Case-Notes from the Artsy Asylum

The Upstarts of "35" and the New York Times Blog

I love it that in the New York Times Blog Virginia Heffernan admits that upstart, social media savvy Kathryn Jones and Synchronis TV are on the mark with 35, the first-ever fictional Webcast to stream LIVE. She writes that 

"35 has gained some legitimate momentum with its stagey seriousness and clangy we-made-it-in-our-backyard sound . . .

. .  it worked."

I won't say I told you so, but you do remember that you saw it first - or almost first - here.

The 35 group not only has moxie, but Hefferman writes that the filmmakers, Kathryn and her partner, show courage with this series. And of course, she's right.

You can always tell a blogger though because she just couldn't resist a snappy closing line though, writing

"Online video’s not just for admen, guitarists, comics and pornographers. Theater people: we need you!"

Kudos all around to Kathryn & company. . . who I know how, by the way? Bingo. Social media.

Because Kathryn is not only is a filmmaker. She's a master marketer, using a media that's as old as human beings. As always - it's all about one thing: Relationships.

Small Biz TV Hits the Web

Excellent new effort from blogger, twitterer, small business consultant & mustang driver Becky McCray, who plans what sounds like a fascinating series on starting a small business and making it thrive, while not making yourself crazy.

Click the little arrow on the player below to

Social Networking Elan - Steve Rubel & Josh Bancroft as Posterboys

Social media seems shallow to many. Sometimes it seems shallow to me too. Then again, there are days when the socnet world feels like one long hula dance where the discussion goes both in circles and nowhere.

What's a friend? What activities are musts for social networkers? Does everyone need to use social networks? It drones on to tedium sometimes.

And this week has been particularly rife with stories of misperceptions about what online relationships are, and aren't; particularly tricky when one person thinks they are friends and the other doesn't. Or if one thinks they are working on a project together and the other does the same project with another contact. Or if one ignores a facebook friend request.

Which means that the world of social networking is full of disappointments, and surprises. And the connections can be tenuous at best; needing attention on our part to keep up the relationships.

Sometimes it takes some dancing around to nourish and strengthen what is and what can be.

Which brings me to Steve Rubel and Josh Bancroft whose similarity is that it's hard to feel disconnected when either is on your contact list.

They use, but don't abuse, social networks. They talk to their contacts instead of lecturing them. They use words everyone can understand and avoid going of on tangents of self glorification.

It's easy to see why I included them in the Artsy Asylum Social Media dance party. You'll never be quite the same after encountering them. And especially after this video.

Who's in your contact list that helps you feel connected, even if it's in offbeat ways? What social networking issues do you find yourself dancing around? Maybe we can find answers together.

Cascio, Ochman, Armano, Randle, Lawrence Dance Party

Joe's birthday was this week and being the social media superstars that they are, the whole gang got into the act of celebrating.

video below -

Social Networking Can Can Work

Can you identify all five of the diverse personalities showing off their interconnectivity - and Can-Can moves - in this jib-jab video?

Watch the video below to see the fun, but while you're watching, think about how they could possibly have "met" if it wasn't for social networking?

The connections happen because twitter, facebook and Second Life, all combine to tie up  a sweet package of interactivity and immersion.

After watching the video extra brownie points will be given if you

Weekends = Google Juice and Connections All Around

Weekends are a slow time for many blog readers, and writers. We've got more interesting things to do. We need to take the recycling off to wherever or haul all our stuff out to the garage for a sale.

The lucky ones get to wrench their back while wrestling sails, or fish, or three year olds. My spouse got to go help my daughter's family with a basement flood when he could have been fighting the lines at Costco .

Ah the good times, away from the stresses of the work week. It help explain why the dance party videos here are popular. Clearly this means they should be a regular feature

After all - this works for everybody.

1.) I get to do fun stuff like adding heads into the jib-jab videos and making up stories to go with them.

2.) I get blog traffic even on weekends. People come and find other things they like too.

3.) Visitors discover my genius insights and penchant for marketing that doesn't look like marketing and I get a gig doing the same for them.

4.) You goof-offs get a reason to laugh. You anticipate become the next star, ensuing blog link love, and even new twitter followers.

5.) You tweet about other dancers. You mention it on your blogs. People link to you, to the dance party, to me - and we're all linked in a happy kumbaya of frenzied feet and entranced eyes

6.) Sitting in front of your computers waiting for the next couple to emerge onto the floor keeps you off the streets on weekends,

 

Spicy Buzz Hits the Bloggosphere - Ole'

My friend Liz Strauss from Successful-Blog.com and our fellow blogger Chris Cree might have been feeling left out of the dancing frenzy in the Asylum blog. In any case, they decided to kick up their heels and join the party. At least that's what it looks like in this bit of video. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

I am in serious love with web 2.0 technology and innovation. And the guys at Jib-jab know that people making videos and sharing them brings in more hits as we create even more buzz for them.

In the meantime I'm happy if more people are visiting my blog just to giggle at their friends. If visitors like the other content as well, I'm doubly blessed.

Make your own at JibJab by you here or just come back often and enjoy mine. You're always welcome at the Asylum.

Connecting via the Virtual Dance Floor

Which is your favorite piece of fun social networking type connecting?  One which make my top hits allows you to add your friends' faces to the Jib-Jab created animation and encourages others to share it as well.

