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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the massive lines outside the Apple store have been for the much anticipated, release of the iPad. With over 450,000 sold, it appears that having the iPad will be as commonplace as the iPod. But while there are already 3,000 iPad-specific apps available, there is one thing noticeably absent – Adobe Flash. Apple has banned flash from any of its iPhone and iPad apps, instead choosing only programs developed in HTML5.

Another media mogul Apple is taking a bite out of? Google. Apple is challenging Google’s online advertising dominance with the introduction of the iAd platform, which allows advertisers to develop interactive ads within another application. Although Apple CEO Steve Jobs has concluded it won’t be able to compete with Google’s search advertising, he is hoping Apple can become the leader in the mobile advertising sphere.

The war on climate change is heating up as the NRDC Action Fund rolled out its new media campaign to one-by-one get the 68 Senators who are not actively pushing for comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation to get in the game. And Senators, if you think they aren’t serious, just look at the recent activity towards target number one, Scott Brown of Massachusetts…

While the NRDC Action Fund works on the Senate, fifteen-year old Parker Liautaud is showing his commitment to the environment by skiing to the North Pole. His expedition, funded by none other than General Electric, is in hopes of becoming the first person to check in at the North Pole on Foursquare, which will earn him the coveted “Last Degree” badge.

Freedom of speech has been not only a liberty our country holds with pride, but also the source of controversy when it comes to media. Most recently, the forces for a free and open internet have been dealt a blow by the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C., taking away the FCC’s power to move forward in it’s plans to get more Americans connected to a faster and cheaper internet, and potentially allowing Internet service providers to block internet content they don’t like. Luckily this future isn’t set in stone, and a majority vote of FCC commissioners could give the power needed to both protect consumers and close America’s digital divide. Go to savetheinternet.com to lend your support to this important cause.

The latest news from Twitter is bringing applause from the business community, as the site’s plans for a huge redesign shows a greater emphasis on data. Hopefully this will allow better insight into solving the riddle that has plagued many of us, Tweet R-O-I.

And the quest to solve new media riddles brings us to the CRUSH of the Week, where we highlight a number of individuals who are moving up in the world after making the leap from old to new media. Proving once again that the future where new media rules the day, well, is now.

Post from: Social Media Vision

CRUSH: The Great New Media Migration

Cutter Mitchell SpartX Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Cutter Mitchell comes from a solid background rooted in communications and management.  A Fromer Investigative Journalist and an optimist.

He has previously guest posted on my blog and is a New Media enthusiast.  Self described as a Serial Entrepreneur, New Media Executive who is driven to succeed.

Tell me a little about yourself Cutter?

Well, let’s see where to begin. I am originally from New Hampshire. It may be a smaller state but it is a great place to live and grow up. At the age of 17, I started my first business, painting homes in my community. Over the summers I managed to grow this business, turning it into a five person operation painting a couple homes a summer. This was my first taste of business. It was about this same time that I really figured out what I wanted to do; I wanted to own my own business; I wanted to be an entrepreneur.

That is what I ended up going to school for, entrepreneurism, at New England College. Actually, it was at NEC that I met my business partner Steve Gonzalez and together it was there where we came up with the idea for SpartX. 

It took a little more than three years from the conception of the idea to the launch of SpartX. Let me tell you, anyone that says starting a business is easy is lying. Its not, the idea and first steps are easy, after that it takes a lot of hard work. 

I am married, happily I might add, for over two years now, and together my wife and I have a daughter, Novalee. So that is where a lot of my time goes. Well to the family and to the business, which is like having a second family.

What do you do for fun?

 

Work. No, I’m kidding but not really. When dealing with a startup you really have to give it your all. I usually end up working to 2 a.m. That said, I do still have fun. I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter, and of course fishing, hiking, etc. when ever I get the chance. Because of the business I am in (networking) I obviously get out to a lot of events which is also fun and interesting. 

Explain what is SpartX?

 

SpartX provides people with the tools to network professionally in the 21st century.  Traditionally, people exchange business cards face-to-face, but what if people were not limited by space on their business cards, or an in-person exchange?  SpartX is an innovative solution which allows people to “virtually” exchange their cards through email or on a web page just as if they had reached through their computers and carefully placed their card on the screen. However, SpartX and the Virtual Business Cards do more than just a business card does on its own:  it has what is called a “digital backing.”  When a person clicks on your virtual card, all of the personal information you have placed on your SpartX site will be displayed for the reader.  This means your virtual card will have an entire virtual business card site of your design, just a click away.  The presentation as a business card is far more professional and eye catching than a reference to a link. 

 With all this information “backing” your cards, you are able to successfully network.  For example, a sales representative “backing” the card with information about his or her product is a way of not only networking, but also increasing sales.  For an individual seeking employment, “backing” the card with his or her resume is networking in the hopes of finding that great job.  Sometimes network success comes by someone clicking on your SpartX Virtual Business Card and seeing what college you attended, what sports you enjoy, or what jobs you’ve held. Whether the connection is made in-person and followed up digitally, or if it is a digital connection followed up by a person-to-person, the SpartX Virtual Business Card allows people to network in the language of today’s world.

