Some FaceTime with Steve Jobs

Dear Steve,

I love Apple. I have a Macbook Pro, an iPad and now a fancy schmancy iPhone 4…I’m wondering if I can get a little “FaceTime” with you now…have a minute?

After a full day spent with the iPhone 4, one of the best features your new phone has is its HD camera. It shoots VERY well in HD (720p) Your device can easily replace the Flip. Why buy a FLIP for $200 when you can get HD video, a camera, a phone and amazing technology for the same price as a brand new iPhone 4…?

Ok, so that’s the good news, here’s where you completely drop the ball….For a company that’s made it’s money on the user experience and simplicity of use, there is NO way you can easily share your HD video you just shot on your iPhone 4.

The ONLY way I can share my HD video with the world is by simply (!) taking the following NINE steps

• Shoot video
• Plug iPhone 4 into your computer (hopefully a macbook, I haven’t figured out how a PC can do this)
• Open up iPhoto (hopefully it will recognize your iphone)
• Select video to download
• Open up iMovie (again, hopefully you have this, or something similar)
• Import Movie from iphoto- create a new “event”
• Create a new “project” in iMovie
• Drag your new event into your new project
• Then (and only then!) you can Share your movie via YouTube and be given the option to choose “HD”

Easy huh?

Ok Stevie, here’s what you need to do…

1. Tell people that you can’t share HD movies with your iPhone 4. Because, well, you can’t…
2. Tell people that the brand new iMovie App ($4.99) doesn’t do this either. (can i get my money back please?)
3. Talk to YouTube and tell them that it’s your problem so that other YouTube users don’t blame it on you…

Thanks for listening!

Tyson

Last week, I went to the city for several new business, client and partner meetings. Now, when I say the “city” I mean New York City. Growing up outside Manhattan for 14 years there really is only ONE city- and it’s New York. As a Bostonian and now suburbanite, when I head into Boston, I head into “town”, but I digress…

Some quick thoughts to share:

• Don’t bother bringing your iPhone. Seriously, it’s dead weight in your pocket, the AT&T network is simply too overloaded
• Be sure to visit the new “underground” Apple Store on Fifth Avenue- across from the old Plaza
• To save a few dollars, and to get some much needed exercise, I walked most of my way through Manhattan. Grand Central to 90th and 2nd. 90th and 2nd to 86 and Lex (through park), Wall Street to 16th and 6th. Best decision I made.  You simply can’t spend time in taxicabs or the subway when you’re in the city, you “feel’ the city by walking through each neighborhood.
• The site of the Twin Towers is still very much an empty space. Hard to believe it happened 9 years ago.
• Can’t wait to bring the family there next week, next month, or very very soon!
• Interesting fact of the day: I traveled to NY from the Greenwich train station. More people go IN to Greenwich to work, then go OUT of Greenwich to head to the big Apple- who knew?
• If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, seriously consider switching over to Apple.  While your iPhone doesn’t work, you can still do lots at the Apple Store (there are five of them in Manhattan) While at one of their stores, I was able to get an hour of training on some new company software, recharge my latpop, warm up (it was 29 degrees out) and enjoy the company of some genuinely nice, friendly people. It’s practically like having a remote office in every city.

This past weekend one of the lenses on our family Digital SLR camera broke by way of a drop by a 4 year old and some chocolate wedged in some really hard to find places on the lens.

So, I took some time to play around with the new FLIP HD Mino camera while talking on the phone with my friend Kate Webber, of Kate Webber Photography.  One of her photos just got nominated as one of the best wedding photos in this nationwide contest. So, I thought. “How can I help Kate in this nationwide contest, while testing out the new video camera?  Easy.   See if a virtual video “ask” will work. Will it?

So, before you do anything else, please  VOTE now (you can vote up to 2 times). When you’ve received that vote confirmation email from Top Knots, send it to Kate at ivoted@katewebber.com. This will enter you in a drawing for a complimentary one hour photo shoot, or a choice of one of her prints.

Make sense? Ok. Good. Now please go vote for Kate, and help her get 500 votes by Friday!

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We’ve heard it countless times before.

In this day and age, for companies and for YOU, it hasn’t been more important to put your best foot
forward always. All the time. Every time. (or at least try your darndest)

What inspired me to write this was a quote from Todd Defren (friend and PR guru) in one of his most recent blog posts.  My favorite quote?

