The eOK .network

I’ve been invited by the PR Academy, a division of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), Singapore to be on a panel discussing the challenges of communicating in the new media environment at the 7th Annual PR Academy Conference on the 22nd of May 2008.

I’m quite excited about this although MICA is a little late to the new (social?) media table. But, better late than never ya? I’m probably the youngest member of the speaking group and there’s already an expectation from the organisers that my opinions will be vastly different from the rest.

I don’t think you can plan for a forum discussion except to speak about what I’ve seen and heard. I do hope that I’ll be able to share something interesting at the table. I’m thinking I should bring up some examples of what’s been going on in the local social media scene.

Any good examples that I should be sharing?

Just grabbed VMware Fusion 2 Beta 1 off the VMware site and installed it. Immediately you can tell the menu is different, even the dock icon looks brighter (I think).

What’s the changelog? In summary from the VMware site:

VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 1 brings support for multiple displays, tools for even easier switching to VMware Fusion, experimental support for DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 2 3D acceleration

Although the long-awaited DirectX 9.0 support is finally out (gamers rejoice!), my favourite feature is the multi-display support. I’m glad it supports up to 10 screens although my MBP only gets the luxury of one other. Here’s how its done:

This feature works both in Full Screen and Unity mode where Windows XP and Mac OS are “blended” together.

The other thing that immediately caught my attention was the little icons at the bottom of the VM’s window. These icons now give you immediate access to iSight, IR, Bluetooth, and shared folders. Fusion 1.1 only gave you access to USB, optical drive, and network. This is so much easier to use and configure.

So far my installation hasn’t crashed, upgrade was seamless, and I’m quite happy with Beta 1. I’m still waitinf and see if I can find some bugs.

If you’re thinking of trying it out even if you don’t have Fusion 1.1, there’s a Serial Key just for the Beta on the download page. But if you’re upgrading from a purchased license, then you don’t need it.

Oh and if you want to switch over from Parallels or Virtual PC there’s importation support. I think I just learned a new word.

(Disclaimer: Although VMware is my client, this review is purely my opinion and my mucking around.)

It’s the same in every market with high Internet penetration rates. Blogs are now a part of our media consumption. Every marketeer and PR agency and agency wants a part of the crowd but most can’t figure out what to do with them. Those of us who’ve tried have realise that our simple outreach and product reviews are ineffective when it comes to influence.

Did your sales really peak because a bunch of bloggers reviewed your product? If not, why are you paying for expensive social media outreach packages? At the end of the day, media is media (social or not) and effective influence is in giving them what they and their audiences want.

This is what I tell my clients, this is what I told Yahoo! today, and this is what I’m telling you now.

Best Practice 1: Add fast-moving topical blogs to your regular media list

It’s been argued that it is a must for startups to pitch their wares to TechCrunch to get noticed by the VC community. And although most people refer to Michael Arrington as a blogger, pitching to him is equivalent to pitching to Chris Anderson at WIRED. Like it or not, he is a journalist like any other. Pages (or posts rather) to fill, timeliness to keep. Give him what he wants.

Treat them as “traditional media” because even though they are blogs by design, they have journalists to attend your workday events and read your press releases. These blogs will end up having the same (if not more) impact as CNet, The Register, ZDnet and other online media.

Best Practice 2: Accredit the hobbyist blogger

The majority of blogs are personal/hobbyist blogs that have the potential to make an impact, but only with the right content. There is no point reading a couple of a blogger’s posts and going “I think he might be interested in my new product”. That’s shooting in the dark and of the 60 million blogs out there, you’re likely to miss.

What you need to do is open yourself up to all bloggers in your target area of influence and let them tell you what they want through accreditation programmes. Let them fill out an online form that declares what they like from your company/clients and how they want to be approached. If you command enough clout to warrant fans, you could even ask them for their traffic patterns so you pick your desired effect.

This is a powerful approach as you can quickly cultivate brand ambassadors over a simple lunch with show and tell.

Best Practice 3: Don’t waste time on 1 and 2, just focus on building kick-ass products and the bloggers will fly with it

Hey, Apple did it.

When I got my i780 a week back, I was under the impression that the GPS chip was locked to only allow AGIS’s NAVfone software and maps to work on the machine. Reviews I read before my purchase mentioned its inability to work the GPS on Google Maps even though it was detected by the app.

