Not Just Any Party - Gina Holmes Book Launch at Roanoke Library

Where to start?? Gina Holmes is our home-girl-does-good story in Roanoke, VA. That is the big, awesome thing here. The new book she's written was just published and will be hitting the book stores very soon. It's called Crossing Oceans, about a young single mother who comes back into her family's life after a long absence.

For the past few weeks, all sorts of great local media coverage proclaimed and celebrated this artistic victory - the Press, TV, Bloggers, Social Media sites... But the most outstanding celebration of all was the love our own Roanokers showed Ms Holmes at the Roanoke Library last Tuesday evening.

The Roanoke Public Libraries, as we've mentioned other times, is (as an organization) one of the front-running advocates for the Arts scene in the SW Virginia region. They take it to the streets, up-close and personal. No fancy, corporate-sponsored bookings brokered here. What they do have is one River Laker, a fellow who keeps his eyes and ears on up-and-coming local talent (and from nearby cities), so he knows the latest, the artsiest, the grooviest... And then he books 'em for what always becomes a treat to the community in performances, exhibitions, seminars, readings, and that one very special thing so many "venues" can't really do - Participation.

So, Tuesday night at the Main Library's Howery Mezzanine, we all came out to celebrate Gina Holmes' Book Launch Party. Mr Laker brought together a very successful party, indeed - perhaps the largest attendance thus far at the Library. There was a lot of work behind it to pull this off, and again he coordinated that magnificently as always. Roanoke is lucky to have a real-life Eveready Bunny.

Ms Holmes was honored and entertained by fellow area artists. The cool thing about that is she was greatly involved with the entertainment herself. For one, the author's work inspired a short play that was performed during the event. From SW County's Showtimers, local actors Nancy Lawrence, Caitlin Morgan, and a cute little actor named Madeline Neil practiced the script with precision over the past couple weeks, under River's directing. Watch out, Broadway! (Oh yes, it was my debut as an actor that evening - and I enjoyed being in the company of experienced actors! Thanks for having me on!)

A short video, as a response or spoof to the book's trailer video, went over hugely with the audience. Gina co-starred in it with her husband and, oh, that guy with the British accent who dresses up in silly outfits... um, yeah - River again! You can see the video here, on River's Vimeo Channel, produced by Matt Ames.

The event had a musical guest, Maddie Grace Garber, a local teenager with tons of talent for songwriting and singing. Also, artist Toobz once again created a backdrop and banner for the stage area. His work is often showcased at the Library for Emerging Artists performances.

Ms Holmes answered questions from the audience about her book, about writing and her journey to become a published author. One guest, Sunny, who is also a local artist, even referenced a page and paragraph in her question to the author, which must've been a sweet compliment for any writer when someone can do that!


Star City FAME taped the book launch party, and will be editing the video this week. Hook up with us on Facebook so you can get updates on cool things that happen within the Arts community here in Roanoke.

Visit Gina Holmes' blog for more information about her life, her books, and the art of fiction writing. Her novel Crossing Oceans is also available through Amazon.com. We wish her many congratulations, much inspiration, and a long, happy career in writing!

See you around Downtown!!

Internet Learning Curve for Business 101

Change or die? Old dogs can't learn new tricks? Fear of the unknown?

How many people have never seen, used, or even heard of the internet... I have no statistics here. All I know is that if my Mom ever bought herself a laptop, she would junk her remote and browse QVC's website all day and night long. As it is, the UPS driver already knows her address by heart.

But if you're in any kind of business and still fumbling with getting information... how to improve your website, gain traffic, acquire basic geek skills, or just learn anything, pretty much, I bet you can find all of that in whatever skill level and language you will understand. Heck, you can even take online classes at M.I.T. if you want. FOR FREE!! (No, you don't earn a degree. But the courses are the same as if you enrolled. For some of us who value knowledge over mere paper, that's freaking awesome. Thanks, M.I.T!!)

I did a three-part blog post recently about the internet being a "series of tubes" - you know, the joke that's actually true, wink, wink?? So this time, I'm going to rattle off some cool stuff for beginners. The thing with the internet is that once you start looking and finding answers, you can't help increasing your knowledge. First, you will find answers, challenging as it may be to discriminate facts if you're a casual user (or gullible). But one must acclimate oneself. Think of it as hazing for a college fraternity, haha. Then, once you figure out the difference between snake-oil and useful information, you will develop a keen method of tracking down specific information through blogs, forums, and specific communities related to what you do.

I personally feel that this routine is as important (more so) than plain networking on Facebook or whatever. If you only pay attention to output (yackity-yacking online) but seldom find input (investigating how people actually DO THINGS in your industry) then "joining the conversation" will be nothing more than being in a high school clique. If that impresses you, go for it.

