Jan/090
PhotoSafariNoobs – Expedition Update
PhotoSafariNoobs.com, my project with John Hawkins, Todd Huish and Andrew Minerd, is coming along swimmingly. For additional details, check out my latest post over at the official expedition blog. Based on early feedback, our route has slightly changed to include Ouray, CO; often called the “Switzerland of America” for its majestic alpine beauty. Incidentally, it is also the home of the FJ Summit every summer! As I intend to go to the Summit in 2009, this will be a great, snowy, if not totally dry, run. Our updated route can be seen below.
Peace,
Doug
Jan/098
Las Vegas Beer and Blog – Episode 3
The Abyss - An Imperial Stout from Deschutes Brewery
Are you one of the cool kids? Want to be? Then blog and drink beer. Sound too simple? The Las Vegas Weekly doesn’t think so. In fact, they love the idea. Want a little background? Peep here.
As for tonight (Episode 3), it was my first time in attendance. I’ve been trying to get there the last two weeks and, tonight, I arrived about 45 minutes later than planned. Apparently, John Hawkins was plotting to have the group Twitter-Bomb me with “@dougdaulton – You are an a-hole!” That would have been funny, I kind of wish I had been another 10 minutes late.
It was good to spend a little more time with Dave Courvoisier, Laura Coronado and Sara Mooney; new friends from WordCamp Las Vegas. And, as is the intent of the shindig, I had the pleasure of putting faces to names/blog/tweets for Bill Cody (Vegas Bill), Brad West, Julie Vasquez, Lori Miller (PokerVixen), Michael Wilder, Sarah (408Down), Sharon Paquette, Sheryl Loch and last, but not least Warren Whitlock.
I also met David Lander of Brass Taurus Productions. They produce Detective Douchey, a web-based sitcom about bumbling Vegas cops. As I said to to David, “I wonder how Metro feels about their show.” :^D
As has been widely reported, The Freakin’ Frog (our venue) had an outstanding beer selection. I started with an old standard … the Guinness/Bass Black and Tan. I finished with Deschutes’ The Abyss, an outstanding imperial stout which Just Julie decried as “hoity-toity” beer. That said, I’ll forgive Julie. She introduced me to the X-Shot, a cool little gadget for point-n-shoot cameras.
While grabbing my “hoity-toity” beer, I saved Jenny (fellow Cincinnatian and dark beer aficionado … must be the German heritage) from the amorous clinging of “Creepy Guy”. Jenny repaid the favor by not making me feel old when, after comparing notes on our Cincinnati roots, we discovered that I graduated from high school the year she was born. Thanks Jenny. That was sweet of you. Now, where’d I leave that cane …
Speaking of “Creepy Guy”, he apparently became a sensation sometime after I left. I gather he drank more and became more creepy. It is alleged that photo and video evidence of said creepiness is making its way through the interwebs, but I have yet to confirm this rumor.
Finally, John Hawkins told me the story of “another thing I can’t ‘unknow!” (catchphrase courtesy of Todd Huish). I could put that quote in context, but trust me you don’t want to know. As it is, I am looking for something with which to scratch out my mind’s eye.
Hawk tells me "another thing I can't unknow!"
Well, I suppose that is all I have to offer. If I missed anyone in my wrap-up, you have my heartfelt apologies. For the formal report, check out the LV Beer and Blog … Blog. Thanks to Jackie for getting and keeping this train rolling.
Peace,
Doug
Jan/091
Las Vegas Media Guild 2009 Reboot
While today marked an amazing moment in history, tonight marked the 2009 kickoff/reboot of the Las Vegas Media Guild (LVMG). Started last spring, LVMG initially began as a way to connect local members of the Pixel Corps. However, the more I learned about the Pixel Corps, the more I realized that this group needed to reach more than just the film/video/vfx crowd. So, I expanded LVMG to include all Las Vegas-based creatives, including actors, writers, graphic artists and others.
Early meetings were held in local restaurants and bars. While drinks and appetizers were great, the various settings were best for socializing but not for real professional networking. After the great success of our August meeting at Mac-Tek, I started looking for a permanent, low-noise home for LVMG. Work and life got in the way and I could not nail down a venue and schedule until December. So, we put our meetings off until the “reboot” that happened tonight.
Our meetings will now occur every third Tuesday of the month in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Las Vegas Library. For a complete schedule and directions, please visit our events calendar.
Tonight’s Meeting
Welcome
I kicked things off with a little history of the LVMG, most of which can be found above.
Introductions
Next, we did a round of intros for the room. Everyone took a moment to say who they are, what their craft is and what they hope to get out of the meeting. This part of the meeting always feels like the beginning of an AA/NA meeting, but I think we may have found a solution to that (see below).
Open Discussion
Next, we opened the floor to a discussion of the LVMG meeting format and plans for possible projects. There were a lot of great ideas and the basic format for future meetings look like this:
- 7:05-7:15 PM – Welcome :: A brief hello and update to get things formally started.
- 7:15-7:30 PM – Profiles :: 2-3 brief presentations by group members who introduce themselves and showcase their skills/portfolio. This replaces the painful round of intros.
- 7:30-8:00 PM – Presentation 1 :: A more formal presentation by one or more group members. This can take the form of training, demo, description of services, etc.
