Let's Talk Second Life, Shall We




Voice chat in Second Life (yes, I am a few days late)! This is a huge deal for current residents, but for those people who have not yet drank the poison I don't think that it will matter much. I have friends who are having trouble singing up and getting in.


Either way, it is totally cool! Check out Secondcast episode 54 and hear Johnny Ming rip it up with Philip and Co.


File this under- "Things I Don't Really Care About But Caught My Attention Anyway"

I am not a big commentator on print ads that have no connection to a larger experience. In fact, I generally do not care about them as they do not really interest me that much these days. I did however come across this ad in adrants today and it made me stop. Perhaps because it is simply odd looking but, it made me look twice so I figured I would share it. Any thoughts?





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Reflections on the Past 30 Years of Media in My Life

So today I turn 30. Never thought I would make it but I have and boy has the world changed. I have some fond and not so fond media memories and I thought I would share them with you.



  • I worked in a mom and pop video store. When it closed I got hundreds of VHS tapes. They are doing me a lot of good these days!

  • Cassette Tapes- Oh how I miss thee

  • 7 inches means more to me than a genitalia reference

  • Stealing music is not a crime

  • 28k modems rock the house!

  • Laser Disc Anyone!

  • When I was working in studios the ADAT was popular, thank god that was a short lived medium

  • 2” Tape will never die :)

  • I had the first Mac g4. Cost me 8 thousand dollars. It had a gig of RAM and a DVD-RAM drive. Does anyone have a DVD RAM drive I can use to get my data  :)

  • I had the very first stand alone hard disk audio recorder. The Roland VS-880. It had one gig of memory. Mucho SCSI zip disks were needed

  • Podcasts- I never liked radio anyhow



You know what, this is depressing me. It is time to start the future!




Calling All Podcamp Fans!

Podcampers, we need your help.


We have come very far in our efforts raise the necessary funds to make this thing happen and, have done pretty well. As many of you know it is not an easy task to plan such an event and while we love doing it, we are still short in funds and are getting somewhat concerned.


Since we have 91 amazing sessions and some of the top minds in the industry, it would be a shame if we were not able to do all of the great things we had planned.


If you are attending podcamp and can help out at all, you will get Adam Broitman as your best friend forever!!!


Show your love here






The "hello" Remains The Same

Picking up on a conversation I started and Rebecca Matt continued on the Morpheus blog, I want to share a few thoughts.


I posted the newest  iPhone commercial and, while I am not trying to plug the phone in any way, and the commercial is not my favorite (per se. I do really like it though), there is an element of this piece that really struck a cord with me and I have just drilled down as to why. While this is not terribly profound but I will share it anyway (since when do I need to be profound on amediacirc.us).


We have all said “hello” for a long time. Different people have said it, different occasions, different times (the one thing this commercial should have done is incorporate a multinational element, perhaps that is in the works).


The essence of the word has always remained the same. Hello is a way to greet someone (in our culture). There are different inflections that make the word mean different things (i.e. Hello! Did you not see that?) but for the most part hello is a cordial way to greet someone.


This commercial plays on the fact that although the medium has been altered over time, the message is the same. Again, this is pretty obvious but that is why this commercial resonated with me (yes, I am a media geek).


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Dell gets social but my laptop is still a mess!

This post is not going to be a rant about personal experiences with Dell however I want it to be known that I have had awful experiences with their machines. I am stuck with a Dell now but you can it shall be my last.


Now for something completely different…


A recent article in AdWeek talks about Dell’s continuing efforts to better communicate with consumers. While I applaud them for adopting social media, I think that they would be better served spending more time on building better machines and better customer support.


Dell has created a collaborative site dedicated to getting consumer ideas about products, product development and I assume Dell as a company (although I only saw product ideas). The most compelling aspect of the site is users ability to “promote” ideas, just as one would “digg” a story.


As much as I hate to admit it, the idea is really brilliant. I am anxious to see what effect this has on products and if Dell will ever get their act together.


Anyhow, to the web strategist who created this idea, my hats off to you!



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A Metaverse Grows In Brooklyn

I just wanted to give a shout out to Jerry Paffendorf of The Electric Sheep Company and thank him for another great metaverse meetup. This was a star studded event that was not to be missed. It was also further evidence that Booklyn is indeed the metaverse capital of the world.



