Status Update #29 – Beautiful Lumia

Posted on by
Reply

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Status Update #29 – Beautiful Lumia
Monday September 10, 2012
Hosts: Jacob Bodnar and Jared Weseman

STORIES
Click here for links to all of this week’s stories

Connect with Us
Twitter: @StatusUpdateRTM
Facebook.com/StatusUpdateShow
Status Update on Google+
su@redtie.tv
781-733-8436 (781-RED-TIEM) – leave a voicemail
Jacob’s Twitter: @JacobBodnar
Jacob’s Google+
Jared’s Twitter: @JaredWeseman
Subscribe: RSS Feed | iTunes
Status Update is a member of the Tech Podcasts Network

iPhone 5 Predictions

Posted on by
Reply

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Apple’s got a big announcement Wednesday.

The tech giant is expected, okay let’s be honest, they will announce the latest edition of the iPhone. Planned to be dubbed the iPhone 5. Apparently Apple is taking a cue from Microsoft and Windows 7, as the iPhone 5 is in no way the fifth generation of the iPhone.

Regardless, it is expected to be a huge seller – after all it’s an iPhone – but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily be the best phone on the market, at least spec wise. So ahead of the iPhone announcement, I thought I’d take this opportunity to breakdown how a company that popularized and was a trail blazer in the smart phone market, got behind the times. Count this post as not only my official predictions for the iPhone’s internals and features, but also my rebuttal to Apple’s inevitable proclamation of innovation and leadership.

The Screen
We can just about write it in stone; the new iPhone will have a bigger screen. Furthermore, it will not be wider than the current models. Apple seems to be stuck on their current design for the iPhone, it is a slender phone, not short and not fat. However, it looks like the iPhone 5 will grow up a little, stretching a tad bit taller to make a 4″ screen instead of a 3.5″ screen. This is a necessary change. In a world where one of the best selling phones of the year was an astounding 5.3″ screen behemoth, Apple needs to catch up to the natural evolution of smartphones.

I use an iPhone, the screen size is a problem. It is difficult to type, and clearing notifications is frustrating. Plus, as phones become more media and gaming focused, larger screens will be demanded.

I’d be incredibly surprised if Apple attempts to claim leadership or innovation in regards to screen size, even the original Motorola Droid, released in October 2009, touted a 3.7-inch screen, and Android screen sizes settled around 4.3-4.5-inches well over a year and a half ago. Apple desperately needs to catch up in the screen size department, and this is their opportunity.

The Network
When the iPhone 4 debuted in 2010, I vividly remember telling people that it did not have 4G connectivity. People corrected me by saying, “isn’t that why it’s called the iPhone 4?”

No.

So when Apple announced the iPhone 4S, I was expecting 4G service.

Still a no.

With the iPhone 5 Apple must be including LTE, right?

Maybe.

There are still people that believe LTE might be left out of the iPhone 5. I can imagine Apple having concerns with putting LTE in the iPhone. There are two main problems with LTE; size and battery. The iPad 3 is slightly larger than the iPad 2 due to LTE. Not only radio size, but a bigger capacity battery has to be installed to accommodate the battery hefty LTE radios. Apple is a stickler for good battery life and svelte figure, there’s a chance they could see LTE as a bigger con than pro.

However, consumers want LTE. It is fast. And if Apple is going to attract deflected Android consumers, they will have to include it. Nearly every mid-range and high-end Android smartphone sold today includes LTE. And AT&T and Verizon both have formidable networks, while Sprint and T-Mobile are building theirs out. Going from LTE to 3G is like going from an Audi to a Chevy Aveo. Consumers might not know what NFC is, another common Android technology, but they know what LTE is, and they will be disappointed if it is not included in this latest iPhone.

My prediction: Apple will have no choice but to include it. They will claim it is super fast and will take credit for making your iPhone network speeds faster. Just remember, the first Verizon 4G LTE phone, the HTC Thunderbolt, debuted in March 2011.

