They Know Why I Fly and Do Not Care: American Airlines, You Are The Years Biggest Loser!

Let Us Start With Some Links:

John Carrol

Rats and Rat Feces on American Airlines

Many Hate Them!

More and More Hate Them

There were simply too may links to include them all!


I HATE AMERICAN AIRLINES!!!


Okay, I have vented and it feels good. Now I will tell you why I hate them, picture this:


You are traveling home from beautiful Cabo San Lucas. You have a stop over in Dallas that is delayed about an hour. Recognizing the turmoil occurring in the US skies you say to yourself, “no big deal, there is nothing American Airlines can do about it”.


After arriving in Manhattan an hour and a half later than expected you approach “the carnival of luggage” (as I like to call it). Your first stop is the merry go round where you get to watch all of your personal belongings flung about like so many slabs of meat in a slaughterhouse (that is what I call a sloppy metaphor, it does not quite make sense but you get the point).


You wait for the luggage to descend from the heavens…you wait…wait for it now….an hour passes…2 hours…hmmm, where is all the luggage from my flight?


People are getting mad and want blood but you know that that yelling will do no good and it probably will not be the person’s fault you are yelling at so you wait…wait…waiting. Eyes closing slowly and as you begin to dream of your bed you suddenly have the urge to get up and seek out a representative from the airline but wait, there are no representatives around. In fact, there is no one expect the tired travelers, some of who have not been able to remain as calm as you have.


One second, is that someone from American Airlines? Why is she running away?


We are now at 3 hours. I could not be more tired. 3AM and we were told we would get our bags in 5 minutes 2 hours ago. I hate being lied to more than anything in the world. Well, at this point I hate American Airlines more than anything in the world.


So why I am writing this on my blog? Does this have to do with marketing, media or advertising. Of course it does!




  • The one representative we saw from the airline blamed the long wait on the “ramp people” (what does that even mean?)

  • If American Airlines has hired these said “ramp people” and trusted them to operate under their brand umbrella, they too represent the brand.



    • This reminds me of calling Dell and having them blame Microsoft for my ailing computer




NOTE TO BRANDS, TAKE RESPONSIBLY FOR YOUR ACTIONS AND THE ACTIONS OF YOUR PARTNERS. WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT WHOSE FAULT IT IS, WE JUST WANT THINGS TO WORK.




  • I heard three people say, “I am going to tell 20 of my friends the story of this evening”

    • I don't think they are going to say, “it was not American Airlines fault, it was their ramp people”




I hereby vow to do everything in my power to never fly American Airlines, never let any of my co-workers, friends or family fly American.


I am also issuing the second amediacirc.us challenge. This is an official challenge to American Airlines. Are you out there in blogosphere? Are you practicing new marketing? Do you care at all?


After last night my guess is no.


AMERICAN AIRLINES YOU ARE MY BIG LOSER OF 2006!


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Aimee and Adam in Office







Aimee and Adam in Office, originally uploaded by bunstin_.rm.



Aimee did a CNN shoot at my office, was really cool. As always we had a great chat afterward!

Collarity/The Way to Converse in the 21st Century/My Apologies....not in that order

Hey All. I feel that is has been a while since I have written a blog post that really gave insight and was engaging. Lately I have been doing a lot of regurgitation and PodcampNYC'ing. Those of you who know me know that my catch phrase is, "I am so busy"


I want to tell you more about Collarity (as promised in post in this post http://amediacirc.us/2006/11/13/collarity/).


First off, I want to let you know that when I posted this I got a response from someone over at Collarity. Not only does this signal a company that gets new marketing but, it shows me they care.


I engaged him to help me understand his product with a number of questions. In light of a recent indecent in which a personal email was exposed I won’t mention any names, nor will I copy and paste from the email. What I will do is share some of the highlights about Collarity from their perspective.


I have played with the product and it is super cool and very functional. I will however reserve further judgment for now.


Disclaimer: This is an intentional plug for a company that is promoting and educating people about their product the right way. This fact alone makes me love it! The below bullets are paraphrases and not direct quotes (I sure hope I get this right :) )



  • Collarity does not intend to be a destination for consumers. It is a service for publishers to



    • Help them make older content discoverable

    • Enable members of a sites community to help make content findable to themselves and others (folksonomy)

    • “Diggs” or “Votes” are performed by way of click to help preserve the integrity of the wisdom of crowds (that last bit about integrity was my spin, I think it makes sense though).

    • Collarity focuses on what they call “implicit social search” (see excerpt from Wikipedia below) mechanics (fancy!)

    • The audience need do what they always have done and let the algorithm do the taxonomy, categorization and create searchable content




These bullets were all response to my inquiries. I am sure that Collarity has a lot more to say about themselves and I am giving an official invite to them (I have never done this before) to take over A Media Circus for a post.


