be expected. To ensure you get in the door, stop by one of our awesome sponsor booths. The following companies are again contributing to our delinquency:

Ask.com
Bruce Clay, Inc.
Epiar
Moniker
Network Solutions
Webmaster Radio

Location: Vivid Night Club (Same club as last year)

8 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113

RSVP Here

Thursday Night August 23

Nothing yet!

I know the schedule is a lot lighter than normal and that is the reason for the delay of this post. I'm feeling that the search industry is changing and maturing and we are now seeing far less activity on the social scene. With that said, this will be my last 'Official Party & Events Schedule' post. I'm moving on to other things in my career and I'm finding my time limited - also I wont be involved with SES Chicago this year due to my involvement as a conference organizer with PubCon Las Vegas 2007.

It was a fun ride while it lasted. ;)

Deliver Great Speeches with a Hangover - and Other Good Advice From Brett Tabke

Brett Tabke from WebmasterWorld.com blogs on how to give a killer presentation, including how to pull it off with a hangover. Great preparation for PubCon speakers.

read more | digg story

I Returned My iPhone Back to The Apple Store...

I was anxiously awaiting the coming of the Apple iPhone like everybody else and I even waited in line for two hours on opening night and was relieved when the Irvine store hadn't run out and I was able to get my hands on one - forget relieved - more like extremely excited. I travel a LOT so this was to be my great new travel gadget that I could use on flights to now watch my movies in landscape mode, listen to music and just plain play with, all of the cool features are too numerous to mention and I'm sure everybody has now heard of how unbelievably cool this thing is. So it is with unusual trepidation that I make the following statement:

I just took back my iPhone - and it's hard to explain why...

Know when you love something SO MUCH, that when you find a flaw you are more disappointed than with something less ordinary that you would normally be more accepting of?

I just couldn't get past:

1). The slow Edge network

2). The no GPS on Google maps (which my Samsung SCH-i730 has and it ROCKS! - shows traffic patterns and I can be somewhere - and hit connect and it tells me where I am)

3). The 8GB capacity

4). No swappable battery plus Apple just announced that after 300 - 400 charges you have to send in your phone to have Apple replace it for $79.00 and a loss of your phone for three days (which I cannot do)

5). No external memory and no swappable SIM (which is why you get GSM in the first place - so you can swap it out in Europe)

6). No compatibility with Microsoft Exchange Server and Active Sync - my perhaps favorite feature on my current PDA the Samsung i730 - even though rich text emails on the iPhone looked incredible and my Gmail worked especially well

7). More of my friends, family and daily calls are on Verizon - or 'In my network'

8). The text/email portion didn’t adjust to landscape mode when turned sideways which would make the keys larger and easier to text

9). The recessed headphone input - rendering my $400 Westone UM2 audiophile headphones obsolete - unless I bought a silly adapter

10). No stereo support via Bluetooth. (OK - now I'm nitpicking, but did I mention the slow Edge network???)

Even still, this was not going to be my primary phone! I actually have an ATT account and phone (RAZR) that I maintain to take WebmasterWorld/PubCon calls on and also use primarily when I travel to Europe.

All things considered, I really, really loved this phone (the user interface was out of this world), I am becoming more of an Apple fan because of it and I'm seriously considering getting a MacBook Pro now. Also to complicate my feelings about the iPhone and my incessant raving while pointing out its flaws, I dropped it on the pavement once while showing it to a friend and scratched the top, bottom and a little bit of the screen (!!!), further pushing me apart from it (I know - I have tons of scratches on my Samsung SCH-i730, yet seeing ONE scratch on my iPhone really, really hurt).

To make myself feel better about returning it, I exchanged two thirds of what I paid for my iPhone ($599) for a 180GB Apple TV ($399) - now THAT thing really rocks - I can't tell you how cool it is to have all of the contents of my audio and a lot of my video library readily available not to mention slideshows of all of my pics set to music as a screensaver for my plasma TV...way cool! All wirelessly streamed via my home network without having to manually sync like I do with my iPod.

