Opie, Andy Griffith and the Fonz Have a Viral Video

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Ron Howard is the latest star to jump on the Obama train and he does it with his old costars Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler in a video for Funny or Die.

Stripping down he trims his nose hair, dons an Opie wig for a black and white call to action and then trips back to “Happy Days” as Richie Cunningham.

I wonder if they cleared the music they are using and if the use of characters are clear because of "parody?"

Let me know if you find any funny celebrity McCain Videos.

A New Twitter Superstar is Born

Tonight the Twitter is a buzz about the Republican National Convention. Tweets are coming from both sides of the Isle and as Sarah Palin delivers her address the FakeSarahPalin chimes in with tweets like "WILLOW STOP LICKING YOUR BROTHER" and "THAT'S YOUR CUE TO STAND UP WITH THE BABY, DANG IT!!!11!"

"NOW STAND UP AND CHEER FOR ME SUCKERS!!!! Ok ok ok ok ok now, let's get our hate on. This is gonna be fun"

As of this posting FakeSarahPalin has 1300 followers.

The real Sarah Palin 400

Hurricane Gustav Ushers In Interactive Television

Photo: Steve Garfield.com


I was expecting EQAL the creators of Lonely Girl 15 to create a show that would bring Interactive TV to the masses but it looks like it was Hurricane Gustav that made Interactive TV happen on a large scale last night with CNN's Rick Sanchez and Twitter.

Sure there's American Idol's text messaging and email and Facebook and yes using those platforms are interactive with TV shows but they don't have a back channel like the instant micro blogging site Twitter does. Twitter is a service where viewers/users can see what other viewers/users are talking about even if a TV show that is using it doesn't feature a user's comments.

Now it wasn't a perfect situation last night with CNN and Twitter. I was waiting for the ever overtaxed Twitter to go down every time CNN gave out the Twitter URL on-air and indeed I did see the Twitter "fail whale" (When Twitter crashes, users see the "fail whale" error message.) a couple of times but Twitter came back and kept working. Overall Rick Sanchez and his producer did a great job of using Twitter to interact with their viewers by using Twitter spending their time reading tweets from viewers on the ground near the storm and online humanitarians like Andy Carvin who spent the weekend setting up the Gustav Information Center and used Twitter to get the word out.

Moving forward with Twitter I think that with the proliferation of live video services like Ustream, Qik, Stickam and other services we are going to see new Interactive Television Shows incubate at speeds traditional TV development could never move at and based on last night I see News organization like CNN, Fox, MSNBC and others becoming potential investors or even buyers of Twitter.

If you are a producer considering creating an Interactive Television show you should take a close look at using Twitter with a Live Video streaming services today because your competition already has.

Did the iPhone Just Change Social Media Forever?

If Apple had released the new 3G iPhone in the evening instead of 8AM like they did this morning they would have missed a whole day of sales and media coverage but they didn't and now we are getting the best reviews of the new 3G iPhone and live updates via Twitter of people trying to find out How to fix a bricked iPhone from the new 7.7(43) iTunes Update.

At 2PM here in Old Town Pasadena the line at the Apple Store is still stretched around the block and if it had been an evening event the line would have die around Midnight. But it didn't happen that way. The line keeps going and I'm wondering if they are going to run out of new 3G iPhones.

None the less, while people have been standing in line they are sharing information about Apple products and the iPhone and had the new 3G iPhone already been out I think they would have been sharing newly posted videos on it while they were standing inline.

Apple has change the way we consume music and they are working on changing the way we consume video. Just as Twitter and Facebook are changing the way we communicate with our friends I think the new 3G iPhone will have some social media apps that will change our social behaviour once again and there will also be new ways to make money with iPhone Apps and the video on the iPhone.

There are many cool new iPhone apps. You can find a list of the best new iPhone Apps at the bottom of this post. mDialog is one of those new social media apps on the iPhone that has the potential to change the way we communicate with video. - Disclosure - I am working on a project for mDialog.

If you are not familiar with mDialog they are a company who delivers high-resolution social video via their website and they have an application on the Apple App Store that enables iPhone and iPod touch users to view and share high-resolution MPEG-4 and h.264 video with advanced social features.

This mDialog iPhone App opens up a whole new world of possibilities for both users and video publishers by bringing a range of social capabilities for video publishers and their audiences that go beyond basic viewing, include video surveys, voting, private sharing and flexible distribution options.

mDialog also takes full advantage of the iPhone's extensive SDK (Software Development Kit). This means mDialog works seamlessly with the iPhone's camera, address book, email, geo-locator and multi-language support.