Other Hardware Features
With LTE on board and a larger screen, Apple will have to include a bigger battery. Whether this is at the expense of the iPhone 5′s thickness remains to be seen. I’m hoping Apple has some battery technology up their sleeve that will increase battery life by immense amounts. I doubt it. And if they did, it will likely be patented to the high heavens, so I’d have to buy an iPhone to take advantage of it. A bigger battery will be included, but I’d say not much bigger than the current battery in the iPhone 4S. Which will make Apple still far behind on battery size, the iPhone 4S has a talk time of 8 hours – the leading smartphone battery, the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, boasts 21 hours of talk time.

The big question mark on the hardware front is NFC. Short for Near Field Communication, NFC is a technology that allows two pieces of gadgetry to speak to one another wireless. It usually involves some type of physical movement to connect, generally in the form of a tap together, and information can be transmitted from one device to another.

The biggest user of this technology on Android is Google Wallet. An NFC enabled phone with Google Wallet can transmit payment information at the checkout counter of a store, so you don’t have to take out your wallet and credit cards. It has been a slow moving adoption, but is picking up steam now that Google has opened the doors to more than just MasterCard Citi Bank cardholders.

There is much contention regarding the inclusion of NFC in the new iPhone. I say Apple does include NFC, but they won’t label it as such, they’ll likely have some flashy name for it, and present it as a function rather than a feature (see Apps for more details).

Again, Apple would be well behind the times if they include this feature, although they’ll likely dub it as revolutionary. The first phone to feature NFC was around before the first iPhone was even announced. It was the Nokia 6131 circa 2006. The first Android phone to include it was the Samsung Nexus S in 2010, and it was popularized with the Galaxy Nexus in late 2011.

The Apps
While Apple has already introduced the world to the operating system that the iPhone 5 will run, iOS 6, they oftentimes announce new apps or software features at the iPhone keynotes. Siri was a surprise to the tech world when the iPhone 4S was announced, what could be up Apple’s sleeve this time?

I do not think they will announce significant changes to Siri. Some believe Apple might introduce the API for Siri, allowing Siri to interact with third-party applications. But given the fact that Apple does not even allow applications to include themselves on the share menu throughout the OS, I doubt we will see an API for Siri. We might see integration with Twitter or Facebook, but nothing on a wide scale.

There have been rumors recently that Apple might introduce a streaming radio service, much like Pandora or Spotify. I’m not sure what the logic is behind that decision, but it would further bolster Apple’s entertainment offering. But just remember, Pandora has been around since early 2000 – seven years before the original iPhone was announced. And Spotify has been available in the states for over a year. Anything Apple does would just be riding their coattails.

Personally, I think Apple introduces a new streaming audio service and an expansion of their previously announced Passbook app.

Passbook as it stands now just collects cards and tickets, and other items you might keep in your wallet. In other words, it aggregates items you have already paid for, it does not enable payments. I would not at all be surprised if Apple turns on an additional feature of Passbook, mobile payments, and if Apple does that they will have major retail partners waiting in the wings.

This is a stretch. I think Apple is going down this path eventually but not now. We would have heard a rumor by now, given the sheer number of people that would have been involved with negotiations like that (credit card companies, retailers, etc.) But Apple has to have some “innovation” in this announcement, right?

Well, technically even if they announce mobile payments, that’s hardly an innovation. Google Wallet was announced in May 2011, and Square opened shop in May 2010.

The Dock Connector
Apple will without a doubt introduce a new dock connector, a much smaller nine pin connector to replace the old 30 pin connector.

This will leave many current iDevice owners with third party docks, speakers, and other devices that no longer work with the latest iPhone. I have no problem with Apple making this change, it needs to happen to make room inside the device, I have a problem with their control over the third party market however. The rumor is they have yet to supply vendors with the technical documentation for the new connector, which means at initial launch, Apple will be the only vendor able to sell any type of dock or connector for the phone.

