Great Video

Jaspar and I were throwing around ideas for an intro video on the (yet to be redesigned) Smarter Social Media site. We thought a montage of the history of communication would be perfect. Eventually we decided to go with something a bit different, and I'm glad we did. Because the video we wanted to produce was already made by the guys at Vokle. Check this out.

Welcome to Vokle from Erick Oh on Vimeo.

Beauty.

Our Team

Our team in the Philippines threw a Halloween party a couple weeks back. They just sent me the photos and I'm totally amazed by the creative costumes and artistic photography. I'm very lucky to work with such a great group of people. With this level of effort, I hope I can make it to Manila for the Thanksgiving party!

The Problem with Real Time

I'm sitting at Urth Cafe, sharing coffee and conversation with a beautiful girl. We're laughing and getting to know one another - going deeper. It's a great moment until she pulls out her cellphone and starts texting. From here forward every few minutes she's checking her cellphone, texting, Tweeting and logging into Facebook. It becomes part of the rhythm of the conversation, which by now has devolved into superficial banter about friends we have in common.

Working in social media I am the first to praise the power of communication technology. While traveling in Seattle this past week I used TwitPic to share photos of my trip with family and friends, Yelp to get updates about the best restaurants in the city and TaxiMagic to order cabs in a click from my iPhone. These tools make life easier, more enjoyable and bring me closer to people, even those thousands of miles away. But it seems that in the past two or three years technology has become so powerful and consuming, that it demands our attention now, even when we are trying to enjoy a real moment.

The problem with real time is that it takes us away from what's real. When something makes us angry or sad, when something makes us laugh or cry, we whip out our smart phones to text, Tweet, or TwitPic the experience to share with an undefined audience. Real time demands that this be done in the moment, and this simple action removes us from the reality of the moment we are in.

Commitments to real time social media are based on a dissatisfaction with reality. We are bored, anxious or uncomfortable in the now and real time offers an escape. We can imagine that undefined audience reacting in a way that pleases us. How many times have you stood nervously waiting for a date to arrive, attempting to look busy by shuffling through the apps on your iPhone, perhaps texting or Tweeting a mindless comment?

Being present is powerful, whether the present moment is pleasurable or painful. So I resolve to stay present, to never let a face-to-face exchange be interrupted social media. I'm not abandoning the real time tools I've come to love. I am just no longer going to sacrifice real moments for real time.

Attention

Last week I wrote about brands listening to what is being said about them online, rather than rudely expecting their customers to answer intrusive surveys. Today I present twenty solutions to do just that. Check out this list of 20 social media monitoring platforms me and Jed put together for Smarter Social Media.

Magic

"What's your favorite app?" I asked. "I don't really use apps." Jaspar replied. And like that I realized that neither do I. For all my excitement about apps - I've downloaded 40 of them - I really just use my iPhone to make calls, text and email. The one notable exception being Google Maps. The fact that I can leave my house without printing directions from MapQuest is a real advance over my previous phone. But beyond that apps have added little value to my life.

That changed last week in Seattle. A few weeks back I wrote about an idea my mom gave me when I was explaining Twitter to her - TaxiTweets. Why not use real time social media and the geo-location power of smart phones to develop a system to order cabs in a click. The next morning I read about an app that purported to do just that. TaxiMagic claimed to allow one click booking via iPhone and Blackberry application, and a text message based taxi ordering system for other mobile devices.

But how often is an app really as good as it sounds?

Thus my expectations were low when I whipped out the app to order a taxi at the corner of Pine and 1st. After placing the initial order the app gives you a status, "Driver not yet dispatched. Reload for updates." I nervously clicked the reload button a couple of times and the status did not change. Then - magically - a cab appeared and the driver rolled down his window, "Bryce?"

I had found my new favorite app!

In using the app the rest of the week I found that when the status does update the application will tell you the taxi number, the drivers name and give you a map of the cab's location. This map doesn't seem to update so don't despair if your cab seems stuck a few miles away.

In my experience the app was totally trustworthy. A driver appeared within 10 minutes every time I placed an order. The next step will be to load my credit card info on the TaxiMagic website so that I no longer have to rely on cash to pay for cabs. This is a truly amazing app that I recommend for anyone that travels extensively or just orders cabs on a regular basis.

Seattle

This was my second trip up to Seattle in as many months, and I love the city. The biggest surprises were:

1) The food - Unbelievable! Seattle may be the nation's second greatest culinary city behind New York.

2) The weather - It rained ALL the time. No surprise there. But somehow rain in Seattle was easier to deal with than in New York or LA. Perhaps it's because the whole city is prepared and relaxed about it.

3) The people - All of the people I dealt with were cheerful and kind, even in the face of the constantly depressing weather.

I've prepared some of my favorite finds in the city:

Restaurants:

1) Dahlia Lounge - We ate here the last night in the city and I would easily rank this among my top 10 meals of all time. Try the seafood platter to start, crab cakes and house baked donuts are a must.

2) Pink Door - The atmosphere was perhaps a little too romantic for two straight men dinning together, but the food was very good. Jaspar and I met a group of senior girls from University of Washington here so that took up most of my focus. Inside Info: if you stay until closing time you can sneak up and sit on one of their burlesque swings.

3) Palace Kitchen - Tom Douglas is the celebrity chef of Seattle. He owns Palace Kitchen and Dahlia amongst other establishments. This place is phenomenal as well. Really excellent north-western fair. Great salmon, halibut, trout etc. For desert you MUST have the coconut creme pie.

Bars:

1) Amber - Cool ambiance. Live music. And a bachelorette party make for a good time.

2) Del Rey - When we went it was dead. But everyone we asked referenced this spot as a lively place to go to on the weekends.

3) The U District - After meeting the group of seniors from UW we felt obligated to go out with them on their home turf. Very common college scene, one long road lined with bars, with undergraduates pouring out of them. It was a good time.

Hotels:

1) The Inn at the Market - The perfect hotel for a vacation in Seattle or for those getting on or coming off of cruise ships. The Inn at the Market is only hotel that is REALLY at Pike Place market. Just a few steps away from the historic location, with incredible views of Puget Sound. We got to stay in 6 different rooms whilst we were their, so I can confidently say the entire hotel is beautiful and cozy and the staff is amazingly friendly.

2) Hyatt at Olive 8 - I stayed here on my last trip. The best hotel to stay at for conventions or business. Rooms are brand new. The fitness center is amazing. And Urbane, the hotels restaurant is another example of Seattle's impeccable cuisine.