Kick Ass!

I saw Kick Ass the other night, and I loved it. It's been awhile since I've enjoyed and been entertained by an action film. The plot is quite simple: a comic-book fanboy (Aaron Johnson) who gets inspired to become a real-life superhero. He runs around and calls himself Kick Ass in a tight green, wet suit look alike outfit. Spider man romance story is woven into the plot as hot high school classmate falls in love with the nerdy-geek boy. Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) come together motivated by vengeance to kill mafia-drug lord. Based on one of the best selling comics by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr...



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What's most intriguing to me while watching Kick Ass is the reminder of our new age. The first movie I remember seeing that reflected our society and internet advancement was in American Pie. Remember that scene when Jim is hoping to get lucky in his room with Nadia the (international student) and everyone awaits in secret on live webcam? Well Kick Ass has now taken a step ahead ..

Kick Ass became famous when stand byers recorded his fight with street criminals as evidence, which was quickly posted on YouTube and distributed all over the internet. Next thing you know, Kick Ass is a hero and  world-known celebrity, who is all over the news. The movie demonstrates and proves to us once again, the power of online technology, especially when empowered and driven by the force of people. Kick Ass was not short-lived news. He and (Red Mist) created a community around themselves on MySpace to communicate with their fans to help save people.

Check out the movie and let me know what you think!
See video Kick Ass trailer. From the ending of the movie, I'm assuming a sequel will be released in the future..

Facebook tips for business owners

It's been awhile since I last posted. Been considering different ideas for my business pitch -- and it's funny how the more we're learning in the APOC program, the less ideas I seem to be able to come up with. My previous brainstorming ideas are slowly being crossed off, as my knowledge expands for what works/doesn't work..

Luckily for us, Zach's Wednesday class is giving us an opportunity for due diligence. I haven't finalized my idea for the business pitch, but I am taking a step back to look at different platforms. I will be comparing and analyzing tools and resources available to business owners and what they'll need to know in order to arrive at making a business decision. Specifically, I'm going to be focusing on the Facebook platform. 

Facebook is a popular tool for social media, that we already know. It's free and easy for companies to use as voice, brand recognition and for marketing efforts. (More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day, and pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans overall) However, I've seen companies use Facebook wasting time, effort and money spent on building pages and applications.

Mistakes business owners make utilizing Facebook:

Failure to build bridge with users: People use Facebook because helps manage and makes social life easier for them online. Consider how your Fan Page or Group would benefit your fans/members on a social level. Find ways to cater to the needs of your audience or interest group. Otherwise, they will lose interest and jump to the next page.

Over complicating -- cluttering their page: Keep your fan page/group content simple and insightful. Some companies become self-absorbed talking about their product/service that you offer, filling your fan page / group with promotions and spam. They spend time and money developing fun applications that look visually appealing but irrelevant to their audience. This is prime example of failure to listen and learn from customers. Take advantage from what your fans are saying about your company and use it as feedback. Perhaps you may ask for input on the launch of a new product, or provide discussions/FAQs for people with questions about your product..

Impatience to learn the Facebook culture: Companies think joining Facebook is a quick solution for business success. This could be true, but it takes time to engage, interact, and learn from your loyalists. Don't expect a quick turn around or everyone to become a Fan or part of your Group -- unless you are Apple or Coca Cola. (Even if your company is like Apple and Coca Cola, you need to spend time building conversations around your customers and their interests to learn more about your company). 

Inconsistent voice: A company needs brand identity. Likewise, when utilizing Facebook keep that brand image consistent. Don't try to be professional one day and use slang and act hip and cool the next day. Your voice should be dependent on who your audience is. Conversations should be what interests your customers not you, what's newsworthy, buzz worthy to them. 

Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide by Henry Jenkins

Finished reading Henry Jenkin's book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide few weeks ago. Jenkins is not only the founder of Education Arcade interested in videogames and learning, but also a multifaceted media scholar.





In the beginning of the book, he starts off by explaining the black box fallacy, meaning that sooner or later all media content will flow through one single black box. This lies true as we begin to see the size of our gadgets shrink while allowing use for multi-purposes. See for example our iPhone versus a mobile phone in the 90s. Besides the major call functions, we can now read/send email, watch videos via YouTube, An interesting read which touches points on popular culture and media convergence.


Jenkins uses different case studies to demonstrate how corporations, brands, politicians, educators are changing the way they things in response to cultural shifts to new media. The success of entertainment industry making use of online communities to build relationships with consumers and brand loyalists. In the show Survivors, a group of hardcore fans come together through collective intelligence discuss and learn from each other to unveil secrets about the show before it gets aired. He further analyzes the importance of audience participation in popular culture in American Idol and Harry Potter. Both brands became great success due to its involvement with the audience. While American Idol fans participated in each contestants journey on the show and in voting, Harry Potter enthusiasts started Hogwart societies and practiced creative writing to tell their own Hogwart tales through their own life experiences. Jenkins also covers Sci-fi films such as the Matrix and Star Wars franchises, and how creators were able to prolong the story telling experience through different media channels -- (animations, series, video games) and turn it to revenue opportunities.


As media converge, we are learning that there is no magic formula to succeed in engaging consumers and monetizing. However, Jenkins does make fine points and bring up hot topics in the society we live in today. He leaves the reader something to think about throughout the book. "Don't expect the uncertainties surrounding convergence to be resolved anytime soon. We are entering an era of prolonged transition and transformation in the way media operates. Convergence describes the process by which we will sort through those options. There will be no magical black box that puts everything in order again. Media producers will find their way through their current problems only by renegotiating their relationship with their consumers. Audiences, empowered by these new technologies, occupying a space at the intersection between old and new media, are demanding the right to participate within the culture. Producers who fail to make their peace with this new participatory culture will face declining goodwill and diminished revenues. The resulting struggles and compromises will define the public culture of the future."