realtime

Daphne Kwon, ExpoTV (Podcast and Interview Transcript)

Recorded from an earlier interview.

Please read my blog post as well.

You are listening to Lisacast on BlogTalkRadio.

Lisa Padilla: Hey good evening, it’s Lisa Padilla. I am Lisacast and I am back on BlogTalkRadio after a couple of weeks without doing a show truly; this is good news. With me today is Daphne Kwon who is the CEO and the co-founder of ExpoTV, and in a minute I will introduce her and we can get to a discussion with her. She is at the Dow Jones VentureWire Consumer Technology Conference today and I am sure she is going to tell us a little bit about that too; maybe she is doing some interesting things there. I have myself been to that conference and found it fascinating, interesting mix of technology companies and leading companies and large entertainment companies and all in all a pretty high caliber group of attendees and speakers and press and whatnot. Daphne has some experience in TV herself.

(Informal Talk)

Lisa Padilla: While I am doing that, I will tell you a little bit about her background. She was Chief Financial Officer of Oxygen Media which is very interesting in that she has done a lot of work with mergers and acquisitions and I think that combination of business experience as well as television industry experience is very interesting. Okay now I have got her back here. Daphne, are you with me?

Daphne Kwon: Yeah I can hear you.

Lisa Padilla: Great. Well thank you and welcome to BlogTalkRadio, we are excited to get to talk to you once more.

Daphne Kwon: Yeah it’s great to be here and currently I am so important that you pulled yourself out of a few weeks hiding just to come talk to me. So thanks for doing that.

Lisa Padilla: I did. You got me excited again about talking to people. We have been working so hard on our own site here, we launched a new homepage today also BlogTalkRadio has a couple of exciting announcements coming next week, and so I am ready to get talking again. You know let’s build and then talk about it. So tell me, your background Daphne nicely supports the work I am talking about that you have done with Oxygen Media and Disney and as you might want to tell I guess a little bit about ExpoTV. But then I would like to jump into sort of what you found most useful about your experience before this as applies to running ExpoTV which is a great site, I love your site.

Daphne Kwon: Thank you so much, thanks for saying that and congratulations on your own product development, I think that’s fantastic you are one of the entrepreneurs. I think that, and I appreciate your question actually about my background because it’s something that Expo is actually very proud of, are the type of people that we attracted to our company. Generally you know thumbnail of what we do is it’s a YouTube crossed with consumer reports. So basically we are very purpose driven on product information and what we say is we are dedicated to illuminating consumer experiences. So we have about 200,000 product video upload reviews that have been uploaded to us. So there are these 1 to 3 minute clips of people everyday Joes who are uploading video testimonials about products that they own and it can be positive or negative. And they are very authentic, very sincere because you have to show your face you know you create a profile page, you have to show the product, you have to demonstrate it. And these are products that these people spend money on so they have a very different prospective than an expert like a Di Fino and all of those perspectives they are really valid however we think someone who spent the money on it also has a really valid perspective.

Lisa Padilla: Right. Taking the time, has been inside the instruction booklet, went through the whole process of setting it up or testing it or what have you, right?

Daphne Kwon: And also saw how it sat on their kitchen counter you know that it was too big or that the keeper board was too little and their baby didn’t like that because the strap was in its way. And so there is lots of things that I think an expert misses because they are not using it on a day-to-day basis, they can only guess how someone might use it but they are not using it themselves and that’s a whole level that I think is only complementary to the experts that we go to for their advice as well. [Full articles]

Micro-spamming backlash

I’m pretty open about accepting friends on Facebook (unless your avatar is Marilyn Manson-esque…just kinda freaks me out.) But, as everyone is complaining these days, junk mail has made it into the real-time web. Generic product-driven replies when adding Twitter friends, “Become a fan of this page” suggestions, as if the value of micromedia wasn’t already under attack.

Could someone please provide a short, concise example of how Twitter is useful to anyone other than teenagers and uber-bloggers? I fail to see how this is even remotely useful to the rest of the world. — TechCrunchIT

My policy if I don’t know someone but they want to be my friend on Facebook? I send them a message first which asks them NOT to spam me. Most people say, sure I won’t. Some tell me they have automatic announcements, so they would remove me if I would like. Candace Breen did this, who has a great radio show for women. I asked her to remove me though, because I can take only so much feminism. I overdosed on it growing up in Marin County. In anycase, she politely removed me. Not true for everyone. Today, I inadvertently offended someone with my method.

