A recent CNN article highlights the controversy surrounding

A recent CNN article highlights the controversy surrounding BeautifulPeople.com, a dating site that markets itself as an elite community for beautiful people with a “strict ban on ugly people.”

The admins of BeautifulPeople.com have recently exiled 5,000 members for gaining too much weight over the recent Holiday season, and the public is outraged, as can be expected.

While I disagree with the discrimination of  individuals for gaining a few pounds over the Holidays, I must however, agree with the admins of BeautifulPeople.com for upholding the principles and values of their online community.

I understand that to many, the above statement seems contradictory, and in some ways it is.  An individual must look at both sides of the story to truly understand the purpose behind the actions taking place within this community.

Why Did This Happen?
BeautifulPeople.com was founded as an elite online dating community; founded on the niche premise that all members must be “beautiful” in the eyes of community members.  Therefore, under those terms, the 5,000 members in question were flagged by their fellow community members as no longer meeting the criteria for membership within the community.  The administrators simply upheld their principles and values of their niche community and swiftly retracted membership to the affected 5,000 former members.

Is This Wrong?

Well, in the court of public opinion, is seems that many are outraged by the decision and have taken a negative stance toward the site.  However, in terms of proper community management, values, and standards, the site admins did exactly what should have been done to preserve the community of which they founded.

Why Should Communities Uphold Fundamental Principles?

One of the fundamental challenges of both online and offline communities/lodges/clubs, is that failure to uphold the fundamental values and principles of such communities, can and often will be detrimental to the membership quality of said community.

Many online communities boast about their niche memberships, yet they often allow anyone to join their ranks for sheer numbers.  Facebook was once a niche community of College and University alumni, until they opened their doors to the general public.  With the sudden influx of members that did not share the commonalities of the original members, some of Facebook’s original membership have since moved on to other communities that still preserve the types of niche communities they value the most.

As a former Sysop/Admin of various online communities, I urge fellow Community Managers and Admins to setup fundamental principles and values for your communities, and to preserve them as much as possible.  While this strategy may hinder membership growth initially, it will however, dramatically increase membership quality.  Some of the most successful online communities are based on a high quality membership base which acts as the foundation for future growth and success.

Selected Photos from Melanie & Heidi’s Photo Session

A Video Shout-Out to #Black&Decker for Their Excellent Customer Farming

While at Walmart last night, Lauren and I decided to walk …]]>

A Video Shout-Out to #Black&Decker for Their Excellent Customer Farming

While at Walmart last night, Lauren and I decided to walk through the toys section to look for some more games for our “Game Nights” that we’ll sometimes throw.

I was quickly intrigued at how advanced the toys are today, a smorgasbord of trinkets and gadgets with lights, motors, and all sorts of other onboard electronics.  However, what really caught my attention was the Black & Decker kids toys. The packaging and tools sets were quite consistent with their REAL tool sets.

There are entire 16 peice and 45 peice tool sets, not unlike those you’d find at your local hardware store.  They had motorized yard trimmers, leaf blowers, and virtually every other type of Black & Decker tool that they carry for adults.

Suddenly, it struck me at how incredibly genius this simple concept is. Black & Decker has successfully built a business model that targets potential buyers from their earliest stages.  By providing a children’s line of toys, they’re able to farm future clientel whom will be used to their brand, and hopefully will associate their childhood memories with brand loyalty in their adulthood.

This is not a new business concept, but it is a perfect textbook example of the concept in “play.”

The application is provided for …]]> Trapster is a mobile-device based application and website, which integrates social networking and crow- sourcing perfectly.

The application is provided for free, and it utilizes Google maps for GPS mapping.

Trapster maps out and alerts users in real time about user reported:

• LIVE Police Speed Traps
• Red Light Cameras
• Speed Cameras
• Areas Police are Known to Often Hide

The application also allows users to:

• Access iPod Music Library
• Record Trip Data
• Share Data via SM Sites like Facebook & Twitter

Trapster currently works with Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, Android, Garmin, and TomTom devices.

Coming Soon: Palm Pre & Windows Mobile Devices.

The mobile application utilizes Wi-Fi or GPS to pinpoint the user’s location, and provides voice alerts or text messages when the user is within range of a reported “threat.”  Threats are rated and weighted by the number of users that “agree” or “disagree” with reported traps.

