Stacy Libby butt dialed me just after 7pm. I did my usual thing -- answer, listen, ID the number and then yell into the phone "HELLO!". I think she was leaving the office. I could hear her heals on the concrete, could hear her getting in a car. That lady works some long hours.
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterli. « August 2008 | Main | October 2008 »
September 2008
September 25, 2008
Butt Dial alert 2
September 22, 2008
Finally, MTV backchannel's The Hills
Ten years ago I was working at Microsoft's WebTV, peddling this little forward-thinking demo that combined IRC with PIP video for "real time" commentary on programing. It was about the same time that pop-up video was happening.
There were a hundred variations on this demo -- I'd be at a conference watching some other Microsoft manager from Redmond giving the same type of demo on Windows or a TVPAK platform simulation -- none of new each other and none of bothered to coordinate. Microsoft was a many-headed monster in TV during those days -- it was yet to be tamed and limited by the ridiculousness of a .Net framework. And, as was the case then -- failure had a thousand fathers. Meaning, people were in a hurry to work on something, spend a shit-load on R&D to declare their own project failed and dead and move on to greater responsibility. Because "failing" was such a highly valued experience set in those days(?!). Anyway, I digress.
Tonight my PVR tuned (I'm a comcast sub, so its a 50/50 proposition) to the Hills, and my dream from ten years ago FINALLY materialized.
The Hills and its Laguna Beach ancestor have been a mainstay of my media diet for way too long. Only, as I pointed out to a Village Voice reporter in 2005, my viewing experience wasn't exactly what the producers imagined. At 35, I'm hardly the target demographic. The content lends itself to audience participation in a way.
For years now, my wife and I have watched and talked over the content with mocking, snarky remarks related mostly to the IQ and utter vapidness of the participants and content. I have a particularly violent laugh that is reserved for the utter ridiculousness of stupid drunk chicks. Always good times.
Over years, the mockery has digressed to a series of inside jokes, sideways knowing looks and "going-through-the-motions" snide short-hand that is it's own little code of referring references to years-old jokes. I have to admit it, the whole effort was losing it's luster. We would save the episodes until after we'd had some drinks on a weekend. It was becoming somewhat of a chore even with intoxicants.
Thank goodness the programming execs at MTV clued in. The show has a new life for me and millions of others. Audience cruelty is being exacted on the hapless players in front of the camera. Thanks to MTV's backchannel, amazingly fresh quips sprung to life tonight ON SCREEN for my viewing pleasure. Everything old was new again. There was much rejoicing in my household. And, new barbs from condescending hacks doubled the laughline in our house.
Backchannel more than worked. For the first time since the original real world, I felt like MTV was doing something original and risky. I wanted to cry a bit... like when you find a cherished memento.
I pray to God (settle down, I'm an atheist) MTV admits their failures entirely, writes off all of it's amazingly shitty programming and starts backchanneling everything. I will be glued to my keyboard and TV if this happens.
What's more, MTV should revive the shittiest of the shitty for backchannel... oh, what I wouldn't do to screen-pop commentary on the Osborns and Newlyweds. If that were to happen, I will buy all manner of insanely stupid beauty products (including Tag body spray and guy-liner, wtf?!) and music from crappy label-manufactured bands. I will buy all of this and never use it just so that I can live out my inner Roman by aggressively hurling viciously cutting comments, like so much spoiled fruit, at the marginally-attractive and mildly-retarded talent plaguing MTV reality shows for the last 20 years.
With that, I IMPLORE YOU try out backchannel and enjoy. http://backchannel.mtv.com/…l_home.php
Don't worry, no reality "stars" are hurt from backchanneling. If their intellect processes irony, their egos are impervious to sarcasm.
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterli. There were a hundred variations on this demo -- I'd be at a conference watching some other Microsoft manager from Redmond giving the same type of demo on Windows or a TVPAK platform simulation -- none of new each other and none of bothered to coordinate. Microsoft was a many-headed monster in TV during those days -- it was yet to be tamed and limited by the ridiculousness of a .Net framework. And, as was the case then -- failure had a thousand fathers. Meaning, people were in a hurry to work on something, spend a shit-load on R&D to declare their own project failed and dead and move on to greater responsibility. Because "failing" was such a highly valued experience set in those days(?!). Anyway, I digress.
Tonight my PVR tuned (I'm a comcast sub, so its a 50/50 proposition) to the Hills, and my dream from ten years ago FINALLY materialized.
