This month I noticed a new service in Social Oomph a professional social media service that I have subscribed to at a cost of about $15 per month for the last year or so.  The service is called clout and it basically looks at your followers and identifies the top 50 people that follow you based on their own following/followers and number of updates.

I was surprised to see that of my top 50, I only talk on a semi-regular basis with Chris Brogan, typically when I run into him at a social media conference, which is ironic as he has a great message these days telling social media folks to get out and shake the bushes meeting people from other walks of life ‘Outside’ of Social Media. 

I have also talked with Depeche Mode a couple times on Facebook, but not on Twitter.  There are also a couple people like Rob McNealy, whom I know and have had some great conversations with in the past, but despite the power of social media, haven’t talked with him lately.  But the larger number of the people with the most clout, that follow me, don’t talk to me.    I’ve met Jeff Pulver at one of his Social Media Jungle events in Las Vegas and he gave me the impression that he’s the type of guy that brings interesting people together to do interesting things.  I’ve tried to engage Guy Kawasaki a couple times but the conversations did not go well, I’m sure more my fault on that than Guy’s.

So here’s the thing, I have to wonder how ‘influential’ these people really are?  I’m not questioning Zappos, nor Chris, nor Guy or Jeff or even Rob & definitely not Depeche Mode, but the others, I have to wonder if the twitter medium is missing something. 

If only 5 out of my top 50 of the most influential people in my list aren’t talking to me, well then why are they following me?

I also have to wonder if I’m missing something myself.  I am not the type of person that chases people to develop a connection just to have a connection.  If I can help someone, I reach out and help them.  I do try to reach out and also engage in interesting conversations with people, but I don’t spout non-sense on twitter just to increase my updates or reach a stat or something.  I know some people do under the theory that it increases their twitter/web/social media footprint even if its only one tweet at a time, but that’s not me, that doesn’t seem useful nor valuable and frankly I don’t have the time to tweet non-sense. 

But if these are the most influential people in my twitter network, maybe I do need to reach out to these fine folks a bit more and find out why they thought I was interesting enough to follow in the first place and see if there is some opportunity that we as members of a social network at a first degree connection level might be able to realize, maybe even make the world a better place or something.

Sample Tweet and Statistics

1

zappos
Zappos.com CEO -Tony
Las Vegas
www.zappos.com blogs.zappos.com twitter.zappos.com
http://www.zappos.com/

They should pass a law so that the time spent ironing clothes in a hotel room gives you credit for time spent at the gym.
21 hours, 6 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2007/06/23
Following: 393,792, Followers: 1,665,349, Updates: 120

2

Starbucks
Starbucks Coffee
Seattle, WA
Freshly brewed tweets from Brad at Starbucks in Seattle, WA.
http://www.starbucks.com

This is neat – Our Sing along video passed 1,000,000 million views on @YouTube http://bit.ly/8U5wH7 #allyouneedislove
1 hour, 52 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2006/11/29
Following: 84,051, Followers: 723,839, Updates: 4,179

3

depechemode
Depeche Mode
Burbank, CA (band webmaster)
From beginnings in Basildon, Essex, to the Universe, Depeche Mode have been creating their brand of music for almost 30 years.
http://www.depechemode…

New #depechemode Tour Blog: Berlin – http://www.depechemode.com/tour/tourblog.html
3 hours, 10 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2009/03/24
Following: 6,499, Followers: 356,170, Updates: 104

4

jeffpulver
Jeff Keni Pulver
New York
Technology Anthropologist; Entrepreneur; Early-Stage Seed Investor; story teller, Living in Social Media. Producer of #140conf
http://jeffpulver.com

@drorengel I don’t have any SF meetups planned.
4 hours, 52 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2007/02/01
Following: 30,870, Followers: 328,394, Updates: 28,953

5

TweetDeck
TweetDeck
London
TweetDeck is your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more.
http://www.tweetdeck.com

Your New Followers columns should now be working again folks. See http://bit.ly/3XFFgB for instructions. Contact @richardbarley if any probs
10 hours, 8 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2008/05/16
Following: 155,122, Followers: 284,923, Updates: 6,468