You got it folks; I am inviting Collarity to write a post for me that will educate you about their product (and hopefully about concepts relating to social search in general as well).


Let’s see if they are up for the challenge :)


To be an unfair and impartial blogger I am also inviting any other social search engine to submit an article. It can be a competitive piece that challenges Collarity or something completely different however, only Collarity’s piece will not have to undergo the rigorous Media Circus vetting process!



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Social network search engines


Social network search engines are a class of search engines that use social networks to organize, prioritize, or filter search results.


There are two subclasses of social network search engines: those that use explicit social networks, and those that use implicit social networks.


Explicit social network search engines allow people to find each other according to explicitly stated social relationships such as XFN social relationships. For example, XHTML Friends Network allows people to share their relationships on their own sites, thus forming a decentralized/distributed online social network, in contrast to centralized social network services listed in the previous section.


Implicit social network search engines allow people to filter search results based upon classes of social networks they trust, such as a shared political viewpoint. This type of social network search engine mines the web to infer the topology of online social networks. For example, the NewsTrove search engine infers social networks from content - sites, blogs, pods, and feeds - by examining (among other things) subject matter, link relationships, and grammatical features to infer social networks. The user may then employ the social networks as filters to their search results.




10 reason why PodcampNYC Will Rock (other than the rock)

10 Reasons to Attend PodCamp NYC


1. To Network and Forge Valuable Connections


At any point during PodCamp NYC you’ll share the room with at least one person (if not a dozen) who can offer you huge value or solve a significant problem for you as a podcaster. It may be a sponsor. It may be a promotional opportunity. It may be someone you can interview. Bring lots of business cards and be ready to network.


2. To Associate with the Podcasting “Movers and Shakers”


Those who will attend PodCamp NYC are “in the trenches.” You’ll associate with people have “been there and done it.” These are ideal people to learn from and make connections with as you progress in podcasting.



3. You Can Present to Your Podcast Peers


Any attendee can organize a session to present ideas and/or facilitate a discussion. All you have to do is enter a title and description on the session list.



4. To Promote Your Podcast


PodCamp NYC is a great place to pass out cards and let you know people about your show. It’s a focused audience of podcast enthusiasts. You can also find other podcasters who will cross-promote your show to their own audiences.



5. To Share Your Ideas


PodCamp NYC is a very interactive event. Each session is an exchange of ideas. You have your own tips, tricks that can benefit others. Come and share your expertise and ideas with your podcasting peers.


6. It’s Free


There is no cost to attend PodCamp NYC. Compare that with other industry events and expos which cost hundreds of dollars. You can’t beat free. The event is paid for by our generous sponsors. Please visit our sponsor page if you’d like to contribute. To register, just visit the registration page and add your name and email to the list.



7. To Learn the Latest Tips and Tricks


PodCamp NYC is an ideal place to learn how to start your own podcast or to discover the latest tips and tricks for taking your show to the next level. The presentations offered will cover the whole spectrum from content production, technical how-to, business podcasting, marketing and monetization.



8. New York City is a Hub of the Media Industry


NYC is home to numerous television, radio and print media properties. It’s a great place to interact with and explore podcasting’s place relative to the media industry at large.


9. You’ll Get Food and a T-shirt


As if the value you’ll get from the presentations isn’t already worth attending, there will also be free food and t-shirts for attendees.



10. To Enjoy the Incomparable Vibe and Energy of The Big Apple


Nothing compares to the energy and passion inherent in the people that New York City attracts. PodCamp is a great experience wherever it is held, but you can count on a unique mix of individuals and opportunities at PodCamp NYC that can only be provided by The City that Never Sleeps.


Register Now


Posted by Jason Van Orden



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2D to 3D Web/Women in 3D

Traditionally men tend to be the early adopters of technology but, does it mean that this is the way it has to be, nope! Perhaps there is something in Secondlife that is especially attractive to women. After all, some of the major figures in SL are women.


Take a look at this. iVillage obviously sees the need to cater to women in SL and I think it is great and very interesting.



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ME ME ME

Hey All


So I have been pretty busy lately but in very good ways. My only regret is my lack of blog posts and the podcast that continues to be put on hold. Just so you know what is going on in my life here are a few things:



  1. PodcampNYC- We are very close to having a venue (The New School)

  2. I will be teaching at The New School in January, the title of the class is “time-Based Blogging” but, I am going to call it “Social Media 101”

  3. I am working on a feature article for iMediaconnection (keep an eye out)

  4. Morpheus Media has a gorgeous new office (well, it has been about a month already)

  5. Morpheus has purchased a Second Life Island (Morpheum) and if the Lindens ever get it together we can start building.

  6. I am still single :)

  7. I am going to Cabo to deflate in a week as, I have not left my computer in six months


That is what is top of mind for me. For more info on PodcampNYC visit, http://podcampnyc.pbwiki.com/



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It is not what you know, it is who you know to help explain things to you!

