15.04.09

This Blog has been Moved!!!

Posted in General & soca & Trinidad Carnival & soca Monarch & bunji Garlin & festivals & dancehall & reggae & Sint Maarten & Heineken Regatta & Interview & Corey Graham 2.0 & Drenalin & BoomTribe & Alt Entertainment & Crop Over & St. Lucia Carnival & Campus Carnival & Barbados & Trinidad & Rupee & Nurse Karen & Vincy Mas & st. lucia carnival & ATI & Great Fete & Great Fete & Antigua Carnival & Reggae Sumfest & Spice Mas & Cruise & Carnival Nations & Mas Bands & Caribbean & Drenalin & Nite Club & business & social Networking & marketing & festival & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & coverage & New Media & productivity & management & Blogging & review & Live Blog & personal growth & Network & thinking and ideas & Simone Harris & podcast | 23:25

This blog is now hosted at www.coreykgraham.me/bizblog - As you can expect I am ever evolving and when its time to move its time to move. 

Now if you are reading this message in an RSS Reader it would mean that you are not subscribed to my feedburner feed. This means that when I change feeds you would not have a seamless transition and you will have to subscribe to - http://feeds2.feedburner.com/coreykgraham.

Subscribe to my feedburner feed! It helps me to know who is reading which is certainly a motivation to keep writing.

This move is going to be a pretty silent one, no big splash. 

Subscribe in a reader

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25.12.08

My View On A Merry Christmas

Posted in General & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & Blogging & Live Blog | 02:30

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14.11.08

Video of Blackberry Storm

Posted in Mobile Technology & Blackberry | 13:33

Well Cable and Wireless, not sorry. I mean LIME said they are going to be rolling out their ambitious 3 G network. (read my post on LIME). Now this means that the Balckberry Storm might well be available from LIME next year. The phone is finally getting into the hand of users with Vodafone (UK) and soon with Verison Wirless(USA). 

Its causing quite a steer right now, here is a video I found of the phone. 

 

 

 

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10.11.08

Grenada - Trinidad Ferry To Set Sail for 2009

Posted in Corey Graham 2.0 & Caribbean & business & Mobile Technology & coverage & personal growth & thinking and ideas | 09:48

I am just came across the announcement by the Grenadian Tourism Minister, Peter David that there will be a ferry service between Grenada and Trinidad to begin in the early part of 2009. Apparently its the government of Trinidad that is providing this service accomodating approx 600 persons. He also said that St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia will benefit from this service which is expected to improved the economy and relationships between these islands.

All i can say is wow!
Its not that long ago, April fools day to be exact that I was lovingly playing a joke on my readers about a Cruising The Summer Carnivals Of The Caribbean. Imagine by early next year we can be able to move around the islands a little cheaper than before! 

Just a few days ago LIME announced they are offering free Roamin throughout the Caribbean. Now we are going to have  ferry going between the islands?
Imagine what that can do for our businesses. It will be alot easier to move bulky stuff around.
Think about it! You can take you car to another island for the weekend? You can take something you made in your homeland and sell it in a neighbouring island? I mean really think about the possibilities. 

I say again, times are changing!

Corey Graham 2.0
www.coreykgraham.com 

 

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04.11.08

L.I.M.E - Cable And Wireless Caribbean Just Evolved

Posted in business & marketing & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & New Media & review | 02:30

Here is something found that  I think might apply. I would say its something written by great man for dramatic effect, but I think I need to "keep it REAL" with you. lol.

Don't get stuck in the rut. You have got to be able to question what you are doing day to day. Pull yourself apart.  Take the time to review and analyze yourself and your environment. Admit honestly and with extreme clarity  your strengths and weaknesses,  successes and failures.Be realistic about your environment.  This is the hardest part coming now. Rebuild yourself from deep down in the foundation. Build yourself into the person you need to be to accomplish your dream. Corey Graham 2.0^N

"We’ve transformed into a new kind of telecoms company. With a new management structure (populated with the best and brightest people the region has to offer), improved customer service and exciting new products and services, such as our ambitious 3G network roll out, the change we’ve made runs a lot deeper than just our name."

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01.09.08

Corey Graham 2.0 Featured on SiliconCaribe.com

Posted in General & Caribbean & business & marketing & Mobile Technology & Blogging & thinking and ideas | 17:47

Today is the first day of September and that means is Labour Day in NYC. No, I am not in NY unfortunately, but I am still ready to party as September is my birth month!!!!!
Great people are born in September lol! Rupee of course is one of them, Corey Graham 2.0 another of them and the list goes on and on.