The Hills and its Laguna Beach ancestor have been a mainstay of my media diet for way too long. Only, as I pointed out to a Village Voice reporter in 2005, my viewing experience wasn't exactly what the producers imagined. At 35, I'm hardly the target demographic. The content lends itself to audience participation in a way.
For years now, my wife and I have watched and talked over the content with mocking, snarky remarks related mostly to the IQ and utter vapidness of the participants and content. I have a particularly violent laugh that is reserved for the utter ridiculousness of stupid drunk chicks. Always good times.
Over years, the mockery has digressed to a series of inside jokes, sideways knowing looks and "going-through-the-motions" snide short-hand that is it's own little code of referring references to years-old jokes. I have to admit it, the whole effort was losing it's luster. We would save the episodes until after we'd had some drinks on a weekend. It was becoming somewhat of a chore even with intoxicants.
Thank goodness the programming execs at MTV clued in. The show has a new life for me and millions of others. Audience cruelty is being exacted on the hapless players in front of the camera. Thanks to MTV's backchannel, amazingly fresh quips sprung to life tonight ON SCREEN for my viewing pleasure. Everything old was new again. There was much rejoicing in my household. And, new barbs from condescending hacks doubled the laughline in our house.
Backchannel more than worked. For the first time since the original real world, I felt like MTV was doing something original and risky. I wanted to cry a bit... like when you find a cherished memento.
I pray to God (settle down, I'm an atheist) MTV admits their failures entirely, writes off all of it's amazingly shitty programming and starts backchanneling everything. I will be glued to my keyboard and TV if this happens.
What's more, MTV should revive the shittiest of the shitty for backchannel... oh, what I wouldn't do to screen-pop commentary on the Osborns and Newlyweds. If that were to happen, I will buy all manner of insanely stupid beauty products (including Tag body spray and guy-liner, wtf?!) and music from crappy label-manufactured bands. I will buy all of this and never use it just so that I can live out my inner Roman by aggressively hurling viciously cutting comments, like so much spoiled fruit, at the marginally-attractive and mildly-retarded talent plaguing MTV reality shows for the last 20 years.
With that, I IMPLORE YOU try out backchannel and enjoy. http://backchannel.mtv.com/…l_home.php
Don't worry, no reality "stars" are hurt from backchanneling. If their intellect processes irony, their egos are impervious to sarcasm.
September 19, 2008
Acting out for ARC
@clairejohnson, I just updated all of my online avatars with an ARC logo I found online, posted to Twitter and my blog: http://aaronburcell.typepad.com/my_weblog/. Can you share widgets with the group so that people can add? Also, can you share links to places to give online?
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterli. American Red Cross Social Media Day
I'm sorry for the Utterli mass DM, but I heard an inspirational Utter from Claire Johnson just now. You might already know that the American Red Cross harnesses Utterli to create and syndicate communications. All of the employees here at Utterli are huge supporters of the American Red Cross.
To hear the post, please go to the new group I created -- http://www.utterli.com/…edCrossDay -- and listen to the post from Claire. Please also join the group and choose an act of solidarity (i.e. replace your avatar with Red Cross logo, update your status) so that Claire has a way to know how many people have joined. And, if you can, please give.
If you're a blogger or podcaster, let your audience know about this post and event. Let's get the word out and help the people helping people that need help.
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterli. To hear the post, please go to the new group I created -- http://www.utterli.com/…edCrossDay -- and listen to the post from Claire. Please also join the group and choose an act of solidarity (i.e. replace your avatar with Red Cross logo, update your status) so that Claire has a way to know how many people have joined. And, if you can, please give.
If you're a blogger or podcaster, let your audience know about this post and event. Let's get the word out and help the people helping people that need help.
September 18, 2008
Greatest upset ever
I'm a Stanford football season ticket holder. The new stadium is ridiculous. So is the coach. The combination has re-energized the entire area. But nothing about the program's re-emergence has been so well leveraged as miraculous defeat of USC in 2007, the biggest "spread" ever overcome in NCAA history. With one incredible drive and four quarters of grit, the Cardinal destroyed another USC football season. USC has lost at home twice in the last 8 years -- both to Stanford.
I've never seen one football game leveraged so well for marketing purposes -- not including the Superbowl of course. The attached image was sent to me in email today... put a smile on my face.
Around here you can't swing a dead cat around without hitting a USC grad. For the last 10 months, Harbaugh and Co. have been been poking the USC sore spot. I don't have to say anything... the USC grads have just been quietly muttering alongside the cursed Cal grads.
