Jon Barilone - I Am a Dabbler

10 Reasons I Love My New Job

2011-09-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

"Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." - Confucius or Martin Luther King, Jr.

10. I am now a "Community Manager". Perfectly aligns with the strongest part of my social media skill set.
9. Even though my commute technically got longer, it still takes less than 10 minutes to get to work in the morning.
8. I get my own office! With a placard outside that has my name on it!

7. I'm making 14% more per year than I was 3 days ago.
6. I am now a UC employee (read: employee of the state) with all the benefits thereof.
5. I am working for/with a Pulitzer Prize winner!
4. I accrue vacation days at a rate of 10 hours/month (15 days/year) and sick days at a rate of 8 hours/month (12 days/year).
3. I'll get Dec. 23-Jan. 2 off & all federal holidays are paid time off as well.
2. I get to collaborate with some of the smartest people on the planet.

Aaaaand, the #1 reason why I love my new job is:
1. I feel like I'm going to make a difference in the world.

Check out the cool stuff this Research Hub gets involved with:
YouMedia - changing the way teens use libraries

DML Competition: awarding $2 million annually to app developers who inspire the most novel uses of new media in support of learning.

Quest To Learn: School for Digital Kids (slideshow overview)

Dick Van Dyke at D23 Expo 2011

2011-08-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix perform a cappella on Day 1 of the D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center, August 19, 2011.

Seating was VERY limited for this special Dick Van Dyke appearance, with the line starting about 3 hours in advance of the start time. I recorded only a fraction of the numbers they sang since I wanted to soak in the experience as well as film it.

Dick Van Dyke is amazingly spry for his age and as charming as ever. My favorite song of the session was him reprising his role Mr. Dawes Senior in "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank." Dick Van Dyke joked that he didn't need any makeup now for the character. :-P

At the end of the performance (before an encore song), my friend Cheska helped present Dick Van Dyke with a commemorative Mary Poppins giclée print!

To see more videos of this Dick Van Dyke & the Vantastix performance at D23, I recommend checking out youtube.com/mrdaps.

Chick-fil-A Is Awesome

2011-04-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Last night, I got to hang out with the owner of the local Chick-Fil-A as a "promotion" of sorts. Chick-Fil-A and this location in particular is very intent on being viewed as a family restaurant rather than a fast food joint, despite the presence of a drive-thru window. Even without the free dinner and milkshake, it's my opinion that they're succeeding.

I'll be writing a more in-depth article for my Examiner.com page, but I just thought I'd share a couple tidbits here:

Chick-Fil-A is the largest consumer of peanut oil in the country. So much so, that they recently switched to cooking their waffle fries in canola oil so that peanut oil supplies wouldn't be exhausted by the year 2020! (I didn't even notice a change in taste)
Chick-Fil-A pressure cooks their chicken in peanut oil, they don't "flash fry" it. That's one of the reasons why it is so friggin' juicy and tasty.
Donning the cow costume is a shared responsibility, though it's usually the same person; even the owner has been the cow a few times.

One of the keys to the Chick-Fil-A experience is that the employees also buy into the concept of promoting a family-style restaurant and providing personalized service with visibly positive attitudes. I am told that it's a much more rigorous hiring process for Chick-Fil-A store employees compared to other food chains, and the quality definitely shows.

More to come in a few days...in the meantime, do yourself a favor and go to the Chick-Fil-A on Bristol & MacArthur in Santa Ana!

Facebook Page Cheat: Find Out What Your Fans Like

2011-03-23T23:06:00.000-07:00

See my original answer on Quora.com
So, you're a Facebook Page Admin and you've dabbled with Insights but you want to know more about your Page's Fans. What music do they listen to? Where do they eat? Where do they shop? What TV shows do they watch? If you're lucky, you could get some answers via a Poll or go fishing for Post Comments. Or you can use this trick and be done in 5-10 minutes.

I discovered this Facebook Fan Page "cheat" about a month ago. To get started, you'll need to follow a few steps first:

Log into the Facebook account that controls your Page.
Click on 'Account' in the top right and select the "Use Facebook as Page" option.
In the pop-up window, find your Page and click on the blue "Switch" button. You're now logged into Facebook as your Page.
Go back to the Facebook homepage.
You should now see a section show up in the right column called "Recommended Pages." These are Pages that your Fans like!

In my experience, approximately 10% of your Fans have to like a single Page in order for it to show up in this section. Just keep refreshing your browser to see different Recommended Pages. You may want to record your findings in Excel so you can sort/filter the data and delete any duplicates. You can even rank these Pages according to how popular they are with your Fans.

This is an easy and very quick way to see the passions/interests your Fans have in common. Now you can serve up hyper-targeted Facebook Ads to your target audiences, better position offline/traditional advertising, or supplement your consumer insights data.

If you have social media questions for yourself or your small/medium business, ask me!

Metaphilm.com is awesome - go there now

2011-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

Metaphilm.com is a culmination of intellectual summaries/editorials on some of your favorite film classics. Here are some of my faves:

* Training Day: "Denzel Washington stars as George Herbert Walker Bush discovering the consequences of training your son to be the world’s traffic cop."
* Legally Blonde: "A love letter from a jilted Hollywood to the intellectual: You can’t escape from me, you can’t leave me stranded here in L.A., and above all, you have no right to judge me."
* Mary Poppins: "A 'Faerie Queene' who inspires her people to just enough determination and unity of purpose (not to mention luck) to sustain them through the valley of danger."
* Memento: "Guy Pierce stars in an homage to the Post-It note." (Bonus: written by Chuck Palahniuk)
* 8 Mile: "Eminem stars as Jesus Christ, King of the Jews, in a movie that’s all about being righteous."
* Fight Club: "[The protagonist] 'Jack' is really Calvin from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. It’s true. Norton portrays the grown-up version of Calvin, while Brad Pitt plays his imaginary pal, Hobbes, reincarnated as Tyler Durden."
* Donnie Darko: no crazy interpretations on this one but it's the clearest, most concise explanation of the movie I've ever seen.

Transgendered Persons and Professional Sports

2010-10-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

Famed Action Transvestite Eddie Izzard

Wow. Talk about a gray area. Typically, professional sports (particularly in international competitions) are separated into two major categories: men's and women's. So what if you don't fit squarely into either category? Chaos, apparently.

In 2009, South African 800-meter runner Caster Semenya showed some tremendous improvements in a very short time span. The times she was running were, frankly, amazing for a woman of her age with relatively little pro competition experience. At the World Championships, she beat out some of the world's finest 800m specialists by over two and half seconds, which prompted officials to finally request a gender test. Unlike many of her fellow competitors, Caster was tall, had broad shoulders, higher-than-average muscle mass, and heavily manly features.

Initial gender tests appeared to confirm some suspicions. I believe the official results are still being kept private, but some media channels have reported that Semenya is actually a hermaphrodite. This would explain the unusually high levels of testosterone that were found in her body (approximately three times the norm for females).

But what is the IAAF (governing body of Track & Field) supposed to do now?! Allow her to keep competing as a female, even though she has an unfair chemical advantage? Bar her from competing and invite international scorn? Even her own country is a bit unsure about how to proceed...

