Tampa, Florida: Getting Settled

It is hard to believe that it has been almost 3 months since I left Reno-Tahoe, but time flies when you are busy getting on with it. What is even more surprising, however, is that I have not yet done a real blog post on my new locale. But first a word from the Florida Gators.

Okay, here we go….

Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida encompasses much more than a cartographer’s little star would imply. The city draws its strength from the fact that it is situated on Tampa Bay, which constitutes a 400 square mile basin fringed with white-sand beaches, dotted with islands, and fed by channels and rivers. Because of Tampa’ Bay’s unique geology, it has become Florida’s largest port, carrying more than 50 million tons of cargo per year. It has also served as a destination for ancient tribes, Spanish conquistadors, Civil War troops, Spanish-American War battalions, entrepreneurs, and of course, “snowbirds” escaping the colder climates of the north for the warmer retreats of the south. Suffice to say, each faction has left its own mark on the city’s history and evolution.

Tampa contains some very distinctive neighborhoods that have evolved over time due to ethnicity, affluence, and geographic position. You have Hyde Park, SOHO, Palma Ceia, Channelside, Davis Island, Rocky Point, and others. But one clear indication of this is Ybor City.

Ybor City

Ybor City was once the cigar-making capital of the world. This phenomenon brought on an infusion of Cuban, Mediterranean, and European culture that melded together to create a unique and vibrant area filled with excellent restaurants, live music, and beautiful architecture. Imagine old red brick buildings, mixed with classic European construction, set against the backdrop of rusting tankers resting in the water next to a modern city rising into the sky.

Something especially interesting to me are the social clubs that dot the downtown district. In the early 1920s, social clubs served as the heart of the community. It was where members went on the weekends to dance, get married, receive medical attention, or just hang out over cigars and dominos. Nowadays, the surviving social clubs hang on with the help of their historical designations, donations, and a constant stream of events. Walk around inside, for instance, the Centro Asturiano or the Cuban Club, and you will discover beautiful theatres and ballrooms made of materials that are no longer affordable or readily available.

The Tampa Bay Hotel

Another place recently visited that I found very interesting is The Tampa Bay Hotel and the Henry B. Plant Museum, located on what is now the University of Tampa’s campus. It is an incredible building that combines Moorish architecture with a Victorian, European style that seems more applicable to some foreign land. Even now the lights burn bright with old Edison electric filament bulbs, and the rooms are decorated with furnishings that came from Paris in 1891. At one time, Teddy Roosevelt relaxed there as he and the rest of his Rough Riders readied for the Spanish-American War.

So Much More…

Of course, Tampa has much more to see and experience, and I will have to cover those in subsequent blog posts. Needless to say, it is proving to be an interesting place with much more depth than I would have ever originally guessed. Stay tuned for more! In the interim, here are a few pictures that I have gathered thus far.

Web 2.0: Alive and Well

Like it or hate it, Web 2.0 is a term that is widely used. Marketers and industry folks use it all the time to describe web-based communities and social networks. And if Facebook’s recent valuation is any indication, things appear to be going quite well for this type of web development. Something more exciting than that, however, is Google’s recent announcement of OpenSocial. I’m sure someone out there is just barely containing themselves from labeling this recent development as the coming of Web 3.0. Regardless, it does have some pretty profound implications for businesses of all types.

What is OpenSocial?

According to Google, “OpenSocial provides a common set of APIs for social applications across multiple websites. With standard JavaScript and HTML, developers can create apps that access a social network’s friends and update feeds.”

What does this mean to you?

When you develop a web application you will have the opportunity to get much more out of your investment. You will be able to place this application on multiple sites to reach many more customers.

As an example, think of a resort destination that provides users with an application that allows them to rate their favorite places, share pictures and video, and even meet up. OpenSocial would allow this application to be used across multiple social networks like MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as other communities and even blogs.

I can already sense that some marketers out there are getting concerned about their web analytics. My advice – don’t worry about it. You will introduce your brand to more people than ever before. In fact, you’d probably see your web traffic go up. Go to where the audience is, don’t wait for them to come to you.

