Apple's Fall Event

At the Apple Fall Event on September 1 this year, Steve Jobs announced a number of innovations and upgrades to Apple’s product offerings: iPod now includes FaceTime, Retina display, HD video recording, and Game Center; iPod Nano has Multi-Touch (but please don’t make it any smaller or I’ll need a stylus to operate it); iPod shuffle now has buttons, VoiceOver and even playlists; iTunes 10 is coming with Ping; Apple TV facilitates streaming of photos and music from the Mac and pumps HD movies and TV shows to one’s widescreen TV.

Apple has been quick to address iOS criticisms, as well – showing that it continues to support the devices its customers already own. One of the exciting announcements is that of iOS 4.1 (available now) and the “pre-nouncement” of iOS 4.2, with Air Play and new iPad print capability for iOS. Thought apparently not a major talking point at the Fall Event, what excites me the most is the cogency of interfaces between iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Everything looks and operates in the same manner!

I’m a BIG iTunes user, approaching 37,000 for my tune count. I love its search function, and use iTunes (and my round-bottomed iMac) like a jukebox. The announced Ping function of iTunes 10 – a meshing of Twitter-type functions with iTunes – will be useful for those who interact over music and by those who follow new music – especially when following indy artists (who may not be getting media exposure afforded to the big-name artists).

How do the other Applegoodies relate to me? I have never owned an iPhone (it’s unavailable for Sprint PCS) nor an iPod (can’t listen at work; when I’m not at work, I am already in front of iTunes on my Mac, studio style). I don’t know how what features they have now, so I can’t assess how allegedly comparatively inadequate the current versions are compared to the upcoming ones. Those who use these devices, though, have reason to be excited - so says The Steve. (Also sprach Stevathustra?)

Though I have never had one, the new Nanos are GREAT ! I already wear a big wristwatch, and Nano comes with a display that looks like an analog clock… hmmmm... I think I may be able to talk myself into one before Christmas! Sadly, since the iPad is cost prohibitive (for me), I also do not own one of them, but I like the idea that it is incrementally evolving into a flat, touch-screen netbook/Kindle/whatever (now with print function!). For those who can keep up with these innovations, it just gets better and better.

I don’t watch TV as a general rule - I don’t like the content or the presentation. Apple TV, however, might be just the ticket for me – I can go “on demand” for just about everything I want to see, when I want to see it! Not only that, but I have (for over a decade now, as time permits) spent time digitizing and organizing all of the media from our family archives – Apple TV will even be the perfect way to enjoy (and work with) that stuff, too.

By the way, Steve Jobs is looking kinda ragged. Has he been ill?

Back to School

My name is Amanda Flores, and I am starting my second year in grad school here at Texas State. I did my undergrad here as well, and began grad school right away. I am glad I did this because as an undergraduate student, my minor was Communication Design. While that is what I thought I wanted to do (the creative/art direction side of advertising), after further review, it's not. I want to do the more boring, market research, side of advertising, and I am enjoying the graduate classes because they allow me to do more research and the marketing side of advertising.

I'm basically really excited to learn as much as I can in the year I have left of school.

Hello...

Hi there. My name is Jordan Lloyd, I'm 23, and I'm starting my 2nd year of grad school at Texas State. I've lived in Austin since I was born, and I graduated from UT Austin last August. I started grad school so quickly after graduation that I hadn't even gotten my diploma in the mail yet.

In my first year, I was in the Communication Studies department. However, I slowly realized that with my work goals and interests I would be much better suited in the MassComm department. So, I switched. This will be my first semester as a MassComm student, and I can't wait.

I've done some work in PR and Social Media, but I have absolutely no experience with media design or web development. So...I'm a little terrified. I did noticed that we have a small project to do on iMovie, which was exciting because I am extremely comfortable with iMovie/iDVD. Anyway, despite my apprehension and lack of experience, I am extremely excited to start learning all of this stuff. The New Media Issues class I was in over the summer with Cindy was great, and I have a feeling this one will be even better. See you all in a bit!

- Jordan
Twitter: JordanALloyd

Doozo yoroshiku!

My name is Veronica Arellano. Fall 2010 will mark my 2nd semester as a Mass Comm grad student here at good ol' Texas State.

I graduated from Texas A&M University - Kingsville with a degree in Radio & Television production. As an undergrad, I spent my time DJ'ing for TAMUK's 91.1 The One and working with the campus television news channel. For now, I've hung up my DJ hat.