The mDialog for iPhone application is available for free to users in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Spain and in three languages -- English, Spanish and French -- from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.
More languages are planned to be rolled out in the coming months.


I think there are some interesting monetization opportunities with the mDialog iPhone App just around the corner and I think the 3G iPhone will not just change social media forever I think the new 3G iPhone will change the way we monetize video.

Lower your head, watch your step and enjoy the rest of your day on the Internet.


List of Best New 3G iPhone Apps according to the Telegraph:

The prices are in pounds but you can figure out by reading the descriptions if you would be willing to spend your hard earned US Dollars on them.


Rotary Dialer (free): Brings a touch of old-school glamour to the cutting-edge iPhone. Use the virtual rotary-style dialler instead of the numeric keypad to make calls.

* Twitterific (free): A must for Twitter addicts, this simple but beautifully-rendered application provides a rich user experience and elegant layout.

* Starmap Planetarium (£6.99): Astronomers and space nuts will love this - a stargazing guide that provides information about constellations, planets and even shooting stars, plus oodles of scientific details.

* Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook (free): With the Olympics just weeks away, now is the ideal time to get to grips with the Chinese language. This audio phrasebook provides a phonetic guide to Mandarin. You'll be debating the gold medal chances of the Chinese gymnastics squad with a noodle street vendor in no time.

* Remote (free): Turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control for your Mac or Apple TV. It works with your wi-fi network so you can control playback and shuffle tracks from anywhere in your home.

* BA Flights (free): The UK's national airline has a live flight tracker application, which also allows quick access to the BA website. Sadly, there's no built-in baggage tracker. A shame the launch of this program didn't coincide with the opening of Terminal 5...

* PhoneSaber (free): Utterly pointless, but thoroughly cool, this app turns your iPhone into a light saber, complete with sound effects.

* UrbanSpoon (free): Can't decide where to eat? Shake your iPhone to pick a good restaurant. You can use GPS to find nearby eateries, or filter results by cuisine or price. Covers most US cities, as well as London.

* Etch-a-Sketch (£2.99): Twiddle the virtual dials to start a sketch, or draw directly on screen using your finger. "Tilt technology" will be added soon to enable you to move the iPhone itself to create a drawing.

* Meal Splitter (£4.99): There will be no need to squabble over restaurant bills with this application, which precisely calculates what each diner owes based on the cost of the meal. Okay, so the iPhone's in-built calculator could do pretty much the same thing, but this takes the pain out of the entire process; it will even work out how much the non-drinkers should pay compared to the drinkers.

* Vicinity (£1.79): Takes advantage of the iPhone 3G's GPS to provide one-tap access to information about local services and amenities. It will even pull in relevant Wikipedia entries and Flickr photos.

* Band (£5.99): Compose your own music using the collection of virtual instruments.

* Where? (free): A location-based application that will recommend the best restaurants, the nearest Starbucks, and even the location of friends in your network.

* Exposure (free): A quick and easy way to access your Flickr photo stream, as well as all your photosets, tags and contacts. An advertising-free version is available for £5.99.

* TypePad (free): If you've got a TypePad blog, download this application to instantly update your blog from your iPhone.

* Currency (free): This currency converter provides up-to-the-minute exchange rate information for over 50 currencies and 70 countries.

* Stage Hand (£4.99): Control your Apple Keynote presentations using your iPhone or iPod touch, and read and review slides on its screen.

* WeatherBug (free): Keep track of live, local weather information in up to three cities. Includes satellite maps and radar forecasts as well as severe weather alerts.

* Facebook (free): The simple interface allows you to chat with friends using Facebook messenger, post pictures to your profile, and check on your friends' status updates.

* Super Monkey Ball (£5.99): The pick of the bunch of new games for the iPhone and iPod touch. Tilt the device itself to control the progress of a monkey inside a transparent bubble. The graphics are first-rate, and the gameplay is highly addictive.

Don't be Dissin' The Twitter

Tim Bourquin, the Founder and CEO of TNC New Media the company behind the New Media Expo has said some things on his blog and in his news letter about Twitter that I take issue with. Rather than post my comments on his blog I will share them with you here. (cause I needed a good post today)

Let me start off by saying that I like and respect Tim Bourquin and his brother Emile Bourquin. They put on the best show for new media content creators and I will be speaking there in Las Vegas August 14-16.

