South Florida Filmmaker

Fear and Loathing in the Social Media Space: An Observation

Dan Perez — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:00:35 +0000

A few times, yes?

Now, how many times has said post actually named a particular person? Identified by name the object of their scorn and/or frustration?

Not too often.

This past week, I came across yet another such post titled "Is it time to embrace the social media faker?" by Matt Ridings, a popular internet marketing consultant. In the post, he calls out the authenticity of "this guy" (and “others like him”) in the social media business scene whose garnered quite the online reputation but, in the opinion of Mr. Ridings, “tweets nothing unique”, “writes nothing original” and seems “more concerned about image than reality”. Fighting words for sure.

Unfortunately, at least for me, this nefarious person’s name is never mentioned in the post. Why?

Now, I don’t know Mr. Ridings personally but I’ll hazard a guess that he didn’t want to shit where he sleeps; divide the so-called “leadership” of the social media world and have people choose sides. Perhaps, he’s concerned that he’ll be excommunicated from the social media fraternity; cast out like the leper. Maybe he just feels it ain’t nice to call people out publicly.

Then why write the post?

Sure it’ll get you plenty of, “I totally agree with you!” comments but is it really effective in creating change? If there's this level of frustration in the social media space with who’s a real expert, a perceived expert, or a poseur (and it has existed for quite some time now), how the heck is anything supposed to change if these frustrated people don't start not only identifying those who frustrate them but, more importantly, explaining why?

Without the name, it’s merely sound and fury signifying nothing. Barking without the bite. Blog fodder.

It's really not a matter of whether Mr. Ridings is right or wrong in his observations about "this guy" but at least it presents an opposing viewpoint; another perspective for folks to consider. I mean, a large percentage of people on the social media space are just sheep and/or stupid; you just have to show up with 100,000+ twitter followers and many of them will follow you like the rats enchanted by the sweet melody of the Pied Piper.

Most of them won’t bother checking your past history, real work experience or credentials anyway. Heck, if you’ve got that many twitter followers, you’ve gotta be pretty dang smart!

One-eyed Jacks is what they are - why not show the sheep the other side of the card?

We have no problem publicly expressing our views and engaging in healthy (and heated) debates on politics, religion, gun control, immigration, etc - but when it comes to social media, it appears it's better to stay shut and keep your social media club membership than to speak out against the practices of an industry whose credibility has fallen just short of used car sales. And guess what? It's the fault of its own "leadership" that it has become so.

Again, it ain’t about who's right and who's wrong – it’s about giving people something else to consider.

Maybe one of the sheep will say, “Gee, I never thought of that” or “Wow, why didn’t that guy ever disclose that?” or “Boy, I’m glad Mr. Ridings pointed that out about how that guy handles his business – I’m gonna go find someone else to follow and this time, I’m gonna do my homework!”

"Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" John 9:25

Ridings, when asked in the comments section of his post why he didn’t name a name, defended the point of his post as merely “that internal struggle with my dislike for something I find distasteful with the objective point of view that perhaps it can sometimes drive positive change.”

You wanna really drive positive change? Start naming names. It may make for an awkward situation if you and the person you call out are both attending the same social media conference but if you’re gonna take issue with how a person handles their business then give them a smile and a bro-hug at SXSW or Blogworld, then you’re a just a hypocrite anyway, right? Why not just draw a line in the sand and choose your side?

{But Dan, many of these social media "A-listers" are used to having their egos stroked by their following - they're a bunch of thin-skinned cry-babies who take the slightest disagreement with their ideology as a personal attack and sic their zombies on you, call you a "hater", say that you're just "jealous", "trying to make a name for yourself", mock you to their followers (Guy Kawasaki, anyone?) or even ban you from ever commenting on their blog again!}

So what?

