After experiencing [re]think Hawaii and TEDxHonolulu, life treated me to a few celebrity sightings. First, there was Olena Heu who looked dashing in purple while shopping at Costco. Then there was yet another Jorge Garcia sighting at a Farmer’s Market. I saw him buying fresh vegetables as I was driving in, but by the time I got to the market, he was gone. I know Internet law says “pictures or it didn’t happen” but sorry, you have to trust me on these.

I do have a picture of this “celebrity” who, while working at the Farmer’s Market, was rocking some rare Tiffany Diamond Dunks!!

That, people, is celebrity status!

I’ve been mentioning [re]think Hawaii for a while now, so what’s it all about? This three-day conference brings:

a core group of people from our collective networks together who have a shared interest in solving problems and rethinking tech, business and sustainability

I only attended the last day themed Blogworld Social Media Business Summit but other days focused on the economics of Startups aka Startonomics and Sustainability. Here are some tidbits I learned from the day.

The Basics of Social Media and Participatory Marketing

National Geographic is a huge social society and is integrating social media into this historic mainstay. There are and more National Geographic resources that support content generated by users, and did you know that the dog artwork on Weezer’s latest CD Raditude originated at the National Geographic’s site?

Hawaii is playing catchup in the social media space. There is a lot of interest but also a lot of mistrust in social media, primarily based on Hawaii’s old school/tech xenophobic culture. In the PR field, Social Media is viewed as yet another job to perform which causes some resistance for adoption. Already working longer and harder during this economic downturn, PR and marketing people don’t want additional tasks. Though Marriott Hawaii witnessed huge spikes in site metrics from their MarriottHawaiiTweets contest – 50% more visits per month, 120% increase in pages viewed per month, and users spending more time on the web site.

Moms and Dads in Social Media

The reality check for blogging is that there is no check. You don’t make money from blogging. You do get your voice heard and if you leverage that then you can make money.

Getting that first comment and engaging was the reason Jim Turner became a blogger. For Beth Blecherman aka TechMama, she blogged to become relevant and part of a community.

Twitter as a Power PR Tool

Coach Deb’s session offered up interesting tips. What is the emotional need of your client is where you start. Once you understand the psychodemographics, you can start appealing to your tribes and clients. “How will you become top of mind?”

Favorite a tweet in Twitter to have it persist, especially now with a shortened tweet lifespan. A way to gain an audience is not to talk about yourself, your products, or your services. Instead talk about your story which is what compels people.

Case Studies: Social Media for Non-Profits

Amanda Rose talked about organizing Twestivals and Jill Buck outlined her Go Green Initiative. What was tremendously clear with both women was their passion driving their tireless efforts to benefit their causes. Simply amazing.

You need to watch Jill Buck’s presentation at TEDxHonolulu when it becomes available. Very impressive! As a bonus, you can read how I looked like a dufus while talking with Jill.

Opening the Social Media Toolbox

Chris Pirillo was back in the islands doing his thing. In this session, he offered up his opinions and thoughts about various social media services depicted on this Social Media “wheel.”

The group also went on a tangent about video recording while talking YouTube. Chris is a big believer in the power of video and supplements his material with video if possible. He recommends the Creative Vado over similar products from Flip and Kodak for video and sound quality. I never knew Creative was in the video space but need to keep this in mind.

Where Are We Going? The Future of Social Media and Business

Yeah, I can understand why Jeremiah Owyang is considered a rockstar strategist and analyst. His presentation about the future of social media was enlightening (need to get the link for the slides) and left many things to think about. He talked about customer trust and how it doesn’t lie with corporate web sites. Trust lies in personal recommendations and social communities. So why not integrate social technologies into corporate web sites? Email is still the largest social network. Jeremiah’s definition of a social network provides a user profile, a way to connect to others, and offers an unique value.

So you might be reading all of this and saying, “no duh.” But it’s the facts and stats provided, the passion on display, the experiences shared that made a difference with these lessons. Sure, you could have learned the same things online or by reading a book, but it’s the social context wherein this knowledge was imparted that really made me rethink.

Photo courtesy of Staticphotography.com

Who’s Jill Buck you say? She’s only the founder of the Go Green Initiative whose mission is to:

create a culture of environmental responsibility on school campuses across the nation

Here’s Jill’s impressive bio. But anyways back to the story…

I was attending [re]think Hawaii during the Blogworld Social Media Summitt day and didn’t recognize many of the haole faces at the event. The entire audience had just finished taking a group photo and was making our way back to the conference rooms. Jill was right next to me, and we started chatting. Keep in mind I didn’t know who she was, assuming she was just another social media junkie coming to [re]think to learn.