Case number two: what if a man purposely got a sex change and tried to then compete as a woman? Enter "Lana Lawless." Initially, Lana's story sounds like the plot of another bad Eddie Murphy.Rob Schneider movie. (Or "Ladybugs" if you remember that God-awful film. RIP, Jonathan Brandis. I'll always remember you fondly as the second, better Bastian.)

When Lana was refused participation in the LPGA Challenge, she ~~accepted the decision as fair and that this was an inevitable result of her personal decision to change her gender~~ sued them. Not to mention that she's also suing Dick’s Sporting Goods, Re/Max and CVS.

Now, you could certainly make a case that the LPGA's "female at birth" policy is discriminatory. But I just can't feel as bad for Lana Lawless when she made a personal choice to change her gender and then expected to compete with the physical attributes she'd enjoyed as a man. That's unfair and it seems pretty ridiculous (yet, sadly, somewhat expected in this day and age) that she'd just go suing people right and left for upholding rules they've had in place for decades.

As LBGT issues become more prevalent and we, as a society, become more sensitive to these persons and the issues they face, should pro sports be redefining their rules? Or, out of necessity, will we continue to stick to our definitions? For example, think of how record-keeping would have to change if there were suddenly more categories. Now, apply this same issue to high school and college athletics: if kids are born with a chemical makeup that isn't clearly male or female, where do they fit?

I certainly don't have the answers and this is certainly a new area of thinking for me, so I won't offer anything else besides this open-ended post. I do, however, look forward to seeing how governing bodies handle these gray-area issues in the future.

Ramblings on Unemployment

2010-10-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

"Unemployed Find Old Jobs Now Require More Skills: 15 Million Americans Currently Employed"

Read this today and got pretty depressed about:
1. the current state of the economy in terms of unemployment levels;
2. the implications this has on hiring practices;
3. the matter-of-fact manner in which this article stated how normal it is for one employee to be doing the equivalent of two or three different jobs.

Statements/observations made in the article:

Companies are becoming more productive by "doing more with fewer workers."
Many companies complain they can't find qualified people for certain jobs...4.6 unemployed Americans are competing for each opening; that stat was 1.8 people before the recession.
The number of openings has surged 37% in the past year but the unemployment rate has actually risen during that time.
In order to succeed, current workers have to produce more and constantly learn new job skills. This trend is "magnifying the obstacles facing the unemployed."

Now, in the interest of disclosure and to set the perspective, I am currently happily employed (full-time) at a large company that is still growing. No hard feelings if you're reading this and thinking "what would you know about unemployment, Jon?" However, I've experienced my fair share of fruitless job searching and I know/have known plenty of people affected by unemployment.

I completely understand, from a business perspective, the importance of hiring versatile employees that can "wear different hats" (ugh, corporate lingo). This is especially true if you have a small or medium business when it's necessary to be as productive as possible to keep costs down while you're growing. But I've never liked the concept. I've always held to the belief that you'll get more out of your employees when you allow them to specialize/focus and, above all, keep them from getting too stressed out.

In these times, as the article noted, many companies are now in a position where they can be extremely picky when it comes to hiring new talent. For applicants, this translates into a job skills arms race combined with price wars. I feel especially bad for those with Masters degrees and lots of experience because they will probably never find positions whose salaries match what they deserve. It's even worse when companies reject them on the basis that they're "overqualified." Younger job seekers, on the other hand, will either be passed over for many more qualified applicants or have to accept very low wages and work their asses off. Sure, it's a winning situation for companies in the short run, but it just seems really unfair for job seekers right now.

I played with the idea of transitioning into a satirical segment a la "A Modest Proposal" (was going to work in a Logan's Run reference, too...) but that wouldn't exactly inspire any dialogue or critical thinking. What is the answer here?! I know there are so many different angles from which to tackle the issue and you could even touch on a lot of political issues at the same time.

I feel like I'm starting to ramble, so I'll end it here. I wanted to discuss how the Objectivist philosophy plays a role, as well as Kohlberg's stages of moral development, but that will have to wait for another time.

Thoughts On Roller Coasters. And Hyperventilating.

2010-05-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, Brianna and I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain yesterday for a well-deserved vacation day and because we got tickets through AAA for $25 each. Not bad, considering a normal one-day ticket is $55. Score!

Now, I haven't been to Magic Mountain in several years; I think the last time was in high school junior or senior year for a class trip. Since then, Six Flags has added several new "High Thrill" ride attractions. Since we went on a weekday, we didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes for any of the rides. We could have hit every major ride in the park twice if we'd wanted. Yet we stayed away from several due to their extreme-ness. X2--you go through corkscrews and loops while your seating section rotates 180 degrees like one of those torture device-inspired county fair rides. Tatsu--you go flying through loops and corkscrews head first with only a shoulder harness keeping you from plummeting face first to the Earth. Superman--that ride just doesn't look physically possible.

We ended up leaving the park earlier than originally planned since we had done everything we wanted to and didn't feel like repeating rides (or paying the ridiculous $1 every single time for a mandatory locker). Throughout the day, Brianna and I had agreed that we didn't really feel like repeating rides back-to-back, even though there were no lines and it would be easy to do. The reason? The physical, mental and emotional strain of each experience.

Now, to take a step back here and provide some context: I've been to Magic Mountain dozens of times. Our family used to have Annual Passes for a few years; it was a bit of a natural progression after Disneyland as my sister and I were growing up. I spent as least a couple years waiting to be tall enough to go on Viper (which required you to be 54") and I remembered loving it and any other coaster that had loops, corkscrews, big drops, etc. I've relinquished control of my life to the roller coaster gods dozens of times and always come out unscathed save for a couple headaches. So why was this time around so different? Why was I literally hyperventilating at the end of Viper and giving Brianna a hug like I thought I would never see her again?

From a purely rational standpoint, there's really not much to fear when going on roller coasters at places like Six Flags. As you're waiting in line, you've obviously seen several groups of riders return safely and you know that each of the rides--no matter how new they are--had to go through round after round of testing. But, as you step into your seat, while you're pulling down on the shoulder harness, and especially during the 10-story climb to start the ride, you can't help but wonder: "What if?" The end result is 2-3 minutes of paralyzing thrill: a white-knuckled grip on your restraints and a sense of dread every time you see the track ahead of you contorting like a fiendish crazy straw of doom.

After some thinking, I've narrowed down why roller coasters seem so scary to me now: I've got a lot more to lose. When you're a kid, you're just concerned about the thrill of the ride. There's no danger because you're a kid and you're indestructible. When you're an adult and you're falling upward against your shoulder harness in the middle of a corkscrew, you're not giggling because the sense of weightlessness is fun. You're thinking about that Life Insurance policy and how much it will really cover. You're thinking about how you never got to go to Europe. You're wondering if closing your eyes will make the fear go away (and then realizing they're already closed and you're still freaking out). And that's why, after you're back on solid ground again, there's no way you're going to go through all that again without a few minutes of physical and emotional rest.

So, will I ever get on a roller coaster again? Of course! They're fun, they're exhilarating and there's a small part of us humans that craves the thrill of staring death in the face and laughing. (And because Brianna and I got a couple $25 coupons upon leaving the park. Can't pass up a good deal.)