Of course, it is still early in the game for OpenSocial, and it depends on if everyone decides to play nicely together in the sandbox. Either way, it is something we will be watching and you should start thinking about when it comes to your online marketing strategy.

Google has certainly been thinking about it for a while.

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Social Networks

This is a great post about social networks and really points out the control and choice that people have when it comes to consuming information and forming relationships. For me, it also points out fundamental problems with so many company’s social marketing strategies. The idea that you can simply create a blog and people will come and read it, push out a podcast and throngs of individuals will come clamoring to listen to it, or upload a video to YouTube and expect thousands to come watch it is mistaken. It is more of a conversation than that. People interact with people, not faceless businesses. It requires active participation, and you must add value in some way. From an ROI perspective, it may not behoove you to participate. The question of whether it should be a part of your marketing budget really depends on your product and service offerings, what you are trying to achieve, and who your audience is.

However, from a personal and professional development standpoint, especially if you are in marketing, advertising, or pr, it is extremely important. What do you see when you Google yourself? Not much? That probably doesn’t help you in a business climate that increasingly relies on the web. Social networks offer the ability to dramatically improve your personal scalability. In addition, you will get to meet people you might not have otherwise met, and have the chance to learn more than you would have ever expected. You will grow your personal brand and while doing it, guess what, you might also find the right opportunity to introduce the brand that cuts you your paycheck.   

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Be the Change! Share the Story!

On occasion I receive requests to do text link advertising or promote something lame on my blog, but when I was recently contacted by Cory O’Brien from Guerilla PR about a new school video contest called “Be the Change! Share the Story!” it gave me pause. It seems like a worthy effort; therefore, I will encourage you to visit Quantum Shift TV ( http://www.quantumshift.tv/schools) to learn more about a cool contest to empower students and raise awareness about social and environmental projects.

Be the Change! Share the Story! challenges students in grades 1-12 across the United States and Canada to create and document their social and environmental projects on film. Besides helping to make a difference in the global community, winning schools will receive over $200,000 in cash and educational resources.

Students will document their progress in two short videos, and then the videos will be voted on by the students themselves, with an entertaining puzzle game woven in to encourage them to learn more about each other’s projects.

For more information, please check out the electronic press kit at http://www.quantumshift.tv/schools/press/ There you’ll find the official press release, videos, images, embeddable media, sample stories, and more.

Cashiers, North Carolina

It has been an awfully long time between posts, but the slings and arrows of work and life have had my typing fingers focused on other items. However, these same hands did manage to steer me in the direction of Cashiers, North Carolina this past weekend for a long overdue visit to a very special place I first came to know as a small child.

Despite the fact that the southeast is experiencing a drought of which I have not seen in my lifetime, the fall colors were still quite beautiful, and it was invigorating to get out on the trail and do some exploring.

I took a walk down memory lane by choosing to do the Chimney Top Trail that starts right out of High Hampton. I used to do this trail quite frequently with my parents, so it was nice to reflect upon those simpler times.

Instead of the pungent smell of sagebrush that I grew accustomed to living out west for almost ten years, my nose was greeted with the deep organic smell that is indicative of the Appalachian Mountains. It is said that the Appalachian Mountains are the oldest in the world, so needless to say they have had adequate enough time to develop their fine vintage aroma.

The trail is a mere 1.6 miles with a little scrambling across some granite faces at the top. The views are subtle and beautiful, and the whole jaunt makes for a relaxing day. Best of all, if you are in the area during peak fall season you’ll find that this path is far less traveled by.

Technology Company of the Year

As tired horses feebly found their way into the office this morning, there was little surprise as to why they were a bit sluggish. Yesterday, Twelve Horses was honored with the “2007 Technology Company of the Year” award in Las Vegas by the Technology Business Alliance of Nevada (TBAN).

It was a great event, and a huge thanks goes out to the Officers, Directors, and Members of TBAN who nominated and elected us. Furthermore, none of it would be possible without an awesome team of talented employees, customers who have been with us since 1994, and an array of partners who have supported Twelve Horses going back to the early days when we were Aztech Cyberspace.