  1. I got to tell Johnny Ming how much I love SecondCast no less than 15 times (totally true though, it is in my top 3 favorite podcast’s)

  2. I got listen to Mark Wallace’s ever insightful thoughts on the metaverse (for those of you who do not read 3pointD and have any interest in the future of the internet, lets just say, you are missing the boat)

  3. I got to chill with Nexeus Fatale for about 2 minutes, he is too busy being a rockstar these days (just kidding Nex)


I had some really great conversation. Great food, great drinks. A successful night overall!



When Wallace takes the stairs the Metaverse listens!


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Brand This!

UPDATE: BUD.TV DEAD

Branded content; in a world where time and place shifting rules and content is king, branded content is god and to be honest, I am fine with that. Deliver me the goods and deliver them for free and I am a happy 18-34 year old man. Don’t make me wait (I wont do it anyway)! Don’t cut my experience in half and tell me you will be back after a word from our sponsors (I will hate you and tell all my friends to hate you too)! This is my world, you are just livin in it (…Eddie B. said that).


Why the rant you ask? Let’s flip our Internet channel to Bud.tv.




  • Age Verification- well, you cannot exactly call it that as they do not really verify anything but, they are trying  :)



yes, for those of you looking at my browser bar I am on the south beach diet. Stop being such snoops.




  • A fully clothed, non Amazonian (notice the foreboding...yes, I am going to talk about attorney generals later in this post) woman takes the screen and tells me what this is all about. She even teases my tech savvy heart with some free downloadable HD content…cool!

  • Content

    • Trailer for new Vince Vaughn movie (eh, I can get that anywhere)

    • A short called Homeland Insecurity (how clever…)

    • (this video player, albeit small it is pretty good although it leaves me craving my Joost)

    • Bud Superbowl commercial on demand…snooze

    • Guest appearance by Kevin Spacey, yes!

      • He tells us about why he is excited about working on Bud.tv and about his Triggerstreet.com (an amateur, aspiring professional film maker submission site). Ok ok, now we are talking turkey.



    • "Finish Our Movie"

    • Hardly News, “The irreverent interactive comedy game” I like the sound of that and the little clip they give is very “Daily Show” (well, kinda Daily Show. It did make me smile)

    • This Day in History- A clever satire about the Earl of Sandwich

    • ...and much, much more






So why are people getting all up in arms about Bud.tv

  • Media companies are afraid that brands may make compelling enough content that consumers can bypass their media?

    • My answer to those media companies, TOUGH, MAKE BETTER CONTENT AND SHUT UP!



  • Attorney Generals are afraid that this content is too accessible to minors

    • My answer to them; WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN???

    • Why don't you ...

      • see what your kids are getting off of bit torrent and from their friends?

      • Better still, why don't you get some Internet security software and block this content.

      • Better Better still, why don't you sit down and talk to your kids about alcohol, what a concept!






The future of content is exciting, I am enjoying the ride. With all my talk about distribution I do realize that, as Sumner Redstone put it, we do not watch distribution. :)

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Is this the end of Second Life?

How was that for a dramatic title to grab your attention :)


There have been a plethora of posts recently about Linden Labs recent announcements and potential woes. Not being the best person to summarize all of this information I will do the next best thing, give you some links!!!


Mark Wallace


Taras Balderdash


Gwyneth Llewelyn



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Will this be the year for mass 3PointD?

Yes, the title of this post is a plug for the amazing blog 3pointD.com and Mark Wallace who is always at the forefront of the metaverse and the 3D web space. I am lucky enough to be doing a talk with him at Podcampnyc (totally psyched) so stay tuned for that.


Private label Virtual worlds...what are they...why are they? This is a question that I have been asking myself in preparation for a new article that I am writing for iMediaconnection.


Here is yet another example (I know I am a few days behind but I have been stuck in an airport with no Wi-Fi);




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Extending Second Life In Style

I often hear that a Second Life initiative is not appropriate for a given audience as they are not tech savvy enough. iVillage proves that you can extend the experience beyond Second Life through video and create a multi platform marketing event. This is a great example of a group of people who realize that they are dealing with an emerging platform, have not shyed away due to a small number of users, and are taking a holistic approach whereby Second Life is merely one tool that is being employed. Well Done!





