First of all I am going to have to be upfront and admit this is one portable device I don’t have…yet. I’m talking about the Flip video camera. If you haven’t seen it you would not think it was a video camera. You would think it was a very basic point and shoot still camera. I saw someone at my local Mac User’s Group showing it as well as the video she had shot earlier at her house.

I’ve also been seeing example popping up all over the Internet from local users like Phil Yanov sharing why he won’t visit a certain fast food chain for a while, or Ponzi Pirillo meeting her husband, Chris at the airport and surprising him with the Flip purchase.

I’m excited about this video camera for three reasons; 1.) It’s size - if something is too big most people will not take it around, 2.) It’s very usable and easy to use, offloading is as easy as plugging the camera directly into the USB port on your computer and 3.) For a camera it’s size with limited features the quality of the video is great especially for impromptu recordings. Do you have a Flip or have you thought about buying one? I recommend checking into this device as a way to share compelling content with those you are trying to reach with your business or organizations message. Of course the example linked to above were more of the the “fun variety.”

I’m right now in the middle of reading a book and it just occured to me how reading a book, hearing a special speaker at a meeting, listening to a podcast or attending a class will often help me do one thing but not the thing I expect. We often expect to go into a place of instruction or ispiration with hopes of getting a list or special formula for acheiving a special task however I have found that I am often fortune to get one good nugget of information I can take with me and use.

Our brains can only hold so much stuff. They say at one time we can only remember 7 things at a maxium. That is one reason telephone numbers are set up they way they are. Even better is a 3 or 4 step process. Even with taking good notes their is usually one thing we hear or see that inspire us to take further action.

What helps you get your focus?

Are you providing opportunities for customers or other people to focus or are you dumping too much information and confusing people?

Does your logo, web site, business card, photos, etc. help people remember that “one thing” or do they get overwhelmed with a long list of products and services?

A while back we decided on the phrase, Harmonious New Media, as our company “tag line.” As of today, June 21st, 2008 I have decided to make that the official name for this blog as opposed to the more generic “SpinningSilk Multimedia Blog” as it’s a part of our company web site. You might not notice a change much on the web site immediately but the RSS feeds, and the way we link from blog comments, etc. will start using that title. Official the “long title” will be - Harmonious New Media - The blog of SpinningSilk Multimedia. The reasons for doing this are as follows;

• Showing the difference between the blog and the web site as a whole
• I want to keep that mantra in my head and also the heads of my readers
• Harmonious is part of our consistent branding promise and I want to communicate that on a daily basis
• I want to showcase the fact that “New Media” is our core focus, not just web design per se but how that is a hub for graphic design, photography, podcasting and online video.
• It’s my desire that the majority of posts will focus on the concept of harmonious new media
• As we get ready to produce a podcast associated with this blog I want to focus of it to be the same

I also plan on changing the header graphic slightly for the blog portion of this web site.

It recently occurred to me that I am subscribed to too many blogs in my newsreader (Newsfire). I’ve started noticing that they are some feeds I though I should stay subscribed to but instead I never leave comments on them, much less read them. If I have left a comment on one of your blogs I can guarantee you are safe and I will continue reading and/or commenting. However I have noticed they are several categories of blog or information I receive via RSS they I quickly glance at but never read. If you blog fits under these categories be warned I may not be subscribed to your blog however I probably wasn’t paying much attention anyway and thus my requests won’t be hitting your server. Here is a list of blogs or other information feeds types I will probably be deleting from my RSS feed reader;

• Posts the are nothing but a compilation of links and where the title usually has a very un-compelling title like - “Links for 6-20-08″
• Feeds from sources that are nothing more than services that link to other blog and news sources
• Categories that don’t help or something you can just do a search on when you need it. For instance I have a “humor” category in my feed reader. I’m taking it out. When I need a laugh I think I can find something just as quick when I need it.
• feeds that basically repeat when is found in other sources you are also subscribed

Your time is valuable and it’s amazing how much information we can skim though in such a short period of time but when it get to the point the “skimming” becomes the talk and not the reading then you need to look at cutting back on some stuff. Last Saturday I got rid of a bunch of coffee mugs in my kitchen cabinet that were taking up space. This Sat. I am looking over my RSS feeds to determine how I can save time and focus more on quality reading in the future. This same idea can apply to browser bookmarks, e-mail newsletter subscriptions and in the print world, magazines. What sources of information do you think you should cut back on?

One of my biggest pet peeves in both new and old media is seeing the same thing or formula day after day. Soap Operas have often been a target of many a joke with people saying they could watch one episode a year and not really miss anything. Several radio talk show hosts are guilty of this as well. I’ve all but stopped listening to certain radio shows not because of their political or philosophical stance but rather I feel it’s a waste of time hearing the same thing over and over again. I’m probably going to get into deep water and offend some people by saying this but one radio show that is guilty of this is the Dave Ramsey Show. Before I say anything critical I love and deeply appreciate Dave’s stance and principle of being debt free. I also appreciate how is confronts callers who try to make excuses for their debt behavior however as a listen I have noticed the show does get into a formula of sorts and while kind of “cute and funny” in the beginning playing the “FREEDOM!!!” sound clip from the movie, Braveheart gets extremely old to the point I want to shout, “Enough Already! I get it!”

In the 90’s The Ken Hamblin show was on the local talk radio station in my city. Ken’s referred to himself as the “Black Avenger” and in my opinion he tried to bring home the point he was black (or African American if you prefer that term but he said “black) and conservative. I “got it” the first few times listening but hearing anything over and over and over again can be a big turn off. Maybe the mindset in radio is repetition because they are expecting turnover ever so often but in the past few years I have had the opportunity to listen to many more hosts and read writers either in the new media through blogs and podcasts or in the old media of print journalism or broadcast media and I have enjoyed and stayed a long time reader. listener or viewer as a result of the hosts or writers “keeping it fresh.” Here are some of the things I have noticed that have kept things fresh for content producers;

• A catch phrase at the beginning or end of the show is fine but don’t let such stuff “hog up” the whole presentation
• Respond and comment on current events - people are often in “shock” during times of change. Help them cope with your unique product or service
• Avoid stereotypes, cliches and out of style terms
• Dare to be eclectic - a local auto repair shop has a radio show hosted by the owner who also loves classical music which he uses for bumper music. Definitely not a stereotype and the unique mix doesn’t get old. BTW, The show is know as the Driving Line and is now available as a podcast. I highly recommend it.
• Be known for consistently surprising your audience in a good way.

How do you keep it fresh and what experiences have you had with encountering things that “got old” way too quick?