6

GuyKawasaki
Guy Kawasaki
VirginAmerica 2A
I am a firehose that answers the question: What’s interesting? Co-founder of Alltop.
http://alltop.com/

How to engage in social media and still have a pay wall, WSJ style http://om.ly/eDKi
1 hour, 37 minutes ago from otweet

Joined Twitter on 2007/08/26
Following: 216,760, Followers: 205,932, Updates: 41,008

7

nansen
Nansen Malin
Seaview WA
Passionate about politics,technology,beach life,salmon and creating change.Former Alinsky student who does conservative politics.Mom of 4.WA GOP ExecBoard
http://www.seaviewwa.com

@triphoppa Calling me an idiot is not appreciated. Plenty of folk think differently than you do about #netneutrality.
3 hours, 51 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2008/04/14
Following: 188,182, Followers: 179,943, Updates: 9,165

8

Radioblogger
Duane Patterson
Southern California
Producer of Hugh Hewitt Radio Show, blogger on the Hughniverse, pesterer of @ev, according to web reports, winner of track & field gold medal.
http://www.hughniverse…

@TurtledoveJB i think kennedy is attracting coakley voters. i think the tea party people figured out the landscape in the bay state. #hhrs
3 hours, 9 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/12/03
Following: 173,203, Followers: 165,364, Updates: 18,222

9

RobMcNealy
Rob McNealy
Aurora, Colorado
Husband, Dad, Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, Libertarian, Entrepreneur, MBA, Rapper, Blogger, Podcaster, Foodie, Home Schooler
http://www.RobMcNealy.com

Sheep Gives Birth to Human-Faced Lamb in Turkey: http://kl.am/HumanFace <-Creepy #Strange
5 hours, 10 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2007/11/24
Following: 154,830, Followers: 163,708, Updates: 20,146

10

SpaceAstro
Space & Astronautics
Space & Astronautics News
NASA, ESA, NOAA, USGS, astronomy, space, weather, oceans, Earth science, earthquakes, aerospace. Editor/Journalist.Also @oceanechoes @helpanimals @weatherplanet
http://space.gs/

Video: Tracy Reines, Director of Response Operations for the American Red Cross, discusses the latest for the… http://ff.im/egf0r
6 hours, 34 minutes ago from FriendFeed

Joined Twitter on 2008/10/02
Following: 165,178, Followers: 157,072, Updates: 5,320

11

StartupPro
Martin Zwilling
Fountain Hills, Arizona
Veteran startup mentor, executive, blogger, tech professional, and angel investor. (marty@startupprofessionals.com)
http://blog.startuppro…

Ask the Attorney; Securities Laws – http://shar.es/aR1NY
5 hours, 15 minutes ago from ShareThis.com

Joined Twitter on 2009/01/01
Following: 155,227, Followers: 155,164, Updates: 2,073

12

LarryWentz
Larry Wentz
West Fargo, ND
Owner of WeightlossProgram.com, Anti-Viruses.com, 100s of Domains, Internet & Affiliate Marketing, Cat Lover, Lake Bum, Pool Player, Happily Un-Employed
http://www.AffiliateNe…

@MikeWhitmore I’m doing better but I am now very swamped/backlogged. Hope to be on Mastermind call tomorrow nite!
1 day, 1 hour ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2009/02/24
Following: 157,781, Followers: 153,987, Updates: 2,437

13

williger
Darren Williger
Chicago
Success driven ex-DELL sales maker and new media evangelist by day. Meditating, guitar playing, wine making, crime fighting superhero at night. I like cheese!
http://williger.com/

What You Will Need to Start Brewing Your Own Beer: There are a few basic pieces of equipment needed to start brewi… http://bit.ly/7lE7VP
4 days, 17 hours ago from twitterfeed

Joined Twitter on 2008/06/18
Following: 132,755, Followers: 132,366, Updates: 22,913

14

jeanlucr
Jean-Luc Raymond
Paris, France
Consultant formateur en projets numériques citoyens. Twitter consultant. Social Media & Digital Citizenship consultant, teaching. jeanluc.raymond@gmail.com
http://blog.jeanlucray…

