Sanjiva Persad's Blog

Monitoring

Sean Wheelock, Ato Boldon, and Deon Estus all respond to tweets that contain their names, even if the tweet in question doesn't include their twitter handle. I'm curious to know if they respond to blog posts as well.

The Podcast Appreciation Post - Part Deux

Inevitably, I left some podcasts out of my previous post, so here's a quick follow-up. Hopefully it's more Godfather 2 than Meet the Fockers. As always, if you can think of any other worthy omissions, let me know in the comments.

Popdose (Website ¦ RSS) - Popdose started a Klout campaign to make me influential about...Barry Manilow. (For the record, I'm not a fanilow!) I wasn't pleased, but I've forgiven them. My favourite Popdose section is Death by Power Ballad, but their podcast is worth listening to also.

Soca Warriors.net (Website ¦ iTunes) The podcast from the Soca Warriors Message Board is primarily a fantasy football resource. But the real jewel in the crown for me are the five podcast episodes about the general goings-on of T&T football. I enjoy the former, but I'm really looking forward to more of the latter.

Retweets are Endorsements

We need to just face the facts. Retweets are endorsements.

I know, I know. You're just the messenger. You didn't tweet it in the first place. You're open minded, and you can distribute a point of view even if it isn't yours. You even have a disclaimer in your twitter bio. But the sad truth is, it doesn't matter.

The Associated Press said exactly this in the most recent edition of their Social Media guidelines (*.pdf):

"Retweets, like tweets, should not be written in a way that looks like you’re expressing a personal opinion on the issues of the day. A retweet with no comment of your own can easily be seen as a sign of approval of what you’re relaying. Unadorned retweets must be avoided. Similarly, you shouldn’t simply hit Twitter’s “retweet” button on tweets like these.

However, we can judiciously retweet opinionated material if we make clear we’re simply reporting it, much as we would quote it in a story. Introductory words, colons and quote marks help make the distinction"

When I read this the first time, I thought the AP were crazy. Now, I think they're absolutely right. The faster we realise that our retweets can (and will) be held against us, the better off we'll all be.

The Podcast Appreciation Post

I've been really good about going to the gym in the second half of 2011. I'd like to tell you that the reason is my ability to focus on a goal. Or my general self-discipline. Or even a brand new appreciation for the effect of regular exercise on my health. But no. The real reason?

Podcasts.

The gym is boring. Podcasts aren't.

Podcasts were supposed to be the next big thing, and never quite lived up to the hype. The subject of whether they're an effective marketing tool is for another day. Right now, I think it's only fair that I highlight the podcasts that entertain me while I try not to slip off the treadmill. I download them for free; a link on my blog is the least I could do. (These are in alphabetical order).

The Anfield Wrap (Website ¦ RSS) - Hands down, the best Liverpool FC podcast available. When The Anfield Wrap debuted at the beginning of this season, someone on twitter described it as "like sitting in a pub with your mates, but they actually know what they're talking about" or something to that effect. That sums it up. Great blog posts on the website also.

Caribbean Free Radio (The Archives) (Website ¦ XML) - I'm not sure if CFR is completely finished or just on hiatus, but the archives are well worth catching up on. The "house band," 3canal, isn't too shabby either.

Listen to Lucy (Website, including RSS) - According to the FT (which hosts these podcasts), Lucy Kellaway "pokes fun at management fads and jargon, and celebrates the ups and downs of office life." These short clips describe things that many can relate to. For example, check out "Most email messages are exceedingly stupid, and none more so than the ones that arrive from LinkedIn."

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews (Website ¦ RSS) - I discovered this podcast of the weekly radio show in 2005, and I've been listening ever since. There's a high inside joke level on these podcasts that new listeners may struggle with (Hello to Jason Isaacs), but the reviews are entertaining, funny, and honest. There's even a full fledged Kermodian rant from time to time, though I'm not sure the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 review will ever be topped.

