Technology to Take Your Breath Away
Posted on January, 04, 2012 by Kerry Rego -It’s cliche to say that something gives you goosebumps. But once in awhile, I see something that really does make the hairs on my whole body stand up and this is one of those videos. It features the Kinect from Microsoft. It’s a video game system that takes a 3D rendering of physical space and you interact with the game via your body. No wand or controllers. I believe that this is the best thing Microsoft has come out with since Windows.
This video shows that this isn’t just a video game. The possibilities for this tool are breathtaking. From music to science, art to medicine, we are only bound by our own thoughts. We have no limitations.
UUCSR Writer’s Forum Presentation
Posted on October, 09, 2011 by Kerry Rego -“How digital platforms are affecting the writer and the publishing process”
I discussed the variety of ways that your writing can be released to the reading public, including the explosion of self publishing options, how the differing cultures of internet niches effects writing styles and skills as well as crowdsourcing your efforts. Georgette G. deBlois asked me to speak at the UUCSR Writer’s Forum “From Chaucer to Tweets” 10/8/11 and I was honored. Below are my notes for the audience that wanted more information or those that may have missed it.
Ways You Can Release Your Writing to the Public:
Your own site
Own your own name, your pen name, any brand name you see fit and they can all point back to your website. Prices range from $3 a year to $11 a year for one domain. Add in ICANN fees and taxes and it’ll cost you about $75 for one domain for 5 years. Why 5 years? Google likes websites that the domains are owned for 3-5+ years because it shows you are in the for the long haul. You will be rewarded with a higher PageRank and better SEO.
You will have many options for the kind of site you can have. The most important things to consider are that you can easily publish and have the ability to sell your work. Ecommerce will allow you to make money off your own writing whether you are signed or not. Your website is your home, you control it, and that’s where you want to drive your traffic.
e-Books
It’s confusing how many types there are so here’s a breakdown of e-book types and formats for your consideration. There is no industry standard which is why there are so many formats. You can have your e-book available in multiple formats but it is wise to pay attention to quality control because your work will shift from version to version. When migrating to digital, here are six key questions to ask.
Many writers believe that e-books are for those that can’t get signed, that they aren’t real publishing, or that they simply aren’t for them. If this is your thinking, take a look at this information from the Association of American Publishers from June 2011. In the last 12 months, adult paperback sales have dropped 63.8% at a loss of $85m, hardcover sales down 25.4% while ebooks, via Kindle, iPad and Nook +167% for the month, gaining $50m. Is that enough to convince you that e-books are a valid form of publishing?
Many believe that if you use e-books or self publish, you won’t get signed. If you are able to prove you are a sure thing with dependable sales, the odds of you being signed actually go up as traditional publishers don’t have the budget to bet on unproven talent. You can leverage this information to get a better contract rate as well.
I mentioned in my presentation that in my field of technology, e-books and pdfs are really the best way for me to get up-to-date information. When I get a bound tech book (some call it a dead tree edition), the first thing I look at is the copyright date. If it’s before 2010, it’s ancient and the information is most likely no longer useful. This isn’t a judgement, it’s a fact that the second a book is printed on technology, it’s out of date. That’s how quickly my industry changes (like you weren’t aware). Every industry is different but I wanted you to be know how important this type of publication is in my work and possibly others.
Distribution of e-books is wide and varied from iTunes with the iBook application, simple pdfs that can be sent via email or posted to websites and forums, Amazon has the Kindle store, Scribd, and many more options.
Print on Demand
The one thing everyone can agree on here is that there is little everyone can agree on. Making sure your work is “future proofed” is important because of the constant developments in technology. Again, quality control is very important as your work moves from digital to print.
Options for services: Lulu, Completely Novel, Blurb, Wordclay, Createspace. Createspace is a great option because it is owned by Amazon. You upload your digital version to the Kindle Store and can print it at Createspace, fairly seamless.
- Start your own publishing house. Pros, lots of freedom. Cons, takes lots of your time and quite a bit of up front investment.
- Self publish using online tools. Pros, takes little upfront cash and there’s quite a bit of flexibility. Cons, you will have to learn some new skills (I don’t think this is bad).
- Use a self publishing house. Pros, requires little time on the part of the writer. Cons, you’ll end up paying for a lot you don’t need.
- BEWARE of the vanity publisher! Those that will tell you your work is wonderful yet charge you and arm and a leg to print, market, and promote your work. You end up paying a lot for a very little return.
Social Media
The democratization of information is the best thing that has ever happened to non-profits, small businesses, oppressed societies and people. You can set up shop on any social network or online tool to share and promote your work. Look to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning, Tumblr, WordPress, StumbleUpon, and so many more. Social media is #1 about conversation #2 about sharing.