“In the future, the Web you know will be based on the Web that knows you”

So, as private as you want your life to be, there is a pretty good chance people are going to form their opinion of you before they’ve even met you.

So, some quick tips of making that great first impression- as a company or individual.

1. Conduct a social media audit of yourself. Set up Google Alerts for you/your company name on a weekly basis. Does your name come up? If it is a not-so-flattering comment- GREAT- It’s an excellent opportunity to reach out to that person and engage them on some sort of dialogue.

2. Grow your network when you don’t need it. This one’s obvious.You’re not only building your network, but delivering your first impression on a regular basis. Make sure people know what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and why you’re better than others. (Hint:- update your Linkedin status on a weekly basis with interesting content your colleagues would like to see)

3. Be offline. As valuable as your facebook fans/Twitter followers/Linkedin contacts are, nothing is better than a cup of coffee  with a friend or potential new client/contact.

4.  Be a concierge.  Pretend you’re behind the front desk at the Four Seasons. You’re dressed impeccably, you stand tall, and are listening and engaging with your “customer” with a smooth voice. Remember, you’re listening, not talking, and finding opportunities for discussion and common ground.

Did you know that an estimated 98,000 deaths a year can be attributed medical mistakes in the US Healthcare system? Today, I’m going to take a  bit of a detour today from Social Media to talk about a different issue, and a different story…

This is a story about a loving mom, an accident at home, a subsequent trip to the hospital, and a happy ending turning into a tragic one- the death of one’s child.  In Sorrel King’s own words, she was “planning a welcome home party for her 18-month old one moment, and not long after, planning the funeral.”

An excerpt of her story is below, and her is a link to the video on the Today Show on September 21, 2009. For you moms and dads out there, her book is an incredible story of tragedy, but also of hope, passion and what a determined woman can do to help create a “culture of patient safety, together”.

“….Josie spent ten days in the PICU. I was by her side every day and night. I paid attention to every minute detail of the doctors’ and nurses’ care, and I was quick to ask questions. I bonded with them and was in constant awe of the medical attention she received. Every time Josie moved or fussed someone would be quick to push her pain button. I tried rubbing her head and found that often this would settle her. Much to our relief, Josie was experiencing a quick recovery. Her burns were healing beautifully. She was sent down to the intermediate care floor with expectations of being sent home in a few days. Her three older siblings prepared for her welcome home celebration. We were told that no one had ever been sent back up to the PICU….read more

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and passing Sorrel’s message along in any way you can.

Is there a better holiday than July 4th? Seriously, think about that for a second….You don’t HAVE to invite your in-laws, your cousins, or your younger brother with the whiny kids.  It’s just you and whoever you want to spend time with.

This past weekend, after what felt like 28 straight days of rain, the clouds, fog and rain left, and Mr. Sun, barbecues and fireworks finally arrived.  We stayed close to home (no traffic to slog through) and spent the weekend with good friends.

The highlight, of course, was the fireworks display off the beach- 3 different fireworks displays from 3 different seaside (North Shore of Massachusetts) towns.

So, to Americana. Below are some photos from the day…

My friend Dave Atkins posted something interesting today:  “Seven Things About Me”. The goal here is to post seven things that people may not know about you and pass it on to other bloggers… So, am following his lead here and passing along this sort of chain-letter blog… ….

So, here goes…

I’m a NY sports fan: Again, it’s worth calling out again. Sorry to my Boston friends but I ain’t switching sides. If you moved to NY, would you become a Yankees fan? Exactly…

I’m an Eagle Scout. Yep, in high school I was the one who eschewed keg parties on weekends for merit badges and camporees. Even made “Honor Camper” at Boy Scout camps during the summer. Put simply, I never met a knot I didn’t want to tie, a hike I didn’t want to go on, or a fire I didn’t want to start…

Speaking of Fire….In 1978, at the ripe old age of six, my brother and I had the brilliant idea of playing with a lighter and a teddy bear. We lit a teddy bear on fire, then threw it under our bed. We then left the room to go catch up on some Woody Woodpecker …The next thing you know, smoke is billowing out of our bedroom, the room is engulfed in flames, and fire engines are racing down the street. Damage was minimal, but our punishment wasn’t….

I’m an EMT- well I was… I spent two years in college taking the class, then riding in the back of an ambulance for a volunteer ambulance corps. Wasn’t as glorious as it was cracked up to be, but still a good experience.