Trapster Version 3.5 iPhone Application Review

Those of you that follow me on Twitter, @NauticalUrge, know that I am an avid Trapster evangelist.  I make a sincere effort to post traps whenever I can safely do so.  Therefore, I am excited to say that Trapster 3.5 is a most welcome update to an already great application.

Dynamic Directional Mapping vs. True North Mapping

A feature that many Trapster users have been asking for has finally been added to Trapster, is the ability to choose between True North and Direction-of-Travel Mapping.  Choosing the latter allows you to have your direction of travel face up on the map, so that you can more easily see what is coming ahead of you when headed a direction other than North.

Additional Bluetooth Audio Options

This is a feature I don’t personally utilize, but it’s a convenient feature for those with the accessories to do so.  Trapster is now capable of various in-car bluetooth setups like being able to push audio out via A2DP, or via other bluetooth audio accessories.  Trapster automatically pauses your music during voice alerts and notifications.

Access to iPod Music Controls

Trapster now has a built-in function that allows access to your iPod Music Controls.  This prevents accidental application closures when trying to double-tap to get to your iPod music. Your music can either automatically pause for voice alerts, or you can have the voice alerts play over your music.

Trapster Trips

Recording trips within Trapster has gotten much easier with a static icon placed on the main screen, which allows for quick and easy posting of trip photo and notes.

Real-Time Traffic via Google

Google utilizes data from it’s users to display real-time traffic data, and Trapster utilizes this data in their latest application update.

Multi-Language Support & Sound Themes

Trapster’s voice alerts are now available in different languages and themes, such as a “Austin Powers,” “Homer,” or “Sponge Bob.”

Notes from the Author

Trapster is one of my favorite iPhone applications, and many of my friends follow my tweets and use the application to simply be aware of known traps, but as you’ll find with many users and non-users, opinions about the application are mixed.  Some people are of the opinion that Trapster encourages motorists to violate traffic safety laws, while others believe that Trapster actually assists law enforcement by allowing the motorists to encourage each other to slow down in specific areas.

Law Enforcement officials too are divided on the issue.  Many local law enforcement officers whom I’ve spoken to approve of the application because it ultimately produces the same desired results as police officers expect, but with much less labor-intensive hours devoted to tickets and court-cases; thus freeing law enforcement officers to focus on actual crimes in the area.

Personally, Trapster serves the same purpose as Speed Limit signs and Mobile Radar Stations.  The ultimate goal is to encourage motorists to SLOW DOWN and pay more attention.  Having a dash mounted mobile device providing voice alerts is not more than an audible speed limits sign saying “Please slow down and pay attention!”

There have been multiple discussions on whether or not Trapster should be illegal, and whil it currently is NOT illegal, I doubt very much that the application itself could be “banned,” as it would in essence violate individuals’ freedom of speech and expression.

However, Trapster could very well find itself once again in the spotlight if States consider mobile applications to fall under these new laws against texting while driving.  Only time will tell as to the future of such mobile applications, but for now my hat goes off to the Trapster Team for developing such a useful and full-featured mobile application that actually produces a valuable benefit to users.


http://www.Trapster.com
Download the Application to iTunes Today!

On Saturday, September 19th I had the …]]>

Change has Come: Technology and New Media

On Saturday, September 19th I had the honor of participating on a panel discussion on Technology and New Media at the iMedia 2009 Workshop, organized by MEP, sponsored by DMI, and hosted at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.

The audience was comprised of local High School and College students interested in Media and Journalism, at a time when changes are as rampant and unpredictable as crude oil prices.

The basic premise for the discussion was on the influence and use of new media, blogging, social media and new technology in producing the news in both broadcast and print journalism.  Our goal as panelists was to provide information and best practices of which these students would need to know in order to compete; while utilizing ways to use these new technologies to their advantage in the workplace.

The following are just a few of the key points which I wanted these students to take away from this discussion:

Personal Branding

As social media technologies erode away at the foundation of traditional media, it seems imperative that today’s journalists capitalize on their personal brands.  In the past, many journalists and reporters put great emphasis on associating themselves with the brands of the major media and news networks.