Internet pourrait être le grand gagnant de la crise du marché de la publicité http://j.mp/5icehD
51 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2007/05/17
Following: 136,965, Followers: 129,637, Updates: 11,092

15

AlainVanHeerden
Alain van Heerden
Cape Town
Internet Marketing Consultancy – The difference between success and failure is almost always a matter of inches – the distance between your ears.
http://alainvanheerden…

Why Did Google Build a Phone and a Browser? http://bit.ly/7VUYnC
8 hours, 42 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/11/29
Following: 127,827, Followers: 124,935, Updates: 1,049

16

caseywright
Casey Wright
San Diego
CEO Wright Brothers Communications
http://www.cawright.net

Guy at GNC recommended a protein powder with more "bioavailability." I recommended an in-store thesaurus.
2 days, 21 hours ago from Twittelator

Joined Twitter on 2008/06/05
Following: 121,705, Followers: 123,501, Updates: 2,238

17

chrisharrington
Chris Harrington
Charlotte, NC
Emerging Media Strategist, Advertising Agency Technology Director, Vegan, Audible Advocate, Dad, – #votewoz
http://www.google.com/…

@geekyjess I’ll try to post today. In short, we thought up a great Lego app and a grocery store app.
5 hours, 25 minutes ago from Tweetie

Joined Twitter on 2009/02/18
Following: 26,158, Followers: 121,493, Updates: 1,811

18

chrisbrogan
Chris Brogan
Boston, MA
President, New Marketing Labs. More? http://bit.ly/cbbio . email: blog at chrisbrogan dot com
http://chrisbrogan.com

Flying to New Orleans. See you in #nola? Ping @tommartin for details.
24 minutes ago from Seesmic

Joined Twitter on 2006/10/23
Following: 97,729, Followers: 116,409, Updates: 59,003

19

brooksbayne
brooks bayne
two weeks from everywhere
satirist, entrepreneur, technologist, music producer, melter of faces utilizing molten guitar riffs, slayer of myth, debunker of hogwash. american. foodie.
http://brooksbayne.com/

@catraalien they knew each other. twitter is just an asterisk in this case, imo.
13 hours, 24 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2007/04/30
Following: 108,421, Followers: 110,012, Updates: 24,373

20

DesignerDepot
Webdesigner Depot
Vancouver, Canada
Webdesigner Depot is one of the most popular blogs about web design trends, tutorials and much more. It’s run by Walter Apai, a web designer from Vancouver.
http://www.webdesigner…

Designing an Idea – How to Beautify your Inspiration: http://bit.ly/75O2pl
1 hour, 50 minutes ago from HootSuite

Joined Twitter on 2008/11/25
Following: 103,749, Followers: 108,826, Updates: 3,331

21

EverywhereTrip
Gary Arndt
Appleton, Wisconsin
Travel blogger and photographer. I’m a one man National Geographic. I’ve blogged and tweeted from over 60 countries and territories since March 2007.
http://Everything-Ever…

Two Years Ago: Daily Travel Photo – Yakushima, Japan http://su.pr/2wVeeM
3 hours, 31 minutes ago from Su.pr

Joined Twitter on 2007/02/13
Following: 99,297, Followers: 106,612, Updates: 15,119

22

Kamper
Kamper
Denmark
Easily manage multiple Twitter accounts on one single page with your own TweetCockpit. Never again switch windows and log in and log out of multiple Twitter acc
http://www.socialoomph…

RT @tweetmeme Inspiration Dose 10 – Conceptual Digital Artwork by Thomas Tibitanzl – slodive http://tinyurl.com/y9jbnep
1 hour, 33 minutes ago from TweetMeme

Joined Twitter on 2008/01/21
Following: 104,441, Followers: 104,768, Updates: 3,983

23

LiveEarth
Live Earth
Global
The Run for Water is a series of 6km run/walks taking place over the course of 24 hours in 192 countries, featuring concerts and water education activities…
http://liveearth.org/run