I said:

I will add you as a friend, but
Between [name deleted] and You

Do NOT spam me with page fans or game invites, etc.

Thanks,
Lisa

and she replied:

[name withheld] September 25 at 11:22am Report
Hello Lisa,
I’m not into spamming nor time for games, I leave games to the kids,
I have a team of professional people with many talents that bring some sort of value to the table and leave it up to others if they want to network togather or ask questions of others about what they do or if it can help them in their journey.

You have offended me with your statement I don’t need a fb friend that bad or need the negativity in my circle.

I will be blocking you from the team and I would want you to block my name from your list as well.

Have A Fantastic Weekend.

Thanks,
[name deleted]

Ouch. Sigh. Well, what do you think? How do I expand my network without offending someone?

Can you hear me now

As the weekend warms up to TechCrunch50, 2009, my mind is bubbling with anticipation. One of the lucky ones to get to upgrade my iPhone, I’ve been enjoying faster speeds and more storage. I almost wet myself like an excited puppy when I saw the image/video slider. And now the iPod Nanos have video, FM and a pedometer that transmits wirelessly to Nike. I guess big brother plays basket ball.

Providing coverage at TechCrunch events is always interesting. Jason’s dogs are wandering around on a leash behind him, in bows, something that seems more at home LA than here in SF (here they hold deeper connotations.) Some celebrity is there. MC Hammer. Ashton Kutcher. This year, Penn and Teller. Hoping for some new tricks. Arrington is spotted periodically back and forth through the venue, usually trailed by nervous, pubescent CEOs and his own posse (kickin’ up dust) — truly he can’t stand still for long without being surrounded. It’s packed. Hard to find a seat. A little warm. Wifi spotty. Thinking about that ice cold water in the hallway. Step outside to get it. Run into your next partner or VC making himself some tea, completely unattended. Held hostage in a new city, entrepreneurs from all over the world are rubbing elbows at the parties, and forming alliances. An intense two days, well worth the ticket cost for anyone who wants to do business in the new world.

It’s a good time to get off that cell phone and talk face to face. After all, web innovators care less about the pitfalls and dangers of creation, than they do about potential brain cancer. Solutions to those problems are likely to be found with computing power, both human and machine.

Micoy furthers 3D

From The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
(http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050422/BUSINESS04/504220381/1029/BUSINESS)

Economy

Ames firm immerses itself in 3-D technology

Micoy develops a camera that takes viewers from ‘watching to experiencing’ as videos will surround them.

By FRANK VINLUAN
REGISTER BUSINESS WRITER
April 22, 2005

Ames, Ia. – Everyone knows what it’s like to watch an image on-screen. Joe Stevens can make people feel as if they’re in the middle of it.

Stevens’ company, Micoy , brings new meaning to 3-D video. A Micoy camera can capture multiple angles in everything from sports to museum exhibits, yielding a field of vision up to 360 degrees.

“It’s just like being there,” Stevens said. “The difference is (going) from watching to experiencing.”

The 3-D images come from a patented sphere-shaped camera comprising 84 lenses. Stevens calls the technology “true immersive video.” It’s the visual equivalent of surround sound, Stevens said.

On Lisacast today is Don Pierce from Micoy! Listen in and log in to chat live with me.

DrupalCon and eComm

Lisacast is covering two exciting conferences upcoming — DrupalCon and eComm

DrupalCon is the official Drupal unconference that attracts the most talented open source developers and innovative web shops in the world and brings them together to share knowledge, make decisions on the future of Drupal, and get to know each other in person.

It’s also the premiere opportunity for Drupal users to learn what they can do with Drupal, find partners for future projects, and meet the people behind the code.

The conference is designed for both developers and Drupal users. The first three days of the conference will be about learning, while the last day will be about doing – that’s when everyone works together to push code and documentation forward.

DrupalCon is a volunteer run, nonprofit conference. Here’s an interview with Lullabot’s Jeff Robbins.