Online Marketing and Communications By Jon Buscall (Website ¦ RSS) - Jon Buscall gives helpful hints and tips on online marketing, content management, social media, and communications. He knows his stuff, but I especially like it when he draws comparisons to seemingly random things, such as Norwegian Music.

The Rise to the Top (Website ¦ RSS) - David Siteman Garland talks business, technology, and mediapreneurship (his word, not mine!) with a different guest every week. The interviews are always great, but sometimes the calibre of guest is extraordinary (Seth Godin comes to mind). There are also fitness interviews, which are fantastic for tips and inspiration.

The Terrible Podcast (Website ¦ RSS) - A Steelers fan must. This is probably the most prolific podcast in this list. There are at least three podcasts per week, and Dave & Dave even made podcasts during the bye-week. These are always thorough and entertaining, and since I don't get to watch the Steelers that often (I'm at the mercy of TV scheduling and time zones), this is a great help. Oh, and if you're wondering about the name...

The World Football Phone In (Website ¦ RSS) - How this podcast isn't more popular is beyond me. Dotun Adebayo is joined by Tim Vickery and either Andy Brassell or Sean Wheelock every week for a discussion about football in different regions around the world. The phone-in aspect of the show is fine, but the real beauty of it is that Tim, Andy, and Sean have the freedom to really speak in-depth about current or historical topics within football, both on and off the field. Great theme song too!

Who did I miss? Let me know in the comments.

Google+ - A Follow-up to a Blog Post I Never Wrote

Back in July, I decided to blog about Google+. I had only joined a few days before, and I thought it would be a good idea to record my initial impressions. In addition, I asked for opinions from others, and got these:

The point of that blog post was going to be the following: Google+ is fine, but do we really need another social network? Isn't it tough enough to keep up as it is? Doesn't anyone else have Social Network Fatigue? I was going to coin the term "Social Network Fatigue" and refer to it as SoNeFa or something. Unfortunately, procrastination set it, and I've since seen 'Social Network Fatigue' in many other places, including the New York Times. A teacher once told me that "procrastination is the thief of time." He never mentioned that it was also the thief of catchy web2.0 buzzwords.

Since the blog post that never was, I've noticed some additional things. For one, it's notable that a small proportion of my friends in my circles still use Google+. I would estimate that out of the 110 in my circles, no more than 20 use it. And of those 20, approximately 5 of those are figureheads of technology companies who have to be there, so I can't really count them.

Also, that point I was going to make in my blog post about Google+ being much better than Facebook for privacy and managing who you share specific content with? Yeah, Facebook are on it.

The one major strong point that remains, in my opinion anyway, are Hangouts. Group video chats for members of a specific circle have been popular, and GigaOm has even said "Skype Video can easily be brought to its knees by Google Plus’ Hangout." I'm not sure I would go that far, but it's definitely the strongest feature of Google+.

So in summary, I think we'll have to wait and see where Google+ fits in the social media world. I barely use it, but I won't be deleting my account anytime soon.

My Favourite Website of All Time

No Flash. No plugins. No widgets. No Facebook Connect. No FAQs. No small print. No blogroll. No blog. No case studies. No contact forms. No comments. No trolls. No ads. No Adsense. No box showing random Flickr photos. No splash page. No shop. No sponsors. No charities. No QR codes. No testimonials. No recent posts. No mention of management. No mention of agents.

Just three different videos every day that make me laugh.

Thank you, jerryseinfeld.com.

Costa Coffee: Why Isn’t Twitter Brewing?

Another guest post is up now over at Waxing Unlyrical!

The Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago

About a month ago, I noticed that one of my Facebook friends had become friends with something called The Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago. It peaked my curiosity, and I sent a friend request, which was quickly accepted. I was stunned to see the treasure trove of information and photographs from Trinidad and Tobago's past, and it served to not only bring back memories, but also inform me of things I never knew before.