I'm not knocking socializing with inter- and intra- corporate collegues, your co-alumini, and connections surrounding your field. Heavens no... But if you can't bring fresh stuff to the table or understand the lingo of your peers, you ain't adding much to the conversation.

Okay, Blogs... I have this one on my blog feeds which is pretty direct and intelligent information. You can dig through this blog to learn a little about SEO and social networking, etc, etc… Useful for brushing up on guerilla marketing.

http://www.conversationmarketing.com/

The blogger above has a particular article on Google Analytics that might help those who haven't taken advantage of that application's power to reorganize their sites. It's not just for checking how many hits a page gets. You can use the information to figure out what direction to go and make adjustments whenever necessary. Follow the links to his "cheat sheet" from this article:
http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2010/01/google-analytics-cheatsheet.htm.

What I do with blogs, simply, if I feel like following them… is add it to my blog feed, which is similar to adding favorites on your browser. This way you don’t have to deal with the person’s blog page… you just browse through their headlines and click on whatever article you might like to read.

Learn how to do stuff… Tons of sites that explain stuff!! It’s nice to have the internet. I don't care if you think the following are lame. I've been an IT guy with a couple major corporations, and I still use these:

Ehow.com
Yotube.com (for the reading challenged or time challenged)
Howcast.com (video how-to's)
Ask.com
Howtodothings.com
Howstuffworks.com

Also, search your field or industry by typing in the word "forums" along with the kind of work you do. I myself belong to several related to videography. Some forums are hosted by the manufacturers of the products I use. Those are absolutley great! Some are independent of the manufacturer. But their users/members have a huge cross-section of knowledge outside the product lines. They talk about techniques and solve problems amongst themselves which can be invaluable. Join forums like that... just stay away from the trolls. And don't be one. (Trolls are those idiots who have nothing better to do than picking fights with other members over stupid things. Or they're just interested in spamming the forum with their BS websites while never adding anything useful to the thread.)

Asking questions is always fine. Be sure to state that you're a noobie 'cos the other members will figure that out and you might get yourself embarassed. Usually, there's a noobie section in a forum. Also, you will find a section called a "sticky," which is kind of a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thing along with general rules of engagement for using the forum. If you break the rules, you might get kicked off.

So, there ya go. Educate yourself and pass it along. Practice safe cyber-surfing. Be sure to use an anti-virus.
Have fun!!

Pre-Production for "Planet Divine"

Star City FAME and Ahha Pictures begin collaborating on a new video series today, called "Planet Divine." Last night was a six-hour preparation involving setting up lights, cameras, and audio, with a run-through of costume checks and script-tweaking.

Director Hans Moore (Ahha Pictures) has been an actor in several local independent movies, one that is currently making the rounds at national-level film festivals. The movie Blue Ridge is a feature film by Vincent Sweeney, which was shot in the Roanoke area using many local talent, and stars Sean Gullette.

Hans picked up a video camera about two years ago when he acquired enough cash to get into it "the right way" after learning a great deal from working on-set with professional directors and cameramen. Film was not the medium, however, due to the huge expense. But he equipped himself with some of the best video technology available.

Ron Bergeron met Hans in December 2008 at a local Dunkin' Donuts in Roanoke, where the two stopped in to chat with friends. Ron remembers how excited Hans was about a new venture into film-making. Ron (that's me), who has been a musician in New Jersey and technically skilled at audio engineering for over 25 years, liked his enthusiasm so much that, a few months later, he contacted Hans to ask about going into video production himself. Hans was still so intensely involved and passionate, that it rubbed off... and they became close friends through sharing techniques and ideas. Eventually, the two began shooting and editing projects together.

One of the earlier collaborations between Star City FAME (Ron's Video Production and Media Company) and Ahha Pictures turned out to become a series of YouTube comedies called "Cher on Crack." These videos spoof the Sonny and Cher television show from the 1970's, but the characters are only loosely based on Sonny Bono and Cher. They are what Hans calls "Trailer Park Trash Sonny and Cher, looking to break into the big-time," and their last name was changed to Bonehead instead of Bono... to protect the innocent, of course.

This week marks the start of their new series, which will be a combination of studio green screen shoots and on-location filming in various Roanoke settings. Some of it will be impromtu (or "reality" style) in which there will be interaction with the public. Also in the works are casting local notables and collaborations with other film and media professionals from the Roanoke area.

Here are some photos of Hans and Ron in pre-production last night at the studio.

Director Hans Moore of Ahha Pictures

Definitely see you around Downtown!!!