This is the most frequent question I get, “How do I get people to read or see my work?” My answer is, if you get a brand new phone number how will you get me to call you?…….. Give me your number. I can’t intuit that information. You HAVE to tell me.
There is another type of tool at your disposal, content curation. You can share your work with the world and then curate what you’ve written. Storify is great for that. They’ve also recently added SoundCloud to their services so that now you can curate your writing and add audio, like the Director’s Cut of a movie.
The one thing you have to remember about social media is that each platform or tool is it’s own universe. These are different rooms with differing cultures. They have their own language, rules, and styles of communication. When you decide you want to try one, make sure you research what it’s all about, set up an account and observe the behavior of the natives. It’s so easy to barge in and make a fool of yourself. Go slowly. If you need help, ask me. I know a thing or two about social media.
Crowdsourcing
The last item to consider is crowdsourcing, formerly known as collaboration. You can use Crowdspring to get freelance writing projects. There is also a few sites like WeBook, Authonomy, and Inkpop that you can post your work in hopes that you will get valuable critiques and be spotted by an agent or traditional publisher.
I Sit in Silence
Posted on October, 06, 2011 by Kerry Rego -
I keep forgetting. Then I remember and it jolts me back to reality. My first reaction is to cry but I’m struggling with that. I tell myself that I’m jaded and shouldn’t be effected by the loss of a corporate figurehead. After all, I didn’t even know him.
Then why do I feel like crying every time I remember he’s gone?
I was absolutely shocked when I saw this text from my father-in-law telling me it was a sad day for Apple with no more information. I’d been in one meeting after the next all day and hadn’t checked the newswires. But I knew. I knew for the longest time Steve Jobs was living on borrowed time. Anything having to do with the pancreas is absolutely unavoidable. Add that to cancer….and you know what happens. When I was asked what I thought about him stepping down, I said, “I’m surprised he didn’t do it a long time ago. He’s not well.”
My whole world revolves around the tools he created. It’s embedded in the language I speak every day. The lessons I teach are largely based on what he gave me. I can’t help but feel like crying. It’s only because I didn’t actually meet him that they don’t flow freely. All I am able to do is lose one tear, wipe it away, and acknowledge that I am surrounded by his products that changed the world. They didn’t just change the greater world, they changed mine. My business model was disrupted after the release of the iPhone and it looks completely different today than when I went into business. I am not saying it lightly when I say Apple products changed my life.
Not many people can say that they had a major effect on the way things work. He did. And for that, for the man that I never met, I sit in silence.
**May you and your family find peace in your passing. Please know we will all miss your vision, your guidance, and your presence. You are felt everywhere.
Are You Ready For The Banking Tech Revolution?
Posted on March, 04, 2011 by Kerry Rego -
I think a banking revolution is just minutes away. When was the last time you went to your bank? I honestly can’t remember when I was last inside mine. Let me give you an example of how digital banking has changed my life.
- Monday – As a board member for a non-profit, I accepted payment via the Square app on my iPhone for non prepaid attendees.
- Tuesday – Client wrote me a physical check. I deposited via my mobile Chase app on my iPad.
- Wednesday – 6:30am Created invoice and billed client in Japan via Paypal. 6:35am Payment received. (accurate time depiction)
- Thursday – Deposited cash into my drive through ATM.
- Friday – Accepted payment via Payvment on my Facebook page.
I am banking with Chase only because they took over my bank when it failed. You know why I am staying with them? Their mobile app that allows me to deposit checks. If any of my local banks invests in their own mobile app (that deposits checks!), I’d move over in a heartbeat. *UPDATE 7/4/11 I was asked by Summit State Bank to be the face of their campaign for the ezDeposit application for smartphones. So happy to have a local bank in on the way things are working today!
I absolutely love the concept of the drive through ATM, not the ones with the pneumatic tubes but the regular ATM machine, especially after having a child. If I don’t have to lug my baby into the bank to deposit a single check, I’m a happy camper. By the way, babies act up more in banks than anywhere else on the planet. That’s the exact time that the line chooses NOT TO MOVE. Each waiting minute is like an hour. And now that these ATMs take cash, the only time I’ve found that I need to go into the bank is to deposit rolls of change and that’s a rarity. I could use Coinstar at my local grocery store but I’ll roll my own with my child’s help (math lesson!) and save 9.8%, thank you.
This leads me to the fact that branches are closing. Recession, foreclosure blowout, and automation are all factors in this. The revolution comes into play because the branches that are being closed are largely in low income neighborhoods. I hope that the powers that be will pay attention to this trend and not allow these neighborhoods to be taken over by predatory lenders.