RT @global_water: Help the ppl of Haiti by donating to a GWC member on the ground: @CRSnews: http://bit.ly/4SzSnl @care: http://bit.ly/4 …
1 hour, 51 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2007/05/18
Following: 94,588, Followers: 98,606, Updates: 684

24

Foodimentary
Foodimentary
World~of~Food
Twitter’s @ShortyAwards winning Food~Fact~Tweeter Guaranteed to pepper your day with fun food facts! Impress others with your food knowledge!
http://www.facebook.co…

On this day in 1957 the Frisbee was invented. Inspired by pie tins of the Frisbee Pie Company http://shortyawards.com/Foodimentary
4 hours, 28 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/11/07
Following: 103,306, Followers: 97,836, Updates: 2,676

25

the_gman
Gerald Weber
H-Town USA
Houston SEO/SEM Guy – Blogger – Friend – Lover – Skydiver – entrepreneur – Tweeter & President Of Search Engine Marketing Group in Houston TX.
http://sem-group.net/s…

RT @drcarolynmiller: Join me w/ @TheDIAMONDCoach Find yr Diamond no matter wht! #BlogTalkRadio at http://tobtr.com/s/852474 11am CST.
5 hours, 55 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2008/06/14
Following: 93,931, Followers: 97,802, Updates: 13,983

26

mark33
Mark Ewing
Colorado
Professional Traveler, Explorer, Adventurer, and Internet Affiliate Marketer, Success Coach, Mentor and Networker
http://www.RealVacatio…

Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.
5 hours, 24 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/02/16
Following: 105,450, Followers: 97,718, Updates: 1,167

27

zaibatsu
Reg Saddler
Denver
Just a guy who loves Social Media. Want to know what our company does: The 1st Rule of Fightclub: you don’t talk about Fightclub
http://www.linkedin.co…

RT @artfanatic411: In urgent times, avoiding online charity scams (cnet) http://bit.ly/5M7SVW #Haiti
1 hour, 11 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2007/08/09
Following: 59,560, Followers: 97,525, Updates: 33,669

28

DominicScott
Dominic Riccitello
Los Angeles, CA
Entertainment Industry
http://www.DominicRicc…

At in n out with my favorite 90 pound model girl
1 hour, 2 minutes ago from UberTwitter

Joined Twitter on 2009/03/05
Following: 92,162, Followers: 96,915, Updates: 12,773

29

DaveMalby
Dave Malby
Sacramento
Entrepreneur Extraordinaire since 1975! also Musician, Inventor, Author, Photographer, and Sarcastic Realist!
http://theCamStand.com

Happy Wednesday @keeperofdreams @jhoggie @FairieMoonChild
1 hour, 21 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2008/07/25
Following: 95,815, Followers: 96,910, Updates: 24,339

30

MikeKlingler
Mike Klingler
Portland, OR, USA
Teaching Marketers To STOP IT!!! Grow Your Business Being ‘YOU’ & Enjoying It… Be Proud Of What You Do.
http://RenegadeProfess…

@jerrycchen Doing a Low Budget Film ($5-10 mil) on Tesla (the scientist)… aiming 4 Product placement w/Tesla Motors – maybe u can help
14 hours, 27 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/08/07
Following: 93,155, Followers: 96,601, Updates: 2,168

31

BigRichB
Rich
Austin, Texas
The Twitter HULK!! Grrr. Look into my Eyes. I AM the Most Interesting Man in the World! I Like Dill Relish & Sour Cream too.

Weird Q… which foreign country are you fascinated with? For me, it’s Russia.
6 days, 11 hours ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/10/21
Following: 95,109, Followers: 95,897, Updates: 1,980

32

Debbas
Debbas

Just arrived to freezing Orlando to go on a marketers with 400 CEO’s to Belize, Honduras and Mexico
4 days, 3 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Joined Twitter on 2008/06/22
Following: 102,911, Followers: 93,560, Updates: 3,939

33

EcoInteractive
EcoInteractive
Costa Rica
Eco Preservation Society: Inspiring Action, Empowering People,Connecting Communities & Transforming the Planet through Conservation, Reforestation & Education
http://unhub.com/EcoIn…