Karen Land Speaks at Roanoke Main Library

There’s always something going on at the Library… you already knew that. Right? Well, let’s look at this week’s program presented by the Roanoke Public Library. This is not your average library, just in case you think it’s a quiet place to sit and use the computer or check out books for free. (Oh-oh, what the ???)

Monday night, Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Musher Karen Land spoke to a packed house at the Main Library’s Mezzanine Room. Star City FAME came to take pictures and learned about a sport that seemed more grueling and exciting than just about anything else out there.

Dog Mushing is a competitive sport, one musher against others… and a team sport, a pack of dogs being that team. Karen presented some finer details of training for the Iditarod, which is the annual race held in Alaska. The race begins every March. Competitors typically enter with 16 (maximum) dogs. The trail covers 1161 miles in sub-freezing temperatures. They get 15 days or less to finish it. Karen’s training took a number of years, as she explained she had to apprentice with a kennel owner, whose dogs raced as sled dogs, to really learn about mushing.

Here is a photo courtesy of JKBrooks85 off Wiki that details a sled dog team: (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Mushing_graphicx.JPG)

Karen went on to talk about the way she was first introduced to mushing, her training to qualify, her rookie entry into the Iditarod, and of course, she spoke proudly about her faithful team of dogs. Karen also brought along a photo presentation of breath-taking pictures, her racing sled, and her beloved Alaskan Husky, Borage.

The sled shown here is actually quite light in weight… 20-something pounds or so. The dogs pull the musher, all suited up, and the sled, all loaded up, over snow and ice. However, a lot of the Iditarod trail can be rocks and dirt.

Karen asked the audience a number of questions and surprisingly a lot of children present knew some of the answers. She has been on over 300 such presentations to audiences all over the United States since 2005, mostly at schools and libraries. She has taken this year off to tour the country and talk about Mushing, but says she will enter the Iditarod once again next year.

Photos Star City FAME (c) 2010

You can find more about Mushing at Karen’s website and blog at http://www.mymusher.com/
The official site for the Iditarod is http://www.iditarod.com/

See you around Downtown!!

Star City Roller Girls Get Ready for Big Showdown this Weekend | WSLS-10

This past Friday, all-female sports team, The Star City Roller Girls, were guests on "OurBlueRidge," the daytime TV spot aired by local station, WSLS-10. Star City FAME is one of the team's sponsors, as well as the official team videographer. We were pleased to be able to supply WSLS-10 with live-action footage from a recent Star City Roller Girls home game, held at Lee Hi Skate Center in Roanoke, VA.

Many thanks to WSLS-10 for airing our clips and also for giving this great team and the sport of Roller Derby some wonderful coverage.

Here is the interview in its entirety:
Star City Roller Girls Get Ready for Big Showdown this Weekend WSLS 10#comment_form#comment_form#comment_form#comment_form

No Shame Theatre Now in the Daytime at Roanoke Public Library

Studio Roanoke partnered up with the Roanoke Public Library to bring a daytime version of "No Shame Theatre" to the infamous Mezzanine of the Main Library in Downtown Roanoke City. Chad Runyon, host and General Manager of Studio Roanoke, opened the show with the near-usual announcement adding the new rules of "no cussing" or any other obscene behavior for the more family-oriented flavor of "No Shame."

The first performance was held last week on March 3rd at noon, and brought in several brave souls to kick off what will be a regular monthly program at the Library.

The very first original pieces offered at "No Shame in the Afternoon" were by authors (in order of appearance) Patrick Lyster, Claudia Harris (read by Jonathan Harris), Leisa Thomas, Paula Smith, Mark Tutai, and Beth Deel and River (Car Less Brit) Laker as a duo.

Everyone followed the rules, but you know, there always is that one exception in the crowd who will find a loophole, right? Wonder who and what that could have been??

Luckily, Star City FAME brought a camera, otherwise it'd all have been hear-say!!

River Laker and Beth Deel

Of course, this is not considered dis-robing in public, because the man clearly was not wearing a robe.

More pics...

Patrick LysterJonathan Harris

Leisa ThomasPaula SmithMark TutaiChad Runyon

A fun time not to be missed. Please come out to the next "No Shame in the Afternoon," which will be on April 7th. Workshops for the afternoon performances are held on the last Monday of the month at the Main Library.

Many thanks to Studio Roanoke, Roanoke Public Libraries, and special thanks to River Laker, the programming master-mind behind so many of the Library's events, and Beth Deel of myScoper.com, one of Roanoke's brightest artists and biggest advocate of the Arts here in Downtown. Without some of our more adventurous residents, Roanoke would just be plain Roanoke. (A whole 'nuther topic for another day...)

