Jan/093
Las Vegas Can Haz Beer and Blog!
Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Fincher. Click photo to check out her travel blog!
Coming out of an outstanding WordCamp Las Vegas, the local blogging community is coming together to kick off more regular networking events within the local new media community. The first such event is Las Vegas Beer and Blog (LVBB)! Modeled off of the original from Portland, the LVBB will meet weekly at the Freakin’ Frog down near the UNLV campus.
Interested? Head on over and sign up! Leave a comment expressing your support and letting us know what evening works best for you. Then spread the word on your blog or in Twitter using the #bnblv hashtag!
Peace,
Doug
Jan/095
WordCamp Vegas – Day 1
So, I was a bit distracted by Twitter issues and could not live blog like I ‘d hoped. Happlily, the Twitter issue was resolved towards the end of the day, more on that in later post. On to my highlights …
State of the Word :: Matt Mullenweg
Matt rocked it out and dropped a couple of interesting teasers. First, WP 2.8 will focus on Themes. Look for similar auto-install features for Themes that we saw for Plugins in 2.7. Next, Wordpress Handbook is coming.
Though the Codex will still live, WP Handbook will be built in Docbook XML allowing the WP documentation to be managed like software. Why is that a big deal? Well, it means the docs can be written to suit a particular release without destroying the historical record. And, edits/corrections to current and past docs can be submitted and managed like bugs.
This means, Plugin and Theme developers can commit docs in the same format. This is huge for folks who use Wordpress for consulting clients because WP installs inventory the installed Themes/Plugins then could poll the WP Handbook’s Docbook XML and build a completely custom set of docs for the WP you’ve installed for your customers.
During the Q&A, I asked about the status of bbPress. Matt said to look for 1.0 at some point of 2009. Interestingly, Matt said that he considers bbPress to be better written than WP because he wrote it after he had learned a lot about coding.
On a humorous note, someone is constantly pinging Matt about bbPress status. Apparently, Matt has a bbPress “stalker”, but I swear it isn’t me. ;^D
how to run a blog with a staff of contributors :: Geoff Kleinman
Geoff offered a lot of great insights on the role of the editor in the blogosphere. As part of my plan involves a great deal collaboration, Geoff’s pragmatic insights were powerful and should bear fruit for me down the road. His is one presentation I am sure to watch again on the uStream. If you work with or supervise other creatives, I strongly suggest you do the same.
Beyond Beer and Blog: How Social Media Lit Up the Portland Tech Scene :: Aaron Hockley
Aaron set off far too many lightbulbs in my head. I’ll never turn them all off. From Ignite to Beer and Blog, I now have a few more social media pools into which I plan to dip my toes. Most powerful of Aaron’s insights – online social media is most powerful when it serves to bring people together in the real world. The “Legion of Tech” video was classic internet nerdery … and I say that with much respect and affection. Oh, and I now want to visit Portland in the worst way!
10 Steps to Search Engine Optimize your Wordpress Blog :: Michael Dorausch
Michael had a great presentation regarding SEO and Wordpress. As SEO is a big part of what I do everyday, a lot of it was old hat for me. But, the audience was full of raw, new bloggers as well, so it was a perfect presentation for that crowd. And, I learned a couple of cool tricks along the way. Best of all, he got people in the crowd to sing “Hello Dolly”, including Lorelle, who can really belt out a tune!
Using Your Blog for Sales and Marketing :: Chris Brogan
Brogan is a freaking nut! Again, this is said with respect and affection. After Blogworld Expo 2008, I followed him on Twitter based solely on John Hawkins’ reccomendation. For 4 months, I found Chris’ tweets interesting and useful, but I did not get why John had such a bromance for the guy. Now, I get it.
While providing a lot of useful insights, Chris had the crowd laughing and eating out of his hand. He is a gifted and entertaining storyteller, who happens to be a skilled marketer that “gets” the power of online media. While it may sound trite, his through-line was “follow your passion”. If you blog about things that are meaningful to you, your audience will find you.
Another gem, “learn from the best and then copy them”. In particular, he bemoaned the lazy, stock list of interview questions he is always asked. When we have Larry King and Charlie Rose available on Youtube, Tivo and Boxee, why wouldn’t we watch and learn how to interview from them?