I'm pretty interested in viral campaigns and guerrilla marketing and would love Love LOVE to work with companies that do those kinds of crazy things. Doing something like that or working for Nickelodeon/Adult Swim/any cartoon network would be super cool for me. If any of those jobs required me to travel, I'd drop to my knees and thank Jesus for giving me my dream job.

Besides aiming for a Master's in Mass Comm, I came to Texas State to study Japanese. Growing up, I loved anime and never really thought about where it came from. However, when I graduated from high school, I began to appreciate all the other aspects the island of Japan had to offer and I've been hooked ever since.

When I'm not reading manga or watching an unhealthy amount of Korean pop music videos, I play with my two pups, Baxter and Bradley.

I've dabbled in HTML and CSS before and can work my way around code to a small degree. Lord knows I prefer straight up coding to Dreamweaver but I am eager to learn! I'm really looking forward to this semester since I had a pretty rough summer. Time to hit F5 and refresh!

Twitter: VeeFantastic

Hello All!

Hello Everyone,

My name is Christina Gulla and I am about to begin my second year as a graduate student at Texas State. I love graduate school and so far have met a lot of awesome people. I am 26 years old and live in Austin, TX. I am currently working as a Real Estate agent in Austin so if anyone needs help with buying or selling their home, let me know! I graduated from Texas State in 2009 with a degree in Mass Communication & Advertising and a minor in Psychology. I went straight into the graduate program to obtain a Masters degree in Communication.

I took Cindy's Issues in New Media Class this past Summer and absolutely loved it. It was by far my favorite class thus far in the grad program. Cindy is awesome and the class got me very interested in new media. I am really looking forward to this class and can't wait to meet everyone.

~Follow my personal blog at www.ChristinaGulla.wordpress.com

~Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/christinagulla (@ChristinaGulla)

Looking forward to Fall 2010!

PS---sorry this picture is so large. I don't know how to make it smaller! I will know how to do that by the end of this class :)

Intro

Hey everyone! I am a new guy to MC, and I am excited to learn your side of things. I graduated for University of Mary Hardin-Baylor with my undergrad in Recreation, and I am finishing up my last hours for my Masters in Recreation Administration and Management. This class is one of my electives that I have chosen because I believe that online media is so prevalent in todays society and in recreation. I am super stoked for class, since it will help me broaden my knowledge of this type of media, and it will help me be able to create more effective ways to promote, educate, and market my field. I look forward meeting all of you in class!

Intro Post

Hello everyone! My name is Yomali de la Cerda. I am new here to San Marcos so if anyone wants to show me the town, i'd greatly appreciate it! I've lived here for a whole 10 days as of today :) I just moved here from Brownsville, Texas where I did my undergrad in Communication Studies and Mass Media at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Most people don't know where my itty bitty home town is, so I usually have to say, "It's about 30 min from South Padre Island..." and many immediately know. I have to say it's quite a luxury living next to the beach... one i didn't appreciate until i moved away. Brownsville is also a border with Mexico which is also very interesting. But I digress...

This is my first semester as a Graduate student. I obtained my degree in May 2010 and decided I was not ready to stop learning and I jumped right into my master's. I took many media, advertising and other design classes in my undergrad and I was very intrigued by it all. I'm familiar with working most design programs but mostly InDesign and Photoshop. I figured this would be a great class to take for my first semester. I have done some website design as part of my assignments but nothing on a professional level. I am excited to learn how to work all these other programs!

In my free time I enjoying living my life as any other 22 year old. I enjoy traveling, working out, going out, golf, guns and such. I'm a secret foodie...or at least i try to be. I love trying all kinds of food. I'm sort of a female Andrew Zimmern, or at least i try to be. Since i just moved here, i'm currently unemployed (not that i was employed before..) but i am searching for maybe a little part time job for now, so if anyone has any leads...let me know!

Other than that, i'd love to get to meet new people since i just moved here. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and especially looking forward to the class and my first semester of grad school.