The new MLS salary rule: LA Galaxy's poor will get poorer

2010-04-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

Look, we know American soccer doesn't compare to European football. We don't have the traditions, the superstars, the fan base/passion, the media coverage or the money. It's arguable that all this could come over time but there is no clear path on how MLS plans to achieve these goals. And this new salary rule is not a step in the right direction.

A few years ago, the league instituted the Designated Player Rule (nicknamed the Beckham Rule) which allows teams to add "Designated Players" to their roster. These Designated Players are those who could be considered outside of the team's salary cap of $2.55 million. If an individual's salary exceeds $335,000, they must be considered a Designated Player and the team has to pick up the rest of the player's salary on their own. This rule allows MLS to bring international stars into the league--this will hopefully up the gameplay to another level, draw in more fans, and should also drive some more merchandise sales.

ESPN reporter Jeff Carlisle summed up the new rule well: "each designated player [DP] will count $335,000 against a team's salary cap. Teams can also purchase a third DP slot for a $250,000 fee..." For example, the LA Galaxy can now have both Donovan & Beckham as their two Designated Players and purchase an additional DP spot as well.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Galaxy will suffer. For you and me, $2.55 million is nothing to sneeze at. For a professional sports team's entire salary, that number is laughable. Cristiano Ronaldo made almost $17 million last year as an individual with Real Madrid. Luckily, the 2010 season's "minimum salary for senior players will rise to $40,000 this season from $34,000, and the developmental minimum will rise to $31,250 from $20,100 under the five-year contract agreed to last weekend."*

Yes, you read that right: new MLS players made as little as $20,100 last season. To put that in perspective, there are full-time In-N-Out workers who make more than that in a year. I actually make more money per year than 7 of the Galaxy's players did in 2009. I'll repeat that: I make more money than American professional athletes.

With the new rule, a team could now be setting aside up to 36% ($920,000 out of $2.55 million) of their salary toward just 3 of their players. Before, that maximum was only 17% ($400,000 out of $2.3 million). Granted, the minimum pay raises are a good start but that only came after lengthy negotiations and the threat of a players' strike...That's not really a great message to send to developing players.

Think of the analogy of the MLS as a company. You know the executives make bank but there are plenty of sources that tell you regular employees get paid crap. Would you want to join that company as an executive? Hell yeah. Would you want to join that company as a lower level employee? No way.

*From 3/23/10 New York Times article "M.L.S. Pay Minimums Raise": http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/sports/soccer/24sportsbriefs-mls.html

Why you need to share less on Facebook and Twitter

2010-03-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Read the original article on Examiner.com, Santa Ana.
I am one of their Social Media writers!

It seems counterintuitive, this concept of sharing less while using tools that encourage you to share more. Unless you are an expert when it comes to understanding privacy settings, social network platforms may be giving employers, law enforcement and strangers access to your updates.

Facebook is perhaps the most dangerous platform when it comes to sharing information. With its multitude of privacy, search and profile settings, Facebook can be confusing for average users who want to protect themselves. Unless you've created segmented Friends lists, your site activity will be announced for all to see.

You might get weird looks from your co-workers if you join the popular "Awkward moments define my life" Group to be ironic. Your mother might lecture you if you become a Fan of fictional womanizer Barney Stinson. Or you might lose your health benefits because you posted pictures of yourself having fun when you were on sick leave for depression (true story).

Not to mention the implications once you throw law enforcement officials and burglars into the mix. A sarcastic tweet about hating politicians could land you in jail. And those harmless Foursquare check-ins you use to get discounts and assert your mayorship at the local coffee shop? They're also letting strangers know that you're not home at the moment.

With nearly every one of your social network activities displayed publicly, it takes some restraint to avoid overexposing your personal life. Learn about each of your network's privacy settings and use them well to protect yourself from unwanted eyeballs.

Thoughts on Unemployment

2010-02-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

While sifting through my Google Reader this morning, I came across a few articles that revolved around unemployment and it got me to thinking. Small rants below.

Jobless benefits begin running out because government is stuck in partisan stalemate
Screw you, government. Due to your stubbornness to find a compromise, your constituents (your clients, essentially) are going to go broke. We depend on you to represent our best interests, not participate in truly stupid and wasteful bipartisanship. Get your act together or we'll vote "no confidence" faster than you can say "Chancellor Valorum."

Man racks up $700 phone bill trying to claim a $700 unemployment check
Screw you, state unemployment agencies. This is as bad as stories about 911 operators putting you on hold. People just want some answers and some basic customer service. Can someone create Yelp accounts for these agencies to hold them accountable or something? On the flip side, dude might want to look into using a land line to make these calls instead.

The only bag boy with an MBA
On one hand, this story is depressing. Former manager can't find a job except a minimum wage one. On the other hand, we need a nation full of Don Goulds. The dude didn't go into denial/pity mode when he got laid off. He analyzed the situation, determined what he needed to do to support his family, sacrificed his pride and got a job. You're a hero and the universe has good things in store for you, sir.

A New Chapter

2010-02-19T23:35:00.001-08:00

So, tomorrow, my girlfriend of a year-plus and I will be moving into a (super awesome) apartment together. The two most common emotions we've both been feeling are: nervous and excited. It's definitely a big step for us as neither of us have lived with a significant other before. We're both going to try to find that fine balance between attention and personal space. From my understanding, that takes a little while to get used to. It's also been slightly stressful learning that not everyone supports our decision. While it doesn't change our minds about the decision at all, it's a little hurtful; sadly, it was to be expected.

It's definitely going to be nice to not have to "live out of a bag" like I've been doing for the past several months when I've spent the night. She has me eating healthier (thanks to a healthy dose of home-cooked meals) and we've decided to start the Couch-to-5K program as well. Nine weeks of jogging to supplement the beginning of my outdoor 11v11 soccer season.

A bit of a tangent but I've been stress eating a lot lately. I can't really seem to get myself to stop since it's so comforting. I've tried reading up a little and I understand the chemical and psychological reasoning behind stress eating a little better; it's pretty similar to addictions in some ways. I guess my question to all you faithful readers is this: what are all the things you can do to get rid of an addictive habit?

Well, time for some shut-eye before the big move starts tomorrow.

P.S. I hope you're happy, Lindenberg! ;-P

'Then I'll See You in Hell!'

2009-12-31T00:07:00.000-08:00

I've always thought this is the randomest line in the Empire Strikes Back. I had a Robot Chicken/Family Guy moment where I envisioned George Lucas yelling "Cut!" after that and lecturing Harrison Ford about the absence of an afterlife in the Star Wars universe. Then it snowballed... *Thx, Rolando, for the Lucas correction*

INTERIOR: FINSE, NORWAY -- SOUND STAGE

It's the set of Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. We join the cast and crew in Finse, Norway, the setting for the imaginary ice planet of Hoth where the Rebel Alliance has set up their base.

DECK OFFICER
Sir, Commander Skywalker hasn't come in through the south entrance. He might have forgotten to check in.

HAN SOLO
Not likely. Are the speeders ready?

DECK OFFICER
Not yet. We're having some trouble adapting them to the cold.

HAN SOLO
Then we'll have to go out on Tauntauns.

DECK OFFICER
Sir, the temperature's dropping too rapidly.

HAN SOLO
That's right. And my friend's out in it.

ASSISTANT OFFICER
I'll cover sector twelve. Have com-control set screen alpha.

