1) Friends- I am amazed how in this down economy the relationships I have made in the past have now really come into play. Grass Shack Events & Media is busier than ever. It’s a different type of busy though, working with clients on all sorts of productions when budgets are disappearing. The relationships we have with our clients is adding value and building more and more trust and ultimately the friendships are cemented through business in this kinds of times. Coming up with creative ways to maximize the experience of attendees, customers, users is a hard, exciting battle.
2 Websitegrader- Google Analytics- These tools have made it possible for me to add so much value to our new media clients. Especially these days when targeted SEO (search Engine Optimization) is so important. It is amazing the FREE stats and information that are available that anyone can use to make online produces better.
3 iphone/ipod/camera- The iphone has changed my life because its really the only techie thing in my pockets these days. I used to carry a camera, my cell phone and my ipod. This was really cumbersome and if I wore them all on my belt I looked like I was wearing Batman’s utility belt.
Some features that would make the ipod even better? A camera that zoomed in and out, cut and paste ability and of course video capability.
4 Flip Video MinoHD
5 Mac Mini- Our home cable bill was 200+ dollars a month last year. Of course we had every channel imaginable but still was an insane payment we made each month. So we went digital this year. I hooked a MacMini to our BOSE LifeStyle Surround System and our Plasma screen and now we have no cable bill. (Except the internet connection) We love it.
6 Roku box- This little gem is a must have if you have a NetFlix subscription. You can download movies instantly. (works with cable and our digital setup) We now can browse the Netflix library and immediately download movies. (no extra cost with your netflix subscription) Its an awesome service which we use al the time! The box was $100.
7 Boxee- I just attended a Boxee meetup last night and the founder Avner gave a great talk about Boxee. I would recommend downloading it to anyone who is interested in going digital or just watches content from their computer. It pulls in all sorts of content providers to one place. Hulu, Joost, MTV etc…. It’s a free download and the social networking that is coming will be a great thing to share movies you like and don’t like. The main feature you don’t have to click around to a bunch of websites to get content. It is trying to be the one stop shop. You can also have an easy place to organize photos, video and music. We love it.
8 Facebook- Ok Facebook isn’t a wonderful device and frankly it has been a total time suck but it has reconnected me with old friends and is a really fun way to connect with people. And trust me it really will connect you to people. I have reconnected with people I knew in Grade school. (Hillsborough, California’s Gallant Mustangs of West School) High school, college and old jobs I had.
9 Pandora- Pandora is a fantastic way to listen to music (also LastFM) you can make radio stations on any type of music you like. As you vote on songs thumbs up or down it then adds music you might like. Great way to find new music to buy. Amazing service. Its also FREE! Give it a try right now. We have it playing through the offices of Grass Shack Events and Media right now. ( If your wondering it’s the Thelonious Monk station) Also Pandora is a great easy way to have cool walk in music for an event.
From the Pandora Site? On January 6, 2000 a group of musicians and music-loving technologists came together with the idea of creating the most comprehensive analysis of music ever.
It captures the essence of music at the most fundamental level. We ended up assembling literally hundreds of musical attributes or “genes” into a very large Music Genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song we think we can help be your guide as you explore your favorite parts of the music universe.
10 Twitter- Twitter has been a great way to find out about anything. You get 140 characters to get your point across. I have found answers from my 1700 followers on all sorts of things. It really is a time suck but also a very useful tool. I am following the TED conference right now form one of the many open source mashups folks have done using the Twitter API. Its also free. Add me and send me a message. www.twitter.com/mmcallen If you have a subject or a conference you are interested in go to http://search.twitter.com type in whatever you are interested in and watch the conversation. Or join in and get into the conversation. Great way to find like minded people or subjects. My events and meetings friends are growing by leaps and bounds. Another great tool with twitter that I use is tweetdeck.com. I now can make groups for my twitter friends and keep track of them.
11 (ok one more) MeetingsPodcast.com and podcasts in general- Starting up MeetingsPodcast.com has been a labor of love and I have met so many wonderful folks through it. The possibility of Podcasting has been a great way to connect with others. The ability to leave comments, messages is something I have not been able to do with regular main stream media (TV, Radio etc) and to actually be a part of our show and also be a part of other shows is the most intelligent content I know of.
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