Linkedin (LNKD) Goes Public on the NYSE!! Rampant Speculation in U.S. Is Alive and Well!
I don’t know what to make of this. The IPO price was set at $45 a share and opens at $83! Price has soared to $105? Did I miss the boat on this one? In the short-term, yes, but I really think this stock is way, way, waaaay over valued. But then again, what do I know.
First look video for ABC’s Fall line-up: Once Upon A Time and Charlie’s Angels
Today, Techonorati offered a first look at 2 of ABC’s newly announced dramas, Once Upon a Time and Charlie’s Angels. The 2 shows are billed as “Charlie’s Angels, a big, loud, fun take on the 1970’s smash hit series, and Once Upon A Time, a modern day fairytale from two of Lost’s master storytellers.”
I’ve reviewed teaser trailers for both shows, and I have to say, I’m not really excited to see either of them.
I am intrigued by the fact that some of the creaters behind LOST are working on Once Upon A Time, which might get me to watch 1 or 2 episodes, but the trailer gives me the impression that the show might be a little overproduced and light on originality–feels too much like a Twighlight/Harry Potter/Chronicles of Narnia knock-off for grown-ups.
As for Charile’s Angels, I was never a fan of the show from the 70’s or the movie remakes, so I don’t think I’ll watch it at all, but my girlfriend likes the movies, so I might get suckered into watching a few minutes of the show. Below are the trailers so you can judge for yourself:
Let me know what you think? Do these shows have a chance of succeeding?
Live Web Broadcast Event at Nat. Zoo – Tomorrow, 5/10 @ 10 AM EST
Tomorrow @ 10 AM EST, I’ll be working from the National Zoo here in Washington, D.C. to help with the live broadcast of Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF) latest D.C. Initiative event!
The event will be hosted via Schooltube.com, a web service that allows for live streaming in schools across the U.S. It was created in response to large-scale access restriction of mainstream video-sharing sites in public schools. In the past, RIF has tried broadcasting using Ustream, but several of our viewers were unable to access our live feed.
The event will take place in the Zoo’s birdhouse, where 34 second grade students from the Raymond Education Campus RIF program will be treated to a reading of the Pura Belpré Award winning book The Bossy Gallito/El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale!
Please be sure to tune into RIF Live tomorrow and join us for this special live event! (And I promise you will not see my face on camera. I definitely have a face for radio.)
Happy Owls…I’m so 2000 and late.
So, I’m slow. I didn’t catch this “Happy Owls” thing from Hootsuite until now. But it’s definitely a great April Fools gag!
If you haven’t already, check out the site. It’s a Hoot!
Happy Owls
Photos from FESTIBA 2011
The RIF tent at FESTIBA.
Last week, I was asked to travel to Edinburg, Texas to help Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) participate in FESTIBA 2011. Since 2006, FESTIBA has been an annual event with the goals of promoting “an interest and appreciation for reading and early literacy, celebrating and appreciating the arts and humanities, and broadening cultural awareness within the South Texas community.”
From left to right: Stephen Leach, RIF VP of Govt. Relations; Dr. Robert S. Nelsen, President of The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA); Dr. Dahlia Guerra, Dean at UTPA; and me.
This was my second time participating in FESTIBA, and although it was a lot of work, I had a blast! I had the special honor of being the photographer for this event. Here’s a flickr slideshow of the photos I took. (I would have embedded the slideshow here, but I don’t think wordpress.com allows for that anymore–Booo!!)
You can read more about RIF’s contribution to this event here.
e-Newsletter Sign-up Facebook App
This week, my coworker, Maryanne and I put the finishing touches on a new facebook app for RIF’s fan page. The purpose of the app is to allow visitors to sign up for RIF’s monthly e-newsletter, without leaving the facebook environment.
Originally, we tried using the now de-funct FBML language to create a tab where the app would live. Unfortunately, as of March 10, facebook no longer supports FBML, so we had to change directions and build the app using an iframe that Maryanne created using Dreamweaver CS3 and detailed instructions provided by Convio.
For the sake of simplifying this post, I’ll spare you the messy details of how we came to develop this app, and instead just show you the finished product:
the iframe
Voilà!
Please check it out and if you’re a supporter of children’s literacy causes, be sure to sign up for the monthly RIF e-Newsletter! And if you’d like to learn more about how to create your own facebook apps, please check out facebook’s Getting Started guide.
How to Design by Ryden
My coworker’s son, Ryden is a very talented Kindergartner. Not only is he a talented color-er and world class dancer, the kid has design skills as well! Check out this sneak peek of his latest “how-to”:
How to Design by Ryden
Step 1: Get the crayons and start drawing or cutting.
Step 2: Make the designs
Step 3: And use your imagination.
Step 4: Do it how YOU want it!
And that’s how you do it. Get to designing!
Way to go Ryden!
Google for Nonprofits Event in D.C.
Yesterday, I had the great honor of attending the Google for Nonprofits Event (#google4np) held at the Google offices here in D.C. It was both educational and fun. I learned a lot about some of Google’s latest products for nonprofits including their new Google for Nonprofits program, which brings all of Google’s tools under a single log-in. (I’m setting up my organizations account right now!)
The event included a keynote address from Alfred Specter, Google Vice President of Research and Special Initiatives who unveiled their new nonprofits program. Afterwards, there was a case study panel with representatives from three D.C. based nonprofits: Lisa Goffredi, Natural Resources Defense Council; Chealsea Seale, Samasource; and Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief International. Each had a lot to share about how their organizations maximize their outreach and operational efficiencies using Google tools. Chelsea spoke about how her org uses cloud computing to keep down her server and internet administration costs. Lisa talked about how her org tries to maximize their adwords accounts by staying ahead of the competition by being specific with their ad language and keywords. And Thomas discussed how YouTube continues to be an increasingly powerful tool for all nonprofits.
Alfred Specter, Chealea Seale, Thomas Tighe, and Lisa Goffredi
I also had a chance to meet some of the engineers responsible for creating the applications. I was especially blown away by the Google Earth display (see below), which gave us all a unique opportunity to visit every corner of the earth, moon, and mars!
We've landed on Mars! Mission Accomplished.
And I must admit, I was little start struck having met Alfred Specter, Vice President of Research and Special Initiatives.
Me and Alfred Specter.
Finally, I have to say thank you to my friend and colleague Geoff Livingston (Zoetica)for inviting me to this awesome, awesome event! Thanks Geoff!
Me and Geoff Livingston.
Using Google Reader to Monitor Web Campaigns
Today, I created a subscription folder containing a list of 60 recommended bloggers to monitor any mentions of my company’s name or the name of our campaign partner.
The campaign works like this, for ever 2 “likes” the partner’s facebook page gets, they will donate 1 book to our organization to be distributed to a child in need.
My job is to monitor this subscription list though the end of the campaign. Where ever I find a mention of the campaign, I post a comment at the end of the blog, thanking the host for mentioning the campaign and directing visitors back to partner’s facebook page. The goals being to garner good will among the bloggers, building awareness of the campaign, and driving traffic to the partners site.
Please check out our partner and help get more books in the hands of kids who need them!
Marcus Rajshim Lee 