Han pushes through the troops and mounts a Tauntaun.

DECK OFFICER
Your Tauntaun'll freeze before you reach the first marker.

HAN SOLO
Then I'll see you in hell!

Pan to GEORGE LUCAS in his executive producer's chair. He puts his head in his hands and shakes his head while groaning.

GEORGE
Cut! Cut! Take five, everybody.

The crew gratefully shuffles off to get coffee while there's a break to be had. GEORGE signals to HARRISON FORD that he wants to have a conversation.

GEORGE
Harrison, c'mere.

HARRISON cocks an eyebrow and flashes a smirk as if to say "who, me?" and jogs over.

HARRISON
What's up, your Worshipfulness?

GEORGE
Harrison, we've been over this time and time again. I know you like to improvise when you're in the moment, but you have got to stick to the script.

HARRISON
It's not my fault! Search your feelings--you know it was the right thing to say.

GEORGE
Yeah, OK, it has some aesthetic appeal. But, look. In this galaxy, in this time, there's no universal concept of heaven and hell. There's no mention of the afterlife at all.

HARRISON
Sure, sure. Obi-Wan just (makes air quote gesture) 'becomes one with the Force' instead of dying and blahblah.

GEORGE
You don't believe in the script, do you?

HARRISON
Look, if you're asking me as a friend, I'll answer as a friend. I think it's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.

GEORGE
Harrison, I need you to set a good example for the others here. We'll keep the line, OK?
(moves in closer to whisper)
You're the best actor here.

HARRISON
I know.

GEORGE
We all know it. Now, you're free to use any acting methods necessary, but no improvisations. Alright?

HARRISON
(shrugs playfully)
Hey, it's me.
(chuckle)

GEORGE turns away to speak with the nearby Director of Photography PETER SUSCHITZKY who hands GEORGE a cup of coffee and sips from his own.

PETER
(nods toward HARRISON)
Actors. Rather touchy, aren't they?

CARRIE FISHER strides by in time to hear HARRISON laughing.

CARRIE
(mutters)
Laugh it up, fuzzball.

HARRISON overhears the snide remark and calls after her.

HARRISON
Watch your mouth, your Highness, or you're going to find yourself walking home tonight.

CARRIE
I happen to like nice men, Harrison.

HARRISON
Well, lucky for me I happen to be a scoundrel, isn't that right?

MARK HAMILL, monitoring the conversation from close by, chimes in.

MARK
In my experience, there's no such thing as luck...

HARRISON
(starts to move towards MARK)
Why, you stuck-up, half-witted-

CARRIE
(to MARK)
Shut up!

MARK
No, I will not be quiet, Carrie!

GEORGE hears the raised voices and turns back to his three movie stars.

GEORGE
What happened?

The actors pause and glance at one another.

HARRISON
Don't worry, everything is under control.

LUKE
Yeah, situation normal.

CARRIE
Boring conversation anyway.

CARRIE continues her walk and moves away, trying to keep warm on the cold set.

HARRISON
(mutters)
I'm gonna kill her...

MARK
(mutters)
I'm beginning to like her...

GEORGE
(to himself)
No movie rights and merchandise revenue is worth this.

Happy 24th Birthday, Brianna!

2009-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

"Spell With Flickr" courtesy of http://metaatem.net/words

"What Do You Mean It Took You This Long to Watch LOST?!"

2009-10-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

Yes, I admit it: I just barely started watching LOST and I'm barely into Season 2. "But, Jon..." you whine, "LOST is such an incredible show and you seem to be a pretty pop culture-savvy guy. Why hadn't you ever seen it before?" "Because," I lament, "I didn't want to be like everyone else."

So, yes. Watching LOST from the beginning in order to catch up before the new season in January is a bittersweet experience for me. Sweet because it's addicting, much like Heroes used to be in its fledgling years. The plot twists, the Evangeline Lilly, the surprises, the action, the Evangeline Lilly, the unanswered questions, the Evangeline Lilly. Bitter because it's maddening learning one thing ("what's in the frickin' hatch?!?!") only to not learn 10 more things: why was Kate a fugitive in the first place, what happened to Sayid's chick, what is the smoke-monster thing, who are the Others, where is Walt, who was Ethan, why does Claire have to raise the baby herself, why haven't Jack and Kate gotten together yet, what happens if you don't push the button every 108 minutes, where did 4 8 15 16 23 42 come from, etc.

The real killer, though, is not being able to read spoilers. I made an awful, awful promise to my girlfriend: that I wouldn't read any LOST spoilers. As some of you may know, I am notorious for reading spoilers. It's not really a question of curiosity; it comes from impatience. Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books that wouldn't let you know what you were getting yourself into when you turned to page 73? Yeah, I hated those things. So, at the end of every single episode, I'm turning to my girlfriend with my jaw slack and eyes wide and saying (a) what hell and/or (b) next episode! She thinks it's cute.

The Cult of "True Blood"

2009-08-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

So help me, I love this TV series. It's not insanely witty or layered like Arrested Development; it's not formulaic-but-still-hilarious like Two and a Half Men; it's not quirky yet endearing like Big Bang Theory. It's graphic, it's violent, it's sexy, it's funny, it's touching, and friggin' addicting. Every episode ends on a cliffhanger. Main characters DIE! Lovable characters DIE! Good guys get hurt and bad guys almost always gain an upper hand.

Personally, I "blame" my girlfriend for this new addiction. She began reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels a little while ago and, by the first time I'd even heard of the TV show, it was already into its 2nd season. Yes, at first, I was a skeptic. "Another vampire series? Ugh, spare me." But once you're emotionally invested in the TV show's characters, you're hooked like you're on 'V.' True Blood seems to have this undertone that X-Men 3 tried to accomplish: highlighting the prejudice against, segregation of, and hatred towards vampires as a metaphor. A metaphor for racial tolerance or homosexuality or whatever--take your pick. Yet the show's writers don't hit you over the head with it. There are plenty of side plots and sub plots and plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I'm glad I haven't read the books because then I would be tempted into the pitfall of analyzing the show based on "whether ____ was in the book or not." My only real complaint is that I think Anna Paquin needs some serious orthodontia attention. You're 27 and a well-known actress: get rid of the front-tooth gap! My favorite character is Lafayette; I hope that actor gets a lot more offers after this show--he's fun.

FUN FACT: Ryan Kwanten, the actor who plays Jason Stackhouse, is actually Australian. Check out his fun accent here: http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi2691301401

FUN FACT: Michael McMillian (the Reverend Steve Newlin) had a cameo in another beloved TV series of mine: Firefly. The episode "Shindig" where Mal has to duel Atherton Wing in a sword fight while Inara watches...remember when Inara was trying to select a client before the ship lands? McMillian was the uneloquent suitor who said "the honor you would do me would flatter...my honor!"