However, as social media technologies acquire more and more users, and as these technologies integrate into mobile technology, the need to build one’s own brand has never been more crucial.  Media end users have a virtual smorgasbord of media consumption methods, and therefore, have devastated traditional mediums like magazines, newspapers, television, and even radio; which once stood as the medium giants of their day.

In order to truly be successful in today’s digital age, media professionals must begin to develop communities of followers, readers, and fans.  Through social media technologies and communities, journalists can now receive instant feedback on their work, and even cater their work to meet their followers on a much more personal basis.

As more and more newspapers and media organizations downsize their mediums and staff, I predict that these media organizations will rely more heavily on contractors rather than hiring full time staff members.  This was a key point supported by fellow panelist Sam Methany of the Capital Broadcasting Company.

A perfect example of niche journalism is the lack of Sports coverage in the Triangle area, especially in the area of High School athletics.  Most of the area papers have reduced their sections so drastically, that High School sports have virtually no coverage compared to years past.  Seasoned journalists could seize such a perfect opportunity and publish their own small town publication, or even a simple blog which could provide the coverage that consumers demand in that specific field of local journalism.  In time, and the right usage of social media best practices, this small publication could attract enough online traffic and notoriety that larger news organizations could utilize the traffic and content from such a blog, and integrate it into their media on a third-party vendor/contractor basis.

The key to such a concept is simple: Personal Branding, Quality Content, and Effective and Streamlined Social Media Best Practices.

New Media is as simple as “Nurture vs. Nature”

I have struggled to find an analogy that could quickly and effectively relay this simple concept, and fellow panelist Sam Methany stated it best when he said that New Media is essentially the difference between “nurture verses nature.”

To put it quite simply, much of the “Baby-Boomer” generation has had a difficult time adopting new media concepts and technologies.  Much of this segment of the population has had to be nurtured, even hand-held as they attempted to learn, understand, and integrate such technologies into their work, and in some cases, their every day lives.

The current generation of teens and college students are in contrast, much more adept at using new media technologies because they have by nature, born with these technologies already present in their every day lives. New media like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Text Messaging, Instant Messaging, and others are already heavily integrated into the society they were raised into.

The true challenge is not identifying those whom are nurtured verses natured, but finding the middle ground where which the two groups will intertwine.  The problem is that as today’s younger generation adopts these new media technologies as mainstream, they are missing the wisdom and experience that older generations have learned from decades of traditional media and journalism.  There is much that both sides of the line must be willing to sit down and learn from one another before there can truly be an equilibrium.

The key point from this is simple, there is a fine line that must be balanced by today’s journalists;  SPEED verses ACCURACY.  All too often you hear about journalists who don’t do their due diligence and post content that hasn’t been properly researched, only to find out later that the information was inaccurate, and thus causing devestating damage to their credibility.

In a world of lightning fast data, journalists must be weary of false information, and maintain traditional media methods of quality research and attention to detail, while balancing the need to rush the content to consumers before their competitors.

In Summary

Today’s new media tsunami of tools, devices, software, and communities have caused a rift between those nurtured and those whom view such technologies and trends as natural.  Information is consumed by society in epidemic proportions, and it’s increasingly difficult for journalists to maintain quality verses quantity in a digital age. Furthermore, as more and more media outlets fall to the new media torrent, journalists are having to take ownership of their work, their careers, and their personal brands in order to survive the flood.

However, there are great benefits to this, the “Great Flood of New Media.”  Today’s newest generation of journalists and beyond, will bare witness to a new digital enlightenment of mankind.  More than ever before, we as a species are more connected and more in tuned with the trivial daily thoughts and actions of our peers.  From mobile devices to text messaging to video blogging and conferencing, human beings are able to track every thought and movement of their favorite celebrities, or even just the guy down the street.

The real question is this… what will future generations do with this wealth of seemingly mundane information, and how will they cope with the eventual recession of the new media flood waters?