We thought Microsoft was thumbing their nose to OEMs when they announced the Surface tablet. The iDevice accessories industry is huge. For Apple to take control of it like that is irresonsible in my opinion.

Personally, I wish Apple would make the switch to Miro-USB, a standard that is in nearly every Android phone, and some tablets, and is good for the consumer. However, I never expect that to happen.

There you have it, my official predictions and rebuttals to all of the “innovations” forthcoming in the new iPhone. I believe that covers all of the major rumors. I hope Apple has something up their sleeve. If this announcement is just another bland “catch-up to Android” announcement, this could be very disappointing. Sure, they’ll sell millions of these devices, but Android isn’t getting any worse. The Android software is equal to iOS, if not better, and the hardware is beginning to catch-up. Apple cannot take their standing for granted.

And that, my friends, is why I have a bad taste about Apple. They have stopped innovating. They use to take risks. I admire risk takers. Now, they wait around until Android manufacturers and Google take the risks, and then play catch-up. They are taking advantage of their standing. I want Apple to innovate and take risks again, I hope that resumes on Wednesday.

–jb

Status Update #28 – OptiContrast

Posted on by
Reply

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Status Update #28 – OptiContrast
Sunday September 2, 2012
Hosts: Jacob Bodnar and Jared Weseman

STORIES
Click here for links to all of this week’s stories

Connect with Us
Twitter: @StatusUpdateRTM
Facebook.com/StatusUpdateShow
su@redtie.tv
781-733-8436 (781-RED-TIEM) – leave a voicemail
Jacob’s Twitter: @JacobBodnar
Jacob’s Google+
Jared’s Twitter: @JaredWeseman
Subscribe: RSS Feed | iTunes
Status Update is a member of the Tech Podcasts Network

How Do You Use Social Media?

Posted on by
1

I was attempting to fall into an interesting and important discussion today on Guy Kawasaki’s Google+ page.

Guy had posted a political story, and several of his followers, including me, displayed their displeasure at seeing a political story in what is normally a feed comprised of technology and social media stories.

I made the point that posting political stories is at the discretion of the poster, but it could turn off people who followed (or circled) you because of your primarily tech and social media slant. Personally, I’ve been purging people who post too much political content, because I find it distracting and unnecessarily nasty. Once upon a time I was incredibly ingrained in political discussions, anyone who has read this blog for several years knows that (all my political content is still available) and I hosted a political podcast for six years.

I got out of politics because in many ways it brought out the worst in me. I got angry and oftentimes it got too personal. So I stepped away. I still enjoy it, but I consume it on a much smaller basis.

Guy asked me directly if I would stop reading the New York Times because of their political outlook, I responded by claiming he completely missed the point. My point was not that I stopped following people because of certain political views, it was that I stopped following people who posted too often about politics and I followed because of their “expert” status on social media or technology.

I treat social media very different from traditional news, as anyone should. I have complete control over my social media feeds, and they are often how I consume most of my news. As I’ve posted before, I use Facebook as a personal feed, Twitter as a free-for-all, and Google+ as my collection of very smart social media and technology people. Google+ is where I have most of my intelligent discussions, and so I attempt to keep my feed as technology and social media centric as possible.

But I’m not perfect, and Guy was very quick to point that out. He essentially called me a hypocrite by claiming I follow Michelle Malkin and Newt Gingrich, and then saying “looks like you have some purging to do.”

Comments like that are why I stopped talking politics. The third grade bickering and personal jabs are old and tired. Political conversations more often than not get sidetracked by personal discussions about what the other person said or how they are personally hypocritical. I’ll be honest, I did not expect that kind of response from Guy. I’ve always regarded him as someone personally curious, and interested in social media discussions.

I was wrong. But at least it fostered an interesting topic.

How do you treat your social media feeds? And furthermore, how do you treat politics from people that you followed for another reason?