I'm afraid of the incident being over-used. But, even while dominating the Sears Cup since its inception, Stanford Football has been terrible since 2000, and it's so good to have hope again. And, it's been nice savoring the win... of course, there's no chance Stanford can pull it off again. Well, maybe.
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterli. I've never seen one football game leveraged so well for marketing purposes -- not including the Superbowl of course. The attached image was sent to me in email today... put a smile on my face.
Around here you can't swing a dead cat around without hitting a USC grad. For the last 10 months, Harbaugh and Co. have been been poking the USC sore spot. I don't have to say anything... the USC grads have just been quietly muttering alongside the cursed Cal grads.
I'm afraid of the incident being over-used. But, even while dominating the Sears Cup since its inception, Stanford Football has been terrible since 2000, and it's so good to have hope again. And, it's been nice savoring the win... of course, there's no chance Stanford can pull it off again. Well, maybe.
Vote for Utterli in Killer Startups
Utterli was just reviewed in Killer Startups. If you like Utterli, go vote for us here: http://www.killerstartups.com/…ing-worthy
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterli. September 17, 2008
Announcement from Utterli (formerly Utterz)
I just posted to the Utterli blog here: http://blog.utterli.com/. The blog itself isn't even finished being rebranded -- that's you @chris;)
Everyone should expect some hiccups at Utterli this morning. Thus far, you've helped us with a number of graphics and copy edits -- all much appreciated. Our landing pages for new customes were broken for a few minutes - thanks for noticing. Our engineers were moving at warp speed and actually created the transition earlier than expected (sorry to the bloggers and reporters holding stories and posts for 9am pacific). The IVR, mobile site, external blogs, etc., are all getting names, language and logos swapped out. It's not hectic, it's just busy in the office.
The initial reaction to the name change is mixed. People don't generally like change, unless things are going really poorly. As a company and community, we've never been better, so I've expected push back on the identity change. You can read more about the change on the corporate blog.
I'm not one to discourage any opinions or speculation about our motivations for the name change, but I would just point out that we've tried to be open and honest about this transition in the blog posts, when questioned at Utterz.com and through ambassador group communications.
For our early customers that helped to build and evangelize Utterz and Bessie --- perhaps you even have friends, relatives or loved ones responsible for the original identity development --- I appreciate your passion and I hope that you'll grow to accept the new identity. We wouldn't be in this new growth opportunity without your support and the original brand. There's nothing nefarious in this name change -- we just need a more extensible, meaningful identity as we continue to grow. We believe Utterli does that for us, while preserving the "utter" in the site nomenclature and a link to our legacy.
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterli. Everyone should expect some hiccups at Utterli this morning. Thus far, you've helped us with a number of graphics and copy edits -- all much appreciated. Our landing pages for new customes were broken for a few minutes - thanks for noticing. Our engineers were moving at warp speed and actually created the transition earlier than expected (sorry to the bloggers and reporters holding stories and posts for 9am pacific). The IVR, mobile site, external blogs, etc., are all getting names, language and logos swapped out. It's not hectic, it's just busy in the office.
The initial reaction to the name change is mixed. People don't generally like change, unless things are going really poorly. As a company and community, we've never been better, so I've expected push back on the identity change. You can read more about the change on the corporate blog.
I'm not one to discourage any opinions or speculation about our motivations for the name change, but I would just point out that we've tried to be open and honest about this transition in the blog posts, when questioned at Utterz.com and through ambassador group communications.
For our early customers that helped to build and evangelize Utterz and Bessie --- perhaps you even have friends, relatives or loved ones responsible for the original identity development --- I appreciate your passion and I hope that you'll grow to accept the new identity. We wouldn't be in this new growth opportunity without your support and the original brand. There's nothing nefarious in this name change -- we just need a more extensible, meaningful identity as we continue to grow. We believe Utterli does that for us, while preserving the "utter" in the site nomenclature and a link to our legacy.
September 16, 2008
September 10, 2008
D&D in the house!
Nice to see Dawn & Drew create a group on Utterz! I'm not just a fan, I'm a member of the fan club -- #43 yall. Where are all the D&D regulars?
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterz. Not Normal: Pet Chicken, Chicken in a Sweater
So, a buddy of mine from Oregon sent me this pic. I've received dozens of weird photos through Is This Normal. Seriously, if you're looking at this and thinking "who puts a chicken in a sweater", you've got to ask yourself, who has a pet chicken? No seriously. Chickens are nasty, disease-ridden little creatures. Who does this? No Really.
Mobile post sent by AaronB using Utterz. 
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