McDonald’s seeks to cut cows’ methane emissions http://bit.ly/8rSIlY What are they doing for their customers w/ this problem?
3 hours, 7 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2009/01/13
Following: 94,039, Followers: 93,114, Updates: 4,382

34

Coachforyou
impulse3
Germany
Life Coach for: Social Media, Online Marketing, Networking, Web 2.0, Blogger, Mountain Biker- If you can dream it, you can do it.
http://www.facebook.co…

Wie gefällt Euch das Video http://ow.ly/W9rd zu Googles neuen Nexus One? http://ping.fm/vbtIB #News #twtpoll #viral #Marketing #Online
55 minutes ago from Ping.fm

Joined Twitter on 2009/02/24
Following: 91,334, Followers: 90,843, Updates: 2,756

35

DuncanWierman
Duncan C. Wierman
Greenville, SC
Software CEO turned Real Estate Investor / Marketer. I show you how to use creative online marketing methods to do more deals online. Virtual Investing
http://www.duncanwierm…

New blog post: Why "Done For You" Lead… http://www.duncanwierman.com/blog/duncans-opinion/why-done-for-you-lead-generation-is-a-bad-idea/
17 hours, 46 minutes ago from Twitter Tools

Joined Twitter on 2008/07/21
Following: 92,261, Followers: 89,986, Updates: 1,122

36

mikepfs
mikepfs
33.721392,-116.385280
Husband , Father,Christian, Conservative , Tech Geek #TCOT

Some AT&T iPhone Users Seeing Increased 3G Data Speeds? http://tinyurl.com/ycl2bov
1 hour, 2 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/05/09
Following: 88,932, Followers: 87,487, Updates: 37,161

37

0boy
JD Rucker
Orange County, CA
Social Media. It’s what I do. I love to find and share high-quality content.
http://soshable.com/jd…

Having a Purpose in Life May be Key to Happiness http://su.pr/1jcXSW #psychology #research
1 day, 13 hours ago from Su.pr

Joined Twitter on 2007/12/28
Following: 84,435, Followers: 83,317, Updates: 4,706

38

ChuckNeuschafer
Chuck Neuschafer
Wichita, KS
Dad, Husband, School Technology Integration Specialist
http://www.chuckneusch…

@LAminerals You’re welcome!!
6 days, 19 hours ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/12/07
Following: 89,046, Followers: 82,972, Updates: 469

39

Louis_Batides
Louis N. Batides
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Having fun buying and selling houses and helping others to do more of the same. Business System development and Social Networking.
http://www.ibuycolorad…

SEO Goes Social http://bit.ly/8ChL2j
3 hours, 13 minutes ago from twitterfeed

Joined Twitter on 2009/02/27
Following: 87,840, Followers: 81,979, Updates: 11,979

40

AlohaArleen
Arleen Boyd
Honolulu, Hawaii USA
Live Aloha! Give Mahalo! Embrace and delight in your passions!
http://www.AlohaArleen…

@Christiegarcia All is well – thanks for asking! Still wondering if the arsonist was targeting those people or the neighborhood in general.
2 days, 18 hours ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/10/16
Following: 81,616, Followers: 81,751, Updates: 38,217

41

tmaduri
Tom Maduri
Toronto, Ontario
Immersive Entertainment Exec, Beer League Soccer MVP, husband & father to the prettiest little girl.
http://www.thefutureis…

LifeHacks: The Definitive Guide to Making the Most of Your Netbook http://ow.ly/16kyW3
1 hour, 14 minutes ago from HootSuite

Joined Twitter on 2008/01/21
Following: 78,705, Followers: 81,316, Updates: 1,786

42

geraldromine
Gerald Romine
Phoenix, Arizona
Real Estate Investing, Adrenalin Junkie, RealEstate Investing Software Developer, Author. To KICK ASS in real estate http://kickassrealestate.com.
http://www.geraldromin…

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go
1 day ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/08/19
Following: 76,330, Followers: 80,636, Updates: 630

