Tuesday, May 5th was Gravity Summit’s “Social Media Marketing for Business” at Stanford. I’ve known Rodney Rumford since Joachim and I made Graffiti for Facebook, and he was kind enough to save me a spot.

The focus of the talks was very much aimed towards large businesses; presentations were given by such notable people as Bob Pearson of Dell, Inc. and Charles Miller from DIRECTV. That said, it seemed there were plenty of small business owners attending, and many of the points were generalizable. The main idea is:

Social Media is conversation. When a business or individual understands this, they can do great things.

Bob Pearson pointed out that “the majority of customers don’t call you.” Businesses have largely been detached from consumers, interacting only when the customer pursues a purchase. This no longer should be the case, as businesses now have the tools to actively engage in conversation with their customers and meet them halfway.

Social Media brings conversations into the open, and allows businesses to be aware of what people are saying. They then need to actively engage in these conversations and be involved in the dialogue. In doing so, businesses will learn more about the community and share more about themselves. In short, they must learn to be transparent.

I just ordered Strunk & White’s “The Elements of Style,” 50th anniversary edition. I don’t have the book yet, but the purchase inspired me to pay more attention to writing. Hopefully this can be someplace where I can practice writing, incorporating new ideas and polishing my prose. No high hopes yet, as I don’t often continue such things for long, but we’ll see how it goes :)

Found here first

I was at a restaurant last night and saw a couple having dinner together. At a few points, the guy was texting on his phone and the girl was looking really bored. Boo on him. 

And then once he finished he left his phone sitting open on the table. I guess he was expecting replies? Maybe that sort of thing is commonplace now, but I still think it’s rude.  

It's always exciting to see original prototypes of good products. Not to mention the sample conversation going on in there is rather delightful. 

What will you name your child?

An excellent story about the making of Donkey Kong and what it was like to work in an early video game company.

The Documentary Type

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? - Before you write this movie off as one that sounds like it was done by those guys that make stupid teen movies (I almost did), go watch the trailer. It’s done by the guy who made Supersize Me, and chronicles his quest to find Osama Bin Laden. And the trailer plays Gogol Bordello music.

 Planet B-Boy - A documentary on the breakdancing culture. This movie looks awesome.

 Young at Heart - A group of elderly people in New England sing covers of great rock songs. This is a must-see.

The Artsy Type

Les Chansons D'Amour - I’m really excited about this one. Three people are each in love with the other two and have a fascinating relationship. French musicals ftw. 

 The Visitor - College professor with a ho-hum life accidentally meets a young couple, and his life gets turned around when as they become friends. This movie looks really good.

Smart People - The trailer didn’t impress me all that much, but I really want this movie to be a good one. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

 O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram De Férias - A Brazilian boy is taken in by his Jewish grandfather’s neighbor (?) when his parents are exiled. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this movie really appeals to me. 

Backseat - Two guys go on a roadtrip to get away from life and have wild antics along the way. This movie will probably either be really good or pretty dumb, so I hope for the former. 

Son of Rambow - A movie about two boys filming a movie. It wowed the crowds at Sundance, and I think “delightful” would be a good word to describe it. They asked us to help promote the movie through Graffiti, and I wish we could’ve :(. 

 The Exciting Type 

Roman De Gare - Follows the stories of three people, who may not be exactly who they claim to be. I’m not sure if this is going to be a thriller, but it seems pretty exciting, and clever. I’m excited to see Dominique Pinon.

Flawless - I love bank robbery movies! This one stars an unlikely duo trying to pull an inside job. 

Spiral - I personally will not be watching this, but if you’re into creepy, disturbing horror movies then this one’s for you.

The Funny Type

Priceless - Huzzah! Another rockstar French cast. It’s a remake of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and it looks like it won’t disappoint. That, and I love Audrey Tautou.

 Forgetting Sarah Marshall - 40 Year Old Virgin? Knocked Up? Superbad? Yeah, their new one is coming out. Go watch it. 

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan - I haven’t been excited for an Adam Sandler movie in a while, but this one sure does look fun.

Be Kind Rewind - A movie about Jack Black making movies? Heck yes! 

I'm definitely glad they keep iterating until they got to the current version, but that 2nd revision’s pretty neat too.

The other day, a woman asked me if I could spare some change for poor women and children, and my automatic response was to keep walking with no response. Then, as I was walking away she called out to me and said “God bless you.” Hearing that made me feel like an awful person, because I certainly didn’t do anything to deserve it. It was on my mind for a while after that.