I’ll start by saying, I should make it clear, I don’t mind if you post politics, I would just like it to be infrequent. If it is not, I will simply unfollow you, that does not reflect negatively on you, I just don’t want to hear it.

That does not mean I don’t follow political discussions. Google+ circles are powerful. And I use them to segment political posts, and technology/social media posts. I followed Guy for social media, not political content, if he posts a few political stories, fine; but his political posts had become more frequent and less fair. Do I follow political pundits? Yes, but I have them in my political circle, which I reference from time-to-time and when I’m in the right mindset. Google+ makes it easy to switch between feeds, you’d think the man who wrote what many call the best book on Google+ would know I likely segment my feed this way.

My basic rule is this – if you are marketing yourself on social media as a technology pundit or social media pundit, and you post too often about politics, I’ll likely unfollow you, regardless of your political views. I’ve done this most recently with Guy and Jeff Jarvis.

But, just like math, there are exceptions to the rules. Mike Elgan does a great job of posting infrequently about politics. But when he does, it is usually a fair, unbiased assessment. That, to me, is okay.

However, there is an entirely deeper level to this that has me thinking. How do I treat the idea that social media can make a “famous” figure more personal? I enjoy personal posts from Elgan, or Guy, or any other relatively “famous” tech or social media poster. It makes them more human, and it makes their other content more genuine. If politics is truly a sizable part of their life, shouldn’t they be permitted to post about it without repercussion?

I’m not sure I have an answer to that question yet. It is something I’ve personally struggled with for some time. When I made the switch from politics to mostly technology and social media, my Twitter was 100% politics. I was driving many social media people to my Twitter account, but I did not want them to be turned off by my political discussions.

My solution was to have two Twitter accounts, one for social media and technology (@JacobBodnar) and one for political discussions (@JacobPolitics). This gave me the power to not only distribute content to a targeted audience of people that wanted to consume it, but also gave me the ability to segregated my Twitter streams by topic.

But wait, that brings up another question. As a contributor to social media, should your accounts be segregated by topic or person? In other words, as a person interested in sports, politics, and technology, should I have an account for all three? Or just one account where I posts what’s interesting to me?

Armin Auth sort of asked this question on the Guy Kawasaki thread that I was interested in, posting “Guy Kawasaki keep posting what is of interest for you, who is not interested may just walk away.” ?

Although that’s technically not a question, it is a good question. I’m not sure how to properly run social media accounts. I’d like to say that you should post what is interesting to you. But then are we assuming that social media accounts are about you and not the community you build?

I’d be more prone to fall on the side of the community. I participate in social media to find people that have similar interests and then have great discussions with them. We connect not necessarily on a personal level, but rather on a topical level. I find my community members because they are interested in topics I post about, and we then have discussions about that topic. It might be fun to share personal posts with them, and it certainly makes that connection deeper, but the primary discussion is centered on a singular topic.

Just like in real life. I have friends I know I can talk politics with, and friends I know not to discuss politics with. Politics is just one of those topics. Like religion, it will rarely lead to a good conversation, you’ll just walk away with a bad taste in your mouth. Personally, I think its just common courtesy to avoid politics if you don’t know how it will be received.

You are free to post what interests you, but be sensitive to the reason your community is following you. You should know what topics they’d be interested to hear, and the topics that might turn them off. Social media is not about you, it’s about the community you build.

So have I answered my conundrum? I’m not sure, I’ll continue to think about it, and I’m sure it will continue to be a pressing question for many people building communities online. With that in mind, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic.

–jb

Why Obama, and Most Politicians, Don’t Get the Internet

Posted on by
Reply

If sitting in front of a computer and typing equals “getting the internet,” consider me an expert.

President Barack Obama recently conducted a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything).

If you are not familiar with an AMA, that’s okay, most are not. It is where a usually famous person allows users of Reddit to, well, ask them anything.