BONUS! If you're on Twitter, you will love the following treasure trove of Twitter tweets:
http://twitter.com/SteveNewlinJr
http://twitter.com/sarahNewlin
http://twitter.com/JasonBT
http://twitter.com/FotS_Lukinator
http://twitter.com/ArleneFowler
http://twitter.com/LettieMaeThornt
http://twitter.com/BudDearborn
http://twitter.com/NotLassie
http://twitter.com/VampireGodric
http://twitter.com/TerryB_fleur
http://twitter.com/MerlottesBar
http://twitter.com/HoytFortenberry
http://twitter.com/JessicaHamby
http://twitter.com/TaraMaeThornton
http://twitter.com/SookieBonTemps
http://twitter.com/AndyBellefleur
http://twitter.com/MaryannForreste
http://twitter.com/VampireBill
http://twitter.com/EricTheNorthman
http://twitter.com/KitchenBitch
http://twitter.com/EggsBenedictBT
http://twitter.com/WaitressDaphne

New "Merlin" Is an Abomination

2009-06-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

As some of you may or may not know (and to which I do not often claim), I really like the character Merlin from Arthurian legend. I wrote my college thesis on Merlin; yes, you read that correctly. So, imagine my initial excitement and the look of joy on my face when I heard there was going to be a new "Merlin" TV series. One of my favorite made-for-TV mini-series is "Merlin" starring Sam Neill back in 1998 (and then they made the horrible decision of filming a sequel called "Merlin's Apprentice" but I digress). I thought this show would follow in that same vein. I was wrong. So very, very wrong. Think of this show as the equivalent of how Smallville absolutely wrecked the idea of Clark Kent as a youth. http://www.hulu.com/watch/78885/merlin-the-dragons-call

Three minutes into episode 1 of this new Merlin and I am pissed off. Merlin is a teenage, brown-haired boy who straggles into a fully built Camelot just as Uther Pendragon is getting ready to execute some poor sap for trying to practice magic, which, everyone should know, is punishable by death. Oh, and a totally hot young Morgana (Uther's ward) looks on from an upper window. Uther dives into some super-obvious exposition about how, when he came to the land 20 years ago, magic was everywhere and he happily drove it out with an iron fist. Seriously, this guy hates magic like Republican senators hate homosexuals because they're personally bicurious. The recently executed dude's ugly mom openly curses Uther and then disappears in a cloud of dust before the guards can seize her for practicing magic.

Merlin cautiously makes his way to the headquarters of the "Court Physician," Gaius. Security is pretty lax because the two guards just nod their head and let him pass. Inside, Merlin scopes out the tables full of weird concoctions, books, tools and beakers full of substances. As he calls out to the Gaius, who is reaching oh-so-dangerously for something on a high shelf, Gaius starts to fall. We get a close-up of Merlin's eyes as they flash with some sort of fiery effect and he slows down time; next, he does the eye-flashy thing again and Gaius falls harmlessly onto his bed that has quickly moved across the room. We're then treated to a painfully written dialogue sequence in which Gaius claims he knows Merlin used magic and wants to know from whom he learned. Merlin stutters and replies that he was just born that way and shows Gaius a letter from his mother.

So far, the majority of this young Merlin's screentime has been spent with him looking dopily at the green screen around him. I won't relate the rest of the crappy episode, but I feel this person's script parody is pretty spot-on: Parody

The reason the show pisses me off so much at first viewing is the obvious lack of historical credibility and the lengths to which they ignore so much canonical information regarding Merlin and the world in which he lived. The most obvious wince-inducing mistake is that Uther Pendragon did not build Camelot, Arthur did. However, Merlin was very young when he first met Uther. Magic was not a simple black-and-white topic in those days; everyone was very superstitious and very much polytheistic.

OK, a lot more gripes as the episode continues but I have to limit it since this list could go on forever:

Merlin runs into Arthur who is bullying some poor kid by making the kid wear a target while Arthur throws daggers at him. In most accounts, Arthur and Uther never meet and Uther was certainly never a father figure to him. Arthur was raised by Sir Ector and was naturally meek and humble--he wasn't a bully. Also, he certainly wasn't the same age as Merlin. Oh, and Gwenivere was not half African-American.

Writers, producers & directors of this new TV series: you suck. I boycott you and your ignorance.

A Tale of Two Halves

2009-06-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

The US men's soccer team competed in their very first FIFA tournament final yesterday against perennial powerhouse Brazil and lost 2-3. Earlier in the Confederations Cup tournament, US lost to Brazil 0-3. Ouch--worst loss in their past 28 international matches. The final was a hard-fought game but the 3-2 score doesn't tell the whole story.

It's pretty much a miracle that the US was in this final at all. Not to diminish the play of the US team, but they were in a group with Brazil and Italy (defending World Cup champs) and their semifinal match was against the #1-ranked team in the world. The US was at the bottom of its group and it needed some improbable events in order to advance to the semifinals: the US had to beat Egypt by a margin of 3 goals or more and they needed Brazil to beat Italy by a margin of 3 goals or more. In a sport that rarely sees that sort of scoring consistently, it was a huge surprise when US beat Egypt 3-0 and Brazil beat Italy 3-0. So, the US advanced to the semifinals against FIFA's #1-ranked team: the always dangerous Spain. 2-0 US due mostly to lucky goals but also some much more confident play; after all, no one expected them to win, so there was nothing to lose.

On to the final against Brazil. The US was riding a wave of luck, enthusiasm and determination; Brazil was in a comfortable and familiar position. Perhaps the Brazilians were a little too relaxed because they found themselves down 0-2 by halftime. The US play was quick and controlled and they found themselves with several counterattacking opportunities by doing what they do best: spreading the ball out wide and whipping it in. Tim Howard was called upon time and time again to come up big and he delivered.

US Goal #1: It's a pattern that has worked very well in the tournament: get the ball out wide to Spector and let him pick someone out. This person just happened to be Dempsey again and his scorer's touch didn't fail. Dempsey knew where the goal was and his little flick to help the ball along was aimed well at the far post. The ball continued its path right over the fingertips of the outstretched Julio Cesar. Almost a carbon copy goal of the one Dempsey scored against Egypt (again, assisted by a Spector cross). Dempsey is a fiend in the air; he is your main goal scorer. Rely on him, make him work for the crosses and expect some magic for him. Keep this pattern going as long as it keeps producing goals.
US Goal #2: A beautiful counterattack that was eerily similar to the one Brazil had against the US in their June 18 game. The US seizes upon an errant pass, pushes it immediately up-field and it's off to the races. It literally takes 11 seconds from the US interception to the ball in the back of the net. Clark sees the Brazil pass missing the mark, steps up, and slots the ball to Donovan at about the halfway line. Donovan sees Davies streaking up the left side of the field and hits him on the run. Davies sees Donovan now running up the center of the pitch and, while falling down, sends a centering pass that Donovan settles at the top of the 18. With a defender now between him and the goal and Cesar sneaking off his line, Donovan calmly cuts back to the middle of the goal and, with his left foot, places the ball hard and low in the right corner. In my opinion, a sloppy but lucky pass by Davies but a brilliant and confident finish by Donovan. Who knew he could still score if it wasn't a PK? :-P

And then everything went to hell. As other people have said so poignantly, "Brazil put on a clinic." Brazil stayed patient: they held the ball, they pushed hard offensively, and they were much more aggressive defensively. US hardly had any true offensive opportunities in the entire second half and looked tired. Within the first minute of the second half, they let Brazil get on the board and then the entire game changed. Brazil had the leisure of pressing more for the equalizer instead of biding its time to wait for a chance to strike. Whatever advantage the US had at that point completely vanished and the floodgates opened for Brazil.