 

Today I am feeling extra gooooooood today because I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the Caribbean Technology Blog www.SiliconCaribe.com to find my face on the homepage!
After months of negoitiation SiliconCaribe.com has finally secured the rights to put Corey Graham 2.0 on their website.
Not really, but that is a story I hope to be able to tell soon. 

 

The Truth
After months of blogging and growing my subscribers, I am not seeing some honest appreciation for the the hours i have spent writing and thinking. You have to feel good when your hard work and creativity is rewarded!!

It feels great! Its a good way to start of September!

Check it out here the site now www.siliconcaribe.com

For you late birds who now seeing thing after I have been removed from the homepage here is the direct link to the article
http://www.siliconcaribe.com/2008/09/01/why-am-i-20/

Feel free to leave your comments, If you think its good!

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20.06.08

Corey Graham 2.0 Launches Live Blog

Posted in General & Corey Graham 2.0 & BoomTribe & Caribbean & social Networking & marketing & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & New Media & Blogging | 12:30

That's right I am getting my live blogging going on. Its something I have done before blogging from my blackberry in the heat of the moment, during events and trips I take.

I have a general passion for coverage of events and  believe live blogging will help me to take that a step further.

Much thanks to Google,  Blogger and Blackberry for providing the technical support with there 'free' offerings. I really, really wish I could say that it was a high profile deal pulling together 2 of the leading technology companies in the world today. Along with all thenecessary fanfare, but it seems like I might be a little ways off from that!

I'm taking the things they already have to create something new for myself as I take on a new 2.0 hobby.

As per usual you will have a front row seat as I develop my Live Blog to bring you things as they happen.

Its going to an interesting summer for sure!

Tonite I will be blogging live from Sexxy at Jumbies where the Roamin Next VJ competition comes to and end. www.BoomTribe.com/vj

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14.06.08

The Blackberry Thunder - The First Touchscreen Blackberry????

Posted in General & marketing & Mobile Technology & Blackberry | 10:50

Less than a month ago, I posted about a the newest blackberry coming to the market - The Blackberry Bold. And it it seems like we might be preparing for another launch soon. A friend sent me a link where I saw photos of a "Blackberry Thunder".

If you got excited about the Blackberry Bold, I wonder what you are going to say about the Blackberry Thunder! Its going to be the first ever touch screen blackberry!! The detials are still sketchy but up to blogging time as the Thunder has not been officially announced as yet. However you can see from the photos that the Blackberry Thunder is going to have all the convenience keys on the current blackberry but no keyboard!

Take a look at it, and let your creativity run wild ... I just wondering what is next ???

I have to say though blackberry is doing a good job at naming these models. What is interesting is how simple they are. So far we have Pearl, Curve, Bold and now Thunder. Looks like RIM has some good marketing.

 

 

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26.05.08

CG 2.0 Previews AlertMatrix from Rex Wireless (Blackberry Software)

Posted in General & Corey Graham 2.0 & business & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & productivity | 14:30

About 2 months ago I realized that I often use my blackberry as a  filter for emails. In busy periods I only have time to scan my emails, get an idea of what is in my inbox, and make plans to take care of them later. Of course if its an urgent email I would respond right there and then. However, when you have emails from my 4 different email accounts coming at you, there is no way I can respond to them all during a busy time. That's why I have the berry set up to make a very low tone when a new email comes in from hotmail (90 % of that mail is just fwds) so its easier to ignore those new hotmail messages. I use my other accounts for business so they are set to give a louder tone when a new email comes in.
I am thankful for the blackberry filter, that allows me to set certain emails to high priority. When these emails come in, my phone vibrates and makes a loud tone, so I know straight off that there is an email I really need to check or at least be aware of.
I always thought it would be nice to set different alerts for other types of emails. e.g. emails about special projects, emails from family & friends and emails from some mailing list. 

Now enter Rex Wireless with yet another software solution to solve another one of my problems. Let me stop for a moment to tell you about Rex Wireless and me.