I started using Paypal when I was actively reselling items for my clients on eBay (eBay purchased Paypal in 2002). Paypal is an international digital bank that allows you to send and receive payments without actually having to handle any credit card or check information. Nice and private. I’ve heard that there can be huge issues if they decide to freeze your account. Those problems seem to center largely around accounts with questionable non-profit status. This hasn’t happened to anyone I know (knock on wood) but it is a real issue. I used Paypal as an eBay buyer and seller, their shopping carts on my original website as well as on a website I manage for a non-profit board with occasional functional problems, and use them less now but have had no problems with their products. I even have a Paypal debit card that I earn cash back on when signing for my purchases.
When I heard about Square, I knew this was the one for me. It is a credit card processing application from the former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey http://tcrn.ch/hprW1U. It’s a credit card swiper (called a dongle) that’s free and plugs into the standard headphone jack of an iPhone, iPad or Android device. The app to use the dongle is free as well. They just changed the way they process transactions, nixing the per transaction flat fee and just charging 2.75%. There is no monthly fee. They are now processing $1M per day. That’s right, per day.
I know. You are saying that you have a great credit card merchant account that you love. Well, I looked for years and simply wasn’t happy with what was out there. I didn’t like monthly fees or large equipment I needed to lease or buy and had to lug around with me. Square isn’t perfect but in combination with my Chase app and Paypal, I feel like I have all my bases covered. Jack even tweeted a picture of a cab he rode in that used an iPad (with Google Maps as his GPS) and a Square as it’s “cash register”. Brilliant. I’m hearing more and more about retailers that are using this as their main payment device. Imagine event sales, beer hawkers at sporting events, street vendors and artists not having to be technologically advanced to make more money accepting credit cards. It’s a good thing.
I spend much of my working and personal time interacting with Facebook. I train individuals and businesses to use and maximize this tool (amongst others). Recently I was contracted by a musician to work on all his social media channels. When I wanted to find a good ecommerce solution for him, I was sorely disappointed. Not to say there aren’t options out there but none of them were easy to install, use, and convenient for this, the largest of platforms. I visited Facebook pages and stand alone websites for major artists and I was just disappointed. Needless to say, I did find a decent shopping cart function in Payvment. There are several others but this one was easily installed on my Facebook page and hooks up to my Paypal account. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work well for musicians as there isn’t a listening function.
Next is NFC or Near Field Communications. It turns your mobile devices into methods of payment. There are rumors that the next iPhone will be equipped with NFC. Even I’m not ready for that one. By the way, Starbucks is already using very similar technology.
I am not in financial services or banking. I don’t pretend to know anything about this field. What I do know as a person that loves and works with technology, that my favorite gadgets are serving a real purpose and disrupting the old guard. Are you using any of these devices to enhance your banking experience? Are there any I should know about?
My iPhone, A Computer That Makes Phone Calls
Posted on November, 16, 2010 by Kerry Rego -
When the iPad came out, I said, “I’ve already got one, it fits in my pocket.” Yes, that’s my joke about owning a miniature iPad….also known as an iPhone. It’s really about perspective.
When thinking of smartphones, I think a minor change in perspective is in order. Many people complain about the lack of reliability in the phone part of the iPhone service. But as many owners of smartphones know, the calling is really the least important feature. If my phone was marketed as a computer that makes phone calls, people would look at them so much differently.
I run an active business so of course I need a reliable phone. In December of 2006, I acknowledged that having a phone that could access email and the internet was of growing importance. I was ready to dive into the deep sea of research on the only existing option at the time, the Blackberry. Just moments before beginning this task, the announcement of the “great game changer” occurred. This was the announcement of the upcoming release of the iPhone. Being a Mac user and an early adopter of the iPod, I knew, I honestly knew this would change everything. So I waited. I waited 8 long months for the phone. But the phone was released in June of 2007, you say. Why 8 months? I learned after being a bleeding edge adopter with the Handspring Visor that maybe being the first to purchase isn’t such a good idea. I try to wait a minimum of 8 weeks before purchasing new technology for major bugs to be worked out (death grip much?).
I regretted my purchase for one weekend. Thanksgiving of 2007. AT&T had a major outage and my local Apple store filled with people that thought there was something wrong with their phone (myself included). After that long weekend, I really haven’t felt that way again. Nothing is perfect. When people figure that out, life gets easier. Sure I want tethering and sometimes I want Flash but overall I love my phone.
My office is in my home and I try very hard to keep my desktop computer turned off on the weekends. My family uses the disposable PC laptop (another story) and two iPhones for entertainment consumption and reading emails and saved links. Business is kept to a minimum. What I now notice is that my phone almost never rings on the weekend. Not that it’s not working, I simply don’t communicate with my wide network via phone anymore. You can catch me via text, Facebook, Twitter, email, LinkedIn etc. but by phone? That’s so last decade.
I’m telling you, if Apple marketed the iPhone as a palmtop computer, the perception of their reception woes would be over. A miniature computer that makes phone calls, you say? Get out! What will they think of next?