Brazil Goal #1: Maicon, a consumate veteran who plays for Italy's Serie A club Inter, sees Fabiano in a 1-on-1 matchup, posting up against Demerit at the top of the 18. Fabiano receives the ball and Demerit--inexplicably giving the tournament's leading goal scorer a yard of free space--doesn't stay close enough to him to deny the turn and the shot. Fabiano's blast five-holes Demerit and Howard, partially screened by Demerit and probably not expecting such a quick shot, is caught off-guard.
"Brazil Goal #2": 15 minutes later, Kaka streaks into the far post unmarked as a cross comes his way. He heads the ball down so that it bounces high and Howard, who is scrambling from the near post parries the shot away...after the ball has already crossed the line. It happens so quickly and the refs were obviously in bad positions to make the call--they deem it a save and the US is temporarily saved some heartache. Bocanegra is at fault here for not even noticing one of the world's best players sneaking in to the back post; instead, he shifts over to mark someone who Onyewu clearly has already covered. A bad lapse from the US captain that should have cost the team dearly. Video footage of that "non-goal" will make for a good argument for instant replay like they have in the NHL...
Actual Brazil Goal #2: Kaka speeds by Spector to the touch line and the cross on the ground finds it way to Robinho at the far post. (With that many US defenders back, how exactly does the ball reach Robinho?!) Bocanegra misses marking his man again and Robinho's first-time shot glances off the bottom of the crossbar and back down at the other corner of the goal. Onyewu is caught flat-footed and has unsuspectingly let Fabiano in behind him. The ball falls like a gift from heaven to Fabiano and he heads it home. 5th goal for Fabiano in the tourney.
Brazil Goal #3: I can't decide what's worse--that this goal comes in the 87th minute or that it comes off yet another set piece that the US conceded. A well-placed corner to the far post and Lucio elevates to nod it perfectly: the ball hits the inside of the far post and goes in. Howard did his best to dive for it but there's no one in the world who could have stopped it. Dempsey, probably pretty tired from having to play defensively for an entire half, didn't quite get close enough to the taller Lucio to deny such a clean look at the ball.

Let's hope the US continues this streak of better play as the World Cup nears. The team has some good memories from the tournament but also many lessons to learn.

Most of the subs were ineffectual (especially Kljestan) and this might be due to nervousness and inexperience. After all, Bradley doesn't really vary too much from his starting lineup and uses the same subs over and over.
I didn't see much from Altidore besides being a tackling dummy as the target forward to line up free kicks--I miss the crazier Jozy from his NY Red Bulls days who would run at a couple defenders from the wings.
Be more patient and possess the ball--knock it back if you have to in order to slow the game down. There were too many games in this tournament where the US had to play frenzied defense for an entire half and it obviously tired a lot of the players.
Do not give some of the best players in the world too much time to think and/or space to create plays. Close them down without giving away free kicks in your defensive third. Be vocal in the back to help each other recognize weaknesses. See someone lagging on an offside trap? Wake them up and tell them to shift faster. See someone's mark with too much space? Point it out.

As Borat Would Say: "Great Success!"

2009-06-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, after about a month of phone calls, face-to-face interviews and submitting writing samples, I've landed a sweet "Social Media Content Writer" position with Corinthian Colleges, the second-largest for-profit, post-secondary education company in the USA! (A small insight into their size: they have 100 campuses throughout the country, they did $980 million in business last year and they're publicly traded as COCO on the NYSE)

In addition to the obvious benefits of working for a large, established company, the position itself is pretty sweet and right up my alley. I'll have a couple different roles, most notably acting as an official brand representative on third-party platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. This will also, naturally, include some Online Reputation Management tasks such as monitoring any sort of buzz and responding. Last but not least, there will be quite a bit of writing involved--anything from blog posts and updating micro-site content to updating style guides/fact sheets and engaging potential students. A little bit of everything but that's nothing new to moi.

The people I've met so far have been great; they've all been at the company for years and are really happy with it. The benefits are pretty incredible and it's a 10-minute drive from where I live. And, since the company stands behind their mission of education, I'll get to (eventually) attend industry-related workshops and conferences! Hooray for me! I start in a couple weeks.

Corinthian Colleges website: http://www.cci.edu

The De-Evolution of Facebook

2009-06-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to say it but Facebook is quickly becoming the next MySpace and should, within the next couple years, become yet another social media platform I abandon. Back in 2004, Facebook started as an exclusive social network whose functionality was pretty pure and straightforward: connect with people and keep in touch. That's why I originally joined it my sophomore year of college.

Now, Facebook caters to the ADD generation with an endless stream of useless "Applications" and bells and whistles. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate all applications--I basically started my current relationship by flirting through Scrabulous--I just don't find them at all consistent with Facebook's original intention.

There's also the little voice in the back of my head trying to offer a counterargument: "Jon, are you sure you're not just mad that Facebook has become so mainstream that your parents and aunts and uncles are now using it? Are you that kid who stopped liking an indie band as soon as they became 'mainstream' because you realized you were no longer one of the hipsters who knew them 'before they got big' and called everyone else posers and accused them of just jumping on the bandwagon cuz they're sheep and that you were special because you appreciated the three-man band back when they were playing at your college and back when they were writing songs like "Mothra vs. We Are Scientists" before their songs started getting featured on TV shows and feature films?"

So, maybe it's because Facebook is too mainstream and people only see it as "something cool" and were turned onto it because someone else they know recommended it for some silly reason. But I think a lot of people would agree that the majority of Facebook usage nowadays is pretty pointless. I'm tired of seeing a full stream of activity dedicated to stupid quizzes like "What type of hat are you?" and how well people know High School Musical trivia.

This is madness. This is Facebook.

Summer Time's A-Comin': 3 Ways to Avoid the Disneyland Rush

2009-05-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

You're an Orange County native and you grew up at Disneyland; you remember the Sky Buckets with a fondness and were depressed when they took out the Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade. You have an Annual Pass but hardly use it because you don’t like the crowds of tourists or having to wait two hours for the 60-second “Peter Pan” ride. So how do you avoid the typical Disneyland rush? Read below for 3 sure-fire tips on how to avoid those big Disneyland crowds.

(1) Go on a weekday instead of a weekend. You’ll be able to avoid the big tourist rush and the non-deluxe and non-Premium Annual Passholders (who usually only have weekends available to them). The only downside to going on weekdays is that the park usually closes earlier – get an early start to your day!

(2) Visit the Magic Kingdom during typical non-peak times of the year. Disneyland gets especially crowded around special holidays. This is because the park offers special attractions and/or shows during these times and these time periods are generally when everyone has free time to go. September and October are your best bets, as kids are back in school for a while and there are fewer national holidays.

(3) Leave Disneyland during the middle of the day. Most guests will enter the park from 10 to 11am, but lines for attractions and lines for restaurants will be at their peak from around noon until 3pm. Take this time to do some shopping, cross over to California Adventure, or simply leave the park and eat lunch somewhere close by. This way, you won’t have to fight for a lunch table or sacrifice a precious hour-plus waiting for your favorite ride.