If these people are gonna proclaim themselves as experts by merely regurgitating the words of Dale Carnegie, Jim Rohn, and Stephen Covey; label themselves as "thought leaders" by introducing fantastic ideologies that are totally disconnected from reality, and write "How To" business books despite never having held an executive position in any company AND PUT IT OUT THERE FOR THE WHOLE DANG WORLD TO SEE - shouldn't we be able to challenge its validity? Yes. Yes we should.

If not, then keep silent and simply repeat to yourself over and over again the words of Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone in “The Godfather II”, “This is the business we’ve chosen" - and then go write a post about Klout or something.

People love those, too.

Now, where's my "Serpico" dvd?

[Photographs by George Christakis]

The post Fear and Loathing in the Social Media Space: An Observation appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Comments

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Plus 5 more...

Video of the Week: “Reflection New York”

Dan Perez — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:26:46 +0000

This week's video is a unique look at New York City through the eyes and lens of French director Paul Mignot. It's a quest of pictures and portraits, the night disappearing for a new day...a new beginning.

It's pretty damn cool. Just watch it...

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can see other works from Mignot's "Mood Collection" HERE.

The post Video of the Week: “Reflection New York” appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Touching Miami with Love: Empowering Children & Families (VIDEO)

Dan Perez — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:00:11 +0000

Touching Miami with Love has been empowering the families of Overtown since 1995. Located just northwest of Downtown Miami, Overtown, an area that once thrived as the center for commerce and entertainment in the African American community in Miami and South Florida during the late 19th through the mid-20th century, has become one of the poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods in the state of Florida. The area experienced serious economic decline from the late 1950s through the 1960s with the construction of interstate highways like I-95 and the Dolphin Expressway. The-controversial urban renewal decimated the population by nearly 80 percent from roughly 50,000 to just over 10,000 today.

The children and youth of that beleaguered community need a safe haven from the negative influences and a place to develop essential life skills. Touching Miami with Love is that place.

The husband and wife team of Jason and Angel Pittman, who serve as the center's director and assistant director, have been serving inner city communities for the past 20 years. The Pittmans and their two sons, ages 9 and 14, live in one of Overtown’s small developments. "We think it's important to live in the place that we work", says Touching Miami with Love's director Jason Pittman. "Some of the practical reasons are really to experience what the folks that we work with experience."

I got to meet the good folks at TML while doing a short video shoot of TML's assistant director Angel Pittman for the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce's "Business Women of the Year" awards luncheon. I was so enthralled by their mission that I returned to shoot a longer version of the video. Here it is - hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and help spread the word, yes? Thanks, in advance...

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Touching Miami with Love: Empowering Children & Families (VIDEO) appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Video of the Week: “What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains”

Dan Perez — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:50:19 +0000

Epipheo Studios interviewed acclaimed technology and culture writer Nicholas Carr, the author of "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains," about how the Internet is influencing us. Carr's book, which was a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, elaborates on Carr's own celebrated essay "Is Google Making Us Stupid?", which he wrote for The Atlantic back in 2008.

With the Internet encouraging the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources, are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection? The results will astound you...

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here's a bonus video hosted by Kole Ross, the producer of "What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains", which gives you a "behind the scenes" tour of the hidden aspects of that video...

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Video of the Week: “What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains” appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Kevin Allison: E.T., Sexual Healing & the Search for Gay Bars in NYC

Dan Perez — Sun, 05 May 2013 16:22:26 +0000

Last summer, I had the opportunity to produce a series of videos for New York's premier multimedia art cabaret, (le) poisson rouge. One of the videos showcased The Soundtrack Series, a monthly live show that celebrates music and its effect on our everyday lives.

This week, I present you with Kevin Allison of the legendary TV sketch comedy troupe The State and currently the host of a live show and podcast called RISK! “where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public”.

Kevin was one of the presenters at The Soundtrack Series when I recorded the show back in July and his tale of sexual discovery after watching Steven Spielberg's "E.T." will leave you in stitches.

Enjoy...