43

TheDigitalLife
Rick Abbott
Mammoth Cave, KY
Christian Conservative home-schooling dad, Kentuckian, elder, in love with wife and kids! #TCOT – N8HMR
http://www.TheDigitalL…

Hundreds of thousands of people have died in Haiti’s earthquake, the prime minister told CNN today.
4 hours, 24 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

Joined Twitter on 2007/03/10
Following: 84,510, Followers: 79,758, Updates: 4,403

44

mauricefreedman
Maurice Freedman
New York
CEO, Zaah Technologies, Inc. Thought Leader, Social Media Expert
http://www.zaah.com

ScoutMob brings real-time local savings to your iPhone. http://zah.cc/IpT
1 hour, 49 minutes ago from zaTweet

Joined Twitter on 2008/10/29
Following: 77,489, Followers: 74,742, Updates: 1,783

45

TimJensen
Tim Jensen
Onalaska, WI
Husband, father of 5, musician, teacher, and passionate about building loyalty in relationships.
http://www.tim-jensen.com

Packers lose 51-45
2 days, 20 hours ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/09/26
Following: 76,328, Followers: 74,418, Updates: 1,140

46

Jonathan360
Jonathan Nafarrete
Los Angeles, CA
Social media consultant and photographer. Sometimes photographer of social media. Ford Fiesta driver.
http://jonathannafarre…

@ButtercupD tell her to buy a birkin bag and let’s call it even…
16 hours, 33 minutes ago from web

Joined Twitter on 2008/09/30
Following: 64,665, Followers: 73,662, Updates: 4,014

47

Mike_Wesely
Mike Wesely
Atlanta, Georgia
Video + Optin = Success http://VideOptin.com, Articles + Cartel = 15,000 Links http://ArticleCartel.com Internet Marketer, Twitter SEO & Positioning Expert
http://VideOptin.com

#HelpKids > Please Vote for this Charity http://bit.ly/7lgEso Help Kids Get Supplies for School > High 5 votes get 10k for charity
1 day, 17 hours ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2008/03/17
Following: 67,271, Followers: 72,686, Updates: 32,162

48

stejules
stejules
Stuttgart, Germany
News from the Web / Net, Twitter, Facebook and Social Media | Power User, Tester, Social Media Allrounder, µ-Blogger, YOUR Timeliner | ‘A State Of Trance’ fan!
http://www.google.com/…

http://twitpic.com/xy5zm Twitter Hits Ground Running for Haiti Earthquake Relief http://bit.ly/7qsNGH #PRAYHAITI
2 hours, 37 minutes ago from Power Twitter

Joined Twitter on 2008/02/25
Following: 69,383, Followers: 72,136, Updates: 12,574

49

rockingjude
rockingjude
Jackson, Wy
One Person CAN make a difference!! Geoeconomics and advocate for less government, no FED. We are no longer America.
http://www.projectworl…

@opphoto it was …lolll..although i had a shortcut!!!..haven’t kept up….~?
21 hours, 41 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Joined Twitter on 2008/09/08
Following: 71,937, Followers: 71,937, Updates: 26,641

50

TheBusyBrain
TheBusyBrain
St. Petersburg, FL (USA)
Father, Husband, Photography, Music Production, Nature/Water/Animal Lover, Horrible Blogger, Outside-the-Box’er, Uber Geek, Marketing and Social Media Zealot
http://blog.TheBusyBra…

We just adopted a new member into our family from local SPCA! German Shepard mix. Smile Jäger! http://twitpic.com/xlnao
2 days, 20 hours ago from Tweetie

Joined Twitter on 2008/04/13
Following: 62,130, Followers: 70,818, Updates: 1,185

As some of you may recall, I attempted to create a home made wind screen for my noise cancellation headset.  I plug that into my Sony Voice Recorder and then I can walk around outside composing and dictating as I like.

Testing Home Made Windscreen, DNS 10 & Windy Day

Well, until yesterday, I had not yet had the opportunity to really test the windscreen out on a very windy day.  Yesterday, was not only windy, but it was also noisy and so I got some video of one of my sessions where I’m writing a chapter for a novel in the NaNoWrimi contest (national novel writing month).