My facebook is Facebook.com/yomali which is the easiest way to find me and keep up with me i'm not much of a tweeter ahha I do have a twitter but I just use it to stalk celebrities... I know embarrassing and lameeee hahaha but here it is anyways @yomalers

k bye for now:)

Intro Post

Hi everyone! My name is Monique Ramos and this is my second full semester in Graduate School at Texas State. I graduated from Texas State in May 2009 with a BA in Mass Communication-Advertising and since then I have done a lot of internships and most recently I worked in the Marketing Department at Schlitterbahn. I took Cindy's New Media Issues class this summer and it got me very interested in New Media. I learned a lot of useful information and I look forward to learning more about HTML, Flash, Photoshop etc. Right now I basically know nothing about web design so this class will be a challenge, but I hope to learn a lot of new skills and broaden my knowledge of new media.

I recently moved to Austin and have been having fun getting to know the city better. After living in San Marcos for four years I needed a change. This semester should be very busy and fun! I am a GA for professor Lucy Brown who teaches Account Planning, and I am also very excited about my new internship at LatinWorks in the Account Service department.

Follow me on Twitter @ramosmonique

Can't wait to meet everyone!

Intro Post

Hey everyone, my name is Brittany Ervin and I'm in my second year of grad school. This is my second class with Cindy and I'm really excited about learning and honing many technical skills that are necessary with a new media concentration. I loved New Media Issues in the summer and took so much away from it. I'm ready to come back this fall and own Dreamweaver and Flash!
My background is in music, however, so for a very long time I wasn't immersed in Dreamweaver or Flash or CSS or any other such program but rather my instrument. While I love music and still play always, I am fascinated with new media and am so ready to learn as much as I can in this next class! I really want to get on the bandwagon with Flash and some of the other programs I haven't worked with before. I hope to incorporate music and my passion for it into my career and utilize the skills I acquire in these grad classes.

You can follow me on Twitter: @BrittErvin

See you soon!

Hello there. Julie here.

I took a class similar to this about six years ago with Cindy when she taught at UT Austin. I'm looking forward to this class because even though I've worked for a website (mySA.com) for the last five years and use basic HTML every day, I'm pretty rusty on the actual building of a website. And I'm sure I've forgotten just about everything I learned about Flash.

About me. Well, I kind of have a love/hate relationship with new media. Kinda funny when you consider everything. This is my second semester at Texas State in the Mass Comm grad program, new media concentration. Cindy seems to ride the ever-changing wave of new technology and media almost effortlessly with a joy and passion I admire, while I sometimes feel as though the wave is smacking me in the face and dragging me under. I love how new media is changing the way we get information, making it faster and more accessible. It's given voice to many of the voiceless and done a whole lot of good. But sometimes the extreme navel gazing that comes with it gets me down and I just want to unplug from everything. Which I take great pleasure in doing from time to time, letting the always-present wanderlust take over.

- Julie Ruff
@sapaws (work)
@txbucketlist (funky side project) (I'll probably use this one for class so I can curse like a sailor. Ayup.)

Intro Post

Hi everyone, my name is Kelly Gorychka and I'm in my second semester of the Mass Comm grad program. So far I have enjoyed it and am getting more comfortable being back in school again. I currently work full time for a tech PR agency in Austin that represents Dell. I manage Dell's business computing group that includes business notebooks, desktops, workstations, and desktop virtualization and security solutions. Between working full time and taking two grad school classes this semester, I'd say I am a little busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

As background, I grew up in the Austin area and attended Stephen F. Austin State University, where I played collegiate volleyball and wrote for the school newspaper. Upon graduation I ventured to Costa Rica for a two-year stretch and worked for an international healthcare consulting and management firm as a writer and PR/marketing specialist. On the side, I did freelance writing for a luxury tourism magazine and had the amazing opportunity to travel and experience life in top destinations throughout the country. And...as an added bonus, I perfected my Spanish language skills. I eventually moved back to Austin and began working for a boutique tech and healthcare PR / social media agency for about three years.

To make my life even more complicated, in addition to school and work, I am planning a wedding next April and my fiance and I will welcome our first puppy in October. I am very excited to think of the new skills I will be able to add to my bag from taking Online Media Design. Mostly, I am looking forward to learning how to code and master new design tools that I hope to utilize in my current career. And of course I am looking forward to meeting my new classmates.

You can follow me on Twitter @KellyGorychka

Introductory post

What's up everyone? My name is Ryan Fritsche. I'm 23 years old and I am entering my 2nd full year of Grad School here at Texas State University. I graduated from Texas State in May 2009 with a B.A. in Mass Communications concentrating in Electronic Media. I also came away with a Minor in Coaching Athletics which is where I originally thought that my heart would truly lie except I was not ready to give up the media aspect of sports. My current aspiration once I complete graduate school with my M.A. is to enter into the ever-growing world of Sports Information Directing. The best case scenario is for me to impress the Sports Info Department here at Texas State enough for them to offer me a job for the 2011-2012 athletics year.