The title of Tim's post is "Social Networking. Not Social. Not Networking."

and part of the post:

"I’ve always thought of “social networking” as a bit of a misnomer. Sitting in front of a computer screen writing 140 character messages on Twitter or commenting on a blog or tagging photos on Facebook doesn’t feel like networking to me - and honestly, it doesn’t feel very social either. Having a beer with friends and colleagues = social. Talking shop with someone I just met at a reception = networking.
Now granted, I’m a conference organizer, so “old-fashioned” meetups with people is how I believe “real” social networking takes place. So I had to laugh today when I read a blog post that had the following line:
“Twitter has been down for about an hour - how are you spending the time?”
As if Twitter was the only way to spend time and finding other things to do was a challenge! Has it really gotten that bad for some people?
If every website and email server worldwide went down for several hours during a weekday, I might actually be wondering myself how to spend that time. Picking up the phone and making a few calls would probably be the answer. But a single site?"


I think Tim needs to get with the program. Like a phone, Twitter is a tool. A new tool that people are just learning to use. A tool that informs, entertains and a tool that creates community and even conflict.

To me Tim sounds like an old sales guy who says he doesn't need to use a computer. I think Tim has just not found how to make Twitter work for him yet. But I know he will.

I'm sure Tim has seen people come to his events. They stand in the corner and never approach anyone. They don't know how to network at an event. Then they shoot Tim an email after the event is over and tell Tim they didn't meet anyone at his conference.

I've not yet made a sponsorship sale for French Maid TV by using Twitter but I am very close to closing a sponsorship deal in which I know my Tweets (I like to call them "Twitters" but that's not cool) got the ball rolling.

Now I must give Tim Bourquin some credit, he is not the only one out there complaining about or having trouble getting their heads around Twitter. Andrew Baron (@andrewbaron) of Rocketboom has said, "I'm still not happy with how I use my Twitter account. 'Still trying to find a good use for it." and Search Guru John Battelle (@John Battelle) who is still lurking and learning how best to use Twitter said that he's not yet following lots of people on twitter because he thinks that the publishers that he represents would, "think it's most imp. for me to take that next client call.."

Twitter is a new tool but it's also the water cooler of our group's "now" and just like a water cooler in an office building there are some folks who are goofing off hanging around the water cooler but there are other folks who are learning important information on how to do their job better.

Take for example Pete Cashmore (@mashable) CEO of Mashable.com He has made good use of Twitter and keeps us all informed of breaking news items he's posted on his blog. Steve Garfield ( @stevegarfield ) of Steve Garfield.com let's us know when he's found a new gadget or is streaming live from some place that we want to see. And Scott Beale ( @laughingsquid ) of laughingsquid.com shares his photos from the coolest hippest events around.

I'm use to working in an office full of people and because of that I never used IM except in rare cases but now that I've downsized and work alone until I'm in production I use Twitter as a gateway to other humans as well as a clearing house to find out what the latest cool Internet posting are and what events are going on that might be of interest to me. I've also started meeting new people who are approaching me about consulting for them. All this reminds me of when I was a young freelance line producer at Disney MGM Studios in Florida.

When I would get done with a gig or was close to finishing a shoot I would hang out in the client lounge at The Post Group at the Disney MGM Studios. I knew that the client lounge was where producers who could hire me would be hanging out while their project was going through the final editing process and that soon they would be starting a new job in which they might need a line producer. It was the water cooler of Disney MGM and I got many a job hanging out there and drinking free Coke. Every once in awhile I would get a free lunch too. Other freelancers came for the free cokes and chat but I saw that client lounge as a networking tool.

Twitter is the water cooler of our community and of other communities that I don't belong to. I've already got a few free drinks because of Twitter, gone to some great parties because of Twitter and networked with great people because of Twitter.

So Don't Be Dissin' The Twitter!

MySpace, Is It Your Space?

When I see videos from MySpace, like the one above, climbing the charts in popularity I think, "I should post some videos on MySpace." Then I think about the MySpace login and the look of the MySpace page and the look of so many MySpace pages and I talk MySelf out of it.

I know a lot of people have MySpace accounts. I know a lot of people use MySpace. I only know a handful of 25 - 30 year old actresses who use MySpace on a regular basis. All the cool video kids and even the not so cool business folks I know spend their time sending messages from Twitter, Pownce and of course Facebook and even Linkedin. Hey, it could be because I just don't pay attention to my MySpace account because I don't find the interface inviting but I still wonder... Do any of you, use MySpace on a regular basis?

Twiiterer Sends News of Potential Bomb Threat on US AIR

So here we go with the "NEWS" thing on Twitter Again.