This particular chapter was not one of my best as this multi tasking thing of trying to shoot a video at the same time I’m trying to compose a chapter was a little much even for my UBER multi-tasking brain.  I got the chapter out, but it was not terribly good, and I will have to go back and seriously beef up the dialogue later.

You will not below the video also that the transcription that I ran when I was NOT running screen capture was a great deal more accurate than the transcription used in the actual video.  Multi tasking with Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 and the screen capture software that comes with FastStone Capture is not a good combination for accuracy(great programs running alone, but together a bit much even for a new laptop with a fast processor).  That screen capture program created a 500 mb video file and with Dragon compiling typically about 300 mb at a time while its running that’s almost 1 gigabyte of data in RAM.  Now, I do have 3 gb on the machine that was running this, but doing video and voice recognition is a little much. 

In general, the lessons that I learned here are as follows:

1. Don’t video yourself while writing a book
2. Focus on your words more when you are transcribing to a pocket recorder, try and envision what you are doing and what you are saying, you can enjoy the surroundings, but focus on your words (see point 1 as a bad distraction)
3. If you are walking for exercise, consider going a long distance as opposed to back and forth.  Mindless physical exercise can be good for writing, but if your brain needs to make decisions while you are writing it can distract you from your words
4. The equipment will do a great job, focus on your own thoughts and your speech quality.
5. Note. the sound quality in the video is from the microphone on the camera and not the actual microphone with the windscreen

Here’s the more accurate transcription results of the chapter without the video

Case of this quick test C. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is working

Falsely maligned

Jeremy had found his father and is now looking for the medicine man. He was heading in the direction of where the medicine man’s most be, when he encountered his sister else.

"Jeremy I cannot believe that you hurt Shiloh. Even after everyone in the tribe warned you not to act so stupid around. How could you do that, how could you hurt your own little brother. You’re supposed to be looking out for not shooting arrows at them" also said. "I told you I would make you pay for this, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do." She said all she turned and ran in the other direction.

Jeremy didn’t even have an moment to try to explain himself or defend what happened or explained that it had been him at all. Also was as old as

It also was his older sister, and despite the fact that he was now taller and stronger than she was, he still felt intimidated by her. Plus you can really fool around with someone that was the medicine man’s apprentice. The last thing the germinated was the spirit world after.

He kept on walking down the trail and pursuit of the location where the medicine man supposed to be. This took an up-and-down small hill, washed out goalie basically that it filled in with sand over time and when he came to the top of the hill, he could see the medicine man standing near a tree looking at some plants further up the rich. He walked towards the medicine man, and walked with a step it was a little bit louder than normal as he did not want to surprise the man. He definitely felt intimidated by the medicine man, and for some reason this to

And for some reason didn’t want to call out to the older man in jail and area

So instead he chose a course where he would walk relatively loudly up behind the man so that he could hear them coming. "Jeremy, is that you? The medicine man asked

"Yes, it is I. My little brother Shyla’s been hurt in a terrible accident. We were in the clearing hunting for rabbits, when a large bird attacked him. The bird was almost as large as the clearing, swoop down and picked up Shilo in his clutches with this giant feet. Ice shot an arrow at the bird, instructed but it did very little damage and barely slowed down. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the bird got tangled slightly in a tree, I don’t know what would’ve happened to Shiloh."

The medicine man took all of us in without the slightest bit surprised. Jeremy didn’t think that anything in the world could surprise the medicine and, not even the tale of a giant bird that no one ever seen or heard of before swooping down on attacking someone in the tribe.

"Well, let’s go see her brother, and along the way we will stop my hunt and pick up my pack of medicines." The medicine man said. "Described to me, tell your brother was injured, where he was injured in what type of injuries he received." The medicine man continued.

Jeremy said, "he was picked up by the feet of the bird, which seem to puncture his shoulders with the giant closet the bird had, when the bird got tangled in the tree the bird dropped germ

The bird drop Shiloh, and he fell close to 25 feet. He hit the ground in a relatively soft area, but he did break a leg and lost consciousness. I carried them back to our hut which took Olson our to do. He’s there with my mother now in my father’s on his way." Jeremy said.