See you around Downtown!

Origins, Facts, and Fiction about Web 2.0 and Online Strategy – Part Three

Organic viral videos don’t need a crew of pushers sending links out to people in Russia or Turkey, or to my mail box. Nor do they need to be posting fake comments on video channels, and all that. Organic virals are rather just interesting videos that people happily and naturally forward to their friends or repost online. If you want more specific exposure instead of hoping something will go viral, pay the fees to YouTube (or your favorite video site) to feature your video. They are the experts.

Yes, you can make online videos do some cool tricks aimed to run up the viewer counter. But one thing you can’t do is trick the hosting site. If you add commands to the video’s code (say, to make it loop) and then embed it from its original site, the powers-that-be will know you’re scamming them right away. Google employs some pretty slick programmers. People ought to be happy about that since Google controls everyone’s cyber lives now, regardless of operating system or web browser (that thing you open to look at the internet). It’s easy to add commands to a video and make it loop-play after one second, thinking you’re going to rack up the viewer count. YouTube halts the counter after about five (5) loops or auto-plays (meaning the video plays when you land on the page). They may never allow your video to count hits again, ever, so don’t experiment with a video you really want to go viral with.

Besides, Google owns YouTube. You should be really happy about that, as well. Why? Because if you upload a video to YouTube, and you give it a great title, Google will kick your search results up on ALL search engines. Um, for free. So, say you have a bike shop, and you have a website for your bike shop. You sign up for a YouTube Channel and start uploading videos about bike-riding in your hometown. You load some more videos about fixing a flat tire on a bike and other maintenance stuff. You call them things like, “Bike-riding in Roanoke, VA” and “How to Fix a Flat Tire on a Bike” and “Worst Bike Ever.” (After a while, you will learn to use silly titles. And yes, sex sells, so “Hot Girls on Bikes” might get you somewhere.)

Be sure to name your channel something relevant, such as the exact name of your store or brand. Use it in your video’s description. Use it in your tags. Tags are the words that help your video come up on a search - not only in YouTube, but on the web itself. (Google owns YouTube, remember?) It doesn’t matter if you use Bing or Yahoo or whatever as your search engine. Google (DMOZ) is the scraper that acts like a huge cyber rolodex. Now that your company name is splattered all over your video channel, an online search for “bike shop, roanoke” will display results not only for your videos but also for your website (and anything else associated with your company name, like a Facebook or Twitter page).

So how hard is that? Most of these online sites are fairly simple to use. You don’t have to get fancy. A company or business web site might be the only thing that needs to look polished. Everything else, like your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Vimeo, Blogger, or WordPress pages can take its time while you get the hang of it… no hurry. I’ve heard quotes up to $300 to “make” a Facebook page for clients. Please rent a kid in your family or on your block and give them a nice bowl of ice-cream. You know, the kid you used when you couldn’t figure out how to work the VCR remote… But the more you yourself play with these “social” sites, the more you’ll understand. You can hook up most of these sites to feed each other updates so you won’t have to keep logging into all of your accounts just to tell everyone you posted one new article or uploaded a new video.

There are also a lot of extra tools (if you want to know more) that you can utilize with most any site. The most important would be to keep track of traffic, what that traffic did, who they are (in general), where they are, and how long they paid attention and to what. That will help you determine whether they liked or didn’t like something about your website pages, blog articles, videos, and so on. This is called Analytics, which Google (and its YouTube site) offers for free. Use the results to plan your future marketing efforts.

If you’re worried about becoming really popular: Don’t. Just provide good content, good products, get your business name out on various places, stay current, be accessible and be sociable. I have to quote Jeffrey Gitomer, who says, “People hate to be sold, but they love to buy.” So, knock off the sales pitch. And quit making it about “helping people” too. Barf, barf. This is the information age, not the helpless age. People want to learn for themselves and the information is there. People are no longer helpless. Information is not a commodity anymore. It’s free. (PS – where do you think most of these “gurus” get all their info from?)

The Web is not such a mystery. There’s really not much you can do to screw it up. And it doesn’t take a genius to do Social Networking. How do you think kids do it? They play with it. So go play with it. Just remember to update your anti-virus and be sure to set your third-party cookies to “prompt.” If you want more protection, go to Adobe’s website and set your flash settings to block those invasive .sol files which by-pass your cookies security. Now you’re fairly safe to go back in the Web 2.0 water.

Nice description (with pictures) on how to set up third-party cookie handling:
http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/disable-first-and-third-party-cookies-in-ie8/
Here’s where you can learn about flash settings:
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html

That’s it for “Social Networking” for now…
My next techie article will be a lesson on how to speak on-camera.