I’m Pretty In Pink, Supporting Breast Cancer

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 – Gordon Collier, myself, and Julie Hays.

My colleagues and I rocked pink outfits in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s an honor to help promote annual detection and screenings for women who are over the age of 40.

My family like millions of others has been touched by breast cancer.

KWTX News 10 shows its’ support by hosting a big on air event allowing viewers to call in or join an online chat with experts answering questions about breast cancer.

I dare you. If you think are you are man enough – show your support for the fight against breast cancer by wearing your pink.

Web Tools Behind the Success of Project Tornado

[Jay F. Hicks (l) Rusty Garrett (c), and John Ghazzagh (r)]

I recently attended a Project Tornado session taught by News 10 colleague Rusty Garrett, to see what has Central Texas elementary students so fired up to learn.

Garrett said the kids are “giddy” since KWTX partnered with Region 12 Education Service Center several years ago on Project Tornado – to kick things up a notch as Emeril says.

I arrived to find the use of voice over the internet protocol (VOIP), and other new media tools on the education project saving time and gas, while reaching thousands of elementary students throughout Central Texas each year.

The News 10 weatherman and students are able to see one another and talk, creating a collaborative environment during the 30-minute tornado safety class via web cameras installed in classrooms.

Project Tornado Gear:

-Two 60 inch flat screen monitors

-Classroom web camera

-Green screen technology

-Interactive Software

During this session, Rusty demonstrated the science behind tornadoes, talked to students about what to do when tornadoes are spotted, shared tips on how to keep their families safe, and answered questions before signing off the web.

As an added bonus, photographs of each class are featured on air during the 6 P.M. evening news to reward their learning.

It’s a reminder that students learn when they are engaged.

Nielsen to Launch New Ad Measurement Tool

Proving a return is crucial to advertisers and Nielsen is hoping its’ new tool called Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings, for advertisers and media firms helps improve accuracy in measurement.

Television ratings has along been the measuring stick for over half a century and now it’s coming to the web. It’s the reason why Law & Order was cancelled by NBC. Advertisers depend heavily on television ratings to make the right investment.

In this digital world, head count is crucial. Television isn’t the same as the 1980s. Networks such as CBS have already expanded to multi-platform campaigns to reflect the landscape.

Not to be left behind, the Nielesen company is offering advertiser and web publishers a new measurement metrics to track how well a cross platform campaign is doing.

Clicks and impressions are not big favorites of advertisers and agencies when it comes to measuring effectiveness.

Powered by anonymous data and gender buckets reports the Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings will use reach, frequency, and Gross Rating Point (GRP) to measure the return of online advertising campaigns.

Basically, it is tv style rating for online venues such as Facebook and Yahoo.!

Here’s how it works. At the request of an advertiser, Nielsen requestests a pixel to find out how often a  display or video advertisement is displayed in a browser. If a user goes to a Nielsen partner such as Facebook and then visits another Web site where an ad that Nielsen is tracking is shown, Nielsen will put a pixel in the ad that will prompt Facebook to send Nielsen the age and gender of the user who viewed the ad.

Nielsen insists that the data will be viewed in the aggregate and not on an individual basis. According to Nielsen, third parties will not know what site the user came from or the identity of the advertiser.

Privacy is a touch subject. The Nielsen company has addressed privacy concerns saying users can opt out of participating and have vowed to not pass along any user information, nor will users be tracked from one site to another.

The online realm has sold its’ self as a different type of medium than is consumed differently. So while marketers applaud the announcement, it is to be seen whether using tv measurements of reach, frequency, and  (GRP) model will work well for the Internet.

The product will begin testing in the United States in the fourth quarter and will be available for commercial use in 2011.

Big Ten Top 50 Icons Interview on the Big Ten Network

I was invited to be a part of the Big Ten Top 50 Icons by the Big Ten Network featuring #19 Suzy Favor Hamilton – one of the most decorated female athletes in NCAA history.

This past summer, it was an honor was to be asked as the Senior Editor of PreRaceJitters.com, an elite track and field blog, to put into perspective the accomplishments of a once-in-a generation athlete such as Favor Hamilton.

Legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson hosts the Big Ten Top 50 Icon’s episode spotlighting the Wisconsin Badgers’ nine-time NCAA champion and 14-time All-American in track and field and cross country.

The Big Ten Network series counts down the top 50 student-athletes in Big Ten history.

Thanks again to Ashton Campbell, the Big Ten Network for the invite, and Suzy Favor Hamilton.  The Big 10 Top 50 Icons series includes household names such as #48 Drew Brees, #18 Jack Nicklaus, #20 Charles Woodson, and #34 Desmond Howard to name a few.

Back At Work, My Fly Whip

When you work on the web or in the computer industry it’s all about your whip.  I call my computer a whip because it’s all about speed, style, and size while working.

Although I have not thought much about a Mac Mini – it more than gets the job done. It was ready to go after wiping down the hard drive and loading up some of my favorite applications such as FireFox and TextWrangler, along with setting up iChat with my contacts.

Now you’ve seen my whip – what does your looks like?

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