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Kevin Allison: E.T., Sexual Healing & the Search for Gay Bars in NYC appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Movie Poster REDUX: Whimsical Posters by Ale Giorgini

Dan Perez — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:04:35 +0000

Ale Giorgini who's worked for brands like MTV, Vibe Magazine, Sony Pictures, & Virgin Atlantic. Giorgini's artworks are exhibited at Hero Complex Gallery (Los Angeles), Bottleneck Gallery (New York) and Mondopop Gallery (Rome). His works are also for sale HERE.

Enjoy...

The post Movie Poster REDUX: Whimsical Posters by Ale Giorgini appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Before ‘The Voice’: Karina Iglesias Live in Miami

Dan Perez — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:00:24 +0000

The Voice, Karina Iglesias had been performing right here in Miami for years. I actually met her while videotaping a friend's wedding in Kansas City(!) back in 2007. She was a friend of the bride and groom (who were from South Florida) and performed a few songs during the ceremony and reception.

Let's just say she wowed the crowd.

I reconnected with her back here in Miami and even offered to tape some of her live performances for what amounted to gas money. Heck, I had become a fan. So, if you haven't heard her sultry, soulful voice on The Voice yet, allow me to introduce you to the very talented Karina Iglesias as she performs original songs from her terrific album, "The Way" at the Van Dyke Café in Miami Beach.

Oh, and get behind her on The Voice, yes? Especially if you live here in South Florida. This girl's paid her dues. Trust me.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Need more convincing? Check out her audition on The Voice:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And here's her smoking hot head to head battle with Judith Hill performing James Brown's "It's A Man's World":

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Before ‘The Voice’: Karina Iglesias Live in Miami appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Video of the Week: OREO Separator Machine [Get that creme out of there!]

Dan Perez — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:00:51 +0000

The wheel. The TV remote control. The computer. The Sony Walkman. The iPhone. Now, add the OREO Separator Machine to that list. For those who wish to only enjoy the OREO cookie sans creme, this is the invention you've been waiting for.

From the minds of Heather Larimer and Michael Illick, of Portland based Last Ditch Creative (and physicist and cookie-part preferrer David Neevel), this one's for everyone who ever uttered, "Get that creme out of there!"

Enjoy...

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Video of the Week: OREO Separator Machine [Get that creme out of there!] appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Movie Poster REDUX: The Films of David Lynch

Dan Perez — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:00:07 +0000

David Lynch. Born to middle-class family in Missoula, Montana, Lynch initially sought a career as a painter before discovering an interest in filmmaking. Lynch ultimately moved to Philadelphia and enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It was there that he met his first wife, Peggy Reavey, who he married in 1967. The following year, she gave birth to his first child, his daughter Jennifer. Having little money, they were able to buy a house for $3500 in the crime-ridden Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. "We lived cheap, but the city was full of fear. A kid was shot to death down the street. We were robbed twice, had windows shot out and a car stolen", recalls Lynch. "The feeling was so close to extreme danger, and the fear was so intense. There was violence and hate and filth. But the biggest influence in my whole life was that city."

Explains a lot about the man's films doesn't it?

Since his humble beginnings in Philadelphia, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director and a nomination for best screenplay. Lynch has twice won France's César Award for Best Foreign Film, as well as the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival. The Guardian described Lynch as "the most important director of this era".

In short, there are very few directors you can even mention in the same breath with Lynch. His films have been described by authors Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc (in their book "David Lynch") as "so packed with motifs, recurrent characters, images, compositions and techniques that you could view his entire output as one large jigsaw puzzle of ideas". Let's hope he continues to share them with us...

Enjoy.

Eraserhead (1977) by Ben van Brummelen

The Elephant Man (1980) by Simon Cooper

Dune (1984) by Kevin Tong

Blue Velvet (1986) by Jan Mlodozeniec

Wild At Heart (1990) by Rich Kelly

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) by JazzberryBlue

Lost Highway (1997) by DJ Devereux

The Straight Story (1999) Official Japanese Movie Poster

Mulholland Drive (2001) by Gabz

Inland Empire (2006) by Ewa Bajek

The post Movie Poster REDUX: The Films of David Lynch appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Are You A Blogger Sell-Out?