But that’s not true as I found out. All you need to do is:

1. Go to the Start Menu > Settings > System
2. Click on External GPS icon
3. Under the Programs Tab change GPS program port to COM8
4. Move to Hardware Tab and change GPS hardware port to COM9 and Baud rate to 4800
5. Move to Access Tab and check Manage GPS automatically
6. Click OK to save your settings

Now launch Google Maps on your device (if you haven’t got it, go download it) and stand under the clear blue sky. Within 2 seconds you should get at least 4-5 satellites connected and a little blue dot on your map for your location. Keep the settings for the GPS in Google Maps to use the system default.

I’m almost sure these settings will work on other GPS software too, but I don’t know others software with Singapore maps so I’m not putting down cash yet, but I’m sure it’ll come in handy when you use other software and maps when you travel.

Oh, and just to be clear, Google Maps is NOT a driving GPS replacement. It doesn’t “talk” to you and prompt you with robotic voices. It’s just a mapping application that helps you find your way.

P.s. You also need a data connection to use this because Google Maps doesn’t store the maps on your device but downlaods it off its servers just like Google Maps on the web.

Yay! Another new toy for me! Today I left work on time, went out for dinner and stopped by Wheelock Place to pick up a JBL On Stage Micro to accompany my iPod Nano. OK, this was a pure (but sinless) splurge. Not too bad what some chalked up credit card points can get you at the Apple shop, ya?

From the 30 minutes of using it, the sound’s pretty decent for in-room usage. Not much of a bass, but I can hear the plucked strings on Jack Johnson’s guitar and vocals are clear. If my in-ear Sennheiser’s are a 10, this is probably a 7.

I don’t have anything intelligent to say on this post except… w00t!!!

Over the weekend I bought myself a new “toy”, the Samsung i780. OK, it’s not really a toy because this is essentially an extension of my work life. This is my first Windows Mobile device and for a Mac user this is a weird experience, but I purchased anyway and in a matter of 2 days, I…

• Set the device to check my Gmail via IMAP every 5 minutes.
• Work with my office Exchange server so I get real-time email, calender, contacts, and tasks sync from work. Yes, this is officially crazier than plain vanilla push email.
• Installed, set up, and successfully navigate with GPS so I don’t get lost and won’t be late for meetings/dates.
• Installed Adobe Acrobat LE for reading PDFs on the go.
• Installed Flash Player 7 so I can watch YouTube on the go.
• Set up home and office WiFi for faster than HSDPA connection when indoors.
• Installed Google Maps just because the maps look better than the default GPS software’s, but the GPS chip doesn’t work with Google Maps.
• Set the web browser to load my Google Reader feeds on start up. This is officially my “newspaper”.
• Installed Olive Tree bible software so I got the holy book with me when I go to church.
• Installed Blackberry Connect 4 and Citrix ICA client just in case I need the added connectivity.
• Installed GPRS Traffic Monitor to track my data usage. You need to get the special version 1.11w for this device.

So far I have to say that I love the device (I don’t even know if I should call it a phone anymore). Everything I need is right there when I need it including email and meeting reminders when I’m taking a dump. I can already hear the anti-crackberry guys going… S T R E S S… but hey, if it helps me work faster and gives me more flexibility, why not? I like to think of it as convenience, not craziness. (And the people say: “yeah right!”)

Anyway, there are two thing which every owner of a Samsung i780 needs before we can conclude on TCO. They are: an unlimited mobile data plan and an extra charger.

Why unlimited?
If you leave the phone to do wireless ActiveSync on Exchange keeping you up to date with your work in real-time, then you’re talking about roughly 15-20MB of data traffic a day depending on how much email and changes to your schedule you have. Add Gmail IMAP every 5 mins, streaming YouTube, Facebook updates, Twitter messages, RSS feeds, Google Maps updates, and random tiny screen surfing, then multiply that by the days in a month. Now you get the picture.

Another charger?
The extra charger is for one simple reason. The battery life absolutely sucks! If you’re never near a power outlet, I recommend you never get this device. There is a reason why they give you two batteries in the box when you buy it. An ordinary mobile phone will likely last you 2-3 days depending on usage including wireless data usage and taking photos. This one doesn’t even last one day. I charge it overnight, unplug it in the morning, and head to work. Persistent HSDPA, occasional WiFi, and normal phone and SMS usage leaves me 90% empty by 10:30pm at night. Phone and network services then shut down leaving me with a plain old PDA and no emergency calls. That’s what you get with a device that has three wireless radios: HSDPA, WiFi, and Bluetooth.