Online Video Entrepreneur Tony Katz of AWELI has been using his Twitter account to update us (the people following him on Twitter) on a potential bomb threat on a US AIR flight.

He started with "Police officers on plane...USAIR flight 66....reasons unknown...3 officers..."

His next "Tweet" was "Man removed.......dark hair....dark skin......attendant says he said something to her....what is unknown....."

Then, "The words racial profiling were uttered from attendant......not sure context yet......when man was escorted from plane, there was applau ... "

3 Minutes later. "Ok...full story...elec items to be turned off...drak hair guy did not do it...man next to him asked him to turn off elec item...."

2 Minutes Later, "..Dark hair man said that man next to him was racial profiling....then claimed detonator in pocket.......attendant then told pilot...the ..."

Then, "Hooray for USAIR!!!!! Taking things seriously and to the passengers for paying attention....never happier than now that I fly this airl ... .."

"Dark haired man told an attendant he had a detonator in his pocket....man. People interviewed......at least 4 officer on board....."

"He is off plane....his cabin belongings off plane...not sure about actual luggage.....everyone on plane is being so cool....."

And 16 Minutes ago, "And I think its all done.......door closing....see you in Vegas first......"

Pretty soon when CNN reports about this kind of stuff we are going to be getting most of the news that we really care about, the news about the people we care about from Twitter.

Hooray for USAIR!!!!! Taking things seriously and to the passengers for paying attention....never happier than now that I fly this airline!!!!!

Robert Scoble Hates DirecTV

Popular Video Blogger Robert Scoble Twittered tonight "since Comcast is listening now. Can you bring HD into Half Moon Bay? Zip code 94019. I hate DirectTV"

Will this influencer shift others away from DirecTV?

Will he get HD from Comcast?

Do you think Robert Scoble has that much power?

Does Twitter make that kind of interaction with a cable company possible?

Let me know if you hear the Comcast trucks roll into Half Moon Bay.

Actor Charlton Heston Dies on Twitter

Behold the mighty hand of Twitter.

I first learned of Charlton Heston's death when popular blogger Micki Krimmal or as she is known on Twitter, Mickipedia twittered, "And so begins the deluge of charlton Heston quotes..."

That was also when I realized that I now get a lot of my news in 150 characters or less.

There is a small group of us Online Video creators, podcasters and bloggers that use Twitter to comment on our lives, stay connected and tip each other off at conventions as to what sponsor has the best party or just has free food and drinks. But now, now Twitter has become a new news source.

Twitter user Jim Long or as he's know on Twitter, newmediajim works for NBC News and when he is heading to an assignment he will tap out a tweet and let his followers know what news event he's heading to. Many times if I'm checking his feed I will know about a Washington DC news event before CNN posts it.

Twitter takes thing to a whole knew level and I don't think we have even begun to understand how this little online application that interfaces with both our phones and computers is going to change the world.

Twitter has already changed live events. Who knows, maybe we will soon be able to part the Red Sea with Twitter.

ZeFrank starts Color Teams on Twitter

ZeFrank is up to some type of social experiment today on Twitter.

Early this morning Ze posted "Good Morning! As you can see, i am now a member of the blue team!" with a "Blue Team" blue badge on his photo and soon after that so were 120 other people. Other teams started as well. Like the Very Green Team.

Ze went on to post,"what team are you on? don't make up some imaginary team either...for God's sake the color wars are coming!"


Another tweet:

"ok.now lets be hush about the teams thing.lets put away our badges for the time being.color wars will start soon enough.back to normal :)"

Now he's "working on the first challenge..."

I'm not sure where he's going with this but it has the potential to become a flash mob.

Why go to conferences anymore?

http://qik.com/video/33329

The only reason I can see to go to a conference anymore is for the one on one relationship building aspect. Other than that you can get all the information blogged, twittered, pownced, podcasts or live video cast as in the above video from Steve Garfield.

Okay it's still fun to go to the event.

SXSW Turned Me Down

So it looks like unless something changes I won't be going to SXSW this year. I sent in a request for a blogger pass but the deadline was last Friday and they turned me down.

Denied.

Last year SXSW was very interesting. It was where I got my first exposure to Twitter and saw it in action in real time. Someone would be at a party and twitter if they had free food and drinks and then we would all go to the party that had the best selection.

I think this year's SXSW will be more exciting than last year's even if I'm not there.

Are You Using Twitter?

I'm thinking about cleaning up my Twitter friends before the PNME.