I’m a closet Allman Brothers fan. You won’t find me listening to them at home, but for a 6 year stretch during/after college, I saw them live about 10 times- even met Gregg Allman backstage (was a member of their “fan club”) Greg Allman is a big dude…

I love the Sound of Music (the movie). Ok, so I said it. Seriously, it’s a fantastic epic with everything you need in a movie. Great soundtrack, decent acting, incredible cinematography, a plot that keeps you going, right? Oh, and my wife has a thing for Captain Von Trapp…

I’m a twin. 36 years ago, my mom went into the delivery room expecting one baby, and she got two….

May 7, 1972

6:30am- Doctor: “Congratulations Mrs. Goodridge, it’s a boy!”….

6:32am- Doctor, walking outside the delivery room, patting my Dad on the back….. “Congratulations Malcolm, you are a father of a bouncing baby boy!”

6:33am- Nurse, “Um, Doctor, you need to get back here in the delivery room”

6:34am- My Mom” “Um, Doctor, I don’t think I’m done yet…”

6:36am- My brother Dave arrives….

6:38am- Doctor, “Um, Malcolm, can I talk to you for a second?…..”

———————————————————————————————

So, here are seven more people I’ve tagged with instructions on next steps.

Melanie Notkin
Jim Storer
Kate Webber
Suzanne Aaronson
Eric Cohen
James Williams-Ness
Dave Atkins

• Link your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know that they’ve been tagged

About 6 months ago on the North Shore of Massachusetts, I was sitting on a friend’s floor, eyes glued to the TV. Tom Brady had just connected with Randy Moss for the go ahead touchdown in Super Bowl 42. My friends ERUPTED with high fives and hugs.

But not me. You see, I’m a New York fan.

Not the obnoxious , tank top wearing, beer swilling yahoo, but the passionate, knowledgeable and dedicated fan who humbly, and somewhat quietly, follows his teams (Giants, Yankees and Rangers thank you very much)

So, 2:38 was still left on the clock, could Peyton’s little brother actually pull it off?

So, I sat their nervously on the floor- about 3 feet from the tv. Hands clenched together. Praying. Hoping.

Manning to Toomer, 11 yards- first down.
Jacobs up the middle on fourth down.
Manning to Tyree on 3rd and 5- first down.
Manning to Steve Smith dancing along the right sideline-first down
Then finally, Manning to Burress- TOOOOUUUCCCHDDDOOOOWWWWNNN!!

No eruptions, no high fives, no hugs. The place was dead quiet. Just me sitting on the floor, balling my fists together and squeaking out a barely audible “yesssssss”.

I’m just not the type of guy to jump up and down and rub it in to my dejected friends – and besides, if you’re a real Giants fan, they always manage to screw it up somehow. But still, I really wanted to celebrate with someone…

So, we know all know what then happened. ..the Giants won…game over. ..party’s over… everyone go home. That place emptied out in 3 minutes..

So I went home. By myself.

Does anyone have any idea what it’s like to be living in New England, in the dead of winter, on a Sunday night, with no one to celebrate a world championship and one of the biggest upsets in NFL (and professional sports) history??? It’s like…

-Winning the lottery. And being told your spouse has already spent the money.
-Getting a hole in one. By yourself, when you’re just trying to squeeze in a round before the kids wake up.
-Finally getting to perform in Carnegie Hall. With no audience.

So, on the 6 month anniversary of the Giants memorable win. I’d like to finally celebrate with all of my Giants brethren out there. Here is a virtual scream, hug, and high-five to all of you…

(and to all my Boston friends-we didn’t just get lucky, we beat you…sorry)

I shouldn’t have time for this. Actually, I don’t have time for this. It’s 1:00am on a Thursday night and I’m an early riser…

But, my mind is full of ideas and thoughts I like to talk about and share with others. It has to go somewhere, right? Here’s what on my mind tonight…

-Why companies should embrace social media
-Working at my company (www.spire.com)
-The perfect job
-What I love about twitter
-My family
-A summer evening in New England.
-The Millburn Deli (about 5 people will understand this reference)
-How I still can’t believe the Giants won the Super Bowl…
-Being a twin- it’s pretty cool

I can’t quite figure out what topics to start with yet, so perhaps this first post is simply a list of ideas to start with, chip away it and revisit from time to time

Either way, it’s an exciting journey for me. Am looking forward to it, and diving in… [hitting "publish" now]