A Life of Happiness or a Life of Meaning: Pick 1

2009-05-05T22:19:00.001-07:00

Toward the end of "Heroes: Season 1," Nathan Petrelli finally meets Mr. Linderman. Linderman is the criminal mastermind behind "The Company" and has a plan to let half of New York blow up as a way to reunite the world in fear and sorrow. Nathan--a New York Junior Senator in a position to become President within a year--is a crucial part of that plan and is experiencing some inner turmoil and doubt. Nathan sees the opportunity in front of him to slip into a position where he can bring about true, global change for the greater good. But he has to knowingly let his only brother explode and take the blame for killing millions of people.

Linderman: You see, I think there comes a time when a man has to ask himself whether he wants a life of happiness or a life of meaning.

Nathan: I'd like to have both.

Linderman: It can't be done. Two very different paths. I mean, to be truly happy a man must live absolutely in the present, and with no thought of what's gone before, and no thought of what lies ahead. But a life of meaning, a man is condemned to wallow in the past, and obsess about the future.

In "Spider-Man 2," Peter Parker is failing miserably at juggling the responsibilities of his superhero identity and his normal social obligations as a student, friend and grandson. During a vision/dream, Peter is visited by the spirit of his Uncle Ben, who gravely reminds Peter that "With great power comes great responsibility." Peter decidely rejects the notion that he has to save people and fight crime simply because he has powers, and (temporarily) gives up being Spider-Man in hopes of returning to a more balanced life where he can be carefree and dependable.

Uncle Ben: Peter, all the times we've talked of honesty, fairness, justice...I counted on you to have the courage to take those dreams out into the world.

Peter: I can't live your dreams anymore. I want a life of my own.

Uncle Ben: You've been given a gift, Peter. With great power, comes great responsibility. [pauses and holds out hand] Take my hand, son.

Peter: [pause] No, Uncle Ben. I'm just Peter Parker.

There are many ways to argue whether someone can have both a meaningful and happy life. But if we take "meaningful" to mean "having a relatively wide sphere of influence in either the business world or society" and "happy" to mean "having a healthy balance between work, play, family and friends with lots of good memories of life experiences"...I would lean towards the opinion that you have to sacrifice one for the other.

When you reach a point where you ask yourself the question "would I rather have a meaningful life or a happy one?", does that mean there is something inherently wrong with your present situation? Or is this a natural question to ask? What if you knew, without a doubt, that your life could be meaningful but that you had to give up a steady life of simpler happiness in order to do so? What would you do?

Munchkin Card Games Should Come With a Surgeon General's Warning

2009-04-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last night, my girlfriend and I had a double-date night with a couple of my friends from college. After a dinner at Johnny Rocket's and a failed excursion to the movie theater (we didn't really feel like watching anything that was out), we headed back to their apartment. Settlers of Catan was the first of the games and it was fairly even between us all at the end. And then came the game that I will definitely have to buy: Super Munchkin.

Think of a humorous version of Dungeons and Dragons. It's a card-based role-playing game wherein your end-goal is to "Level Up" from 1 all the way to 10; first "Munchkin" (read: player) to Level 10 wins the game. The games comes with a single die and a bunch of (like 166 or 168) cards ranging from Class Cards to Weapons to Super Powers to Armor. Each player takes turns either fighting monsters and/or falling into traps and/or collecting treasures. No two games are ever the same. The variation of gameplay, the humor of the cards and the inevitable back-stabbing that happens all around the game table make for some fun and frustrating times. To level up, you either have to play a Level Up card (which sometimes tells you to sacrifice a valuable card or two to do so), sell enough cards to equal 1000 gold pieces (only some cards have Gold value), or beat a lower-level monster.

Arguably, the best part of the game (as explained very accurately by our hosts) is that the beginning doesn't matter too much because you almost always get all players stuck at Level 9, hoping to gain that final level. The catch is that you have to beat a monster that is at least Level 10. However, by the end of the game, nearly every player will have a card or two that makes your task impossible -- there are cards that make the monster you're fighting level up, cards that summon other monsters to join the fight (combining the two monsters' levels together against yours), and even cards that completely undo everything and make you skip your turn. Needless to say, there can be some bad blood at the end of the night but it's still hilarious to see the disappointment on someone else's face when you lay down a card that dashes their hopes and dreams of triumph. All's fair in love and Munchkin.

There are a lot of variations to the Munchkin game: basic Dungeon card game, Space Rangers, Western, Pirates, Ninjas, Vampires...and a lot of people even combine card decks from the different games to come up with hybrids. To me, that might get too confusing but could definitely make for some fun game nights. Especially when combined with alcohol. Check out this monotone guy for a better explanation of Munchkin variations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7sp155af7g

Twitter Usage 101 for Companies Looking to Boost Their Online Reputation

2009-04-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

Twitter is quickly becoming a great channel for communicating in real-time with your clients, employees, industry associates and target audiences. It may seem overwhelming and time-consuming to maintain this particular online asset, but the real key is consistent use, not necessarily in-depth immersion. (There are plenty of articles online about effectively using Twitter “15 minutes a day” to grow your business)

Go to Twitter.com to sign up for an account. Pick a username that is either your company name or some variation; your "Full Name" should follow the same pattern, if possible. This will give you the best chance of your Twitter profile showing up in search engine results for your company name.

Updates are also called “tweets.” Tweets can be written from your Twitter Home page and have to be 140 characters or shorter. While the prompt for tweets is usually “What are you doing?”, many people have found Twitter useful for business purposes if they answer the questions “What are you interested in?” or “What is new with you?”

In your tweets, you can include links to other user’s profiles by placing the @ symbol before their username. Ex: the text @JonBarilone – once published – would become a link to http://twitter.com/JonBarilone

In your tweets, you can include outbound links (such as to your website). Links, however, cannot be longer than 30 characters. If they are longer – once published – Twitter will transform the link URL to a “tinyURL” (Ex: http://tinyurl.com/a5g6sd). If you want to include a long URL but want to still preserve your character count so that you can include other content in your tweet, I suggest using a URL shortening service, such as http://ow.ly. The actual text of the link will look different, but the link destination itself will still be the same. (Ex: http://ow.ly/3Q89 redirects to http://www.facebook.com/people/Jon-Barilone/13300068)

Topics to tweet about: welcoming new followers to your network, highlighting new products, press coverage, upcoming events, replies to questions or conversations, etc.

You can delete tweets at any time. When you hold your mouse over one of your tweets, you should see two symbols, a star and a trashcan. By clicking on the star, you mark that tweet as one of your “Favorites” (a link on your Home page can show you all your Favorites). By clicking on the trashcan, you will be prompted to permanently delete that tweet.

To grow your Twitter network, you need to “Follow” people and be followed by people. Twitter tracks your number of followers and the number of people you are following on your Home Page. I recommend visiting Twitterholic.com and entering your Twitter login info so that you can track your own progress (it automatically supplies a line chart for you). I also strongly recommend using the Search function within Twitter and also going to Twellow.com to search for people with similar interests (keyword1, keyword2, keyword3, etc.), and then following them. Most should follow you right back.

You’re also going to want to encourage your employees and business associates to connect to you on Twitter. Encourage them to include your company name in some of their posts, as well as links to your main website and external assets.

When someone copy/pastes a tweet of yours and posts it as their own tweet (for example, you said something funny and they wanted others to know about it), that is called a “retweet.” Ideally, you would want people retweeting links in your updates; you can lightly encourage your Twitter network to retweet but don’t be too forceful about it.

