It’s the holidays so I have some time to catch up on my writing.  This post is a kind of warm up to just let you know I’m still here.

Last night I saw the movie YES Man and I was looking forward to seeing it. Like most of his movies this one has a number of levels you can identify with from a ironically humorous and mockful approach to this topic:  the current infatuation in religious, spiritual and self help organizations to get people to be more positive about life by always saying “Yes” to life.  In addition, the ‘follow the leader’ mentality that occurs causing people to go overboard with their new vision to change their life because ‘the leader’ said so.  Be sure to catch the little twist in the very last scene of the movie to fully realize the depth of the irony that is portrayed.

Let me know what you think when you see the movie. Honestly, I was laughing through most of it from an all-to-close-to-home feeling that I had heard and seen this before - including much of the irony. Having attending many personal development seminars over the years I was personally familiar with this idea of saying YES to life along with the foibles of the leaders and the often misguided interpretation of the concept when applied to one’s life.  Learning how to be authorative in your ability to ‘be’ authentic in your decision to say no or yes or maybe is a skill we learn in life.

In fairness, the idea of saying Yes to life is truly a powerful concept. I’m not making light of it here.  I just wanted to prompt you to see as I was thinking of how you would be grinning and laughing yourself as you see how this entire YES to life philosophy is played out on the silver screen with Jim Carrey.

Tom

Do you have 3 minutes?
Skip over to www.TomParish.com and click on the survey link there or click here!

Take this quick 10-question survey on how government can assist you more effectively over the Internet

This survey closes January 9, 2009.

Tom

Here is a question I get fairly often:

I notice in your Twitter posts/tweets that you have a “tiny url” for the website postings you want the reader to see. What is TinyURL? How is this different from a regular URL?

GOOD question, Bob. Here is the answer: Twitter allows only 140 characters and that include any URL you may insert into the text. The problem with URLs is many of them are very long and hairy, as you’ve probably noticed. So … thanks to TinyURL freeware, here’s what you do to solve that problem:

1. Go to http://www.tinyurl.com
2. Scroll down a bit and you’ll see a box titled: Enter a long URL to make tiny:
3. Do what it says and click on the Make TinyURL button.

OR, if you want to add TinyURL to your toolbar:
1. Click and drag the following link to your links toolbar: TinyURL!
2. Once this is on your toolbar, you’ll be able to make a TinyURL at the click of a button. By clicking on the toolbar button, a TinyURL will be created for the page you are currently on. 
3. Next time you’re composing a note in Twitter and want to include a page’s URL, open another window (or tab up) so you can see the content there. Grab the URL and click on the TinyURL thing on your Toolbar, and it will give you the short version you can copy and paste into your tweet.

Try it out. You can always delete your test twitter.

BONUS:
This question also comes up about Twitter: Why should a business bother with Twitter? Well, what you have to keep in mind is there are two parts to the Twitter opportunity, and you don’t see the second one unless you know about it. I’ve had all sorts of businesses contact me when I twitter about something because these businesses are constant running SEARCHES against all Twitters for keywords. When they find something, they send that person an email (or Twitter). It’s the ultimate one-on-one marketing.

Go to Google and type Twitter Search and you’ll see all kinds of search engines. In fact, Twitter actually purchased a specialized Twitter Search software company that has been integrated into Twitter - see http://search.twitter.com/. 

The business leverage here is getting more intimate with people who are exposing so much about their daily lives (business and personal) that you can hook into this and engage with them. Answer questions, help them out, solve a problem for them, sell them a product they are looking for, fix something broken they are complaining about.

I tell you, when someone pops up in your email box telling you they saw a Twitter you posted and they are offering some help, it just about blows you away. This is true for B-to-B and B-to-C.

Another feature is the list of hot topics that are shown at http://search.twitter.com/, so go exploring and see what’s possible for you and your business on Twitter.

Tom

It’s time to update you on my whereabouts the last couple of weeks.

◊ The big event was the launch of ’showbizzle,’ and that started with a bang.  Unique visitor traffic and views of the episodes shot up rapidly the first two weeks after launch. From what I can tell, about 50% of the traffic view the episodes on the showbizzle.com site and the other 50% of the views are coming from the 10 video distribution sites we’re using with TubeMogul.com. It’s heart-warming to see episode views shoot into the thousands in such a short period.

If you have not visited the showbizzle.com site yet, then make a point to check it out. Have fun, and while you’re there go ahead and become a member. The quality of the video and performances is stunning. Though I’m biased, I’ll have to admit that I check the new views each day (three new ones Monday through Friday) to see how the characters are doing in their very dramatic and at times funny lives.