RexWireless and Me
They have already solved my task list issue with their flagship product ToDoMatrix. I love it. I will blog about it in a future post but here is an old post about it (click here to view an an old post ). Then they recently killed 2 birds with one stone for me with IdeaMatrix. IdeaMatrix in a notes systems that helps me a lot to keep better track of my crazy ideas. It also doubles as my content management system for this Blog. I set notes in the Blog categories and then label my notes according to the stage they are at i.e. Ideas & points, 1st draft, 2nd draft and completed posts. 
The best part of these 2 products is that they auto sync over air with RexDesktop which is accessible from any web browser. This makes it very, very convenient.
Let me explain, I can be writing a post in RexDesktop and once I save it, it auto syncs with the blackberry (within 2 mins). This means that I can move away from the pc and continue writing, or go off to a meeting and have all the notes on the blackberry. For blogging this helps alot because I like to write away from the pc i.e not behind a desk.
Rex Wireless puts alot of thought into their applications to make sure that they are actually making your life easier. On their site you will find alot on their thinking behind each of their products.

The Preview - Rex Wireless to Launch AlertMatrix
And now they are about to launch AlertMartix on May 28. Some time last week I was asked to test and review it ahead of the launch so that is what this post is about. Alrite, so lets get  into it.
AlertMartix allows you to set special alerts to those emails, texts, pins or calls you really want to pay attention to.
Its the same basic concept with personalized ringtones for the different people who call you. Lol, that helps a lot in deciding which calls you can and can't miss without touching the phone.
AlertMatrix is similar but wayyy more advanced.  Alert matrix is really a filter and alerts system that is designed to allow you to get better control those things that get your attention.

You might be waiting on an email with art work from the graphics designer or it could be a sponsor logo.  Maybe you are waiting on a call or email with feedback on a proposal you just submitted. AlertMatrix to give you a special notification for when that particular email, text message, pin, call come in.

I found I was able to setup these rules pretty quickly. There were a few things I was not sure about but after a quick read of the help on the mobile site I was off and running. I find that AlertMatrix is very flexible.You can set alerts to -

• Make the led light blink a certain colour
• Make the phone vibrates
• Set the tone on the alert

Then you can decide if you want it to alert you -

• immediately
• only during working hours
• only at night time.

And if that is not enough, you can actually set these alerts to disappear if you haven't dealt with them by a certain time or leave them to keep reminding you forever until you deal with them. You can also snooze alerts so that you get a reminder about them a little later.

All this is great stuff, but I really got excited when I realized that within AlertMartix and see these important emails, texts, pins and calls all in one place.
Yeah, imagine that. You basically have a "VIP inbox".
Can you imagine that? To have a VIP inbox, imagine those busy days when you barely have time. A VIP inbox would be a great help wouldn't it???

So far AlertMatrix has worked well, no real glitches as yet. I don't think I have really put it to the test yet though, don't fear, its the start of a new week, it will be tested for sure!!!!!

Thanks to Bob at Rex Wireless for deciding to let me preview their new product.

All the info on the new product is here (www.rexwireless.com/AlertMatrix )

P.S. VIP inbox - that's a CG 2.0 copyright. Bob we can discuss you using in on our marketing campaign!

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15.05.08

Blackberry Starts The Summer with The Blackberry 9000 AKA BlackBerry Bold

Posted in General & business & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & productivity | 05:34

There have been a lot of rumours over the last few months surrounding the Blackberry 9000. They have been lots of posts on Blackberry and Technology related forums and blogs speculating as to which features the 9000 it will carry. All speculation was put to rest three days ago when RIM announced the Blackberry 9000 to the world in fine style, The Blackberry Bold its called! You can't get it much better than that! There are lots changes and improvements. It seems like to me that RIM is ensuring that they stick to their target market and tailor the 9000 to meet the needs of blackberry users even better than the previous models. One good lesson for all of us - Keep your target market/ your niche clearly in focus.
Listen to what Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion said -

 “The new BlackBerry Bold represents a tremendous step forward in business-grade smartphones and lives up to its name with incredible speed, power and functionality, all wrapped in a beautiful and confident design,”

That seems to pretty much sum up the BlackBerry Bold. I know you want a break down of the features in the blackberry bold so here goes.

 

 

3 G - First BlackBerry smartphone to support tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks (3-G 3rd generation network). There are no 3G networks in the Caribbean.

Appearance - From its lustrous black exterior, satin chrome finished frame and stylish leather-like backplate, to its stunning display, sophisticated user interface and newly designed full-QWERTY* keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone is a symbol of accomplishment and aspiration.

Faster attachment download & web browsing - the support for tri-band HSDPA and enterprise-grade Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g) networks and its next-generation 624 MHz mobile processor make short work of downloading email attachments, streaming video or rendering web pages.