She asked what I did and not knowing her background, I started with the lowest common denominator, talking about social media tools and the trouble of figuring out which one to use when. Very basic, kinda dumbed down. Then I asked about her, and she said she was a presenter at [re]think (and at TEDxHonoluu)!!

DOH!

Here I was looking like a dufus, talking about Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to someone who’s mastered the use of these tools in her campaign to educate America about protecting the environment.

Jill was way cool about it and said hi (by name) to me after her emotionally moving and compelling presentation at TEDxHonolulu. You have to watch her TEDx presentation when it becomes available. If she can’t inspire and convince you to go green, I don’t know who can.

Usually AFCEA’s TechNet expo is one of the better tech focused shows in Hawaii.  I said usually.  Though focused on the DoD, lots of tech vendors come down and display their latest for anyone to see and learn.  This year was sad.  I didn’t see Microsoft or Apple.  The crowd was dead according to the Tabasco Man, and the goodie schwag was at an all time low!

No fun or interesting freebies to take, mostly a bunch of pens and tote bags.  Here ares the “highights” of what I found.

That’s a lighted keychain in the shape of a desktop VTC unit, a laser pointer/flashlight combo, an LED compact flashlight, and a squeezie black cube from Black Box (now I got my own Kaaba).  Sad, right?

Oh, the one real highlight of the show was the free Haagen-Daz ice cream bars given away!

Props to SAIC for sponsoring at least three coolers of these treats for the event!

If you’re not a GoTeamJacob kind of person, you must wonder What Drives Edward. Twilight fanatics know that Edward’s preferred ride is his Volvo XC60, but what’s the appeal by an immortal vampire? Find out for yourself with your own Volvo XC60!

Volvo is giving away a new XC60 if you’re the first to solve their puzzle of What Drives Edward.

If only vampires and werewolves interest you, how about movie tickets to New Moon? Besides the XC60, Volvo is giving away two tickets to the premiere of New Moon in Los Angeles. Go to WhatDrivesEdward.com and enter to win!

This one is kinda deep, but the word of the day is neoteny. Here’s one formal definition:

Retention of juvenile characteristics in the adults of a species, as among certain amphibians

So what does that mean for humans? Humans are the most neotenous when it comes to playing. Yes, playing, as in having fun. Don’t believe me? Take the word of Dr. Stuart Brown who spoke about play at a TED conference. Go to the 14:40 mark to learn about neoteny, but the entire presentation is fantastic!

Still thinking through the events of Day 3 of [re]think Hawaii, but it seems my thoughts are centering around these three ideas:

• My learning at [re]think Hawaii. Some of my notes from the event.
• My observations at [re]think Hawaii. Were the guys more well coiffed than the ladies at the conference?
• My confusion at [re]think Hawaii. Where was the Hawaii in [re]think Hawaii?

Stay tuned for blog posts about these three thoughts. For now, just a few pics taken with my iPhone.

After attending Day 3 of [re]think Hawaii, headed to the first TEDxHonolulu event.  Keep up with either event via Twitter.

Here’s how.  Look at the picture closely.

What else to say, but it’s sad times on Dancing with the Stars. In Week 7, Michael Irvin and Mark Dacascos were eliminated in the second round of double eliminations.

Surprisingly, high scorer Aaron Carter was in the bottom three of the week but survived the dance off against the reunited Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer. I’m bummed that Mark couldn’t compete at full strength this week with Lacey downed by the flu. You hate to see competitions with disadvantaged participants. Too bad Mark can’t get one more chance to prove his worth. What ever did happen with the withdrawal of an injured Tom DeLay that caused an extra elimination along with Debi Mazar?

Who remains? Donny Osmond and Aaron Carter for the guys. Mya, Kelly Osbourne, and Joanna Krupa for the ladies. The better question is who would be the final three?

Just scored a free tall Starbucks coffee by buying a pack of Starbucks VIA ready brew.  And I got $1 off the purchase as well.

Momentum shifts on a whim and what happens then is just part of the competition. Week 7 of Dancing with the Stars saw the stars step up their game after the smackdown of Week 6.

New bromancers, Aaron Carter and Michael Irvin, are gamers. With the game getting tight, these guys are finally showing their stuff. Aaron Carter and Karina rocked their jive, even getting a 10 from Len. It’s like Aaron found his “voice” on the dance floor (and that vein in the middle of his forehead). Michael Irvin is surprisingly showing progress in the past weeks and actually looks comfortable executing his moves.