You can reply to another user by tweeting @theirusername or by sending them a Direct Message. Direct Messages (also known as DMs) function like e-mails; you can check both your DM inbox and sent DMs through the link on your Twitter Home page. When you click on the link above the Direct Message link on your Home page (@YourUsername), it will take you to a search function within Twitter. Here, you will see every instance of when a Twitter user wrote @YourUsername. This is a very useful way to track the buzz about you on Twitter.

Twitter profiles should rank well and quickly for your company name in the search engines. Just keep consistently posting tweets and making sure that your tweets include your company name often, as well as the occasional link to your website and/or other external assets you might have (YouTube Channel, Facebook Profile, etc).

How The Inauguration Affected Online Activity

2009-03-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, January 20, people from across the globe witnessed the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America, both on television and through streaming video on the internet. The event was so popular, in fact, that many communication channels were strained for several hours. Texting and phone calls overloaded some wireless network providers, several media websites streaming the live video had difficulty accommodating would-be viewers, and some social networking platforms were unable to keep up with the heavy increase in simultaneous user participation.

This occasion marked the first internet broadcast of an American presidential inauguration. While there was a marked increase in general internet activity throughout the day, there is no doubt that certain areas of internet usage were neglected, such as search engine queries. According to the official Google Blog, "the overall query volume of Google searches dropped in the U.S. from the time President Obama took the oath of office until the end of his inaugural speech."

Various forms of online advertising, such as Google AdSense, also suffered slightly during this period, as people turned their attention elsewhere. Several advertisers collaborated on WebMasterWorld's forums the day after the inauguration to complain about their lackluster AdSense performances, due to the drop in overall traffic.

While search engine queries and internet advertising may have seen less traffic on Tuesday, the realm of social media was going full-blast. As reported by PCMag.com:
"We've never reached levels like this before," a Facebook spokesman told CNN.com. "Even just yesterday, we had more users online than we've ever had before, more new users than we've ever had before." Facebook partnered with CNN to allow members watching inaugural festivities via CNN.com to sign in and update their statuses alongside the streaming video provided by the cable news channel. Throughout the broadcast, Facebook saw 4,000 user status updates per minute; a figure that peaked at 8,500 updates per minute during President Obama's speech.

Twitter - widely regarded as the world's most popular microblogging service and one of the fastest-growing social networks in the world - was the other social media heavyweight of the day. Despite not having the additional benefit of a media relationship with CNN, Twitter received a large influx of updates throughout the day: at its peak, a 400% increase in its usual posts-per-minute average. Though not as functional as Facebook from a rich media standpoint, Twitter proved that it is one of the most popular ways for internet users to create, gather and share up-to-the-second information.

This shift in internet activity could mark the beginning of noticeable trends during important, scheduled, worldwide events:

Online advertisers can most likely expect drops in ad revenue during an event
Wireless networks and media websites will most likely continue to be strained during peak hours of an event
Social media will continue to one of the preferred methods for instant communication throughout an event

Controlling Your Name Online (Before It's Too Late)

2009-02-13T18:04:00.000-08:00

Major search engines are becoming much more adept at recognizing your personal information and "people search engines" such as 123People, ZoomInfo and Pipl are consolidating that information. Nowadays, the top results in major search engines serve as your resume/business card and people will automatically judge you by what they see in these results. With that in mind, you have to ask yourself an important question: are you sure that you have control of your name online? Consider some of the following tips in order to ensure that your online reputation is positive and controllable.

• Complete searches for your name on major search engines as well as "people search engines," such as 123People, ZoomInfo and Pipl. Find out what information is already out there about you (you'll be surprised how much personal information search engines can collect!) and determine how you would like to add to it.

• If you have a common name, it will be more challenging to distinguish yourself in search engine results (ex. "Steven Smith"). You will most likely find that top search engine results for your name are not all related to you. Be selective and diligent in optimizing your chosen asset(s) and don't be afraid to get a little creative with usernames, though you should always try to have your username be your real name . This way, your site has a much better chance of ranking in search engines for your name.

• Be selective when signing up for social media networks, blogs, and similar sites. An easy tool to use is UserNameCheck.com; enter your desired username and see where it is still available on popular social media sites. While you want to own your name as much as possible on these types of sites, it is also important to contribute to these networks and communities in the future. Don't limit yourself to being defensive only; harness the power of these assets. Build out your profiles as much as possible to include the information you want people to see.

• Use a domain registrar such as Moniker.com or GoDaddy.com to buy the ".com" domain for your name, if available (ex. stevensmith.com). Once you own the website, obtain some cost-effective web hosting and use the website to your advantage. You don't have to be technologically savvy to build a simple site that states who you are and what you do. Use the opportunity to brand yourself and present the most important information about you!

• If you are a high-profile individual and are handling your own online reputation, you will definitely want to monitor your name and the internet "buzz" about you. Consider using a variety of free online tools such as RSS feeds, Search.Twitter.com, Google Alerts and Google Blog Search.

Repairing, controlling and/or monitoring your online reputation requires continual effort and a watchful eye - you may need professional help to stay on top of it all.

Special thanks to 123 Social Media's Barry Hurd for his blog post, "Online Reputation Management - Google Loves Virtual Voyeurism."

The Confusion About Social Media ROI

2008-12-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

The discussion about Social Media ROI has been one of the most prevalent debates in blogs and message boards for a while now. As more businesses learn about the power of the Web 2.0, they will naturally question the possible rewards for expanding their current Marketing and Public Relation strategies. The main talking point in the Social Media discussion is that it is difficult to accurately measure results. Traditional marketers are used to being able to accurately qualify sales leads and prospects, but Social Media does not function in the same way as traditional marketing methods.

There also seems to be some general misunderstanding about how Social Media functions and what the end goals should be. While it is true that creating Social Media profiles and Blogs can strengthen a branding campaign, a successful end result will most likely be increased brand awareness and conversations rather than sales. From a marketing or sales standpoint, it is nearly impossible to determine how these intangibles translate into profits. The main problem has been summarized best by Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer: The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable.

In order to properly harness the inherent power of Social Media platforms, it is important to keep a few key points in mind:

• Social Media works best when you think about other network members as a community rather than an audience
• Social Media participation should be seen as a long-term, interactive commitment and requires continual effort
• End goals should be: increased awareness of customer attitudes; increased ability to quickly interact with customers; increased feedback/dialogue with customers; improved perceptions of your company, your products, and your customer service

Larger corporations and organizations are relying more and more on new media to quickly distribute their personal messages to a worldwide audience. There is no longer a doubt that online media will eventually overshadow and/or replace more traditional formats. While it will always be debatable how helpful new media is, the bottom line is that - used properly - Social Media is an excellent tool for businesses, no matter the product or message.

Jon Barilone - I Promise Nothing Spectacular

2008-12-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

This blog will be a (most likely short-lived) effort to familiarize myself more with blogging best practices, as well as voice opinions on various topics, along with the occasional insightful post.

I chose Blogspot rather than the other multitude of options out there because I am lazy. It's linked to my Google account and it's easy to sign in; very little effort required. The interface is easy to use and I think it has a better of chance of ranking for "Jon Barilone" in Google than other platforms. The latter part of that previous sentence is purely an educated guess and not based on anything other than my own bias toward Google products and services.

Welcome.