TCO: Samsung i780 (S$288), StarHub MaxMobile (S$36.38/month), Extra charger (S$15)

Welcome to Ben’s connected world.

Upodate: I just installed Skype and Google Search for Windows Mobile. Great stuff, works perfect. Also, if you’re a major Google user, you’ll need this page with all the Google Mobile apps and services.

A couple of days ago, a man standing outside MediaCorp in Singapore filmed himself aggressively scolding a taxi driver and went on to post the above video on YouTube and MediaCorp Videos (both now removed, Google cache links only) under the alias andrewteo777.

This immediately caused a great debate at Hardwarezone forums and STOMP and of course in the comments on his YouTube post. Even the newspaper decided to pick up on his outrage.

The righteous citizen began to realise that his social media efforts for justice were not what the public thought and decided to pull his video from YouTube, in fact he removed his whole YouTube Channel. Needless to say, other savvy members of the community already downlaoded his video and seeded it to other sites including TinyPic and back on YouTube.

Now if that’s not bad enough of an embarrassment for Andrew, let’s see if we can identify him with some Google CSI efforts:

Who is Andrew Teo?

• According to his YouTube Channel, he’s 42 years old, has kids. At least videos of kids and Christian stuff.
• So if his real name is Andrew Teo, 42, could he be the same Andrew Teo who tried to protest against violence in Burma? If you look at the comments on this story, the “real” Andrew Teo is 42 too.
• So if he is the same guy, then we also know that he’s “a graduate student at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and telecommunications director by profession”.

Of course this could be a pure coincidence and I’m totally wrong. You decide. But if it is true, then this is also a case of dangerous and damaged reputation for a well qualified and reputable person in our society. (I’m looking at this from a PR point of view obviously)

Lesson learned: When it comes to the Internet, think before you post.

Thanks David for a detailed investigation!

The gap between information “haves” and “have-nots” is widening, and there is a real danger that the world’s poor will be excluded from the emerging knowledge-based global economy.
– Kofi A. Annan is the Secretary-General of the United Nations (2002)

The issue of bringing technology to the emerging market has touched me recently as I watch a new client of mine, Ordyn Technologies, move out of India to bring their technologies to emerging markets in the ASEAN region with a vision to bridge the world’s digital divide.

Singapore is surrounded by many emerging nations, many of which have villages with a single telephone, no TV or internet access. Trade for them isn’t eBay or malls, but lugging their farm produce to the village market every morning. There’s a lot that technology can do to help the economy and education of such communities and here’s a list of the most important ones that could make this happen:

1. Affordable mobile phones

Why do the rural population need mobile phones when there’s a village phone? Because there is no infrastructure. In Singapore there are wires underground and in buildings that make sure each home has a phone, but in rural communities laying out these cables can be a costly endevour and telcos fear it may not be profitable. So what happens in a catch 22 situation? Leapfrog and go mobile.

Companies such as Motorola have begun producing basic mobile phones with robust form factors, local language voice prompts for the illiterate, and electrophoretic display so that it can be seen in bright sunlight all for a fraction of the price of our “cheap phones”. Other phone makers are also putting effort into projects such as sub-US$100 3G phones.

2. Affordable computing

Stop hogging all the Eee PCs and let the villagers have them! Computers like the Asus Eee PC and MIT’s OLCP are perfect machines for the emerging markets. Just like mobile telephony, mobile computing works wonders when power supply is hardly consistent to homes, schools, and shops.

Some initiatives are going even further beyond cheap laptops to wireless handhelds like India’s Simputer that gives basic connectivity through a natural touchscreen interface. If the iPhone comes across as “more natural” to our qwerty-addicted selves, how much more would those who have never seen a computer embrace it!

If you want to go a little further, how about a $500 computer that runs off the shelve Mac software? Just kidding. I don’t think they’ll survive long enough to see the emerging markets.

3. Linux

Every computer and mobile phone needs an OS, and where Microsoft doesn’t want to cut prices, we can use Linux. Judging from distros such as Ubuntu and gOS (now looking like the Mac), it is quite obvious that the age old debate of Linux for the desktop is finally over.