If Apple were to fix even half of these things, they would have even more of a real winner on their hands. In the meantime, I anxiously await the arrival of the new Samsung SCH-i760 which is supposed to be out any day now. I firmly stand in the camp of waiting for the second generation of the iPhone to come out before I will break down. Before that happens however, I have a feeling that I will be first in line for the new sixth generation iPod player - which is hey, what I was really looking for in the first place now wasn't I?

Update 7/23/2007:

Perhaps the best pro/con review I have read on the iPhone yet...and we come to just about all of the same conclusions. ;)

Pubcon Las Vegas or SES Chicago?

Barry has posted a poll over at SERoundtable on whether people will be attending WebmasterWorld's PubCon in Las Vegas or Search Engine Strategies in Chicago this upcoming December. Now granted I am a little bit biased since I am one of the conference organizers for PubCon. However, I am also a Moderator at Search Engine Watch and the Official SES Party Coordinator as well as a long time speaker at both venues.

I will say however that last year, out of 18 conferences that I attended worldwide, PubCon Vegas was my favorite. It helped having great keynotes and having Danny Sullivan there was an added bonus so it was really almost a twofer ;) Barry gives reference to several facors to help attendees decide including:

Weather
Venue
Business Opportunities
Networking
Educational Experience

I'll let you decide on your own which one to attend and how to give weighting to each category, but there are a few other factors to add to your decision making. Consider the 'Three P's':

Programming - SES Chicago won't be programmed by Danny even though he will be moderating - it won't be his show as he won't be the conference Chair. Brett Tabke does a fantastic job with the programming so I'm giving a hat tip towards PubCon.

Price - SES is typically a more expensive show and when compared to PubCon Vegas all around - the conference price will be considerably less, hotel rooms in Las Vegas are fairly inexpensive in relation to Chicago and flights to Vegas can usually be found on the cheap - especially in the off season. Once again, nod towards PubCon.

Parties - Typically, Chicago SES is terribly lacking on the social front and for the past couple of years the parties have been failry dismal and if it weren't for last minute contributions by a few folks there wouldn't have been anything party wise, whereas with PubCon, there are usually several good sponsored bashes and the last day of the conference is devoted to the 'Pub' portion of 'PubCon' which is where the conference actually originated so staying true to its roots, the 'Pub' is open to all for a great time networking. 'Nuff said - PubCon!

We'll see you in Vegas!

SES NYC 2007 Official Party and Events Schedule Now Posted

I've just posted the Offical SES Party Guide for SES New York over at Search Engine Watch Forums but here is the summary:


Sunday April 8th, 2007


Easter Sunday but many do arrive early (including myself) so if you're one of the early to arrive - meet up at the downstairs bar ('Lobby Lounge' near the reception desk). That way you can see who is arriving. Bridges - the bar around the corner is usually closed on Sunday evenings.


Monday April 9th 2007


Pre-conference.

Hitwise

3:00pm Hitwise University Live Search Marketing Workshop begins

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm Private Cocktail Mixer

This cocktail party is in conjunction with Search Engine Strategies and our Hitwise University Live Search Marketing Workshop. If you'd like to attend the complimentary session, hosted by Bill Tancer, please contact your account manager.

Invitation only event.
RSVP required to gain entry.


Internet Marketers of New York

Time: 7:00pm-10:00pm

Internet Marketers of New York is hosting a Charity Party to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charity. Best of The Web and Text Link Ads are generously covering the cost so the $40 donation at the door goes all to charity.

Join us for this 3 hour open bar party with cocktail food and raffles. Why not have a good time while also doing a good thing and talking with fellow internet marketers?

Location: Town Tavern

134 W 3rd St & 6th Ave.


Tuesday April 10th 2007


Private Party - Search Engine

Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

If you know about it, then you may get in if you're lucky!


Private Party

Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm or ?

VIP Private Dinner Party


Wednesday April 11th 2007


SEMPO SES NY In-House SEM Networking Event

Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

SEM Networking Event

Location: Playwright Tavern

8th AVE (between 45th & 46th)

The tavern is roughly 10 minutes walk from the Hilton (one mile).