Written By:

James C. Wong
Online Communications Manager
iContact Corporation

MorrisonPoe performing at the Berkeley Cafe in Raleigh, NC on May 27, 2006

Recently, I decided to revisit the photos that …]]>

MorrisonPoe performing at the Berkeley Cafe in Raleigh, NC on May 27, 2006

Recently, I decided to revisit the photos that I had taken at the concert, and digitally edited them for creative effect. These are a few of the photos that I selected for creative edits…

Location:
Downtown Raleigh, NC

Concert:
MorrisonPoe

Selected Photos from this Album

Miranda Lambert performing at City Limits Saloon in Raleigh, NC on February 26, 2006

It was a pleasure photographing Miranda Lambert …]]>

Miranda Lambert performing at City Limits Saloon in Raleigh, NC on February 26, 2006

It was a pleasure photographing Miranda Lambert at CLS.  Her energy and passion for her music energized the crowd, even though it was quite apparent that she has just gotten into town just for this specific concert.  It’s truly amazing how musicians are able to keep such a hectic lifestyle.

Recently, I decided to revisit the photos that I had taken at the concert, and digitally edited them for creative effect. These are a few of the photos that I selected for creative edits…

Location:
Downtown Raleigh, NC

Concert:
Miranda Lambert

Selected Photos from this Album

Disc Golfing at Southern Village Disc Golf Course in Chapel Hill, NC

Since the weather was …]]>

Disc Golfing at Southern Village Disc Golf Course in Chapel Hill, NC

Since the weather was so beautiful this past Saturday, we decided to re-visit the Southern Village Disc Golf Course in Chapel Hill, NC.

Lauren (@LaurenWong) and I (@NauticalUrge) were joined by Amber Neill (@Amber9904) and Brad Gurley (@BraddyG).  This was the first time Amber had ever played Disc Golf, and she performed amazingly well, though she might think otherwise.  As we progressed from hole to hole, Amber was able to fine tune her “tomahawk” and “wobbly-disc” throws, lol!

Southern Village is still very much an unfinished course with heavily varying terrain and obsticles, thus making it a perfect technical course rival to the Buckhorn Disc Golf Course in New Hill, NC.

All of the tees at Southern Village are still only simple dirt pads, marked only with small contruction marker flags, but there are sign posts that provide Hole Number and Distance to Basket.

Due to the fact that we started our game in the latter part of the afternoon, we were only able to play the front nine, but we all enjoyed our short game, and Amber has finally been introduced to the world of Disc Golf!

Overall, I think that the Southern Village Disc Golf Course has the potential to be Chapel Hill’s version of Buckhorn DGC (New Hill, NC). The terrain is well mixed, but with only one slight water hazard, a small retention pond approx 50 feet in diameter near Hole #9.

Therefore, the scenery is much more like Cornwallis DGC in Durham, NC or Kentwood DGC in Raleigh, NC – just on much more land, and segmented. Notably, there are some long distance technical holes that require both pin-point accuracy, as well as long distance power and drive.  There’s a 500+ ft hole on the front nine that challenges players of all levels!

Note to New Players:

I would definitely not classify this course as a beginner’s course, regardless of what state the course is in.

The heavy woods will have a tendency to eat up discs, while the heavy leaf coverage will also conceal your discs, so keep a keen eye on them.  You’ll also want to bring comfortable shoes that will support your feet on rough terrain, as part of the course require going up and down fairly graded hills.

Read the Full Review of the Southern Village Disc Golf Course.

Melanie and I have been close friends ever since we first met.  Her …]]>

Melanie and I have been close friends ever since we first met.  Her personality and humor is contagious, and anyone that has ever been touched by her friendship, knows how truly special people like Melanie are in the world.

For weeks, we’ve talked about doing a downtown themed photo session, but due to our schedules and weather, we weren’t able to get together.

However, this weekend we were finally able to coordinate our schedules and shoot out in downtown Raleigh, NC in the beautiful North Carolina weather.  Accompanied by her long time best friend Heidi, and my beautiful wife Lauren, we produced some great shots in just a few hours and two locations…

Location:
Downtown Raleigh, NC

Model:
Melanie W.

Camera Platform:
Sony Alpha A-700 DSLR

Selected Photos from Melanie’s Photo Session

On Wednesday, September 9th, Apple released the iPhone 3.1 software upgrade.  As expected, Apple’s servers …]]>

On Wednesday, September 9th, Apple released the iPhone 3.1 software upgrade.  As expected, Apple’s servers were bombarded with traffic, but thanks to a file of projects on my desk I avoided the train wreck that accompanies iPhone software updates.