More Storage  - It includes 128 MB Flash memory plus 1 GB on-board storage memory along with microSD/SDHC memory card slot which can take 8 GB cards presently and expected to take 16 GB after a system upgrade. The slot is conveniently accessible from a side door.

Data while on calls - users can even talk on the phone while sending and receiving email or accessing the web.

Edit attachments - download Word, Excel or PowerPoint files and edit them directly on the handset using the preloaded DataViz® Documents to Go® suite.

Software - renowned BlackBerry productivity applications, including phone, email, messaging, organizer and browser, and works with thousands of mobile business and lifestyle applications, making it easier than ever to stay connected, productive and entertained. 

Stunning Display - Half-VGA (480x320 resolution) color LCD is fused to the undersurface of the lens, making images leap out with stunning definition and clarity. Pictures are vibrant and razor sharp, while videos play smoothly and web pages, documents, presentations and messages snap with exceptional quality and contrast.

Desktop Style Web-pages -  With its newly enhanced, high performance browser and high-resolution, ultra-bright display, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone gives users an on-the-go web browsing experience with desktop-style depiction.  The trackball mimics a mouse, making it easy to navigate sites in "Page View" or "Column View" or to zoom in on specific parts of a web page, while various emulation settings allow users to choose between the full desktop-style HTML content and layout or the mobile version. Attachments can also now be downloaded from within the browser and there is support for watching streaming videos (RTSP – real-time streaming protocol).

Robust Email & Messaging -the BlackBerry Bold gives users the industry’s leading mobile messaging solution. It works with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, which enables advanced security and IT administration within IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® environments, as well as BlackBerry® Professional Software for small businesses. It also works with BlackBerry® Internet Service, which gives users access to up to 10 work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), and the BlackBerry® Unite! software for SOHO and home users.

While it is designed to meet the extensive requirements of the business professional during the day, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone also caters to the business person’s consumer side   during evenings and weekends.

Camera - 2 megapixel camera with video recording capability, built-in flash and 5x digital zoom.

Better Media player - It can display pictures and slideshows quickly, play movies smoothly in full screen mode, and manage an entire music collection.

Better Audio - Audio can be played over the handset’s dual speakers in rich, stereo sound, and when using wired headphones or external speakers, the media player gives the user an equalizer with 11 preset filters – like "Lounge", "Jazz" and "Hip Hop" – that boost or soften audio ranges to create the perfect ambiance.

Managing music and video -the BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software includes Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry® as well as Roxio Photosuite® 9 LE, which makes it easy to enhance pictures and create photo albums on the computer. For users that manage their collection with iTunes®, the new BlackBerry® Media Sync application provides a simple way to sync iTunes digital music collections with the smartphone. Support for High Speed USB 2.0 allows all files to be transferred quickly from a desktop computer to the BlackBerry Bold smartphone.

Powerful WI-FI - For even broader high-speed network coverage, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone supports the 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi standards, ideal for use in enterprise or campus wireless LAN deployments, over Wi-Fi hotspots and on wireless home networks.   A new "Push Button Setup" is included, making it faster for users to connect to protected wireless networks that require a sign on process.

Integrated GPS - the BlackBerry Bold smartphone can pinpoint its exact location, supporting applications like BlackBerry® Maps and other location-based applications or services. With its improved rendering capabilities, faster download speeds and ability to support simultaneous voice and data, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone even allows users to navigate while on a call.

Phone service - It is a quad-band EDGE and tri-band HSDPA handset that supports global roaming and features dedicated 'send', 'end', and 'mute' keys, smart dialing, speed dialing, conference calling and call forwarding. It also features noise cancellation technology that offsets background noise, a powerful speaker phone and support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones.

AVAILABILITY

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone (model number: 9000) is scheduled to be available from wireless carriers around the world beginning this summer.

For more information please visit: www.BlackBerryBold.com.

(Source : RIM)

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06.05.08

Emails Can Actually Help!!! ..... Duh! BlackBerry Helps even more!

Posted in General & Corey Graham 2.0 & Caribbean & business & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & productivity | 23:01

I have been using my blackberry to send emails for almost 3 years now, and I have noticed some key benefits of sending emails -
- helps me stay on top of things
- it allows me to respect other people's time and schedule
- avoid the phone call yo-yo
- helped me to communicate complex ideas in a short and sensible way
- access important info in cases of emergency

Disclaimer
This all fine an good but you have to remember that the people you are dealing with check their email often. I should also warn you that the things you are about to read will sound very simple and obvious but a lot of the time we don't work it into our daily lives.