- 8:00-8:30 PM – Presentation 2 :: Same structure/purpose as Presentation 1 but different topic & presenters.
- 8:30-8:50 PM – Open Discussion and Portfolio/Reel Review :: The free-form “mingle” portion of the evening. As needed, we may have a formal LVMG discussion in this slot. Folks with portfolios/reels may feel free to make them available for review at this time
- 8:50-9:00 PM – Wrap-Up :: We need to clear the room by 9:00 PM, so !’ll start playing bouncer around this time. :^D
- 9:15- ?:?? PM – Libations Elsewhere :: The larger group is encouraged to connect after the formal meeting at their favorite nearby watering hole to keep the discussion flowing!
Blogging for Career Enhancement (Impromptu Presentation)
As an example of the sort of presentation one might give, I gave a brief overview of blogging for the uninitiated and discussed in detail how a good blog can be a useful tool for job-hunting and/or client recruitment. Tools discussed included Blogger, WordPress.com, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
With help from the group, I provided an overview of the aforementioned services and how they can be used to establish one’s professional presence online. Specifically, I recommended that one blog once a week on a subject which is central to their career path. Over time, this collection of posts will help them in the following ways:
- Google Rank – If set up correctly, the blog will organically associate their name with critical search term (aka keywords) used in their specific career path. For example, an illustrator could blog about cool brushes and tutorials for Adobe Illustrator.
- HR/Recruiter Review – The modern employee screening process often includes “googling” the potential employee. As one moves up the Google rankings, it helps them stand out in the hiring process. In addition, an established blog can underscore one’s status as a subject-matter expert and can become a resume item in and of itself.
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn.com is simply the best business networking tool currently available on the web. It’s toolset is highly respected by employers, contractors, investors and just about anyone doing business on the web. Maintaining a current LinkedIn profile and linking to it from your blog can be a great asset for making new business connections.
- Twitter – To the uninitiated, Twitter is a hard thing to describe. Is it a microblog? A running discussion with 400 of your closest friends and business associates? Is it a big cocktail party where one “overhears” cool factoids and gleans bleeding edge information? is it THE medium for breaking news in the information age? In short, it is all of these and so much more. Everyone was encouraged to create a twitter account and follow one another.
- Online Presences :: For the record, here are the online presences of tonight’s attendees:
Other Tidbits
- We were fortunate to have Dave Courvoisier, KLAS anchor and local celebrity, stop by early in the meeting. Though he had to run, I asked Dave to speak briefly about the impact of new/social media on mainstream media. To paraphrase his response … “the future is now!” Dave is excited about social media and the way it is changing traditional media.
- Everyone is encouraged to participate in LVMG and not to wait for permission from me. If you have an idea for a topic or a presenter at our February meeting, act on it. Reach out to a possible speaker or write up presentation. Just shoot me an email to have it added to the schedule. When February fills up, we’ll schedule subsequent months well in advance. To that end, here is the preliminary February schedule.
- Profile 1 :: Volunteer Needed
- Profile 2 :: Volunteer Needed
- Profile 3 :: Volunteer Needed
- Presentation 1 :: Adobe After Effects (Presenter To Be Determined)
- Presentation 2 :: Brand Yourself Online (Doug Daulton) – This will be a more formal version of the impromptu presentation given tonight. I am happy to fill the slot with something else that presents itself in the interim.
- Starting in February, we will begin recording monthly LVMG meetings and posting them over at LVMG.org.
- An LCD projector and screen should be available to presenters at future LVMG meetings. Free WIFI will be available as well.
- Everyone is encouraged to join LinkedIn and Twitter. After doing so, please add these contact points to your profile on LVMG.org.
- Finally, a few folks asked about the book I mentioned at the end of the evening. It was Rebel without a Crew by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Whether or not you plan to make films, it is a great book about getting off your keister and following your dreams.
- UPDATE 1 :: As suggested by Stevie Puckett, we now have a LinkedIn group. Join now!
- UPDATE 2 :: Here is the contact information for the recruiter I mentioned last night.
Sonia Petkewich
Las Vegas Business Development Specialist
Phoenix Staff, Inc
6255 McLeod Drive, Suite 26
Las Vegas, NV 89120
702.566.3694 office
702.891.9754 fax
www.phoenixstaff.com
OK. So one down. Eleven more to go in 2009, with lots of stuff happening in between. I look forward to working with you all throughout the year.
Peace,
Doug
Jan/091
PhotoSafariNoobs.com has been greenlit!
A project long in discussion now has been greenlit and given the name PhotoSafariNoobs.com.
Hawk, Huish and I will brave the frozen wilds of Southwestern Colorado in late February as we drive to WordCamp Denver in my FJ Cruiser 4×4. We are taking what should be a very scenic route which skirts just south of Telluride. Along the way, we will hone our photography skills and generally geek out. I have plans for some roadtrip-inspired tech tweaks to my rig. More details as the plan comes together.
For a little more history on the project, pop over to John Hawkins Unrated. And, to follow our exploits via Twitter, hit the #psn09 hashtag.
Now, I am off to follow the advice of Mostly Lisa (Bettany) and RTFM for my Canon 30D, then put that baby on Manual for the whole trip. I hope my glass can save me, it’s my only hope! :^D
Peace,
Doug