This evening, I was able to quickly and easily upgrade iTunes and our iPhones.  However, I quickly realized that after upgrading to iTunes 9.0.0.70, I was not able to sync my iPhone 3GS to my laptop.  In fact, all the system would do was return the following error code:

iTunes could not connect to this iPhone because an unknown error occurred (0xE8000065).

SOLUTION:

After a while, I was able to figure out that the sync cable (iPod) that I typically use to sync my iPhone at work, doesn’t work with the new software upgrades!  So if you’re getting this error, you MUST sync your iPhone with a genuine iPhone cable!


Rest assured that there’s already an extensive library of articles chronicling Apple’s latest iPhone software innovations, so I’ll just provide you with a “Cliff Notes” version of what to expect from the iPhone 3.1 Software Update.

• Apple’s extended its Genius media-recommendation algorithm to iPhone applications. It looks at the apps you already own and makes recommendations based on that information.
• Enhanced Ringtone Purchasing & Features.
• New Syncing Options for Households with multiple computers.
• iTunes gift cards, codes, and certificate redemption in both the iTunes and App Stores.
• Ability to save videos from both Mail and MMS into the iPhone’s Camera Roll.
• Voice Control is now accessible via a Bluetooth headset (iPhone 3GS).
• iTunes’ Genius Mixes automatically creates mixes based on what’s already in your library.
• Visual iPhone App Organizer via iTunes.
• Improved syncing for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos.
• iTunes U content organization.
• Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, and certificates in the App Store.
• Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store.
• Option to “Save as new clip” when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS.
• Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on.
• Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe.
• Paste phone numbers into the keypad.
• Option to use Home button to turn on accessibility features on iPhone 3GS.
• Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing).
• Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling.
• Fixes issue that cause some app icons to display incorrectly.

NauticalUrge Media is comprised of industry professionals and specialists committed to providing our clients with …]]>

NauticalUrge Media is comprised of industry professionals and specialists committed to providing our clients with a diversified assortment of creative video production services.

• Full Service HD Video Production
• Fully Mobile Studio
• DV & HDV Post-Production Editing
• DVD Authoring
• VHS to DVD Conversions
• Video Blogging Consultations
• Online Video Related Social Media Integration Strategies

NauticalUrge Media Clients:

• The Select Group RTP
• Ford Fiesta Movement
• Triangle Interactive Marketing Association (TIMA)
• iContact Corporation
• DotCom Secrets Tour
• Life Song Church
• Bralie’s Sports Bar

NauticalUrge Media Special Event Projects:

• Buell Fall Bike & Fashion Show, Ray Price Harley Davidson – Raleigh, NC
• El Tunel Magazine Halloween Party, Club Fiesta – Raleigh, NC
• Southern Extreme Rode, Carousel Farms – Raleigh, NC
• Hoops For Hope Basketball Tournament – Durham, NC
• ENGAGE! Back 2 School Bash, SFLF Children’s Charity Benefit Event – Clayton, NC
• Toyota AMA Arena Cross 2006, The RBC Center – Raleigh, NC
• Naughty or Nice Xmas Party, Stool Pigeons – Raleigh, NC
• New Years Eve Party, The L Club – Raleigh, NC

NauticalUrge Media Concert Coverage:

• Madama Butterfly, Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts – Raleigh, NC
• Miranda Lambert, City Limits Saloon – Raleigh, NC
• Brian Davis, City Limits Saloon – Raleigh, NC
• PIVOT, Dorton Arena – Raleigh, NC
• Santino, Club Fiesta – Raleigh, NC
• Monchy & Alexandra, Club Crystal – Raleigh, NC
• Jason Michael Carrol, Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
• Severance, The Dive Bar – Raleigh, NC
• Southland, City Limits Saloon – Raleigh, NC
• Sonic Flood, Raleigh Charter School – Raleigh, NC
• Selah, The Light House Convention Center – Raleigh, NC
• Morrison Poe, The Berkeley Cafe – Raleigh, NC
• Inside The Flame, The Brewery – Raleigh, NC
• Sawyer McShane, Bralie’s Sports Bar – Durham, NC
• Adam Bradley, City Limits Saloon – Raleigh, NC