Private room booked for this event upstairs.

SEMPO is covering the tab for a bit, folks, so get there early, grab a drink and meet some new and familiar faces! If you’re In-House, this is YOUR event and shouldn’t be missed.


Marchex / Industry Brains

Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Marchex (IndustryBrains, TrafficLeader, Enhance Interactive and GoClick.com) presents the – “Skyline Cocktail Party”:

Mingle with fellow advertisers, senior executives from premier publishing partners, members of the media community, and the teams from Marchex, IndustryBrains, TrafficLeader, Enhance Interactive and GoClick.com, over intimate cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. This event is invitation only. Attendees must RSVP.


Location: AVA Lounge at the Dream Hotel

210 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019

located two blocks from the Hilton where SES is held.


Thursday April 12th 2007


Private Party

Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm or ?

Private Dinner Party + bar crawl


See you guys in NYC!

Joe

JP Proposal Commercial

JP to Propose Tonight via 'Veronica Mars'

Well it's finally over. For everyone finally wanting to know the end result and the answer to "Did she say Yes?" will be able to find the answer tonight at iFilm.com after 10:00 p.m. Pacific /1:00 a.m. Eastern. The show Veronica Mars was chosen to air the commercial locally because that is the bride-to-be's favorite show. All in all this whole project will have a happy ending.

Good Luck JP. ;)

Click here for more information at MySuperProposal

JP wins AdWeek Superbowl Commercial Poll

"That Marriage Proposal Guy" was voted #1 as the Superbowl Advertisement you would most look forward to see during the Superbowl.

Wow and what good company to be named against.

The contenders were:

That marriage proposal guy 36%
CareerBuilder.com 21%
Anheuser-Busch/Bud 18%
Nationwide 10%
Coca-Cola 5%
GoDaddy.com 5%
Pepsi 3%
Taco Bell 3%
General Motors 1%

My SuperProposal's JP Featured on 'Entertainment Tonight'

Our anonymous and mysterious groom-to-be 'JP' was featured on a segment of Entertainment Tonight (click to play video) last night. He appeared a bit nervous from what I could tell from his mannerisms and I wish that they hadn't shown so much of him. I would have preferred just a sit down shot with his face darkened out and voice altered. ET had shots of him walking (neck down) and from behind so I'm hoping that people wont try guessing who he is. At least they didn't make him sound like a South Park character with a high squeaky voice and made him sound more manly with a low guttural alteration...lol.

So I'd like to clarify a few things to any reporters who read my blog for details. There has been a lot of mis-information printed out there about several possible identifying traits or characteristics about JP.

Location

Its been reported that JP is from Nashville, Illinois/Wisconsin area, 'A West Coast Man' and 'from Southern CA'. OK, reporters and disc jockey's - pay attention - I am the one from Southern CA. Just because the website contact information lists me in Southern CA, Jamie O'Donnell in Northern CA and Greg Jarboe from Boston doesn't necessarily mean that JP hails from these areas. We are the media and adverting contacts who have been helping JP in his quest so please take the time to read the posts more carefully when trying to pinpoint and then go printing it.

The Official answer that we have constantly given out is:

JP is from the 'lower 48 States'.

Age

I've seen in print that JP has an age range listed anywhere from 'A 21 Year Old Man' to 'A Man in his Mid Thirties'.

All we have ever stated is:

JP is between the ages of 25 and 35.

Occupation

I've read blogs and online newspaper reports that indicate that JP is an 'Internet Entrepreneur', a 'Web Developer' or in the 'Internet industry'.

Funny because our official statement is:

JP is Internet Savvy. No occupation given.

I understand that CBS wants to put out a series of clues leading up to the game, we don't know what were going to come up with yet if we do that because it is still very important for us to maintain anonymity right up until the game.

Seriously though, with all of the attempts at his identity, its amazing that his girlfriend still has not found out.

Wish us luck.