This was particularly interesting because I’ve been noodling doing an independent Master’s degree. Meaning, setting a curriculum for myself and learning everything I would get in an Online Media MFA on my own. Chris Brogan pointed me at an entirely new source for faculty! W00t!
Finally, if anything will stick with me from his presentation, it will be the definition of callback. Deftly used by Mr. Brogan in his presentation, I am working callbacks into my speaking arsenal from here out.
By the Numbers: a look at stats and what they mean to you :: Lorelle VanFossen
Lorelle spent the first half of her time deconstructing a wide range of popular web analytic metrics. Nothing escaped her intense scrutiny as she introduced us all to the concept of “distracting stats” and the power of horse sex. Frankly, she shook the foundations of my understanding of web analytics … in a good way. The second half of the presentation was an in-depth demo of the stat pr0n application that is Woopra. Thanks for the beta key!
You’ve failed? Learn Why! :: Jim Kukral
Jim Kukral is the biggest failure on the interwebs, or so he wants you all to believe. I won’t be able to do the presentation any real justice, so it it is best to catch the uStream for yourself. Suffice to say that Kukral does not deliver a simple rah-rah speech filled with platitudes. Like the Mike Rowe speech I posted earlier, Kukral preaches a “get off your ass and work” approach to success. He gave me a lot of serious food for thought, all of which will likely lead to future posts when I’ve had time to digest them more fully.
All this from a Browns fan. Go figure! Oh, he also introduced us all to the word “shmoosh-rags”. Good times!
Now, I would be remiss if I did not once again say CONGRATS! to my friend, buddy, pal John Hawkins who had the vision, the will and the drive to make WordCamp Las Vegas happen. Hawk … thanks for adding a stellar event to the Vegas Tech/Social Media calendar.
In addition to the great speakers, I reconnected with friends Carl Szeibert, Todd Huish and John’s lovely wife Chris. And, for the first time in five years, I finally made it on Todd’s photoblog!
Until tomorrow …
Aug/080
VegasGamers.org is featured on Ning.com!
VegasGamers.org, a social network that we designed, built and maintain, was recently featured on Ning.com. I am pretty excited about the project because it has grown pretty quickly, considering its local focus an niche content. As you may recall, Ning got on my bad side last week and I was not alone. However, Gina and Team Ning moved quickly and decisely to make things right.
In any case, I am pretty stoked about this little feature on VegasGamers.org. It is a great example of the power of the Ning platform and a source of great fun and joy for the local gaming scene! Game on!
Peace,
Doug
Aug/083
Ning, What Should You Do?
While I remain decidedly ticked off over Ning.com’s decision to boot Widget Laboratory, (WL) I thought it might be more productive to actually list some of the things I think Ning needs to do to resolve the problems and move forward. So, here are my top ten Ning fixes, in no particular order of priority.
01. Let me delete/merge users – On more than one network, I have duplicate users. To obtain accurate numbers for advertisers, I need to keep my user list clean. Sure, I could pad my numbers with duplicate and abandoned accounts, but I’d rather just merge dupes or simply remove inactive users altogether.
The current “Ban User” option has a harsh connotation and the consequences for both my network and the “banned” person seem … ominous. And besides, user management is web app 101. I know I cannot delete them from Ning, but let me “delete” them from my network(s).
02. Simple Page/Tab Creation – Why require that this be done procedurally (ie. via Javascript)? I understand if it is simplest to do this for the majority of non-technical Ning users, but there should be a simple override in the source code that allows static HTML pages to be loaded using a Controller. The same applies to tabs.
03. Simple to Find/Edit HTML & CSS Overrides – For that matter, xn_resources should have a folder called “overrides” where one can drop files which then get pulled in to the HTML doc as its formed. For example …
tabs.php, header.php, footer.php, custom.css …
Perhaps that is not possible in the Ning MVC schema, but at least drop in a README with clear paths to all of the files that actually form the wrapper. It would make customization SO much easier. Don’t force me to hunt through the Ning documentation for simple fixes.
Please, no RTFM comments … please. This is a design issue, not a documentation issue.