Well, how about we go into a little bit more about me? Yes, I'm THAT exciting. Haha! I was born in Houston, Texas on May 26, 1987 and lived on the outskirts of the city limits for 9 years before moving to the suburb of Cypress in 1996. My parents and I have lived there ever since. I am an only child and I will admit that it really does SUCK!!! Rainy days sucked especially when all I had was Super Nintendo to keep me entertained. I graduated from Cy-Fair High School in May 2005 and never needed to look anywhere else but Texas State to pursue my college career for a possible job with ESPN upon graduation (that didn't work out).

I am a true sports fanatic and am really knowledgeable in the world of sports. I played football for 8 years and really enjoyed every moment of every down I played. I love my hometown teams (Texans, Astros, Rockets, Aeros (AHL Hockey Team) and Dynamo) but I also love teams that are outside of Houston. My favorite NHL hockey team is the Minnesota Wild due to the fact that they are the parent club of the Houston Aeros. I also enjoy watching the Pittsburgh Penguins for reasons unknown. My 2nd favorite MLS soccer team is the Seattle Sounders FC just based on the fact that their home games are enjoyable to hear during televised games. But above all else, I am a HUGE!!!!!! Boston Red Sox fan. Ever since about 2000 when the Yankees won their 26th World Series, I have HATED the Yankees with a passion and fell in love with the Red Sox due in part to Fenway Park and because of Nomar Garciaparra.

Aside from my fascination with sports, I enjoy listening to music (Rock, Country, and Eminem) and singing aloud in my apartment in Buda. You also might catch me jumping around my apartment while playing Guitar Hero every now and then (I'm a rockstar at heart even though my singing is something to be desired). I love to go on vacation to Colorado in the winter so that I can shed my Texas roots for a snowboarder's lifestyle for a few weeks. I also thoroughly enjoy going to Las Vegas because I've never come home with less money than I left with. I really enjoy the Craps tables and the beer pong tables at O'Shea's on the Strip. Greatest casino on earth as far as I'm concerned.

*deep breath* That's pretty much all about me and why I was placed on this Earth haha. I cannot wait to meet those of you I have not met just yet and look forward to seeing all of you whom I have shared classes with over the past year. Follow me on Twitter @ryanfritsche42

Intro Post

Hi everyone! My name is Sarah Hopper. This is my 2nd semester as a Grad student at Texas State. I graduated from Texas A&M University in May 2009 with a degree in Communications & Journalism. I have worked for the Texas A&M Health Science Center since 2007 and become full-time upon graduation as a Technical Communications Specialist. Fortunately, they have allowed me to work part-time during Grad school just doing some web editing, design and maintenance of our departmental website. My job has opened the door to several opportunities and training which have allowed me to learn SO many cool things and meet lots of great people! :)

A little about me.....
Well I was born in Kingsville, Texas (way down south) and grew up in East Texas in a small town called Whitehouse. I spent my 1st year of college at Texas A&M Kingsville and then transferred to College Station to finish my degree. I absolutely LOVED being in aggieland:) That place will always mean something to me. I am VERY close to my mom and dad... they are my rock! My family is very important to me. I am one blessed girl! I enjoy being with my friends and family and playing with my sweet puppy Marley! :) I love to read, listening to music is a must and I love to sing. I am excited.... and scared ( I have to admit) about Grad school. I hope to one day have a job maybe doing some type of web design/development for a company/org/magazine....anything!


I took Dr. Royal's New Media Issues class this summer and LOVED it! I learned so much about the history of the web and the many issues facing new media today. I look forward to learning about Online Media Design and the importance of it. I also hope to advance my HTML and CSS skills and learn more things about using photoshop and dreamweaver. I know I will learn a lot from this class, I'm excited:)

You can find me on twitter @sarahatm2009 Follow me! :)

Introductory post

My name is Douglas Martin-Whitaker, and I am two semesters away from completing my graduate program of study, working toward a MFA in Mass Communication at Texas State University. I prefer to be called "Whit" (as a one-word moniker, like "Sting," "Madonna," "Prince," or "Liberace" - none of whom I resemble), as that shortens things quite a bit. The degree I am working on will be my third degree from Texas State University: I also hold a BA in German language and a Master of Public Administration. My MFA in Mass Communication should help with my transition into a career in radio broadcasting - something I have wanted to do since I was a kid.

