News Of The Day 11/2/2011

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From the Protect IP Act to Groupon's problems, it's not the best day for the geekonomy . . .

Economics/Geekonomics:
Things aren't settled with Greece yet.  Frankly I think some of the voting is a dodge to avoid responsibility, and this still isn't going to change the fact people in the Eurozone are going to hate Greece for a decade.

Geek Law:
The PROTECT IP act is bad. No way around it.

Media:
AOL has a revenue drop. No surprise, but as the shine has gone off them I want to see what this might lead to.

Social Media:
A look at Groupon's legal exposure. I'm thinking this means trouble because let's face it, the company is in trouble already. Again, I'd avoid working for Groupon – and any massive fall on their part is going to produce a ripple effect of Less Interest In IPO.

Technology:
Yahoo buys Interclick – for the ad tech. Admittedly ads seem to mean money, so it's not a bad move, and probably gives us an idea of Yahoo's goals – monetization and probably tightening up the ads. They're still not gone and are still strategizing, at least – not sure if this means any new opportunities.

RIM's stock drops below book value. This is the first time this has happened in nine years. The article flirts with the idea RIM could get bought/sold as well – which would be intriguing because it might be valuable to the right company who can exploit its market.

Internet explorer usage drops below 50% of web usage. More delicious charts for the stats-loving give us an interesting overview.

Sony loses money in Q2, expects full-year loss. OUCH. I think they're obviously not gone, but they may be trying to ride things out (and innovating less), or rethinking some strategies.

Video Games:
Japanese social game company DeNA's stock and ratings take a fall after lower than expected profits. They have their fingers in a lot of pies, so I'm wondering how they'll respond to this.

Angry birds sells a ton. Also, Mitt Romney changes mind, George Clooney handsome, kimchi made of cabbage.

Very smart: Ubisoft acquires RedLynx. RedLynx made a lovely fun stunt game called 'Trials HD' that showed a lot of smarts – but it's only one of 100 titles released the last eleven years. Product and bright people? Good purchase. It appears Ubisoft wants to sell 'Trials' on everything, and I wonder if this high-productivity model is one they want to duplicate.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: So are you tired of hearing about Angry Birds yet?

– Steven Savage

Late Breaking Geekery

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Indonesia is the savior of Blackberry?  I'm a bit skeptical because . . . well RIM has made some bad moves.  But still.

Anonymous jumps into the Zeta cartel battles in Mexico.  I'd note that in an unstable situation  like the Mexican drug wars, Anonymous could do strategic damage just by releasing information.  I'd also note that, if no one has paid attention, Anonymous seems to like to keep active on multiple fronts.

– Steven Savage

 

 

Promoting Professional Geekery #10: Present At A Convention

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OK folks, you want to share your professional fan stories with people and inspire them.  So let's ask – why aren't you at a convention spewing wisdom in every direction like a water sprinkler of knowledge?

(And if your answer is "because I'm relaxing or I'm usually found intoxicated Saturday night dressed as Dean Venture" then nevermind).

But for the rest of you who don't mind a little work or not being involved in an animation-related scandal, go speak at a convention and share your career wisdom.

Look you've got a few years (or decades) under your belt doing geeky things for money legally.  You have a lot of experience and skills and interesting tales.  Use that experience before you forget it or become completely cynical!

Here's a few things to try:

  • Tell your success story, possibly along with other people with similar stories.
  • Tell your greatest failures, and talk with other people who've made terrific mistakes.  This is a great way to get attention and use a contrarian approach to teach about geeky careers.
  • Organize a specific panel or workshop around your given knowledge.
  • Try a freeform discussion about career options.
  • Do a roundtable of people on a given career subject.
  • If you're not good at speaking or frankly not that interesting, get your friends/co-workers to do panels.  Hey, you might have a future as an agent.

I'm sure you have many excuses not to do this, since it can be quite stressful, so let me address those:

  • You feel you have nothing to share.  If you've had a good career you can share that.  If you have a bad one you can be a warning.
  • You're afraid to speak in public.  That's not going away without trying to overcome it – so here's your chance.
  • You're not a good speaker.  Well, see the above.  Learn.  Or, heck, record something.
  • You have no conventions to go to.  OK, that's a problem, but maybe you can inspire people or take that trip you wanted.

Having spoken at conventions for years, having helped with them (heck, having written a book on career events), I want to emphasize this is one of the most fun methods to spread the fan-to-pro message.  It's social, it's entertaining, it's a growth experience, and it reaches people directly.

So, here's your assignment – what con in your area could you speak at in the next six months – and what are you going to do there?

– Steven Savage