The idea being that users will get any question they want answered. Now, this is hardly the case. The poster has the discretion to answer a question or pass it by, so questions that might press an issue the poster does not want pressed, will go unanswered.

But the spirit of an AMA is to be transparent and answer questions that normally would not get answered. To be fair, Obama may have technically conducted an AMA, but he basically spit in the face of the spirit.

To be fair, I believe any candidate for office would have done the same. These campaigns are so scripted, so orchestrated, that allowing the candidate to answer and post whatever they want is a sin. But what bothers me is the internet’s response to Obama’s AMA.

The Verge may have represented the feeling the best by saying, “President Barack Obama’s half-hour ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit earned the president credibility with young digital natives and an affirmation that the president ‘gets the internet.’”

That has been a consistent praise of Obama, that he “gets the internet.” I agree, if the barometer for “getting” is that he knows the tools that the internet provides. Knowing how to use those tools, and how those tools change communication is another thing.

The Verge goes on to claim, “Mitt Romney’s purchase of a Twitter trending topic, announced the same day, seemed like astroturfing by contrast.” A rather unfair assumption if you ask me. Do we think businesses are “astroturfing” when they purchase a Twitter trending topic? Do we assume they don’t “get the internet?” When candidates purchase ad time on TV do they “not get TV?”

Of course not.

The internet has a bit of a double standard when it comes to politics and business (or brands). We expect brands to engage, to converse, to be transparent. We expect politicians to…have a Twitter account?

What Obama’s AMA shows is not that he “gets the internet” but rather than he simply found another channel to broadcast the same messages and conversations. To me, social media is not simply about using the tool and having a profile, it is about changing the way you communicate. It is about being more open, more transparent, and more accessible.

Obama has not done that. Romney has not done that. Neither of them truly “get the internet.”

We expect all brands on Twitter and Facebook to immediately answer our queries and provide great customer support while also being more open and transparent than if we were simply dialing a call center. Why are we not demanding the same from our politicians?

I will be excited when a politician steps away from the talking points and stump speeches and truly opens up to the internet. I want them to truly embrace the power of the internet, not simply have a profile and periodically tweet lines from speeches and witty one line comebacks. The power of social media is not the ability to post pictures and words quickly, its the ability to shorten the distance between business and consumer, politician and constituent.

Obama used Reddit as another channel to push the same words, instead of a tool to truly be open and transparent, to bring himself closer to the voters.

I don’t applaud Obama’s use of Reddit, Google+ Hangouts, or any other social media service. His campaign and staff have been cunning in the tools they are using to disseminate their message, but they have not truly embraced the power of social media to be more transparent and open.

I understand that transparency and openness flies directly in the face of every tenant of political communication, but that does not mean we should just allow it to continue. Businesses were the same way, carefully crafting press releases and having the legal department and corporate communications meticulously look it over. Social media users forced them to change their ways of communicating, and now if a business fails to embrace social media, they’ll likely pay for it eventually.

Politicians have instead been coddled on social media, as we eat their carefully crafted messages with a golden spoon. Where’s the same level of pressure?

But not all is lost, there are some politicians that are truly embracing social media to be more open and transparent. Michigan Congressman Justin Amash uses his Facebook page to explain his rationale for each and every vote he casts in the House of Representatives. He even posts the rationale for mundane stuff, like adjourning Congress.

Why have we not heard more about Amash? He’s a politician actually harnessing the power of social media; using it to bring politician and consistent closer. To me, it’s a shame we give Romney and Obama credit, when Amash is using these services in innovative and constructive ways.

I refuse to claim that any politician “gets the internet” simply because they heavily use it. When they alow the internet to change the way they communicate, then they will truly “get it.”