Will Donny Osmond ever be in the bottom of the voting? His decent quickstep had several mistakes that he covered up so well and even then, I doubt Donny will in the bottom. Unfortunately, who could very well be in the bottom this week is Mark Dacascos. Talk about bad timing. Mark and Lacey were climbing the leader board especially after their jumping jitterbug last week then the flu bug hit Lacey. Without his usual partner, Mark had to practice with a video camera, Tony Dovolani, and eventually Anna Trebunskaya. In a week that Mark struggled, everyone else did well. Momentum shift.

Dmitri, don’t you get it by now? You and Mya keep getting docked by Len for incorporating too many gimmicks in your choreography. Just stop with the tricks for consistently high scores. It doesn’t get much simpler than scores of 9, 7, 9. I’m getting so tired of Kelly Osbourne’s sob story. Week after week, it’s the difficulty, it’s the anxiety, it’s the pressure, it’s the self confidence, it’s the crying. Then Kelly danced her salsa, Louie flashed his fancy pants, and momentum shift. Can you believe that with her Team dance score, Kelly is in the top three this week?

Lastly, Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough continue their cruise to the DWTS finals. Joanna Krupa ain’t no Brooke Burke, but she is definitely serving it up. Even though Aaron and Karina had the best individual scores of the night, I have to award my favorite to Joanna and Derek, mainly for their corny pre-dance intro showing off Derek’s fantasy.

Like last week, Week 7 features a double elimination, and it’s going to be brutal. Michael Irvin survived the dance off elimination so will he be on the bottom again even after a worthy foxtrot? Ditto for Kelly Osbourne. The one in real trouble is Mark Dacascos. Momentum shift.

Starbucks is revising its Gold rewards membership program, more or less neutralizing its appeal. Even though the annual membership fee was $25, you easily recouped the cost with the 10% discount perk. That discount is no more in the “improved” Gold card program.

Starting on December 26, 2009, the new program rolls out in a tiered system. Each use of the Rewards Card gets you one star. By collecting stars, you unlock more benefits, going from the Welcome to Green to Gold Levels. Once you reach the Gold Level (30 stars), you get a free drink for every 15 stars(!).

Current Gold Card members get to enjoy the Holidays with their current benefits extended until January 5, 2010. Also, current members will automatically start the new program at the Gold Level and receive their new and personalized membership card in a welcome packet.

The details of the new Starbucks Rewards program can be found here.

That 10% discount was just too good to be true. The new benefits are nice but surely not worthy of a gold status. As a freebie, I’ll keep going with the program (why not?), but sadly, the Starbucks Gold Card is now just like any other frequent buyer card.

He’d be a tall, skinny Peppermint Mocha Twist! A refreshingly cool, mocha complexioned, non-fat drink with a kick.  The only question then is would the drink be cool or hot?

Be sure to vote for Mark and his temporary partner, Anna Trebunskaya, as Lacey recovers from the flu.

Got a busy but fun week ahead. What’s in store?

• AFCEA TechNet Expo. Going to check out this annual even to see what’s up and collect some free goodies.
• [re]think:Hawaii. Headed to Waikiki for Day 3 featuring the Social Media Business Summit.
• TEDxHonolulu. On Thursday, the first localized TEDx event for Hawaii will be at the Hawaii Convention Center. Since I got invited, I gotta go!

Lot of great events in Hawaii to take advantage of!

The litany of iPhone apps continues to grow and seriously, there is an app for that. My latest iPhone app additions:

• Gowalla. Since @hawaii said so.
• foursquare. The mobile way of getting to foursquare.
• Gap StyleMixer. I need style help.
• Pizza Hut. Order from The Hut from your iPhone.
• SnapTell. Take a pic of a book, DVD, CD and get online ratings.

Still looking for the new Toys R Us “Big Book” app, the one that lets you create and share your list of favorite toys (as seen in the Big Book itself).

Are they together or aren’t they? I’m so confused.

In any case, how about a New Moon movie poster to remember Rob and Kristen in their Twilight immortality.

Did your kids get any Sparkle Floam in trick or treat goodie bags?  What a messy failure they are!  So sticky and gooey, they’re a disaster in the making.

Sparkle Floam looks like Styrofoam grains mixed into glittery goo and reminds me of a kid-time novelty.  Remember that tube of goo that came with a small straw?  You’d put a wad of the stuff on the straw and blow greenish, reddish bubbles.  Yeah that stuff.  Smells the same too.  Even with this memory trigger, Sparkle Floam is a failure.

Just read up on how to take a screenshot of an iPhone.   

hold down the home button while quickly pressing the sleep/wake button at the top of the phone. The screen will flash and an image will be saved in your Camera Roll

Simple!

Now that you’re all sullen and depressed from listening to the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, it’s time to get happy and gleeful. The first soundtrack from Glee releases this week and you can pre-order the CD or MP3 version on Amazon right now.

Got your glee?