I believe that it was back in June when I was at Supernova 2006 that I realized microformats were something that I should be paying very close attention to. As someone very intrigued by the fact that scripting languages will one day have the ability to contain data that will make them more "intelligent" or able to contain semantic information beyond what current algorithms allow for, I had no choice but to make a deep dive into this arena.


I started pulling the feed for microformats.org and much to my dismay it was updated fairly infrequently. Furthermore, I did not always understand what they were talking about (as I do have some technical deficiencies) however, my determination led me to talk to the right people and, at the very least understand the future ramifications of the microformat.


Lately the feeds have been coming in more frequently and there was even an article in the New York Times which spoke about the semantic web.


The For Immediate Release Podcast has also bolstered my interest in microformats and their use in corporate communications.


My attention is about to be rejuvenated. I ask (beg) any of you out there to help me keep up with this exciting concept, I can use the help!



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XMAS IN SL

Every year I wait with (un) bated breathe for the glorious lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center (I hate to be a cynic but, for some reason it just does not turn me on and it has nothing to do with the fact my last name has a "man" at the end of it).


This year was quite different. I heard that the Electric Sheep Company was doing a virtual tree lighting and got very excited. Guess what. I have been so swamped I missed the event all together so, I will refer you to the great people over at 3pointD for the details (I love 3pointD and if you are not reading it, you are doing wrong!)



Photo by Canimal Zephyr on Snapzilla


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All Roads Lead Back To Danny

I never met Danny Sullivan but I certainly have been to his conferences, read his blog and now am hooked on his quirky, whacky and sometime corny (sorry Danny, perhaps it is the singing but, I would not change a thing) Daily SearchCast.


Well fear not my fine feathered SEM friends, there is now more Danny to love!





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Out Of Touch For A Day And…

Chaos my friends! The blogoshpere is on fire :)


Well not really but, things were said, taken out of context, misconstrued etc etc (and so forth).


I will not get into so I apologize if you do not know what I am talking about. I do not want to propagate this any further I just want to go on record for realizing my own errors.


The medium is the message and I used a public medium to converse about a much respected individual, Robert Scoble.


Seeing as how I do not know him personally I am in no place to make personal attacks (which I did not do) but, any attacks at all in this forum were not fair.


I am a fairly opinionated person and stand by my opinions however; I looked at the sequence of events and imagined myself waking up to a message board thread ripping apart an email exchange that I had had with someone and can image I would be upset.


So Robert, my apologies!



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Even if you are not buying into Second Life, your Future Exists in 3D

Fine, so you are thrown off by the cartoon-esque nature of the Second Life avatar.


Perhaps you have tried it and have said the most matched and wholly unoriginal statement, “I don’t even have enough time for my first life” (I really deplore that comment on so many levels, get over yourself J).


Well, this is all fine and good. To be honest, I can see many reasons why you may not be into Second Life (the above reason not being one of them) however, one thing I know for certain, your 2D web life will change whether you like it or not!


…and why not? Why not use the 3rd dimension that the great master artist of old uncovered for us in their works? Why not have a web site on the http:// web that leverages depth.


I happen to know for a fact that this will uproot where you least expect and soon. In the meantime, look at this.




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Outside Second Life

Happy Post Turkey Day to All!


I had a great post turkey meal with the folks of the metaverse however we all took a holiday break from virtual space to congregate the old fashioned way.


The meetup was at Planet Thailand in Williamsburg Brooklyn and was organized by Jerry Paffendorf of The Electric Sheep Company. In typical media circus fashion I drank too much but held it together (no comments please J ) and had an enlightening evening.


I met Rhiannon Chatnoir in person (now I can say her name right, I will always spell it wrong though) who is an absolute delight.


I met with the legend Bruce Damer. He gave me a copy of his book, “Avatars” and signed it for me.


I did shots and had a great conversation with Nexeus Fatale. Nexeus, you are the man!


I spoke with Ron T. Blechner of Out of Bounds Software and Infinite Vision Media (really friggin smart dude).


After a night of discussing the metaverse, copy bot, libsecondlife and bottom shelf sex we adjourned to Jerry’s place where we all got school on the history of the metaverse by Bruce Damer. It was a truly spiritual experience.   


My only regret is being a little too drunk to be a little more coherent in front of a really pretty girl that showed up towards the end of the night. Perhaps I will meet her in the metaverse!


Once again, thanks Jerry, Bruce and everyone who showed up!


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