Status Update #27 – Read the Instructions

Posted on by
Reply

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Status Update #27 – Read the Instructions
Sunday August 26, 2012
Hosts: Jacob Bodnar and Jared Weseman

STORIES
Click here for all of the links to this week’s stories

Connect with Us
Twitter: @StatusUpdateRTM
Facebook.com/StatusUpdateShow
su@redtie.tv
781-733-8436 (781-RED-TIEM) – leave a voicemail
Jacob’s Twitter: @JacobBodnar
Jared’s Twitter: @JaredWeseman
Subscribe: RSS Feed | iTunes
Status Update is a member of the Tech Podcasts Network

Status Update #25 – I’ll Explain it Later

Posted on by
Reply

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Status Update #25 – I’ll Explain it Later
Sunday August 12, 2012
Hosts: Jacob Bodnar and Jared Weseman

Note about the show number: We accidentally published last week’s episode as number 26 despite it being number 25. We said during the episode it was number 25 however. So this week, we presented the episode as number 26, yet we are publishing it as number 25. Understand?

STORIES
Click here for links to all of this week’s stories

Connect with Us
Twitter: @StatusUpdateRTM
Facebook.com/StatusUpdateShow
su@redtie.tv
781-733-8436 (781-RED-TIEM) – leave a voicemail
Jacob’s Twitter: @JacobBodnar
Jared’s Twitter: @JaredWeseman
Subscribe: RSS Feed | iTunes
Status Update is a member of the Tech Podcasts Network

Luxury in Social Games

Posted on by
Reply

Whew! I’m back!

Maybe that’s not the best exclamation, kind of sounds like I was in the middle of a conversation and just remembered I left the stove on, I ran to turn it off, and now I’m back!

Rather, I’m simply back from a little personal hiatus to get my life aligned (and good news, my stove is current off). I’m working now at Kellogg’s in Digital Marketing IT, I’ve settled into my apartment in Battle Creek, and I’m ready to start doing some regular posts again about social media and technology. Status Update is going into its second week of hiatus, but have no fear, assuming everything works out, we should be back to new episodes next Sunday.

I’ve missed a lot of social media and technology stories, but instead of rehashing them all and offering my two cents, I will leave them alone, and simply move on to some new content.

Which brings me to, social gaming! I’ve been extremely intrigued by the social gaming world and how marketing and advertising is slowly being integrated into not only social gaming, but gaming in general.

For starters, advertising and product placement has always been in games. Racing games particularly have been known to feature billboards on the side of roads with certain advertisements, or various cars that car makers may or may not have paid money to feature in the game. However, it was never in a wide scale, and games that seemed ripe for the product placement picking were seemingly left out.

That tide seems to be turning. I spoke on Status Update a few weeks back about product placement in The Sims; a game which is a perfect fit for some advertising. If you are not familiar with The Sims you are either old and don’t have children, or well, that’s about it. Otherwise, I’m sure somewhere in life you’ve come across this simulation game. The idea is rather simple, you run someone’s life. You tell them to go to work, what to eat, you design their home, control their relationships and try to keep them as happy as possible. It’s like tamagotchis on steriods (confused? click here).

This game is a perfect stomping ground for advertisers. People want the game to be as realistic as possible, so buying products that a real life person would purchase, is an added bonus to the game. Advertisers have taken note and several have worked out deals with Electronic Arts and Maxis, the makers of the game, to feature their products in the virtual world.

And now, we can add a luxury car maker to that list. Mercedes will now allow players of the Sim City Facebook game to add dealerships, factories, and billboards to the game. Just another way to make the virtual world a little more life like, and thus more engaging and enjoyable to play.

But wait? Why would Mercedes advertise in a game that is predominantly played by young people? Don’t old people and ridiculously wealthy people drive Mercedes? The kind of people that probably are not spending their downtime playing Sim City on Facebook?

Short answer. Yes. The younger generation are certainly not Mercedes main demographic. However, that does not mean they should simply ignore them. Brand image is important to build. Mercedes is seen as a luxury brand, they did not build that image by simply running ads in AARP magazine and on CNBC, they built that image by creating a brand and a product that young people aspire to own and drive. It is important to instill and cultivate that image in the minds of young people. Creating a luxury brand within a platform that young people utilize is a low-cost and engaging way to do that.