The concept made me laugh when I saw it at Gnomedex but when I tried it last week the embed feature wasn't working so there was no way to share my creation. Tonight the bugs were worked out and we're good to go.

How could you use a tool like this to engage people in your blog, your website, whatever you do online? How could you use it to make your social - and business - connections stronger?

I'd love to hear your ideas. In the meantime I just have to watch this disco number starring bloggers, all-around renaissance people and twitter friends Connie Reece and Preppy Dude

Doing it Herself; One Woman's Story of Overcoming Obstacles to Make Her Place in the World

I felt her presence before I saw anyone. Then there was the impish gin grin and that signature red hair. It could only be one person appearing as if my magic in my living room.

No - it wasn't Santa Claus; it was Author Glenda Watson Hyatt from Do It Myself Blog! And she picked the Artsy Asylum to set up at for day five of her whirlwind book tour to let the world know about the book and her hopes to be the winner of a competition that will pay her to blog for a year

Her energy and vitality sucked the air right out of the room! I could only be awestruck, but she put me at ease wight away with natural charm and humor. I don't get around al that spryly myself but trying to make her comfortable, I cast about for things to fiddle with for her.

"Thanks a lot, Susan" she finally said with a grin, "but I'll do it myself."

Sigh. I should have known that the woman who's become as the left-thumb blogger would be fiercely self-sufficient, I also need to figure out a way to have this much energy. Maybe I could convince her to be a donor so we could do an transplant for me.

I sat down in amazement, not knowing what to ask someone in a power chair, someone who has obviously overcome such challenges in her life. Maybe it would be easier if I just jumped in, so I did a little explaining as I asked

"I've worried sharing that I have a chronic, though invisible, illness will make people think I want sympathy or just see me as the illness. How did you decide to be public about your disability in your blog - or wasn't it even a question?"

"I have always been fairly open about my disability; my cerebral palsy is not something I can hide in ''real" life. So, it felt natural to be open about my disability on my blog. By sharing on my blog, I can reach a larger audience with my message that cerebral palsy is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence, and I can, hopefully, help more people.

 

Everyone Needs One: What's Your Lure?

         

A few months ago when my husband had heart surgery his company sent a wonderful Edible Arrangement to the house. It served a couple of purposes letting us know that they were thinking of us but also providing healthy options for quick and easy eating when one of us might easily have reached for the potato chip bag.

It also was a way of communicating with us in a way that worked for the people at the office as well as our lifestyle, the situation at hand, and the times in which we we live.

Which brings me back to a subject I started writing about earlier. Reaching the people you want to reach in a way that works for you.

When I began teaching after school "how to draw: classes I was forced to find a way to reach people without using the tools I'd learned through doing corporate marketing and newspaper display advertising.

There was no way that I was willing or able to produce a slick brochure on chromecoat paper about a class held in someone's mom's basement studio. I wasn't able to send sales reps to the doors of parents across northern Virginia.

A year before, my very young children and I had been the victims of a random suburban home invasion and  hostage situation. Even now I often want to be invisible but at that point I wanted to hide.

So even if I was financially able to place an expensive display ad in the Washington post I wouldn't have.

I was limited

The limits were the amount of time and resources I had available, including money. And the courage to even open my front door - which I didn't do for maybe a year.

Plus, lets face it, I had to consider what would work. What would not only reach those moms, also known as the decision makers, but what would make them take an action, whether that be to call me, send me a check, ask other parents about me, whatever it would be.

What was clearly needed was an Edible Arrangement.
a) Something that would get the attention of the right person: mom and
b.) Something that would stay around, reminding her of the benefit to her child

"How to Draw a Fish"

I settled on one thing as my version of Edible Arrangements. A 30 minute demo class in which kids and parents participated, free

Kids had fun; parents had fun; kids helped parents draw better fishes; fishes went home to go up on the refrigerator door; better more elaborate fish got drawn at home; and fish got talked about at soccer practice, baseball practice, ballet practice. Fish were a good thing.

So how did I convert those fish into students?

Two registration forms went home with parents. They offered fish owners (everyone who had been to fish drawing class) a 10% discount on their first series of classes. If they signed up early they got another 10% off. And the reason for two forms? Refer another student: you guessed it: 10%.

I kept the series short - six weeks - so the parent was not making a huge commitment.

So what was I out at that point? The ink to print my own registration forms. The time to do the demo class. The time to interact with the parents.

But what I gained was invaluable. I got word of mouth marketing from the people who were best at spreading the word; those kids and parents who experienced it themselves. They had felt empowered by learning a couple of drawing tips in a fun atmosphere and they talked about it

Yes, it worked. We're talking about 1985 so we didn't have websites or memes as we know them today but even before the Internet was in wide use, viral marketing worked.

Over the next couple of years I outgrew the basement and when we did our twice yearly student exhibit and reception for friends and family we had lines literally out the front door to see the wide variety of fishies that invariably made their way to the pieces on display.

The real question is not about me though. It's about how this information can work for what you do.

What's your fish? What's your Edible Arrangement? What's the magic combination of something that is of value to your audience, stays with them as a reminder, and doesn't deplete your supply of valuable commodities: time money, effort.

Let's talk about it. You know it's out there. We just have to figure out what it is.

Next time: How to lure a parent to your basement