Last year’s Emerging Communications conference (eComm) broke new ground and created a revitalized forum attracting 300 people and 80 speakers from 15 countries. The upcoming eComm promises to build upon that foundation to create the only forum dedicated to defining and profiting from the post-telecom era.

Topics (so far) will include:

* Voice and Video Evolution
* Open Spectrum
* Communications Enabling Business Processes, Especially B2C
* New Forms of Contactability and Connectability
* Mobile Social Networking (MoSoSo)
* Open Handsets & the Open Ecosystem
* Social Computing and the Social Web
* Convergence of Media with Personal Communications
* Open Communication Platforms
* Leveraging Cloud Computing
* Towards 4G Wireless
* Emerging Markets

Hear an interview with the conference organizer, Lee Dryburgh.

Thank you to my listeners

Lisa Padilla

What’s special about that number? It made me smile. It’s how many Lisacast listeners there are as of today. Wow! Thank you listeners and thank you guests. If you’d like to hear more of a certain topic, have a guest suggestion or want to connect with me, please email lisa@lisa.io. I’ve loved the discussions we’ve had, your emails, your support and your ideas. Lisacast is looking forward to a great 2009!

BlogTalkRadio is now easier to use

BlogTalkRadio released a redesign today, addressing many dozens of feature requests, bug fixes and overall capability to distribute content on the platform.

BlogTalkRadio is a platform, it’s an audio platform wrapped by a social network. That idea complexes many people. Mashable wrote an article today titled “BlogTalkRadio: Does it Have a Future“, evidently written by someone who hasn’t been following the rise of the company, it’s position in the market and the potential of the platform. Think of BlogTalkRadio like a multi-engine car, it can perform light and smart, or rich and heavy. You can detail it yourself, and drive it, it’s yours — or you can pay BlogTalkRadio to build a custom frame and paint it to your specs. Here’s what the new digs look like:

If you’re an author, or a business owner, of say a media or publishing company, or a non-profit person who wants to spread the word about your cause, or an individual with a particular prowess for prancing your personality by means of pr, then you’ll immediately see the potential from the business side to brand a whole station, not just one show. I do Lisacast, my show on BlogTalkRadio because it brings together a crowd of people I otherwise may not have ever met. (Thank you listeners, by the way!) That’s good for business, because I run a digital marketing agency and it’s one of the way I can show off what I do, who I know, etc. Lisacast has become one of the most popular shows on the BlogTalkRadio network with millions of listeners each month.

Here’s the official feature update:

Inline Listening

User can listen to shows right on the page in search results without leaving the page

All program guide pages Categories, Featured, Popular and Branded Networks

Reminders

Integration of episode reminder with Outlook and Google calendars

Inline Listening Flash based widget

Ability to syndicate any network content to the widget with Inline Listening
Based on Categories or Keywords
ex. http://beta.blogtalkradio.com/widget2.aspx?string=technology&siteid=1

Improved Search

Search search is pre-filtered into user experience styles
Shows – hosts that produce the episodes in the results
Episodes – the individual episodes that are results of the search
On Air/Upcoming – currently live or future shows that are results for the search topic

Ex. a search for “Gaza” – in the new site is a great departure from the ability to find shows and episodes quickly

Users can also perform advanced filtering without having to enter ‘advanced mode’ with the a tabbed navigation above search results

Keywords

We’ve opened our entire network to user choice by integrating keywords into
- RSS feeds: receive episode specific to the keyword topic
- Search
- Internal Taxonomy

We’ll be expanding this in the new year. Organic keyword integration helping BlogTalkRadio to increase our 1 million+ indexed pages at Google.

Learning Center and Community Forum

A renewed focus on engaging and making our platform more user friendly

iTunes

Fully compliant with iTunes podcasting spec and album art
New integrated one-click subscription to show, episode and keyword RSS feeds

Corporate Website

Distinguishes business content from listening site

Branded Private Networks

This addition opens BlogTalkRadio for the corporate client seeking a new media presence online with control over the interface, show aggregation and syndication of their media.

Social Network Profiles

In an effort to increase the sharing of work produced on the network we’ve added into host profiles such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

Those are just a couple of examples. Here’s one in working action too, the Woman’s Day station on BlogTalkRadio.