◊  My copy editor, Jenny Meadows, at her so-appropriately-named business (MyCopyEditor.com), gave me some good advice during one of our conversations. Once a week (or so) she’ll post here a very short summary of all the media I produce for various clients. I create two audio interviews a week typically; one for EnterpriseLeadership.org and one for TalkBMC. I am in the process of making some of these video-based for BMC Software who sponsors both the sites. I am working closely with the BMCtv group to define a workflow that is fast yet maintains good quality for video podcasting. The issue, as you can imagine, is how to capture an interviewee on a video podcast in some kind of consistent way that has appropriate quality. BMC folks are spread out all over the world, though the majority are in Houston, Austin and the San Francisco area. So I’m testing a variety of approaches: Capturing video from webcams; sending out a camera for them to use; and, of course, scheduling them into a studio at BMCtv (Austin or Houston) when they come into town. It’s an interesting project and I’m enjoying the journey. You’ll see results from this in a couple of weeks.

◊  Gary Powell hosted a Friday afternoon social media training event at his place. It was a non-stop question-and-answer affair with some extremely talented independent individuals who have businesses on the web. Truth is, I learn a lot during these kinds of small-group trainings, and one of the points that kept coming up was expanding the use of Facebook for your business.

I’ve been hesitant to recommend Facebook for business use until recently. However, there seems to be a gradual shift in adoption of greater numbers of people across a widening demographic. A good reference to learn more about marketing on Facebook is an e-book by Justin Smith called The Facebook Marketing Bible. You can download this sizable PDF for a very resonable price considering the insights it holds. Smith claims to be keeping the book up to date, which is a plus considering how quickly Facebook use is evolving and changing.

◊  Have you heard about the game-changing product from Canon: Canon EOS 5D Mark II? It’s a still camera that shoots HD video at 1920×1080p with audio. Yeah … amazing. If this rings any bells of interest for you then you simply must check out this review of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. (It has me interested and I’ve been a Nikon guy for years).

Tom

Now that showbizzle has launched and traffic is rising along with interest, we’re seeing more and more questions like ‘What exactly IS showbizzle?’

Here’s an explanation from the hands of Lindsey Rosin, co-creator and producer of showbizzle.

Showbizzle’s FAQs

Who is Janey?
Scroll down below this FAQ and let Janey tell you who she is and what she is all about in her own words. But in the meantime…

Okay, but is Janey a real person?
Depends on the power of your imagination. Haha. Kidding. In all seriousness: NO. Janey is a fictional character. But if she were real, she could be you. Or your best friend. Or that girl with the laptop you always see camped out at your local coffee shop.

So Janey’s the girl that everyone is talking to?
Yes, and she has a lot of friends.

Are they real people? Or are they actors?
All of the people appearing in Janey’s guestbook are actors.

Are the stories that they’re telling real?
No. For the most part, the stories are completely made up. But some of them are very loosely based on true stories and real-life experiences– we’re all twentysomethings hanging out and working (or trying to work) in Hollywood. Good stories are not hard to come by.

Do all the characters know each other?
Yes and no. Lots of the characters know each other. Some are sleeping together. Some are working together. Some hate each other. Some spend a lot of time talking about each other. What’s the one thing they all have in common? Janey. They are all friends with Janey. And they’re all telling their stories to Janey. And then Janey is sharing their stories with you (and everyone else on the world wide web).

Alright… I think I’m starting to get it.
Good.

How many new videos do you put up every week?
At most six. At least three. And on the weekends we’ll be putting up a weekly recap – a condensed version of everything that’s happened throughout the course of the week.

Wow. That’s a lot of videos. What if I can’t keep up?
All of our videos were designed to work independently AND as part of a larger world of three-dimensional storytelling. All of the videos can stand alone, but they are also pieces of a larger picture. As you watch the videos and read the blog, you will get to know the characters. Their storylines intertwine not only through the videos but on the blog as well. It’ll all become clear and everything will be really awesome. Okay?

So there’s no pressure to watch them in a certain order?
Definitely not. We are releasing them on our website in the order in which they happen in Janey’s world. Once a story is released on www.showbizzle.com, it is given a number. You can start at #1 and work your way forward. That would mean that you’re watching in chronological order.

Is that what I’m supposed to do?
You’re not “supposed’ to do anything. They’re no right or wrong way to watch. But by watching in order and reading the blog you’ll get the full impact of what three-dimensional storytelling really is. But feel free to choose your own adventure… you can also watch the videos by character.

Watch them by character? What does that mean?
Each of Janey’s friends has a character profile. On that profile are all of the videos that pertain to that character. If you like a certain character, check out their profile and watch their story from beginning to end.

How will I know when a character has new a new story?
You can tag a character you like in the RSS feed, and when a new video is released you will be notified through your RSS reader. But the best way to stay up to date is to come back to the site and watch the latest and greatest. There will always be someone new talking about something new.

Is there anything else I should know?
We have lots of things in store for our members. The best way to stay current is to make a profile and tell us your story. Either as you – the real you – or as a new showbizzle character you’ve created.
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Now go back and have some fun at the site: http://showbizzle.com