Dan Perez — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:08:22 +0000

Hispanicize, a self-proclaimed “iconic annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, journalism, marketing, film, music and innovation”. In just four years, it’s become quite the event. Corporate sponsors, celebrity film screenings and Latino music stars were aplenty. I was actually contacted a few weeks before the conference by the good folks at General Motors, who were one of the event sponsors. Apparently, they got the crazy idea that I was a blogger of some import and invited me to attend the four-day event on their dime. They let me know that I was free to attend any event I wanted but they would love to have me at one of the GM sponsored presentations.

Now, I’m many things but I’m not ungrateful. So, despite a busy week of video shoots, I managed to make it down to Miami and pop in on their “How to Plan and Execute a Great Latino Blogger Event” presentation. And no, I have no intention of ever planning and/or executing a great Latino blogger event, but again, I’m not ungrateful. Moreover, I had always been curious about the growing interest from corporations to bloggers and the seemingly endless blogger events of all kinds going on weekly (it seems) around the globe. Attending this particular presentation, however, did make one thing unreservedly clear.

Bloggers are being used by corporations.

Now, I’m not talking about the A-List blogs with tens of thousands of subscribers; the interest there is pretty obvious – tap into their massive audience. That particular blogger, however, doesn’t really need the brand boost as they’ve already built up their audience and possess quite a bit of leverage. I’m talking about the mid-level blogger with a few hundred subscribers; the guy or gal that holds down a 9-5 job (or is supported by a spouse) and blogs on a particular topic (tech, fashion, parenting, filmmaking, etc) in their spare time. That blogger.

The blogger who saves up every year to attend conferences like Blogworld and SXSW because they feel they “have to” be there. The blogger who emails/tweets (stalks) the folks from the high-traffic blogs in the hopes of landing a guest post spot. The blogger who desires to earn a living by blogging. The blogger who dreams of becoming the next Arianna Huffington or Pete Cashmore (but deep down knows it’s just a dream). This is the blogger I’m talking about.

Now, let’s move on to where I start getting suspicious, yes?

The presentation featured a panel of social media/PR folks, Connie Burke, Communications Manager for General Motors, Rory Lassanske of Mama Contemporanea, a Spanish mommy blog, Megan Connelly, PR & Events Assistant Manager for Bloomingdale’s, and Jose Resendez, Account Executive for Fleishman-Hillard.

During the hour presentation, the panelists all stated that they give certain bloggers exclusive access to VIP events, offer them free beauty products, even give them a brand new car to drive for a week. What’s the catch? A blog post, that’s what. A positive blog post.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of a blogger who spends lots of time on their blog in the hopes of an eventual return (we all know that there are probably several dozen better ways to spend your time in the hopes of making money but to those who blog – more power to you). Along comes a major brand inviting you to an exclusive event, or giving you free products to try and/or to give away to one or more lucky readers of your blog, or offering you the opportunity to drive a brand new car around for a week.

Wow! All the hundreds of hours I spend blogging is finally starting to pay off!

It’s called validation. And when you spend a lot of time doing something for little to no money, we need it eventually, no? Validation means somebody has acknowledged that what you do has value; that you’re on the right track, that your tiny little blogger voice crying out in the online wilderness has been heard; that you matter.

Anybody who’s been there knows that feels good, right?

Ok, so here’s where I get suspicious. Corporations validate the blogger, reach out their hand to them like the cartoon guy to the girl sitting in the diner in the A-ha video "Take On Me", get them thinking about that private island they’re gonna buy with all the dough they’re finally gonna start making with their blog. But what the corporations really want is to channel their voice through the blogger to the blogger’s audience. I get that and I’m cool with it.

So here’s my dilemma: How credible is the blogger’s voice after that?

