Social Network Alternatives Turning Heads

BusinessWeek's Rob Hof talks about social media sharing sites, with an emphasis on MySpace. Says Rob, "just as the big online social networks are branching out, trying to reach an audience broader than teens and Gen Y, a raft of upstarts hopes to reach these same prospects. To attract older or less tech-savvy folks, they're offering ever-more-targeted services that can be personalized to people's existing social groups and interests." Client eSnips gets a plug in a chart that talks about these alternatives together with Ning and aggregators.

San Francisco By Night

San Francisco at night, taken by my friend Scott. What a gorgeous sight.

The Tree

Even if you didn't grow up with a christmas tree or its not part of your tradition, how can you not glory in the magic of the lights, the history of the ornaments, the energy it gives off when you walk into a room.

This year's magic is now up. Ah, a beautiful site it is.

Thumbs Up For Old Fashioned Cards

I've written about the art of the physical card in the past. Each time, I reflect on how much credence I put on reaching out the old fashioned way, a way that is not electronic. It requires your hand and brain to work and think differently -- not through machine, but through your physical fingers. Pen to paper, which is how I captured all of my memoires in Central America this past summer. No PC - just pen and sometimes crayon to paper.

While it may not be as efficient, the process brings out different emotions. Going through the process this year was no different - I'd come to a name on a label and smile as I reflect on a memory or two. Every year gets harder however and as I find myself in the middle of Silicon Valley, a world that values LinkedIn contacts and social media sites over face-to-face contact. You begin to long for a connection to anything that isn't digital.

This year, I decided to have fun by trying out various vendor pens. Handwriting close to 1,000 cards demands a pen with a comfortable side and a smooth finish.

Scary when I realized that I had well over 100 vendor pens from various conferences and events over the past couple of years. Names sprawled in front of me: Greygoose, Me, Inc., SCO, Viola Networks (beautiful deep blue color - nice touch), Postini, Demo 07, Demo 06, Demo 0X, 0X and 0X (don't get me started), Intrado (nice rubber padding, hard to put down), Morgan Lewis, Spring, PR Newswire, Cymfony, D2006, Yahoo (love the yellow and purple 1990s look), Data Security and Adobe and on and on and on.

The winners? Hard to say, but the quality, comfort and flow of the pens from D, Viola and Data Security probably were well ahead of the others. As for design, Postini, D, Viola and a few others not listed here. Despite a comfortable set of pens, let's just say the process takes "awhile." I love the line of a VC friend who said, "no one said that a personal touch was easy." No kidding. Ah yes, the life of a publicist. Lest not forget human connection.

Podcasters Meet-Up

There's a podcasters meet-up in San Francisco this Thursday, November 30 at the DNA Lounge on 11th Street, starting at 7 pm.

What If We Digitize Everything?

"Second Life's Philip Rosedale covers "What Do We Learn If We Digitize EVERYTHING?" at a Long Now event in San Francisco's Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, on Thursday, November 30. The lecture starts at 7:30pm. Admission is free (a $10 donation is welcome, not required).

Other upcoming talks include:
Jan. 12 - Philip Tetlock, "Why Foxes Are Better Forecasters Than Hedgehogs"
Feb. 15 - Vernor Vinge, (title to come)
Mar. 9 - Brian Fagan, "We Are Not the First to Suffer Through Climate Change"
May 11 - Steven Johnson, "The Long Zoom"
June 8 - Paul Hawken, "The New Great Transformation"
Oct. 12 - Juan Enriquez, "Mapping the Frontier of Knowledge"
Nov. 9 - Rosabeth Moss Kanter, "Enduring Principles for Changing Times"

US News Best of the Web

This month, client Sharpcast receives kudos from US News & World Report and was named one of the 30 best sites that deliver the best of what the web has to offer, among other winners like YouTube and Apple.com/iTunes.

SD Forum on the Art of Evangelism

On December 4 from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, SD Forum is hosting an event: Technology Leadership & Evangelism in the Participation Age.

It will be held at the Network Meeting Center in Santa Clara and the speaker line-up is great: Guy Kawasaki, Garage Technology Ventures Matt Thompson, Sun Microsystems Jeff Barr, Amazon Rafe Needleman, CNET Jeremy Zawodny Yahoo!, Romi Mahajan, Microsoft, Anil Dash, Six Apart, Buzz Bruggeman, ActiveWords, Jean Fuller, Fuller Coaching, Frederic Lucas, Growth Resources and Jeff Sandquist of Channel 9 and On 10 at Microsoft.

Guy Kawasaki will present on the "Art of Evangelism" in today's market. The event is $40 for SDForum members and $70 for non-members.

Tom & George at Thanksgiving

Tom (left): "Where is the damn 816 bus?" George (right): "That holiday schedule always makes us late for dinner every year." Tom: "Aunt Evelyn will have our heads once again."

More Lou Reed

I'm finally getting around to posting some of the fabulous shots I took of Lou Reed at last week's Web 2.0 Summit, where he played a short set for attendees.

We danced wildly in the front row sans any security guards, although it was short enough where little damage could have been done. Besides, I've yet to see a room of geeks attack an on-stage singer, although I've been hoping for a little more drama on the west coast.

Also check out the video I took and posted earlier this week. In the same post are links to recaps of the mini-concert from SF Gate's Dan Fost and Silicon Valley Watcher. Other photos from the concert can also be found in my Web 2.0 photo album.

The band plays

Strumming Guitar

Tim O'Reilly and his daughter in the front row grooving to the beat

Chris Tolles and I dance up a storm to Lou

We learn that John Battelle can dance!!

On the Large Screen