Personal info? I tend to be over-analytical, as well as extremely focused (maybe I'm hypomanic?). I have a hectic schedule that keeps my life really busy - this fall I'll be working 60+ hours per week almost every week (and most weekends, too) in addition to doing my graduate studies and keeping up with household maintenance and domestic chores. I also teach a Christian apologetics class on Sunday evenings at church (http://calvarysanmarcos.com/) - all are invited!

As with most folks, I have this belief that higher education will somehow eventually lead to a more pleasant life, to include a successful career that involves doing more things I want to do. One of those things is (actually): Online media design (!), particularly as it contributes to the online presence for a radio broadcast station (or other media outlet). Though I am a "master surfer," there's not much demand for that as a job skill. I want usable, marketable online skills. This class - combined with its successor - should provide me with those skills.

My Twitter contact is @WhitTxState11. If you "follow" me, do it at a distance and don't act suspicious about it...

Hi :D

Hi everyone! My name is Nicole Martinez. This is my second semester of grad school at Texas State.

I work part-time at a search engine optimization company called SEO Launchpad, housed in Conjunctured, the first co-working space in Austin. I just started a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it! I am surrounded by young, creative entrepreneurs everyday and it is awesome.

In my free time, I enjoy blogging, swimming, and riding my bike, as well as spending time with my two dogs, Dude and Miley. I've also been thinking about training for a half-marathon, so if there are any runners out there, I'd love to talk to you.

I look forward to learning about web design & working with all of you. You can find me on twitter at @mipanator.

Online Media Design introduction

Hello, everyone.  I'll be taking Online Media Design this semester, so I guess I'll take this chance to introduce myself.

This is my first semester of grad school (I graduated from Texas State alnost two years ago), and I'm excited to be going back.  I love movies and videogames, and I write handheld videogame news and reviews for the Examiner from time to time, though I haven't written much lately (you can see my profile and links to my articles there at http://www.examiner.com/handheld-in-houston/doug-seliger).

I took Dr. Royal's introductory web design class as an undergrad, and I'm looking forward to building upon that foundation.

I'm on Twitter @Doug_S which I mostly use to post links to new articles or ask for suggestions for games to review, so hit me up.

Welcome to Online Media Design!

Hi everyone and welcome to the class. Here's a little something about me. I look forward to seeing you all in person next week!

I'm the instructor of the class, starting my 5th year at TX State. I got my Ph.D. at UT, and have been teaching Web design and online media courses for more than a decade. It's been interesting to keep up with the changes. I have a personal website at cindyroyal.com and a tech blog at tech.cindyroyal.net. I love live music, and have a music blog and interview show at onthatnote.com. I spend a lot of time online, but I also love kayaking and hiking around Town Lake. Can't wait to hear about the things you like to do.

My Twitter name is @cindyroyal, so check me out there, follow me and join the conversation!

Preview: Millionaire or Artist? How About Both?

Hugh Macleod spends his time in west Texas drawing cartoons on the back of business cards. He sells his art on the internet. It may sound simple enough, but he has turned it into big business. Now he’s ready to help artists hit the big time, as well.

Macleod, who lives in the small town of Alpine, is leading a panel at the 2010 SXSW Festival in Austin called “Millionaire or Artist? How About Both?” It will focus on using social media to thrive at a time when traditional businesses are tanking.

“(The internet) gives you access to customers on a cheap and easy global scale,” Macleod says. “Being discovered is a bit of a crapshoot. I’m trying to develop a critical mass constituency.”

Macleod is living proof that this method works. Besides his successful career as a cartoonist, he is also the CEO of Stormhoek USA, which markets and distributes South African wine in the United States. His online marketing efforts have led to a five-fold increase of sales in just two years.

It may seem like an unusual pairing, but Macleod believes making it in the wine business and the art world is not all that different.

“Artists have to be entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs have to be artists,” Macleod says.

As the title indicates, Macleod’s SXSW panel will be primarily geared toward artists. Topics will cover selling art online, how to increase sales through your web site, the skill of marketing art without the use of a traditional gallery and how to sell art without selling out. However, the idea of marketing yourself online through social media applies to many walks of life. Therefore, non-artists are welcome to come, as well.