I get the whole full disclosure thing, but am I really gonna expect a poor write-up of a company’s product or service after they made that C-list blogger feel all warm and fuzzy with their validation? After they offered them free products? Gave them exclusive access to VIP events? Gave them cool stuff to give away on their blog? Let them drive a new car for a week?

Sure, it can happen. But then that blogger, who finally broke on through to the other side, can kiss away that relationship with that brand. Maybe even land on a corporate blacklist ("Bloggers Who Might Just Tell It Like They See It") and go back to just blogging as a full-time hobby. And what about the "perception" by your audience that your blog suddenly matters because GM gave you a car to drive for a week?

"Wow! GM let you drive a brand new car for a week? You must be a really important blogger!"

"Yeah, but then I wrote that the car sucked monkey balls on gas mileage and didn’t have enough horsepower to pass a Fiat on the highway. Now GM won’t return my tweets or emails. Oh, well."

There goes the private island.

I spoke about this after the presentation with Connie Burke of GM. She assured me that blogger honesty and integrity were very important in deciding who to let drive a brand new car. I believed her. My problem lies more with the blogger and their sudden feeling of importance. And what about ROI for GM using bloggers as spokespersons for their automobiles? Burke stated that other than the usual social media metrics (hashtags, mentions, etc), tracking sales is still a work in progress.

Megan Connelly of Bloomingdale’s informed me that she goes as far as establishing long-term relationships with her bloggers; staying in touch with them and really getting to know them. A wise move. People like people who like them...but do they really believe in the product? There’s the rub, yes? Do I still trust you or are have you sold out?

Ultimately, as in all things business, sales and profits will determine whether catering to bloggers (and the so-called online "influencers") can move product or not. But what about the integrity of the blogger? One day you’re sharing with your audience the deepest fears and desires of your soul, the next day, you’re pushing Pam Non-Stick Cooking Spray on them. When you stop telling and start selling, people are gonna get suspicious.

I’ve seen it happen. So have you. Especially in the mommy blogger circuit which has quickly become a main target of those eager corporations. So has the Hispanic community, as evidenced by the overwhelming corporate presence at Hispanicize. Hispanics accounted for most of the nation’s growth (56%) from 2000 to 2010. Moreover, with a purchasing power of $1.2 trillion dollars, big brands are looking for a way to engage with this fast-growing and fiercely loyal demographic.

And they’re also looking for a few good bloggers.

So as more and more corporations dig deeper into the blogosphere for brand ambassadors, I wonder what effect it will have on the state of blogging, which has already become a rank toilet bowl of redundancy and thrice told tales. Blogging today is more of a strategy than an artform anyway. Coloring by the numbers will often get you farther along than those who dare to color outside the lines. The buzzwords of "authenticity" and "transparency" have become as bastardized as the word "author" these days. People are gonna do what’s best for them - now and always. As long as you can live with yourself, I guess it’s all good, right?

If Metallica’s massive sell out with The Black Album taught us anything it’s that if you fail one audience, another, larger audience might just appear. That’s why we sell out in the first place, isn’t it? To get more. Lots of big brands are looking to hook up with bloggers to spread their message and lots of bloggers are looking to hook up with big brands to boost their blogging cred.

The blogging game has certainly changed, people.

But is it changing for the better?

[Photography by Helen Warner]

NOTE: I want to thank Catherine Cuello of profero.com and GM for their kind invitation, it was very nice meeting you all.

The post Are You A Blogger Sell-Out? appeared first on DanPerezFilms.com.

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Comments

Angie, Validation can be rather powerful for some bloggers ... by danperezfilms
I have to admit, when a brand/product approaches me about ... by Angie Uncovered
I got you covered on the low end. I'm a fan of the 75 hp Dacia ... by Stan Faryna
Rabab, So you're saying that the outlandish claims made by me ... by danperezfilms
Stan, I drive a Ford Focus and some of my other fave brands ... by danperezfilms
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