Respecting People's Schedule and Staying on Top of things
Emails generally allow people to deal with them at their convenience. You could get a much better response  out of people you are contacting if you are not demanding their full attention while they are in the middle of something. It could be in the middle of an important meeting or just having some personal time to relax, whether its your boss, business partner or your employee, we are all human and we all love to decide when we will tackle certain things. Some people like to deal with certain types of issues at 1 am and others like to look at them at 9 am. We are all different.
I know we don't always have that choice, but we can do our best to make it happen more regularly for ourselves and others.  I found that when you allow reliable people to have some choice in when they tackle things, it helps out everyone in the long run. Everyone just seems to be less stressed because they are working at their convenience.
The trick is to making this happen is to, PLAN, PLAN PLAN. This way you will be able send out things early enough to give people some time to check their email, digest what is actually in email and act of it, in a timely fashion.  They might need to re-work their schedule to accommodate a meeting, accept the assignment or make a decision on a change to a proposal.
Its always good to have that time to play with, something might come up, as it always does and that little time might be your lifesaver. Besides who likes to be in the crunch everything seems like it had to be done yesterday! When stress seems to be an air borne and spreading faster than an Ebola in an African village!
Hmmmm, Wait ! Stop ....  those you who are addicted to crisis, ignore that last part, you already have Ebola!
For the rest of us we rather ZERO STRESS. Also even if things do end up coming down to the crunch. The date on those emails can really save your behind. We all know this oh too well!
Yeah, but its not just ideas, there are things like checklist, action items, directions etc that are definitely better sent in email. I don't know about you, but I love to be able to pull back up the directions from email on my blackberry if you get lost!
 
Phone Call Yo-Yo
Phone calls can be disruptive especially so if you are in one of those meetings where passion seems to be oozing out of everyone's forehead.  
We know the cycle call - don't get through, leave message. Call returned. You are busy.
You call back again ... etc, all the while the hours are passing you by.
If you had sent an email and moved on to something else. The person could have read it at their convenience and respond to you, when their time frees up  and then your answer would be waiting in your inbox. This helps alot if a group of people you need to respond to something. If you are on the road? that's where blackberry comes in :-). Come on that was an easy question
The added benefit to this is that the email always stays in your inbox so you can go back to it anytime. Email is self documenting, no need to take notes, like you would on after a phone call.
Maybe your idea for that big fete doesn't fly this year, but 2 years down the road you see another opportunity and go into your email, pull back up your idea, brush it off and boom you score.

Communicating Complex Ideas
I like to communicate some of the more complex ideas in email too. It really helps me to get my point across. I used to be notorious for not being able to express myself or sell my ideas but now that is a lot easier for me, I put my ideas down in point form and show the pros and the cons and people get it. Lol, so now I can actually get people to understand what is going on in my big head, took me long enough.
Having a blackberry makes it easy for me to do this away from a desk and that is big, big plus for me.
Emails and my blackberry can make my life a whole lot easier for sure.
 I know alot of this is obvious, but we don't actually put in practice day to day, especially when we get caught up in the moment and everything feels like it urgent and its really not. Take some time to think about what you are doing and

Blackberry - Email Screening tool
I have all my email accounts added on my black berry - it can hold up to 10 and that acts like my messages center, so emails, text messages, phone calls and facebook messages all come on my blackberry.
Yeah its a lot of stuff, but I just use the phone as a sort of messages screening tool so that i have an idea of what stuff is coming and, and for the urgent things I can stop what I am doing deal with them the same time.
The Blackberry allows me to make mail from certain people priority and then I can make each email account with a different tone. I can decide which tone will sound, if the phone will vibrate or not or if the led link will blink when new stuff comes in. I have a different email setting for each email account and definitely helps with screening.
I can see everything in one mail box or I can look at my emails in their individual inboxes.
This helps alot because its an easy way to look over all the different things bombarding me all in one place. It can be a chore to stay up to date on everything, but its alot easier when you can catch up anywhere you please!

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03.05.08

CG 2.0 On My Blackberry Usage : Emailing

Posted in General & Corey Graham 2.0 & business & Mobile Technology & Blackberry | 15:04

I promised to Blog about my blackberry usage and I am going to get the ball rolling with the most basic feature of any blackberry and the feature its famous for -  sending and receiving emails. To be even more  specific, BlackBerry is known for their push email system which meant that you no longer had to download emails to your handheld device to view them, the emails are sent directly to your device as they came in.