“It certainly can be useful to a lot of other people,” Macleod says.

You can read more about Hugh Macleod and check out his unique artwork at his gapingvoid blog. More information on the panel, including the other artists who will be speaking, is available at the SXSW web site.

SXSW Second Interview

Suneel Gupta is the creater of The Kahani Movement. This is a website where "members of the Kahani social network collect and share stories from the first major wave of South Asians that immigrated to the U.S. Kahani means “story” in Hindi," says Gupta. He was inspired to find a way to share stories from his own family's experiences he grew up hearing. Personal stories of living in exile, experiencing violence stemmed from racism, great triumph and adjusting to a new environment are recounted through videos, photos, and blog posts.

"David Isay's Storycorps proved that ordinary people have extraordinary stories to share – you just need to ask. The Kahani Movement brings the original Storycoprs concept into the Web 2.0 space," says Gupta.

Gupta is well versed in the world of Web 2.0 and open-source approach to projects. He was formerly the director of Mozilla Labs. "Social media allows our members to collaborate, share ideas, and promote each other's work, which is critical to the project's success," says Gupta.

Gupta needed a platform that would allow people to share their stories within their small communities and beyond. "Tools in the Web 2.0 space, have allowed us to reach millions of people and let them reach other," says Gupta. He built the Kanahi site based on Ning, a user-friendly social networking site. Gupta works closely with the Ning team to bring these untold stories to life online.

Gupta is looking forward to SXSW interactive 2010 as a panelist and participant. "There is no better platform than SXSWi to share a new idea and get feedback from interesting, innovative people," says Gupta. He's got the same idea all savvy SXSWi-goers have while attending the conference--contribute and grow. Gupta says, "we are hoping to share some of the things we've learned through Kahani -- where we've met our goals and where we stumbled a bit. Moreover, we're aiming to offer Kahani as a model to be replicated because we believe that every community has stories worth preserving.

Read more about Suneel Gupta's upcoming panel here StoryCorps 2.0: Social Networking Meets Storytelling (Suneel Gupta, The Kahani Movement).

GenY and Upstarts

In the world of business, the tried and true ways of starting a company are changing.

In her presentation at SXSW, Donna Fenn author of the book, Upstarts! GenY Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the Business World, will examine how GenYers are rewriting the entrepreneurial playbook one start-up business at a time.

What makes GenYers so different from their predecessors? The CEO’s of Generation Y are not only young but tech savvy, and they have a whole new way of communicating.

“They’re a very social generation and so they tend to start companies with partners, seek out advisors and mentors, tap into the resources of their colleges and universities, and generally draw in communities of vendors and customers into the larger visions of their companies, Fenn said. “I think this ultimately makes for stronger, more sustainable companies.”

Fenn, who has worked in business journalism for 20 years, says that young entrepreneurs are making an impact in just about every industry where technology can give them an advantage over the competition.

“Younger entrepreneurs tend to be collaborative, tech-savvy, and very agile. They’re also very socially conscious and focused on work/life balance and creating productive and fun workplaces,” Fenn said. “So I think those are all traits that entrepreneurs of every generation should take note of and attempt to emulate.”

GenYers also keep up with trends in social media. These tools help them communicate with customers, meaningfully and intimately. Social media helps build their business, by enabling them to create powerful brand identities.
“Look at what Tony Hsieh has done with Twitter – there’s no better example of how to use social media to your competitive advantage,” she said.

However, both young and old entrepreneurs have some knowledge to offer each other, she said. Older entrepreneurs have the knowledge that comes with experience. They are better negotiators, manage people better, and are not as easily distracted.

Fenn became interested in GenYers a couple of years ago.

“I began noticing more and more companies that were started by people in their twenties – more than I had ever seen in my twenty plus years in business journalism. I wanted to know what was driving them to start businesses, what kinds of companies they were starting, and if those companies were really so different from the ones I’d covered in the past,” she said.

The negative stereotypes of GenY are that they are spoiled and entitled, something that Fenn’s personal observations continually refuted.

“I have to admit that as a mother of two GenYers, I felt a little protective and possible defensive. My gut reaction was: wait a minute, this is an amazing generation of kids and I’m tired of hearing stories about how they all rely on their parents to micromanage their careers,” she said.

“I know that happens, but many of the young CEOs I spoke to were actually employing their parents and providing a major means of support to their families. That doesn’t sound entitled to me.”

