News of the Day 10/15/209

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Career:
Using your LinkedIn Status update effectively – Andy at Career Success shows how this simple update can be very effective.

Economics/Freakonomics/Geekonomics:
Housing market still uncertain. Water still wet.

Movies:
How Prince of Persia was pitched from game to movie – Interesting to see how it was done. Might give you some ideas . . .

Publishing:
Libraries are embracing e-books – Which may be a good sign for e-books in general, but you can bet libraries will want things pretty open. I wonder if they'll become drivers in the technology . . .

Google will open it's own e-book store – To say the least, things just got MORE interesting. Though lacking Print On Demand, and with their other limits, I don't know how much this takes from Amazon. Of course, if Google PARTNERED with a POD service . . .

Social Media:
A look at the X-Box's Social Media tools – Haven't had a chance to try them myself, butinteresting.

Video Games:
Why social gaming is ripe for an acquisition. Some good points here.

Nexon America reports 36% growth – To which I can say A) Wow, B) Send them a resume, C) I need to get my windows partition up to play Dungeon Fighter.

Digital distribution won't affect GameStop until 2017 – Says one expert. We'll see, as this is based on console concepts. Worth reading to know what people are thinking.

-Steve

Media and Limits

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For some time friends of mine were saying I had to see the series "Avatar: The Last Airbender."  I resisted this because A) it seemed like an anime-esque derivative series, and B) I wasn't overly impressed with Nickelodeon's other series.  It seemed like a no-brainer to avoid.

When I finally watched it, I was impressed – an epic adventure, well-done, thought-provoking.  Everyone in my apartment had a ball with it – and it also provoked some interesting discussion.

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Convention Ideas: Meet the Teacher

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The summary of the convention ideas series is here.

So you want to add more professional stuff to your convention or conventions.

Do you have any schools, colleges, educational facilities near you?  Then you've got a ton of potential guests right there.  In short, start inviting teachers, trainers, and so forth to your convention.

First, this is an easy way to get guests – odds are that the people in question will have some interest in your convention subject, if only tangentially.  This also means they may be willing to speak for free memberships, or just out of a chance to network.

Secondly, the teachers and educators may have great ideas.  The convention may give them a chance to make new suggestions, do unusual things they don't often speak on or lecture on, or try out new material.  You're going to the experts – who knows what they're going to come up with.

Third, the teachers and educators you invite may already have fantastic materials to use, hand out, or just plain sell (don't begrudge them a bit of cash here).  They'll likely come well-prepared, and may surprise you and your audience – there's nothing like having people attend a simple lecture on, say, writing, and walk out with handouts or a book.

Finally, the educators you invite may be grateful for the attention and publicity.  It gives  them a chance to be recognized, make connections, and try out some new things.

So next time you're asking how to make your convention more professional, go to one of the sources – teachers, trainers, and educators.

– Steven Savage