Since I became the proud owner of my first BlackBerry back in 2005, the way I use emails has changed drastically. When you are sending and receiving emails on your phone in the same way you would send and receive text messages, there are alot of little things that change.
There is no more forgetting or being too busy to spare a moment to sit in front the computer and check mail. It is far cry from that, with a blackberry, you don't think, ok let me go online and check my mail. It simple, not much to think about you just check your mail and that's it.
No more weeks and weeks going by with unanswered emails piling up in your inbox. This makes it sooo easy to stay in contact with business associates, friends and family in other parts of the world. Its doesn't take alot of effort to pick up the phone and send a quick heads up email, or see how your family or friends are doing. It also helps alot that I also have an unlimited data plan, so that meant I could send and receive an unlimited amount of emails for no additional charges. I love this ALOT!!!!!!

At that time in the Caribbean though, sending and receiving emails on your phone was relatively new and not very widespread. If you were sending or replying to emails, people always assumed you must be sitting in front of a computer somewhere, but if they called and asked

Non BlackBerry user : Are you at home or work ?
CG 2.0 : I am on the road
A few seconds of silence (to respect this great technological feat! lol which i throughly enjoyed)
Non BlackBerry user : Sooooo, how are you sending these emails then?
CG 2.0 : On my blackberry

This was always a priceless moment especially if there was any kind of pissing competition going on, it was the moment the winning competitor was announced .... none other than CG 2.0 sponsored by Blackberry.

Besides the affordability and ease of sending emails and first place trophy in the pissing competition, there were some added benefits I stumbled upon from sending emails at my convenience. More on those benefits in a follow-up post!

Corey Graham 2.0
www.coreykgraham.com/blog

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25.04.08

FaceBook's Impact On Caribbean Entertainment

Posted in General & festivals & St. Lucia Carnival & Vincy Mas & Mas Bands & Caribbean & business & social Networking & marketing & festival & Mobile Technology & Blackberry & New Media | 13:20

Facebook has been changing the rules of engagement of entertainment in the Caribbean in a fundamental way, which we might be taking for granted.

The more established promoters might be saying,

Yeah CG 2.0, I know what you mean.

 Facebook is allowing for alot more small time/first time promoters to put together a campaign that attracts the kinds of numbers they are not yet prepared to handle.
What ends up happening, is that lots of party goers are going out to these parties and having bad experiences. This is making it harder to get persons to come out to events. In some cases people are associating a particular venue with flop parties ... and they are tonnes of similar reasons.

Not Quite the Fundamental Shift
Yes this is happening ... but that is not the fundamental shift I am talking about.
That's already happening with music production, video production and the list goes on and on. Technology is making lots of things easier for the average person to do. Its doing a good job of lowering the overhead costs to get started, and as a result, more people are doing it.

FaceBook has brought a deeper Web 2.0 experience to Caribbean Entertainment.

What is Web 2.0?
For those of you who don't know   about web 2.0 you can read all about it here on how stuff works.com. I would advise that you do read about it. Its very, very interesting.

In my own words -
Web 2.0 is a term used to dub the developments in the internet, primarily when it comes to social networking websites, and the idea of connecting people together. Basically it defines the move of the internet away from websites which you visit to get or give information, to websites which you can interact with, you can interact with with other persons online and build up or be a part of a community.  
Elements of Web 2.0 on the internet today would be

• comments. Persons commenting  on articles e.g. regular newspaper articles now allow comments online.
• blogging and RSS feeds where users generate the content
• owning your own piece of internet real estate free e.g. Myspace pages - click here
• users rating products
• sites for users of a particular product/skill/hobby. A good example of this is the rapidly growing Digital photography school

Other buzzwords that are associated are collborations, user generated content, viral, community oriented and lots more.

In terms of business, web 2.0 is causing companies well the tech savvy ones to build their websites in such a way that their customers and fans can form their own mini community where the customers

• interact with each another
• share their experiences
• post their problems
• suggest solutions to problems to each other
• notify the company of issues
• help the company in developing new products by providing feedback to new ideas or coming up with the ideas themselves
• and lots more.
• Its an eco system really more on that in a future post.

