Twittering, Tweeting, Whatevering during the Superbowl (takaways)

I didn't have anything too special planned for Superbowl Sunday. So I decided I would keep an eye on Twitter to see what people were talking about. I used Twitter Search and searched for #superbowl. The # sign creates a link and it's called a hashtag. A messy but effective way to organize subjects on Twitter. It was interesting to see the ebbs and flows of tweets when there were big plays, or interesting commercials. Soon there were spin off hashtags for #superbowlads, and #mvp.

One standout was the twittering @etradebaby and @Sobeworld announcing when their commercial was about to come up.





Here are some takeaways I have from the experience:

- Lots of people are twittering. Not massive but lots.

- At an average of 50 tweets, every 15 seconds, not everyone is being heard, but their there tweets are still being diffused to their networks.

- Cool, some businesses are engaging!

- Somebody has got to be an etradebay and a lizard out there.

- Where were all the other businesses on twitter?

If facebook was a country...

"If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria."

- From Mark Zuckerberg (The Facebook blog)

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Trade Show Suppliers & Exhibitors: Green Your Event With GreenYourTheme.com's Virtual Trade Show

That's right, a virual trade show for greening trade shows. How novel, yet necessary! Think of the last trade show you went to. . . or event for that matter. A lot of waste. How many pens does one need to survive?

Anyways, if you are a green event supplier or an event producer, then check out the Ning network, GreenYourTheme.com the ongoing trade show for greening events.

Here are some of the network highlights:

• The GreenYourTheme blog.
  

            - Best Practices: Green at zero cost
            - Green Wedding and Event Tips

• Exhibitors and Producers- The network uses member profiles to host each "exhibitors" booth (cool idea for Ning network creators out there).
  

            - Advanced exhibitor search. Looking for a region, service, or product in particular? Then try the advanced exhibitor search.

• Green Request For Information
• Showcase and Catalog

Keep in mind the GreenYourTheme network is fairly new, so look for this green event resource to grow substantially over the next year. If you are looking for resources to reduce waste and make your trade shows more eco-friendly, then you should check it out. Oh yeah and it's free to join.

Exploratorium: Museum of science, art and human perception - is looking pretty old

Pardon the cheap shot at the end of the title, but have you ever been to the Exploratorium? The Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA, was and still is a staple field trip and day-outing for many vacationers, schools and summer programs in the bay area. I visited last summer, and was shocked to find childhood memories as old as the science experiments that line the halls (It was build in 1969, I was there as a kid in the late 80's).

Photo by Sammual Mann (Flickr)

Sure, old can be beautiful, wabi-sabi, and the purpose of the exhibits are very well done for the target audience, but this place is in serious need of a design overhaul, and it looks like they're getting it.

The Exploratorium is looking at a 2011 renovation deal with piers 15-17 which would provide 50 years of free rent for the museum. The move across town has potential to shine a light back on San Francisco for design and science. Please Exploratorium, don't let us down. Keep it current, build it green, and make it special.


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If you have never been, then please enjoy this nice slideshow put together by Samual Mann on Flickr.

Sources:

SFGate: Exploratorium wants 50 years free rent from port officials
Socketsite: Exploring The Cost Of Renovating San Francisco's Decrepit Piers
Exploratorium >>The Embarcadero 2011

Vote for Student Loan Forgiveness on Change.org

Change.org will soon begin the final round of voting on, "Ideas for change in America." The final round opens on January 5th and on January 16th Change.org will host an event in Washington, DC to announce the top ten ideas and then begin an advocacy campaign for the winners.

So have you voted for your favorites? While many of the ideas are great and much needed, I have to give a shot out for Student Loan Forgiveness. As a budding entrepreneur, one who wants to create jobs and stimulate the economy, I can't, because I just graduated and have to start thinking about loan repayment. I know I'm not alone out there either.

USAToday ran a story about student debt back in June 2006 that pretty much sums up how I feel as well:

"Palazzolo, 25, graduated on Mother's Day from Rutgers University with a master's degree in public policy and student loans exceeding $116,000. His payments will average about $800 a month. It could have been worse: Because of his top grades, Rutgers paid Palazzolo's tuition for his final year of graduate school.

At a time when his friends are thinking about buying their first homes, he's looking for roommates to share a three-bedroom house so he can limit his rent to $600 a month. "I feel like I've done everything I was supposed to do, and at the end of the day, I've got this huge debt," Palazzolo says. "What did I do wrong?""

If you sympathize with me at all, then please go vote on Jan. 5th and check out the Facebook group.

Dr. Seuss The Lorax: You Need a Thneed

It's a good thing there's no such thing as Thneeds. Oh wait, I get it.