Click To Play

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Media Summit 2007 Advertising and Games: From In-Game Advertising to Cross Promotional & Custom Brand Extension

Julie Shumaker, VP of Worldwide Sales, Double Fusion
Ralph Rivera, VP & GM, AOL Games
Colleen Aylward, Category Development Officer, Entertainment, Yahoo!
Nique Fajors, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Atari
Brandon Berger, Senior Strategist, Digital Innovation OgilvyInteractive
Bryan Cashman, Senior Consultant, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Katherine Hays, Chief Operating Officer, Massive Incorporated
Andrew Frank, Media Research Director, Gartner Research, Moderator
For Session Description & Speaker Bios Click Here



  • Males 25-34 as well as older females are very active in the gaming space however, women tend to play casual games

  • Different stories in gaming- there are no love stories in most games

  • The intensity of the experience is unmatched

  • Young professionals and teens- Action and Sci Fi film goers

  • Content attracts the different types of gamers, “Guitar Hero” attracts just as many women as men

  • Forget about the platform, talk about the content

  • Massive takes the network, aggregate and verticalize approach

  • Is the gaming industry stressed by reach and mass targeting

  • Industry is not standardized and simple to buy

  • The next level is 3d objects, animations, interactivity

  • We have not caught up with what it means to engage. We are still trying to measure by page views, impressions etc.

  • The gaming industry if forward looking

  • The video game in its traditional format may not be optimized and as effective as creative creation of advergames

  • Metrics beyond the game- sharing UGC, buzz etc.

  • Consumers Immersion


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Media Summit 2007 Advertising Innovation! Broadband, OnDemand, In-Game, Social Networks, RSS, Blogs, PODs & Mobile

David Card, Vice President & Senior Analyst, JupiterResearch
Patrick Moorhead, Manager of Research and Development, Avenue A | Razorfish
Nancy Dunn, Vice President, Advertising Strategy, ClipSyndicate
Sam Parker, Senior Vice President, CNET Networks
Betsy Morgan, SVP for CBS Digital Media and General Manager, CBSNews.com
Pam Horan, President. Online Publishers Association (OPA), Moderator
For Session Description & Speaker Bios Click Here


So I had to miss Rupert this morning. Too much work :)



  • By 2010 90% broadband penetration (eMarketer)

  • 70% of people have seen a video ad (according to the OPA 2006)

  • 45% of those people took action (according to the OPA 2006)

  • Between 05 and 06 the DVR market grew over 100%


  • Moorhead

    • Video Platform Fragmented. Advertisers are asking for advice on buying and measurement.

    • So far the market is underwhelming

    • Pre roll as stop gap while we try to figure out what is a better way to be relevant

    • Adapting one  model and “jamming” into another a problem

    • Seeking better ways to deliver value

    • Levi’s Program- Shooting video for specific for internet. They were not used to the interactive agency requesting video content creation. Generally they just hand over the 30 second spot.

    • Finding ad models that are sensitive to users

    • Taking advantage of some of the unique characteristics- Video Tagging, Hotspotting etc.

    • Changing the ad medium to a pull style ad model like other interactive models




  • Morgan

    • Core of what CBS news does.

    • Conscious decision not to go with a paid model



      • That is what tv sellers did and what they were used to



    • Agrees that the pre-roll is not as effective as they want it to be

    • Go where the consumers are- syndication “take the content to where the consumers are”

    • Micro Syndication

    • CBS on upfront- It is still around and very powerful.



  • Parker



    • Video central to what CNET is doing

    • Nothing de mystifies tech like video

    • Pre roll is the easy go to component

    • Vendor Content a possible solution where users are willingly downloading submitted videos

    • Good creative can overcome users try to escape ads

    • Context can travel with video

    • CNET TV- Serialized programming




  • Card

    • The most exciting thing with online video is You Tube…

    • Primary way to find things is through recommendations

    • 2 of the 3 top videos on You Tube are ads




  • Dunn

    • Re aggregation of audience into verticals




Mobile



  • Still pretty tiny in the US at this point

  • SMS is a larger part of mobile

  • It doesn’t have to be graphical or site based

  • “this year we will be lucky if it is the year of distribution” Moorhead referring to mobile

  • “it is good to set up the machinery in order to incorporate mobile” Moorheard

  • Where else can we ad value to a brand other than advertising

  • Mobile as a response channel

  • Using mobile as an accountability piece as part of a print, or outdoor ad

  • Mobile huge opportunity for UGC

  • Blogs as tools for listening – Moorhead


A great question from Jeff Jarvis as well, too bad I was so excited he was there that I did not even hear the question :)


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