 

 This exactly what is beginning to happen to each promotion company in entertainment.
FaceBook Events has now become the standard across the Caribbean. Facebook Events are a vehicle for Caribbean party goers to connect with each other and have a conversation relating to the event no matter which part of the world they are in! Even an ordinary club night is on facebook events. 

It used to be a little harder for the average person to tune in on the buzz for a particular event. Now, its just a few clicks away on your facebook. You can hit up the event wall and see what people are saying, drop a comment of your own and see how people respond. You can check out how many people are planning to attending, and look at who is not going. And we all know how much that info will help us decide if we are going or not

This is a big, big difference from looking passively at a flyer on

• www.BoomTribe.com
• www.whaddat.com
• watever.com
• www.islandMix.com
• www.toronto-lime.com
• www.triniscene.com
• Kadooment.com
• www.Bajandancehall.com
• www.partyaccess.net

The next step was calling 10 friends or talk to your neighbourhood entertainment guru to try to get feeling for the vibe of the party. The problem is that sometimes your entertainment guru is employed to by the event so it hard to tell if the event they are suggesting is really the happening thing. Whose is when your friend looking for some action and just going to the party to meet up a new "friend". You going to hear how great the party is going to be, because they want you there for "support". I don't know about you, but I not big on that kind of "support". lol lol.

 Anyways, FaceBook Events is the way its going down now. The 3 weeks of marketing blitz radio, websites, tv and newspapers ain't going to be enough anymore.

Its not that simple anymore, people are talking to people and listening to what they are saying about the event.
Its about getting out early so that you can allow for the viral element to kick in. Yeah, watch your event spread like a virus. Let the people to interact - decide if they going - get excited and sell your event to other people. 
You can keep your ear tuned into the conversation on your event wall and find ways to get people more excited and talking more.
Just like you would in a bar when you hear people talking and your eavesdrop to hear what they think of your event. Street talk makes you tweak your promotion/event to fit your market better. It's the same with the FaceBook Wall Talk.

I consulted with an event last year, it was on facebook early, a full 5-6 weeks in advance.
The artwork was not done, sorry it was not even conceptualused yet. We were early and we let the viral element kick in. Its influence spread like a virus with each connection made. It was supported with some small things that kept people excited. The little things activated more conversations and developed new strains to the virus. 

It grew and grew and grew steadily, and evolved each week, by the time week 3 came, its momentum was unstoppable, radio ads were just another a formality. It was going up against another event with a major artiste performing in the same venue the following night. This first time event without a big name artiste and much less radio presence was holding its own.

In fact the second event asked for the artiste to show up and do a small set to promote the party the following night.
I knew the event was safe when a brand manager of a popular alcoholic breverage actually wrote a request to be contacted on the event wall. Yeah that's right and it was 1 week before the event!

I also watched it happen again and again with other events. All in different islands.  
The events were out early and let their value build and build like a virus. In some cases some more established events were struggling because they didn't work facebook as hard.

I'm just calling it how I am seeing it.

Yeah and like if all that was not enough, today facebook chat finally hit the caribbean 2 days ago.

It was actually launched almost 2 weeks ago, but it was slowly rolled out to the different networks over time.
Anyways it finally landed hit the Caribbean this week. t was the "talk of the town".
I heard people who are not very technie asking for a mobile version to the all new FaceBook.
That got me thinking hmmm, facebook might be in the number 1 spot as the Most popular mobile site in the caribbean? yeah hmmmm.

Another interesting fact is that Facebook's mobile application for blackberry is doing well too reaching 1 Million on April 1. the App was launched on Oct 24th
Download from www.facebook.com/blackberry and www.blackberry.com/go/facebook 

 

Its actually alot smoother than I expected and rather easy to use.  It was alot easier to use than the google talk broswer based chat. I was impressed.
Everyone seem to be very excited about it. Talking about moving away from msn messenger etc. Only time will tell if facebook chat will adopted over msn or other im programs. Time will tell, time will tell.
The clear advantage facebook has in its corner though are the connections. Many people have more FaceBook friends than they do on msn or any other chat programs. And your facebook friends list is ever growing.

Let's schedule a follow up post in August sometime to talk about it! I would have said July, but July is the month with 3 carnivals in it! Vincy Mas, St Lucia Carnival and Crop Over.

Talking of summer carnivals, facebook chat might add another  dimension.....
So now we have facebook chat, Lets say you have a profile dedicated to customer service for Mas bands and events, add the profile as a friend and people can ask their burning questions all day long!

Think about it - we are talking about Global customer support !