Some things stood out to me:

• The level of detail used for photo captions, and generally throughout the online museum
• The increasing depth of user participation, and the active community management taking place
• The use of a Facebook user account rather than a page or group

I put these points and some other questions to Angelo Bissessarsingh, the founder of the Virtual Museum, who was kind enough to answer in detail.

Q: Could you give a short bio of who you are and what you do, and give some insight into your interest in the history of Trinidad & Tobago?

A: My name is Angelo Bissessarsingh. I'm 28. I work in the Disaster Management Unit of the Ministry of Local Government. I grew up in a family with a long and noble lineage. My great-great grandfather didn't come under indentureship, but as a freeman , since he was a Rajput fleeing the repercussions of the Sepoy mutiny in India. The home I live in is old and filled with antiques, art and books. I also am blessed to have had parents and aunts and uncles who never stopped me from asking questions . I remember at age 5 going to work with my aunt (Professor Ann Marie Bissessar) who was then a clerk in the Ministry of Agriculture in St. Clair. She would take me to the museum at lunchtime. It was a fascinating place then, and still so now although it has failed to generate national interest in history, since there are no tour guides and the displays are poorly done. I began researching in earnest from about age 10. I have amassed a priceless collection of books and documents which has enabled me to become a recognised historian early in life. I write and lecture also. I was part of the team which produced the only UTT publication to date: a primary research book called 'Golconda, Our Voices, Our Lives.' I have done many TV appearances and I collaborate with several international research bodies.

Q: Why have you chosen Facebook to host the Virtual Museum? Also, why have you chosen to use a Facebook account rather than a page or group?

A: I initially hated the idea of Facebook and social networking sites in general. However, I soon realized it would be an excellent medium to host a unique tool for teaching history to people, and it also would allow me to receive real-time feedback at no cost. I did have a group called Angelo Bissessarsingh's Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, but it maxed out after 1700 photo uploads. My digital library is over 6000 images large, hence the reason for a profile instead of a group.

Q: I found the Virtual Museum because I saw that one of my contacts became friends with the Virtual Museum. Is that how you get most of your contacts (word of mouth), or do you actively pursue new 'friends?'

A: Actually, I never pursued friends for the Virtual Museum....they all found me with the exception of the 100-120 people who are friends in real life.

Q: Have you received photos and information from others, and do you see this becoming a crowdsourcing project in the future?

A: Photos and data find me. I still have to do real research at UWI, and the National Archives and the like, since the captions for the photos are half of the deal. However, I have about 5 international postcard collectors who have sent me over 2000 high resolution images for my collection. I also have a small private collection of my own of about 100 cards. You can say it's well on the way to being a crowdsourcing project.

Q: Do you have any future plans for the Virtual Museum?

A: My family recently acquired a large adjoining property to our home where my father (Rudolph Bissessarsingh) intends within the next 1-4 years to erect a studio and museum here in Siparia, to house our collection of art (he is an artist), curios, antiques etc.

Thanks to Angelo for his participation in this interview. You can find The Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago on Facebook here.

Wembley 360

I just noticed the 360 degree photo on the Wembley Stadium website from yesterday's FA Cup Final. The site allows you to login with Facebook Connect, zoom in, move around, and tag yourself and your friends.

You can read more about the technology behind the 10 Gigapixel photo here, but the Facebook tagging element was the most interesting part of this for me. I've seen crowd photos on the Facebook pages of many football clubs that encourage their fans to tag themselves, but this looks like a big step up. At the time of this post, there were 5,833 people tagged, which is about 6.6% of the 88,643 official attendance at Wembley.

I should point out that it's not a perfect science yet. The zoom and movement around the image is easy to use, but who's the two faced Manchester City supporter on the right?

Two Twitter Accounts: Yea or Nay?

My guest blog post is now up @ the wonderful Waxing UnLyrical blog. Thanks to Shonali Burke for the wonderful opportunity!