04. Allow direct edit of customXYZ.css from an IDE – It is sort of crazy that editing customXYZ.css in the source code doesn’t actually do anything. What is the point of code access if you cannot make live changes? If the issue is the Akamai cache, give me a simple command (from the shell or in the Admin UI) that I tap to refresh the cache. In any case, don’t make me cut-n-paste stuff into the “Advanced Customization” pane if I have source code access.
05. File Manager & Library – It would be cool to see a file library that lists all of the files uploaded to my network so I can cull the list as needed and perhaps (on static or simple PHP pages) invoke lists of photos, PDFs, etc. based on tags/keywords.
06. Let me change my network name – C’mon. Is this so hard? If I want to change the name, let me. If the desired name is taken, prompt me to choose another. Think of Gmail’s “Name Available?” feature. It won’t happen often, but when needed, it is important. And, because it is infrequent, the system overhead required to update internal references is not so dramatic. If overhead is significant, just tell me it will take 24 hours to do and schedule it during non-peak hours. I promise I’ll wait.
07. Provide a Sample Application – Download and install Wordpress. Every install comes with hello.php which illustrates the basic structure of a plug-in/module/app. Provide this and update it with a tested/vetted replacement for each new release and issues like those with WL are far less likely to happen.
08. Create a standard themes package – Again, reference Wordpress. Why are Ning themes so fragmented? Collect all of the components in one place. This will greatly increase customization and reskinning, particularly if you pair this common theme framework with an HTML wireframe that captures all of the common page types and the corresponding CSS.
Need an SAS example? Check out the way Shopify.com handles theme development with Vision. Ning may not be a Rails app, but Shopify.com is on to something and there must be a PHP analog.
09. Network Creator Email/SMS Notification – Tonight’s SFTP outage is a perfect example. That sort of thing merits an immediate notification of network owners. While some Network Creators will not care, many/most will. At the very least, give us this as an option to check in our profile.
10. Lose the long URLS used to activate “advanced” features – Really?!? In 2008, should I need to cut-n-paste an obfuscated URL and then append my network name at the end to activate “Add Pages”, “URL Mapping” and such? Is it so difficult to create an “Advanced” pane in the Admin UI for this stuff?
Show me a confirmation pop-up if you are worried I’ll break my site. Put a scary skull-n-crossbones on it if you must. But whatever you do, do not add unneccesary steps to the process with web dev techniques from 1996.
The list could go on, but these are the low-hanging fruit. To be clear, I love the idea of Ning and, up until last Thursday, I loved the application of Ning. Why, just last Saturday I was singing the praises of Ning to anyone who would listen at the New Media Expo. Those folks now have my heartfelt apologies.
To Widget Laboratory, I say “good on ya” for your plan to open source all of your apps under the Creative Commons License. It was a smart move for everyone involved even, in the long run, Ning.
To Ning, I say make this right and do it fast. I want to go back to building my business, not searching for alternatives. And, I want to go back to singing your praises. At the end of the day, I am all about the love. Truly, I am.
Peace,
Doug
PS: This post was inspired, in part, by Lisa Bettany’s Twitter, What Are You Doing?” commentary. 
Aug/082
Mostly Lisa Gets Her Pilot’s License
To close the New Media Expo, I had the opportunity to run Flip for Lisa Bettany. We had a lot of fun shooting this segment. I hope you enjoy it as well!
Jun/081
The Apocalypse Grows Up
I have a thing for apocalyptic themes in fiction and film. Yes Virginia; I have a dark side and the midi-chlorians are not to blame. 
In most cases, I find these stories to be mindless fun. For example, Mad Max does not really provoke much critical thought, and that is OK. It is what it is. However, through luck or providence, I have stumbled across some real mind-benders of late.
The first of these is Plague Year by Jeff Carlson. If you’ve read Prey by Michael Crichton, Plague Year is it’s natural follow-up, yet darker and smarter. A relatively short, dense read; Plague Year picks up a few years after the accidental release of the “machine plague”, a manufactured nano-virus that disassembles the human body and uses it’s components to replicate itself. Smart and engaging, it will make you think twice about mixing biology and nanotechnology.
Next on the list is Germ by Robert Liparulo. While the author’s voice leans towards the formulaic, the story is anything but. The BBEG has manufactured Ebola that targets an individual’s DNA. The virus piggybacks on the common cold as it’s distribution mechanism.