Cost?
Well that would be a grand total of $11 million dollars to set up, this system.
$0 to actually set up and $11 million to CG 2.0 for the idea. lol just kidding my ideas are priceless and never ending.
Enough of me.

For those of you with light bulbs going off in your head, just remember its not only customer support, but you can find out the concerns of your customers and fix them before you hit the road. Or have a good backup plans in case things go wrong.

I found out today that one Caribbean Business I actually incorporating FaceBook Chat in their marketing, Its actually a photo printing business Photo Finish. They are advertising support for their online ordering on facebook, using facebook chat.

Lots of food for thought. Lets see how it will evolve.


Corey Graham 2.0
www.coreykgraham.com/blog 

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21.04.08

A Blackberry Story - True Caribbean Blackberry Story

Posted in General & Caribbean & business & Mobile Technology & Blackberry | 18:16

Here are the things that different people might notice about me -
The following varies depending on your taste -

1. cute and hilarious
2. creative and a deep thinker and interested in what I have to say
3. He is always in know with the latest party.
4. He is 'popular' - he is in entertainment and has over 900 FaceBook Friends
5. crazy and definitely not "normal"

The common thing everyone seems to observe without a doubt is My Blackberry!
That boy always on his blackberry. At anytime and almost anywhere.

LOL, No its not because I am showing off, its just that I use my blackberry sooo often and for sooo many things. I take notes at meetings with it, record interviews with artiste, send emails, chat etc.

They have been times I used BlackBerry to advance myself socially.

Attention Grabber/Validation Feature.
It was a useful addition to suite of my flirting techniques.

EG.

CG 2.0 : Hi, you look niceee,

Gal : Thanks

CG 2.0 : How if the party going?

Gal : Ok

CG 2.0 : This DJ is killing the party.

Gal : Yeah

(One word answers from opposite sex along with signs of disinterest in conversation)Enter blackberry unsheathed from the hip to check the time.

CG 2.0 : Oh its 2:00 am. We still got a good 2 hours left... Let's hope it picks up....

Gal : Yeah I know I am here just dying to dance with you, sorry for being so cold before, but you know, this Dj is just killing my mood.
What's you name? What you doing after the party?

You get my point .....

Enchanced Customer Service Feature
This was a more practical everyday use. Once I unsheathed my blackberry from where it rest upon my hip, customer service clerks made it a point to deliver some damn good service.
I am serious! Lol

At my birthday lime last year, a very good point was made - Blackberry was not about blinging ... its beyond that. It's a status symbol!
I had to agree wholeheartedly lol. This was my experience especially with the older models I owned. Yup, with the trademark track wheel on the side. (Blackberry 8700g & Blackberry 7100g).


I think this was mainly because at the time within the Caribbean, Blackberry was exclusively marketed to business people and generally only business people owned them. So if you had a blackberry you were a businessman. Lol.  I was one for sure, cause I always meant business! Lol.

Today's Blackberry's are alot smaller  and marketed to everyone. My Blackberry Pearl is small and not as readily recognizable i.e. It cramps my style socially....  Nah, not really, its still a very popular phone in the Caribbean and growing in popularity in Entertainment Circles along with its cousin the Blackberry Curve.
....Occasionally I still get my status validated with the wide-eyed expression of the person next to me .... " You have a PEARL!"
lol, I love it!

Actually Using the Blackberry
Seriously though, having owned a Blackberry for 3 years now, I don't really get excited to show people the features of the phone like I used to. Now I just use it and make it work for me. I am always configuring it or changing something.
People come to me all the time asking me about Blackberry. Its really not so easy to answer them I have it configured to suit my lifestyle so it takes a little time for me to figure out how I can help them out. BlackBerry is second nature to me now. When I go to meetings i never take anything to write i just take notes. I just take notes on my blackberry. Its habit now.... This is still a foreign concept to many people in the Caribbean.

I believe we don't make proper use of Mobile Technology to make our life's easier. In fact I have had lots of "passionate conversation" with some of my friends about this. So I have decided to dedicate some time to blogging about mobile technology, esp its application into our Caribbean Lifestyle.
I am going to tell you how I can blog from my blackberry, and keep all my ideas for new posts all in one place on my blackberry. And how I can access these notes ideas from my computer which is always up to date with the last jottings from my Blackberry. My notes are automatically synced and updated wirelessly.

So look out for lots of tips on how to use Mobile Technology to work for you.

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