Overall, I’m intrigued by what some brands are doing within social gaming. Mercedes in particular has done a very good job of integrating into the gaming environment. Facebook friends partake in the entire Sim City neighborhood, so by placing a Mercedes dealership or factory within the game, all of the participants see and interact with that factory or dealership, not just the player who built it.

We are seeing similar integration in Draw Something, where brands can buy space and have users draw their branded products. Players don’t mind because it is within the bounds of game play, and brands should love it because it forces deep interaction and thought about the brand. It is not simply seeing the brand name and registering that it was seen, it is seeing the brand name, thinking about what it means, and then outputting media that visually describes that brand. It is deep interaction. All without feeling like an advertisement.

Which should raise some legal red flags, and I’m sure there are plenty of lawyers in enterprises right now raising those flags. There is a whole litany of laws about advertising to children. Ever wonder why children’s programs explicitly tell viewers the program is “taking a break?” That’s federal law. Children have trouble discerning between entertainment and advertisement, so there are laws protecting them and forcing brands to take extra measures to make sure their advertisements are labeled and understood as such.

Which makes this whole social gaming product placement discussion murky. Children aside, there is a robust discussion about labeling advertisements to adults. Product placement has always been accepted in movies and TV shows – media in which we simply consume, not interact. Will consumers find the same apathy towards product placement in games they play and think about? We’ll see. But it is an interesting discussion none-the-less.

Either way, if a brand sees an opportunity, I think looking deeper into social gaming as a marketing tool is constructive and healthy. Get out in front of what is certainly a meaningful interaction with potential consumers, and I think it will pay off.

–jb

Please Excuse my Absence

Posted on by
Reply

I’m back!

Sorry for being gone for so long, it has been several weeks since I’ve posted anything meaningful on here. Okay, so it has only been about a week and a half, but I have been awkwardly silent compared my normal post schedule. But as always, I have a reason.

In the past week, starting on Wednesday June 27, I’ve had a job interview, received a job offer, gone apartment hunting, signed an apartment lease, worked a full schedule at my current job, and have gone through all of the necessary motions that one would expect when getting a new job (drug test, paperwork, yada, yada, yada).

What is my new glamorous position? Digital Marketing IT & Social Media Strategist at Kellogg Company. Fancy title, eh?

Essentially, I’ll be working in the Digital Marketing IT department on projects specific to social media. It should be a lot of fun, and I’m really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it requires a great deal of time, stress, and patience to get everything squared away so I can actually begin working. My official first day is July 23rd, and I have much to get finished before that date.

However, I will not be closing this blog. In fact, my goal is to make this blog thrive even more during my new work at Kellogg. I want to use this forum to comment on trends, ideas, and the latest technology. Furthermore, I want you, that’s right you, to converse with me. One of the big questions I’d like to answer in the digital marketing space is, how do you like marketers and brands to communicate with you online? It is a question many brands are struggling with, and I’d like some input from the people they are trying to reach.

Status Update will continue. However, Red TIE Media will not. The website will begin redirecting to a new page on this website, dubbed Bodnar Media, starting around mid-August. It will also be posted on Jared’s Unfiltered Media website. Don’t worry, if you are subscribed to the feed, it will remain unchanged and you will continue to get all the latest shows. If you listen to the show streaming from the website, you’ll want to make sure you bookmark the new page when it launches in about a month.

Wednesday Interruption will also continue, and it will stay put at WednesdayInterruption.com. Although, it will be cross-posted on the new page for all the media stuff.

Other than that, don’t expect much from me in the next couple of weeks. I’m going to get settled in at the new job, and then I’ll be back to blogging. In the meantime check me out on Twitter and Google+.

Thanks ya’ll!

-jacob