rbarnes.com» social media

Video is The Tale, Now Wagging the Dog :-p

Randy Barnes — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:28:49 +0000

This 30 Predictions for 2012 post has lots of great info and is one of my favorites. Notice how heavily video is involved in this conversation. In my view it lot of great advice and is worth using in revising your 2012 marketing strategy plan.

Predictions for 2012 - Video is King

Web Video

I Atlanta GA, we are fortunate to have resources for web video widely available and readily available. I offer a great package of video services from production and editing, to YouTube channel development. Visit my video blog to learn more about my offerings in Atlanta web video.

Atlanta Web Video Guy Randy Barnes, EzVideoGuy Blog

Video has come to age and is now the bulk of digital traffic around the world. The tail has indeed become the dog and is really just getting started. The TV networks I grew up with are fading fast in their old age. Many Youtube videos are out runining ‘real’ TV in numbers of viewers. Never has the mighty become so vulnerable when folks like you and me can get straight into their cookie jar.

Get started with video now. Use your camera everyday. If you have an iPhone then youve got one of the best digital [1080p HD video] cameras in the market. Video cameras are everywhere and can all be used effectively with a little testing and experience.

If you are in the Atlanta area, and want to learn more, one of the best ways is do join the Atlanta YouTube users through MeetUp.com. The monthly meetings will be a big help in getting your content online and ddelivering your message effectively 24/7.

the Batcave

Randy Barnes — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 03:58:17 +0000

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The Other Watergate Tapes

Randy Barnes — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:46:23 +0000

I went over to hear the Woodward and Bernstein duo lecture at Emory U, tonight. It’s just down the road, and it was free. Turned out to be a good worthwhile event.

My secret taping give me a little great pleasure. For those that missed Sam Irving and the Watergate Hearings I guess you can’t really get it. My favorite album in colleg was the National Lampoon’s Watergate Tapes spoof. Priceless.

which one looks like robert redford?

click to listen or rightclick to download the mp3

Here’s at least the 2nd half of tonight’s lecture.

Woodward and Bernstein

There Goes the Neighborhood. 7 Billionth Earthing Arrives.

Randy Barnes — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:35:28 +0000

The year 1804 the worlds population reached a billion. Soon after WW1 we topped 2 billion. Somewhere last week or next we welcome the 7,000,000,000th. Think energy costs are going down? Think jobs are going to be less competitive?

If I had children I’d be teaching them the value of dried beans and backyard gardening. Learn a foreign language and walk frequently.

This article is a good one with links to some others. Read it if you like. I just can waste what little time Ive got worrying too much about it.

Remember a billion is = a thousand million. It’s a big number.

Real Estate will likely come back, some day.

My Calendar

Randy Barnes — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:33:56 +0000

Rockstars Only Please ;-)

Randy Barnes — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 01:23:05 +0000

this is the audio from this #SMIATL Presentation:

it may disappear anytime so consume it or download it asap

Market Like A RockStar

Think Like A Rockstar

View more presentations from Mack Collier

Recording Rocktoberfest

Randy Barnes — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:23:05 +0000

Here’s a taste of Mikey’s Rocktoberfest. I have no way to give you a taste of the barBQ pork, brisket, and chicken, nor the fab sides desserts, the buckets of brewskies and coolers of cold ones. I can however share a bit of the entertainment.

here, for a while is a mp3 recorded with my Zoom H2. The first half is a little better recording than the 2nd half but it’s offered here as recorded and for what it’s worth.

Enjoy.

Gr8FL Dude & Frenz Live at Rocktoberfest

Your Google+ Profile Probably Needs a Makeover

Randy Barnes — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:09:40 +0000

Google+ is the hottest toy on the web these days and of course I can’t wait to try it out. I have been spending some quality time there this week and quickly noticed how poor the quality of my profile photo was. Then as I began to add other people into my circles I see their photos look awful too.

It seems to me that the profile pictures are being converted to 200 pixels square from a smaller size somewhere along the way and are becoming pixelated and distorted. That may not be true but whatever the reason I needed a makeover. Pronto.

Heres the original shot of my profile:

Bad Quality; google profile before -actual size screen capture

If your photo/avatar/image looks lame too, then you’ll need to take quick action. You shouldn’t have your image looking like a schmoe in this most important web platform ever.

To ‘fix’ this just
[1] click on you name,
[2] profile – then

[not pictured] “Edit Profile’ and
[3] change photo

log into your profile and get to work

Find a good image on your computer to upload. It will be ok if it’s not square as you can crop it after uploading. Use a large photo in a good quality that is larger than needed. Google’s system will convert it after uploading. You may need to test with several versions but the results will show immediately so you can get it right pretty quick.