We are not only honored, but thrilled, excited, proud, stoked, fired up, and above all – humbled. The fact is there are many cutting edge technology companies in Nevada that are doing impressive work and collectively elevating the tech environment of the state. They are here for a myriad of reasons, but suffice to say, it is because Nevada is a great place to do business.

So, why did we win? Well, you can read what the president of TBAN had to say in the press release. Clearly, it has a lot to do with the type of web development Twelve Horses is doing, as well as the length of time the company has been in business. But from my perspective, there is more.

Part of TBAN’s mission focuses on “supporting and expanding technology in Nevada.” Twelve Horses is involved in numerous community organizations that center around technology, marketing, design, education, and economic development, but one organization in particular, which has really grown in significance in recent time, is the Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NCET). David LaPlante, CEO of Twelve Horses serves on the Board of Directors as chairman, and I know he has put a lot of personal and company time and energy into seeing the organization flourish.

David LaPlante is what I would call an extreme advocate of technology in Nevada, and you would not believe the amount of energy he puts forth in driving it. Between myself and social marketing manager, Leilani Schweitzer, we have an incredibly difficult time just keeping up with him and his schedule. It is INSANE. He is not the only one either. His partners, Steve Spencer and Martin Gastanaga, take on their fair share of community involvement and support as well. But it really and truly comes from a great love for what they do, and while I am biased, it looks as if it is really achieving really great things for the state of Nevada. This brings me to one final point.

Does Twelve Horses do all of this for semi-selfish reasons? The answer is, yes. Because we are headquartered in Reno, Nevada, and yet, service clients all over the country and beyond, we are aligned in many ways with the Reno-Tahoe brand and business environment. The better the region looks and functions, the better we look and function. It is no different when tech companies establish themselves in Silicon Valley. They know there is a certain brand perception that comes with that geographical area, and they know there is a certain level of infrastructure and employee potential.

Martin Gastanaga is a fifth generation Nevadan, and David is very much rooted, along with his family, in Reno, Nevada. Many of Twelve Horses’ employees were born, live, and love it in Reno-Tahoe. So what you have is a partnership. Local community organizations, governments, businesses, and citizens and stakeholders help Twelve Horses by creating and fostering the type of business environment we need to be successful, and in turn, we do what we can to help Nevada become even better.

Twelve Horses will keep striving to develop new technologies and applications, open up new office locations, and also support the communities in which we operate. It has been a ton of work and a ton of fun, and we have met a lot of great people and enjoyed many new and exciting experiences along the way.

Again, a huge thanks to TBAN for the award, and our promise is that we will do what we can to live up to it.

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What’s in your wallet?

Any time you move to a new place there always comes the necessary hassle of changing your address and updating accounts. The ordeal is never enjoyable, and it reminds you of how many institutions it takes to help us get through life. However, it did prompt me to get rid of some old cards I’ve been carrying around in my wallet, which subsequently led to me uncovering a little gem I’d long since forgotten about.

As a youth, I had the great fortune and distinct pleasure of attending the Asheville School, which is a fairly small college-preparatory boarding and day school nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I attended from grades 9-12, and while the experience proved to be quite challenging, it undoubtedly made me into a better human being than I was when I entered.

My evolution was in large part attributed to some of the incredible individuals that worked, and still work, at Asheville School. They demonstrated a combination of patience, perseverance, and at times, a level of charity, hope, or faith that I still have a hard time grasping but will forever be grateful.

I have, and suspect will always be, a person with immense appreciation and love for the outdoors. It was instilled in me as a baby when my father, a practicing psychiatrist who should have been an ornithologist, taught me to say my first word, which was “bird.” This compulsion to explore and immerse myself in the outdoors has grown since the first days I could stomp through the woods, to the present time where I jump at the chance to grab a kayak paddle, strap on a pair of skis, or strike off down the trail.

