Links for 15 July 2009

• D’log :: blogging since 2000 » Spezify – “Spezify has just launched with an impressive and different take on delivering search results. It’s primarily a visual search-engine aimed at designers and creatives, but also slips in relevant text and audio links”. Wow. This is nice
• blip.tv (beta) – You can upload videos to blip.tv using FTP and if the connection drops out then you can resume (within 10 mins). This may be useful when working somewhere with a potentially iffy connection
• Shift Happens by Mark Ball – “In January I was privileged to be invited to Perth by the Department of Culture and the Arts to participate as a Major Production Fund panel member and to meet with arts organisation to discuss the potential opportunities brought about by the rapid proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies, in particular Social Media tools”. Mark Ball, ex of Fierce and the RSC, now of LIFT talks arts and social media
• Chart: Who Participates And What People Are Doing Online – Plotting creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators and inactives across the generations. Not perfect, but interesting
• Melonz Magazine – Produced by 3rd year media students at Birmingham City Uni. There should be some actual real life copies around Birmingham somewhere

End of week head-clearance

And breathe out… I’m taking a bit of time to reflect while I munch on some pasta. This past week has been hectic and brilliant for several reasons:

• I’ve been invited to a recruitment day for MediaSnackers.
• I’ve been hired by BCU to blog on their New Generation Arts Festival, covering the ‘online interactive’ aspects of the work being presented.
• The Fierce Festival stuff I’m working is amazing
• I picked up my new bike
• I fixed my broadband connection, which had gone a little wonky

Music-wise I was less hectic than the previous week, only seeing Duffy and Foals.  Duffy was ok – very talented but a little bland.  Foals were fantastic though, despite being fashionista magnets the atmosphere at the gig was great.  I’m off to see Infadels tonight and then that’ll be it for a week and a half.  I’ll be posting up the reviews from the past couple of weeks soonish, so you’ve been warned.

Tomorrow I’m off to the Punch Records music marketing course. We’ll be covering radio promotion in the morning and partners &  sponsorship in the afternoon. It’s the last one I’ll be able to make it to because unfortunately it’s going to clash with some frenetic Fierce-related activity – the website goes live on Thursday.

On Tuesday I’m off to Alton Towers for a conference called ‘Using Digital Media in Marketing and Communications’ which is being organised by the folks at ideasforlife.tv.  Speakers include Dr Adam Rutherford (science journalist), Anthony Lilley (from Magic Lantern) and Dr Jon Salkeld (from QinetiQ).  There seems to be quite a strong corporate slant to the programme so it’ll be interesting to see where they take things.  Plus they’ve left time for rollercoasters afterwards.  If it’s worth blogging my notes I’ll do so.

At some point I need to fit in some presentation planning, content writing for my new website and my birthday.  One thing at a time though – I’ve got a gig to get to.