That was a quick and easy improvement

Well I may not look any better but at least I’m much clearer Compare this last shot to the first.

If you have a google+ account then check your profile and adjust as needed. If you arent on board yet and want an invite let me know. I think you’ll like it.

Decatur Arts Festival With QR Surprises

Randy Barnes — Sun, 29 May 2011 02:49:33 +0000

well you’ll have to wait as I’m working on this – should appear memorial day

QR Codes r4me & R4U2

Randy Barnes — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:23:52 +0000

QR Codes are beginning to blast off and are being seen all over the place. I’ve been scanning and using these boxy little buggers for over a year now and I’m thrilled to see them in the real world. If you arent familiar with these thing then you’re going to have to get up to speed. Fortunately this is not very hard. You just need a smart phone and it’s off to the races.

My QR State of the Union

QR codes are recognizable to many more people than last year but are still a long way from ‘mainstream’.

Mobile scans growing at over 800% since Q1 2010- per scanlife.com

I wanted to see how many real world examples that I could find so I headed out on a local mission to find QR codes around Atlanta GA, as this is my home-base, and a top social media connected city. I had hoped to find some great examples of QR in the the ‘real world’. Have a look at this video to see the result.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fktYvYc75ck&w=425&h=349]

I’ve been seeing more and more QR at the tech events I attend including REBarCamp, ProductCamp, and RETechSouth. QR codes make good sense in these circles as many attendees are using smart phones and can quickly install and learn to use a scanner if they arent already.

A Very Short Primer on QR Codes:

In order to ‘use’ a QR code, it must be scanned. Many scanning apps are available for smart phones and this is where it all starts. One must have one of the tools in order to ‘read’ the code and make the leap to wherever the code leads.

One list of apps is found here;

These 2 dimensional codes were developed by an auto parts maker for inventory tracking and are capable of far more information that other barcodes. They are very reliable and sturdy meaning hold up well to scuffs and scrapes. The error correcting factor is big.

The developer and patent holder, has no interest in restricting its use by others, so it has become akin to open source.

QR Codes – An Easy Recipe

The codes are becoming very recognizable and are very easy to use. More and more will be appearing, and many may even prove to be useful, and accepted by regular humans. As smartphone use rises the QR use should follow, at an accelerated rate of growth.

Creating QR codes is very easy. There are many sites to do this and I’ll leave that for the reader to pursue. I’ll focus here on one of the easiest and most useful, IMO, and that is Google’s link shortner, http://goo.gl

In QR the information encoded is very often a url of some sort. By using goo.gl the link will be shorter, and will allow for tracking analytics. This is most a useful combination as marketers and is key in knowing what works.

Google link shorterner and QR code generator

The best use of QR is to direct the visitor to a mobile optimized page, which could be a video [my favorite! ] Sending someone to a regular web page is going to frustrate many users when they land there on a mobile screen.

When using print media like business cards, ads, signs, tent cars, etc, I would recommend a different code for each, even though they may all land on the same page.

One way I can think of to do this is to use the “?” in your url and use goo.gl to create the code to each

for example

http://rbarnes.com/qrpage?card0

http://rbarnes.com/qrpage?card2

http://rbarnes.com/qrpage?card3

http://rbarnes.com/qrpage?brochure

All of these URL’s are really the same as your browser ignores the “?” and stuff following it You may find this to be an easy way to track the clicks to each link via the different QRs. This way you can determine which of your marketing pieces is most effective.

This is just one of a million ideas and strategies you might employ with a QR promotion.

Hopefully this give you some ideas to get started in your own promos

The simple steps to QR Success

1.Create a mobile optimized page or video
2.Create a trackable URL to the page
3.Create a QR code
4.Print & distribute your code
5.Track your results
6.Rinse & repeat

Why You Should Consider Using QR Codes

It’s time
It’s free
It sets you apart
You will learn something
Very little downside risk!

Scanners – are Money ! [meaning people who scan codes have it!]
Most are men and most make over $50k yr!

QR Users Have Disposable Income, per ScanLife.com

Please share any comments or questions that you may have about QR codes !

Randy Barnes, aka rbarnesdotcom, is a geeky marketing guy with strong interest, ties, and influence in the social marketing world. Find him in most vibrant web communities and connect via your favorite. For some direct connection options just click or scan the code. If you cant find him there try the Waffle House.

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