The new home page looks much more Web 2.0 now, and has simple descriptions and content areas. It’s really easy to listen now. Easier. Really, it was pretty easy before. They’ve even got player buttons running in ads on other networks, so people can play shows directly with 1 click. Advertisers, listening?

Check out the new BlogTalkRadio web site, maybe start your own show. In the meantime, checkout previous Lisacast shows here on Lisacast.com. I have a show coming up today with the FlyLady, you won’t want to miss it. Call-in at 1 (646) 478-4956 to speak your mind about “energy efficiency.” The show airs today from 12 – 1 pm PST.

Energy Efficiency

My next show is on energy efficiency. Joining me are entrepreneurs and world-travelers Stephen and Lynda Kane from the UK, Brighton specifically. Stephen and Lynda are wonderful, energetic people, spreading the word about their energy awareness training and tools and their book, The Hidden Secrets of Real Health. As well, we are graced with Marla Cilley, otherwise known as the FlyLady, she has become a fast household name, leaving me wondering when her own book will replace my copy of All-New Hints from Heloise. Flylady.net, a 24-hour/day streaming show now on BlogTalkRadio (where Lisacast is often recorded), has gathered more members than any other Yahoo! group created, over 500k. Her site gives rise to the argument for community and giving, as her altruistic nature is contagious. I will also discuss my partner at Communicate.io, Fred Davis’ Gadget Night, his event and the more efficient electronics he recommended. Finally, I’ll highlight some of the people involved the ever-growing green sector to talk about what’s coming next.

Tech guru presents gadget chat to Marin group
By Jim Staats
Posted: 12/04/2008 03:44:37 PM PST

In a freewheeling chat on gadgets that ranged from the best part of the new iPhones to pens that record notes and sound, technology guru Fred Davis apologized for going low-tech.

Davis, editor of many of the world’s leading computer magazines and longtime Silicon Valley insider, told a roomful of “techies” Wednesday he had to scrap his multimedia presentation because his laptop was stolen from his car.

“That’s why I always keep everything on a thumb drive,” he said, noting the valuable stuff was saved. “It’s way more valuable than my computer.”

Are you doing more energy efficient activities this year, or is your company?

Call-in live if you’d like to participate in out discussion between 12 and 1 pm PST: (646) 478-4956 (that’s a U.S. #)

Cinegrid 3rd Annual Workshop

Fred Davis spoke at the 3rd Annual Cinegrid Workshop this year and I captured some pictures.

Socializing on connections

Click to listen > Lisacast with guest Liad Agmon on Social Search

One entrpreneuer’s to do list

1. Serve in the electronics R & D lab for the military
2. Study computers, film and TV at the university
3. Build a start-up and sell it to McAfee in order to:
4. Fund Israel’s highest grossing film in the last quarter century
5. Move to San Francisco

Following your passion

Liad Agmon, co-founder and CEO of Delver, has 15 years of experience in the communication and security industries.  He holds a BA (cum laude) in Computer Sciences from Tel-Aviv University, and is a member of Israel’s Broadcasting Authority Internet Committee.  But that’s not why he ended up in the tech industry. He did it to raise money for another passion, film. See, Liad also studied film & television there in Tel-Aviv. This is Liad’s blog, by the way:

Liad  was the assistant director at Israel’s top grossing film in the last 25 years – a French-Israeli co-production called “Turn Left at the End of the World”. He also produced and directed the DVD featurette “The Troupe – 25 years later” and he wrote for some of Israel’s top stand comedians. This impressed me, he says to himself: I need money for a film. Ok well I’ll just build and sell a company.

I mean here’s an interesting, creative kid. And it takes someone like that to create cutting edge software. It was Liad’s passion, his personal passion, that drove the creation of Delver.

Personal passions connect us socially too. In his interview on Lisacast, Liad talks about friendship coefficients and why he thinks the world could be ripe for social search.

[Social search] can happen only at a certain point when the market has matured and there is enough social content out there that you can index.

– Liad Agmon

What’s Delver look like?

Check it out yourself and click to listen to the interview, recorded and rebroadcast live on BlogTalkRadio > Lisacast with guest Liad Agmon on Social Search