Baby steps

Now I know this blog is boring I do not pretend to or intend to try to be a “blogger” but I do have to learn how to do this stuff as it is the future of how business will market themselves to the public. Hopefully, there will be a time when my business grows to the point I can hire someone to do this for me but until then your stuck as my test subjects. Don’t worry they will get better I mean they can’t get worse right??? So here we go…..
I was told I need to start e-marketing my agency at a recent work seminar. I now all about e-marketing, well everything except the part were I will have to um put a video or something on the web (You tube, Facebook, Google +, etc.).
So now instead of having fun playing in my mobile wireless world I have to use my new hobby for work. Almost takes the fun out of it, almost. I started playing around with some home movies editing them and trying to upload them to Facebook & then YouTube. Uploading wasn’t a problem. getting the movie into the computer took a week?!?! Video conversion. That’s right a video isn’t just a video it a .mpeg, .avi, .mov and all kind of others (by the way I still have no idea what those letters mean). So what I had to do was see what see what format my PC player would accept (right click on a video already on your system, find properties, clink on that and it will tell you what format the video is in, use that one) and then turn my home movies into that format. Thankfully my friends on Facebook steered me in the right direction. So I downloaded a program (DVD Shrink 3.2, Handbrake or WinX DVD ripper which are all free & any one will do the trick), converted my videos, took one I liked and opened it in windows movie maker (yeah I as surprised as you that it worked and I’m really not sure how or what I did) and edited a video. I then shared it on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube. It also made it’s way into my Google email account and sent itself out to a couple friends. I have no Idea how this happened since I didn’t tell it to do this but I got a call from a couple friends asking why I was sending them a video??? Going to have to figure out how that happened but the main point is I got it uploaded so yeah I’m cool. Here is the proof (may have to hold down Ctrl button and clink on link):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aICuGSFr6QY&context=C363385bADOEgsToPDskKfOxCyRpZ4rMygiE9jkg3G
And here is a sad looking snowman (what do you want it’s been a dry winter so far).
                                         

I just received an Asus Transformer tablet for Christmas and now have spent the last 3 weeks lost in a world of amazement. I got the Tablet as a way to keep my work and social media (music, photos, presentations, memo's, calendar ect.) in one place. I had no idea what I was getting myself into or what is out there compared to just 5 years ago.

I thought I was a fairly technically savvy guy, I new how to DVR on the cable box and upload pic to the PC, hell I even text, so you know I had it all figured out. Wow was I wrong but that is OK because I feel like a kid with a new toy except the toy is an entire world of mobile media and I am hooked. I spend my free time now reading, researching, browsing the local Best Buy, Radio Shack, Office Max, anywhere that has insight into this fascinating world that lives behind the normal PC/MAC screen. Gone are program disc's, music or movie Cd's, App's are here and this 43 year old has jumped in head first and loving every minute of it.

If your interested I will keep you updated as I try to learn what your average 15 year old considers old school.

Of course this is being written on my lap top not my tablet or some cool smartphone because although I'm trying to learn as fast as I can. I never could type and a virtual keyboard ....well we will leave that for another post.

I support my new addiction by running an insurance agency in Romeo, MI. I am also married with a 5 year old son so there may be an occasional post about a strange or funny claim, my attempt at being a handyman or my son's numerous daily insights.

Let the fun begin,
Dave