The primary characters are well-conceived and well-executed. Our heroes are hunted by a very unique agent of the BBEG, which makes the chase interesting and intriguing to follow. Aside from the formulaic structure, the major drawback with the story is an unnecessary dip into a bit of trite conspiracy theory. Still, the core premise makes it worth the read.
Last, and anything but least, is The Swarm by Frank Schatzing. I haven’t finished reading it yet but, barring an implosion in the last 300 pages, I am fairly certain this is the best novel I’ve read in five years. Here is the setup:
Whales begin sinking ships. Toxic, eyeless crabs poison Long Island’s water supply. The North Sea shelf collapses, killing thousands in Europe. Around the world, countries are beginning to feel the effects of the ocean’s revenge as the seas and their inhabitants begin a violent revolution against mankind. At stake is the survival of the Earth’s fragile ecology — and ultimately, the survival of the human race itself.
I won’t say any more about the plot because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Instead, I’ll tell you that The Swarm is to our oceans what Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson) was to cyberspace. Yes. I just said that. Let it soak in.
The Swarm is a treatise on ocean ecology disguised as a thriller novel. Schatzing includes a three-page forward which cites all of the scientists who educated him and helped create the scientific firmament on which this outstanding novel is built. After reading this book, you will come away with a much better understanding of how dependent humanity is on our oceans. And, along the way you will be greatly entertained by an intense, well-crafted and well-paced story.
Peace,
Doug
Jun/080
Farewell Tim Russert
In journalistic world dominated by sound bytes and bombastic blowhards, Tim Russert stood out and stood above the rest of the pack. To my mind, he was the Walter Cronkite of our generation. Smart, honest and direct; Russert was always on point and respectful no matter who was across the table in his interviews.
But for all of his journalistic accomplishments, perhaps Russert’s greatest contributions were his books on fatherhood. Heartfelt and unflinching, Russert gave us a great example of how to be both tough and tender as a father. New fathers, young and old, without a Big Russ of their own, would do well to pick up Big Russ & Me and Wisdom of our Fathers. I am fortunate to have my own “Big Russ” in my father Richard, so much of Russert’s words echo with my own experience.
So on this Father’s Day Weekend, hug your fathers and sons. Then, as this election year unfolds, make it a point to be an informed, active citizen and vote. These actions would seem a most fitting tribute to Tim Russert; a national treasure taken from us far too soon.
May/080
Las Vegas Media Guild Launches!
Based on a discussion at last night’s LV Pixel Corps meetup, I put together Las Vegas Media Guild; a more robust social network and forum than that which is offered by Meetup.com. I’ve created some preliminary groups and content there. So, please have a look and join if you are interested.
Meetup organizers should still use their Meetup group to schedule meetings and recruit members, but this new site is a place we can all work together work and share information between meetings.
Enjoy!
Doug Daulton
Founder, LVMG.org
PS: Membership is now and always will be free! And you need not join LV Pixel Corps to be a member.
Feb/094
Set Phasers to Nebulize …
My family and I have been fighting some sort of bug … off and on … since our return from Puerto Rico about a month ago. Through last week, Kelly had the worst of it as she has been pretty much out of commission all month. Last Friday, Finn started in and by Monday, he had a rattle in his breathing which became more pronounced through the week. Yesterday, the Doc prescribed a nebulizer and Albuterol for the little man.
Poor guy. It breaks our hearts to give Finn the treatment. He does not like the sound of the compressor and screams bloody murder when he sees the mask. But, it is helping so what is a parent to do? Still it is amazing how resilient/elastic the mental state of children is. When the mask is on, you are 100% certain he will either kill me in my sleep or stick me with a huge therapy bill in twenty years. But, as soon as the mask is off, he is calm, smiling and even laughing. We are truly blessed to have such a trooper for a son.
Today, I finally succumbed to the infinitesimal demons that are this damn illness. The tickle in my throat started last night and was a full-blown rasp by mid-day. Conversations in our house sound like Kathleen Turner, Edward James Olmos and a tiny Sam Elliot arguing after a four day bender on meth and cheap cigars. It ain’t pretty … but it is my family! And, I love it!