On the server side Linux is already king, but its a different story here. Will the big enterprise vendors provide services and support at emerging market prices? Maybe when the local talent can begin to learn the trade. But we’ve got to get them the basics first.

4. WiMAX

WiMAX is like WiFi, only bigger. Much bigger. Think 50KM radius, at 70Mbps. WiMAX is not just for end-user access but can also be used for backhaul which means once again, no expensive digging up the land for cables. Then the question of power comes in again, if there isn’t stable power, how can we keep WiMAX up? The answer lies in solar and other alternative power sources.

WiMAX is also getting support from Intel who has promised to include WiMAX support in its new range of Centrino 2 chipsets to be rolled out this year. But that’s still too new and expensive for the emerging markets, so we should expect for now WiMAX backhaul with WiFi access for OLPC connectivity.

5. Web 2.0

Most people don’t think of emerging markets when they develop their Web 2.0 products, they’re thinking the savvy consumers with camera phones and webcams. True. But once the emerging markets get their Linux laptops and connecting at broadband speeds via WiMAX, where will they head to? Where else but Google!

Don’t expect the illiterate and non-English folks to jump on Facebook, but expect to see Web 2.0 technologies drive their communities for trade, education, communication, and entertainment. Localise Meebo and you’ll be a hit, YouTube in their language could be the first “TV” they watch, etc. The possibilities are endless. We know too well that Web 2.0 and the social media can empower the individual to connect beyond the physical world, this is exactly what the folks in the emerging nations need to close the gap the join the knowledge economy.

I got this email from the PR agency for Virtual Maps telling me that Streetdirectory.com is back up again after the fiasco.

Hi Benjamin,

This is Melvin from 20twenty. We’re Virtual Map’s PR agency and we’ve been reading your posts regarding streetdirectory.com. Glad to see a fellow PR practitioner that appreciates the social media too!

On behalf of the guys at VM, thanks for your interest in the website and how it’s fairing.

We’ve been receiving a lot of comments about how the loss of the site has inconvenienced people, so we’ve decided to come back online with most of our features like the popular bus/mrt guides. Unfortunately, the maps will have to wait, but hopefully this will relieve your inconvenience somewhat.

So we’re hoping to engage opinion leaders like you to spread this news. Every now and then, we’ll keep you updated on the situation and once we make a breakthrough, you’ll be the first to know.

For a start, we put out a media release yesterday that I’d like to share with you. Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll send it over. Feel free to email or call me.

Thanks!!

Warmest Regards,
Melvin Tang
Associate

But when I went to the site and tried to use it, what I got was map-less green boxes! That suppose to be Beach road where my office is.

As much as I’d love to help with spreading the word on a useful service, you have got to get the product working before you communicate it. The server also feels slower now than it did before.

P.s. At least the satellite view provided by Google works.

Happy fixing!

Update: Streetdirectory.com has issued a press release on the issues bringing the site up again.

Last week Kevin pointed us to Evernote. There was a mad frenzy for the private beta invite, but he made sure there was enough to go around.

If you feel you’re not taking remembering things as effectively as you should, you need Evernote. In essence it is currently the best note taking application since txt files simply because it helps you clip/write notes in text and images and indexes it according to tags and the content of the note… including the text found in the images!

That’s the killer app right here. Take a photo of a business card and search for it as text. Capture your airline ticket on iSight and never forget your seat number. To add to the fun, Evernote runs on Mac, Windows, Windows Mobile, The Web, with J2ME and iPhone clients coming soon and all the OCR and indexing is done centrally on Evernote servers so you have your notes synced on any platform, all the time.

I’ve been using the app for a couple of days now and I’m impressed. Photo notes from iSight work like a charm and it syncs nicely between my Mac at home and Windows PC at work and I can even access my notes through my mobile web browser on the go. Lovely.

But as with anything that has more than five lines of code, there are issues. My first complain is the lack of drag and drop. The bookmarket and menubar item works well, but why not just let users drag and drop from the web browser? Also, for some silly reason, the program always wants to sync with the server even when a connection isn’t available. I’m not annoyed by its syncing habits, but I am by the error prompts that happen every few minutes. Why can’t it just move to offline status?

To fully appreciate the product, you’ve got to watch their video:

However much I love the technology, I agree with Coleman who was remarking that it took some getting used to. I guess we’re just not used to taking notes in such an unstructured manner. But this is certainly something I’d love to change my habits to.