It is no wonder then that I was immediately drawn to the Asheville School’s mountaineering department. I know of very few high schools where instead of playing, for instance, baseball, basketball, and football, which the Asheville School has – Go Blues! – you had the option of taking mountaineering as a sport. This I did.

At the helm of the mountaineering department was one individual I will never forget, Ed Maggart. At the time, the base of operations was located in “The Cave,” which constituted one small room next to the mail room. Despite its small size, it housed a tremendous amount of climbing and camping gear that decorated every nook and cranny. These were our instruments of exploration, and when we weren’t practicing our knots, learning how to belee, or working on our kayak rolls in the pool, we were out using this gear to test ourselves and discover the world around us. Through these exercises, and the many trips that Ed organized, not only did I become good at mountaineering, I also learned how to work with others, trust people, and practice humility.

I have not seen Ed in a while, but we do keep in touch to this day. He is unbelievable in his ability to stay connected with former students – meanwhile, mentoring new ones – and I always look forward to receiving his holiday briefings that fill me in on his latest journeys and the progress of his family. From what I have observed, he is still pushing himself and the people around him to become better human beings.

I experienced mixed emotions about sharing this little “gem,” for it was something that transpired between me and Ed; however, it was a gift he gave to me, and I feel it has much more value outside the confines of my wallet. In addition, time is fleeting, and I would rather share it than bury it away in a box or lose it on the shelf. I hope Ed will forgive me, but in the end all you will see is a demonstration of an individual’s compassion and willingness to provide some guidance to someone who was admittedly lost.

While Ed certainly helped me me with some personal discovery, I suspect I’m still a bit lost; but at least I know what’s not in my wallet!

Winey Woman

This is a picture of my wife about to sip on some cabernet at Mad Dogs, which is a great little pub and restaurant in Tampa. The food is affordable and delicious; in fact, a travel guide voted it the “best kept secret in town.” Seeing how it is within biking distance of the house makes me think we will be frequent patrons.

Digestible, Distributable Content

In some ways, Kevin Rose and his Revision 3 partner, Alex Albrecht have become symbols of user-generated media. Their podcast show, Diggnation was one of the first out of the gate to build a substantial audience, and most recently, Kevin Rose was selected as one of Tech Review’s “2007 Young Innovators Under 35.” Kevin was selected because of the impact he’s had on the way people consume news through online social bookmarking and community rating or “digging” stories up or down. You can read more about it here, but here is an excerpt:

Digg, mixes blogging, online syndication, social networking, and “crowdsourcing”–which combines the knowledge and opinions of many individuals–to create an online newspaper of stories selected by the masses.

If you are not immediately awe-struck by the effective combination of community and technology then know this – Digg receives more than 17 million visitors to the site each month. Obviously, there is a substantial user-base who enjoy consuming, contributing, and interacting with content in this way. But aside from Kevin’s recent recognition, this is old news.

What really prompted this blog post was a video interview (see below) with Kevin Rose at MIT. It resonated with me because I have recently been doing some social marketing strategy work for a client, and a major part of it is creating and distributing content that can be consumed in a multitude of channels to reach the widest possible audience. Seems simple enough, but a lot of marketers only make it part way, or they leave out one little piece like, providing an embed code for their videos, syndicating content through RSS, or actually going where the audience is to carry the message further.

Are consumers’ habits constantly changing? Are there preferences more customizable? Are you less in control of your brand? Can the struggle to continually be relevant be difficult? Yes-Yes-Yes-and Yes. But in a lot of ways it is easier than ever before to deliver your message, assuming, of course, that it is actually something people can relate to and want to see, hear, and pass on to others.

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South Fork of the American

This is some footage from this past summer that I had sitting around, and being the type of person that does not like to waste anything, I decided to slap together a quick video. The main point to it is – the video is of a friend of mine, Brad Brewer, who I met in college at Clemson University, and subsequently taught me how to creek boat years ago.

Around 1995, there were not nearly as many whitewater kayakers as there are now, and there were even fewer people running steep creeks and big waterfalls. Brad was one of the few. He also knows a thing or two about playboating…

The intersection of work and lifestyle: Seattle, Washington

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