Where do you see SpartX 5 years from now?

 

We (my business partner Steve Gonzalez and I) see the virtual business card becoming a common part of the exchange that is going on today. That exchange will happen with both a SpartX tangible business card and a SpartX Virtual Business Card. 

What other projects do you currently have now?

 

Right now we are focuses on making SpartX all it can be. Along those lines, we have several new features we are working towards integrating into the site that will further professional business card networking and virtual exchange that takes place through the SpartX Virtual Business Card.

How has Social Media affected your business?

 

It has and it has not. Let me explain that statement. Social media is a great way for companies and brands, both new and old, to get their name out there and generate buzz. However, the key is knowing your market, target demographic, and their behaviors. For SpartX social media has been key for getting our name out there, talking to people about what we do, and getting some initial feedback. But let’s face it, not everyone that uses business cards uses social media. While we maintain a blog (spartxblog.com), twitter account (@SpartX) and others, we are working our magic in the traditional media realm as well. Contrary to popular belief, old media can also be helpful at reaching people and promoting your business. 

What is your favorite Social Media Tool or Site so far?

 

I think the key to using social media is recognizing each of the different sites do something different and have a place. For instance, Facebook is a great place to reach college students and friends, but very few top level executives and other professional types are on facebook. Twitter is a great place just to network, but connections have to be furthered off the platform for them to become truly valuable. I guess if I have to pick one, I would choose Twitter only because it really is a 24 hour networking event that gives a company access to all kinds of from employees and company leaders to journalists and celebrities.

Where can people find you online?

 

Post from: Social Media Vision

Cutter Mitchell Co-Founder of SpartX – Interview

The New Media Revolution

By Guest Poster Cutter Mitchell

Cutter Mitchell is the CEO of the new media start-up SpartX.com and a former investigative journalist.

Follow Cutter on Twitter here

            Some may think the sell off of assets and struggling business models of media conglomerates, like Viacom and News Corp., are merely a symptom of an ailing economy. However, others argue a different cause.

            With the dawning of the Internet, something happened within media. This was the beginning of technological socialization. Everything began with the desire for information; information about everything. This slowly blossomed into social media, which let’s face it is really information about people.

            Now, the Internet as a whole is being taken one step further. It is going beyond merely socializing or information seeking and is becoming something more, much more. Users are driving content in ways never before seen.

            This New Media Revolution can best be illustrated by the analogy of a third grade classroom. In third grade there was that old adage, “No question is a stupid question.” But it was third grade, so no one ever raised their hand.

            Imagine sitting in that classroom for years and years on end. With the same confusing lessons being taught and those same questions never resolved. At some point, those third grade hands would start to go up. And that is precisely what is happening within media today.

            Instead of waiting for the teacher to call on them, these users have begun answering their own questions, for one another. In doing so they themselves have crafted the new, youthful face of media.

            This has lead to the transformation in not just one medium but all forms of media. Billboards are being digitally crafted for video games, television programing is being exclusively aired on the Internet, and there is still so much more to come.

            “It’s all about on-demand content. Users are screaming for what they want, and other users are listening. All we have to do, as new media companies, is listen too,” said Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder of Rico Media, Inc. Steven Gonzalez.

            And Gonzalez is right. Companies like Digg and Revision3 are listening to users and giving them exactly what they ask for.

            Digg is a new media news source that is the latest in online publications. Instead of some grey haired editor deciding what people should know, users “Digg” or vote for article either they submit or find on the Internet, and the articles with the leading votes go to the top for all to see. This set up makes users the sole drivers of content.

            Revision3, on the other hand, is a new take on the classic television network. Instead of being aired on any given cable provider, subject to the edits of the Federal Communications Commission, these shows solely broadcast on the Internet. While there is some variation of these internet television websites, the main difference being who can post a show, all bend to the viewer’s whim. Watch what you want, when you want to watch it.

            There is an added benefit to the new media revolution, and not just centered around content. Revision3’s Chief Executive Officer Jim Louderback has been quoted as saying the production costs for an internet television show is about 10 percent of what it costs to product a traditional network television show. The significance of this is more than it may appear. For the first time in decades, significant cost or substantial monetary investment is not a barrier to entry in this industry.

            This new playbook written by media consumers has effectively done away with the old, and has crafted an entirely new game. Before 2008, it would not have been possible to gain A list celebrity status by simply having an internet presence and a strong following.

            But individuals like Gary Vaynerchuk have done just that. Parlaying their niche, in his case a internet television wine tasting show, into all out fame and fortune. And he is not the only one.

            In this time of flux, companies emerging in this new media revolution are taking full advantage of the changing state of things, and are trying to take a small part of a market formerly barred by conglomerates.

            However, new media is not entirely what its name suggests. It actually is a term that refers to a transition, rather than anything completely new. Shows are still shows, whether on the internet or television, radio is still radio even if it is a podcast, and news stories are still stories even if they are written by a reader. New media is just a way to explain the transformation that happens every so often within the communications industry.

Post from: Social Media Vision

The New Media Revolution