Fenn’s advice to the college student who wants to create a startup of his/her own? Use what’s available to you to get ahead.

“Never again will you have as many free and valuable resources available to you as you have in college, so take full advantage of them. I’m talking about knowledgeable professors, possibly courses in entrepreneurship and/or on-campus incubators and entrepreneurship clubs, “she said.

Fenn also believes that the spirit of true entrepreneurship is purely based on your motivations.

“Entrepreneurship doesn’t always start with an idea. You’ve got to have passion for the entrepreneurial life – for building something that’s of value and that in some way will make life easier and better for the people your company touches, “she said.

“If you just want to get rich, forget it. Entrepreneurship is like journalism – it’ll make you miserable unless you love it so much that you can’t possibly imagine doing anything else.”

Fenn describes her book as a conversation starter on the topic of GenY and entrepreneurship.

“I hope that older readers come away with a new perspective on GenY and that they realize that this generation is doing business in a way that really does define the future of entrepreneurship for all of us,” she said. “And I hope that younger readers are inspired to pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams!”

Casting Crib Cutesploitation – Using Your Kids as Content

John Halcyon Styn is on a SXSW panel: Casting Crib Cutesploitation – Using Your Kids as Content. He own Royal Pink Productions (http://royalpinkproductions.com/), a consulting company that specializes in online video ad social media. Royal Pink Productions help craft digital landscapes of people’s websites with integrity and authenticity. In other words, they work with large corporate organizations which work with the individual consumers connections that have become critical in the modern digital world. So, they help large corporations use the tools, such as Youtube and Facebook, effectively and with integrity. Royal Pink Productions has experimental projects such as HugNation.com (http://hugnation.com/) that work to use the web to foster connections. Here is his interview on CNN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UgMkNF80_8. Here is his blog: Life Student (http://www.lifestudent.com/).

John frequently speaks about blogging, webcam chat and community building, and consults with large companies to help them understand the delicacies required when courting the information generation. He has been going to SXSW for about 10 years. He has received the web award and been on a number of panels. He posted his SXSW interview at http://styn.net/sxsw/. Here is his interview about SXSW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfMFSaJV0Go&feature=player_embedded#.

According to John, many people, who were innovators and users of the early web, become parents. He said he is interested to know what the risks and rewards are of having children while broadcasting online. So he decided to speak about “Casting Crib Cutesploitation – Using Your Kids as Content.” This is because he wonders whether or not people are on the edge of a huge crisis of privacy. He used the exampt of “David after dentist”, saying videos are simply fun, but have influence on the violation of a person’s future or privacy.

The Future of Online News...Are we There Yet?

Andrew Huff's panel for SXSW 2010 is called “The Online News of Tomorrow.” Such a title can conjure up several topics and can have a discussion that would lead into various directions. Mr. Huff is the editor and publisher of Gapers Block, a city-centric web publication based in Chicago. He is also a professional blogger and social media consultant. Knowing this about Mr. Huff, the first question regarded his opinion on the future of online journalism, specifically as it pertained to the hyper-local brand of news that he is a part off. He believes both print and web news will move extremes (worldwide and hyper-local) and believes “localized editions (different content for different parts of the city) will best positioned to remain strong thanks to local businesses
trying to reach their immediate neighbors through advertising.”
As to how such publishers can “sell” their type of localized coverage to consumers in mid-sized cities not named New York or Chicago or Los Angeles, Huff pointed to examples in Lawrence, Kansas (Lawrence.com), the Duke City Fix in Albuquerque and BhamTerminal.com in Birmingham, Alabama. He posits the venture “can work in smaller markets if they understand their audience well.”
It appears the transformation in this, a century old industry, will encourage innovation and consumer empowerment. Such is evident with the rise of user generated content. Huff points to CNN’s iReport as evidence of the trend taking hold. He did caution that the press may encounter a legal minefield when publishing accounts produced from non-employees or non-journalists. However, as soon as that issue is eliminated or defined, the practice may increase.

Chris Heathcote: Meta Loca

Chris Heathcote will be making his first apperance at SXSW this year. Coming all the way from London England, Chris says he is tremendosly excited to be in Austin for the first time and to be presenting at the conference. His panel will be discussing the latest take on something that a few designers have been working on for a while, such as the interface between computers and the internet. Chris has been designing for the internet for thirteen years and seven years with mobile phones. Some of Chris's specialties included, interaction design, product creation, and branding.

One of the issues that will be addressed on the panel concerns user generated content, social media, and how it is extended into the real world. Chris has recently been working at Nokia for the past five years. The motto at Nokia is "Connecting People." Chris says it is an innate universal human desire to want to communicate. Chris also commented on how initially people are surprised with all the new forms of social media such as, Twitter, Skype, Facebook and SMS, but that anything that allows new forms of communication if easy enough to use and cheap enough, are always embraced. Chris said, ' Lots of people talk about the Dunbar number. You can keep in communication at a sustainable level with 150 people, but it seems pretty irrelevant these days. I follow 400 people on Twitter, I subscribe to 1100 RSS feeds. I realize I'm at an extreme of consumption, but as tools that allow ambient awareness of others improve, the amount of communication can only increase." With all the new advances in social media, critics ask whether the use of social media is "real" communiation? Chris relpied, "real-time-one-to-one communication doesn't now seem like the most appropriate method for most, but it's no more change than we've encountered in the last 150 year, with advent of a fast, cheap, ubiquitous postal service, and telegraph service."

Chris has recently been researching and working with urban screens. Urban screens have recently been replacing billboards and traditional paper advertising. Chris said that currently the entire London underground metro system is covered in digital billboards. What Chris believes is most interesting about this phenomenon is that while traditional paper advertising is disappearing, things that look like computers are rapidly appearing in urban environments. "It's happening before there's really been any civic discussion about what this means, and in private spaces, that don't require planning permission," says Chris. "I'm interested in what designers and others who have been researching technology and urban environments can do to make screens more useful and more interesting, to the public as well as advertisers or owners."

Your Life in Six Words or Less: Storytelling in The Digital Age

When Larry Smith and Tim Barkow started SMITH Magazine in 2006, their intention was to create a place where personal narrative could flourish and be shared online. This initial idea led to several successful developments, including the Six-Word Memoir story project. Here, anyone and everyone is encouraged to express themselves in the manner that texting, Twitter and Facebook have taught us so well - with brevity and, hopefully, with honesty and humor.

The Six-Word Memoir project appealed to so many people that it has led to two bestselling books, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure and Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak. "Six-Word Memoirs are the quickest, easiest way to get a glimpse into another person's personality, humanity and essence," says Smith. "There's this feeling of intimacy and connection in a world gone digital."

Smith's panel It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs From Writers Famous and Obscure has been chosen for SXSW 2010, and the session will consist of readings from the new Six-Word Memoir book as well as contributions from the audience. Examining this phenomenon in a room filled with tech-savvy folks should lead to a better understanding of the direction in which communication and self-expression are going.

Over 200,000 Six-Word Memoirs have been submitted to SMITHmag.net and SMITHTeens.com, and many people (including several teens) make a habit of submitting something every day. Smith and another staff member read them all. "It's a joy to read thousands and thousands of expressions of humanity, six words at a time," he says. The Web site also includes six-word video memoirs and links to other projects in the making, with the underlying theme being that this is a democratic, forward-thinking and participatory mode of storytelling.

Freelance Isn't Free: The Twisted Economics of Writing Today

Jeff Beckham's SXSW panel, Freelance isn't Free: The Twisited Economics of Writing Today, seems to come at the most appropriate time when struggling newspaper are looking for freelance writers instead of full-time reporters.

Beckham graduated from the University of Texas with a journalism degree and spent the early years of his career working for newspaper. He now works for the online group of AT&T, but decided to find an outlet where he could write more about his interests-- sports and technology. Two years ago Beckham began writing for the Austinist and is currently their Tech and Sports Editor.

"So in working with Austinist, I saw how local media could be effective even where every person was an unpaid volunteer. It was a really nice community effort," Beckham said.

Beckham's opportunity to write for the Austinist led him to an inevitable question which in turn led to the topic of his SXSW 2010 panel: What kind of freelance work is worth paying for?

"On the one hand, anyone who wants to can now write and publish their work online, even if it's for a tiny audience. But it's also made it more difficult for freelance writers to get paid for their work. If the quality is roughly the same, why wouldn't sites choose to work with a large army of people working for free rather than a select few asking for money?" he said.

Beckham hopes that his panel will act as a discussion between freelancers and media outlets.

"Freelance workers should come away with a better understanding of what types of writing or content are worth paying for, and representatives of the media should come away with an empathy for freelance workers, but also a sense of fairness on the value of their work," Beckham said.