The medicine man did not say anymore after that, as they walked very quickly to medicine man’s hut which was a few minutes away. Jerry waited outside while the medicine man went into the hut, and came out with a large deerskin bag full of a number of different things that Jeremy could not make out through the boldest. There were some roots and plants picking up sides, but even these he couldn’t recognize, and Jeremy felt that he knew most of the plants in the forest.

The rapidly left the medicine man’s hut, and crossed the tribal common area heading towards Je
remy’s a. When they arrived son already started to set it was getting dark, they inserted into the hut, which was now lit up with a large fire. The fire was lit more for light than it was for warmth. This was apparent because an opening in the ceiling was open wider than normal to let the heat of the fire escape the hut so as not to roast those inside.

The medicine man went over and converse with Jeremy’s mother, and they spoke together for about five minutes. Jeremy couldn’t quite tell what they were saying, but they did glance at him on several occasions. His father wasn’t in the hut, and Jeremy wasn’t certain what he should do next.

Just as he was thinking this, his mother said, "Jeremy go outside and catch up with her father. He searching the woods to find materials and make an appropriate splint for your brother’s leg. When he gets back, it will take the three of you said the little boy’s leg." She said

Happy to have a new mission, and the opportunity to leave the hut with his mother in the medicine man there, Jeremy quickly left in search of his father."

Here’s the transcription results as shown in the video

Case of this quick test C. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is working

Falsely maligned

Jeremy had found his father was now looking for the medicine man. He was heading in the direction of where the medicine man’s ghost be, when he encountered his sister else.

"Jeremy I cannot believe that you hurt Shiloh. Even after everyone in the drive board you not to act so stupid around. How could you do that, how could you hurt your own little brother. You were supposed to be looking out for not shooting arrows at them" also said. "I told you I would make you pay for this, that’s exactly what I’m going to do." She said all she turned and ran in the other direction.

Jeremy didn’t even have a moment to try to explain himself or defend what happened or explained that it had been him at all. Also was as old as

Also was his older sister, and despite the fact that he was now taller and stronger than she was, he still felt intimidated by her. Plus you can really fool around with someone that was the medicine man’s apprentice. The last thing the germinated was the spirit world after.

He kept on walking down the trail and pursuit of the location where the medicine man supposed to be. This took an up-and-down small hill, washed out goalie basically that it filled in with sand over time and when he came to the top of the hill, he could see the medicine man standing near three looking at some plants further up the rich. He walked towards the medicine man, and walked with a step it was a little bit louder than normal as he did not want to surprise the man. He definitely felt intimidated by the medicine and, and for some reason this to

And for some reason didn’t want to call out to the older man in jail and area

So instead he chose a course where he would walk relatively loudly up behind the man so that he could hear them coming. "Germany, is that you? Medicine Anas

"Yes, it is I. My little brother Shiloh’s been hurt in a terrible accident. We were in the clearing hundred for rabbits, when a large bird attacked him. The bird was almost as large as the clearing, slid down and picked up Shilo in his clutches with this giant feet. Ice shot an arrow at the bird, instructed but it did very little damage and barely slowed down. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the bird got tangled slightly in a tree, I don’t know what would’ve happened to Shiloh."

The medicine man took all of us in without the slightest bit surprised. Jeremy didn’t think that anything in the world could surprise the medicine and, not even the tale of a giant bird that no one ever seen or heard of before swooping down on attacking someone in the drive.

"Well, let’s go see her brother, and along the way we will stop my constant pick up my pack of medicines." The medicine man said. "Described to me, tell your brother was injured, where he was injured in what type of injuries he received." The medicine man continued.

Jeremy said, "he was picked up by the feet of the bird, which seem to puncture his shoulders with the giant closet the bird had, when the bird got tangled in the tree the bird dropped germ

The bird drop Shiloh, and he fell close to 25 feet. He hit the ground in a relatively soft area, but he did break a leg and lost consciousness. I carried him back to our hut which took Olson our to do. He’s there with my mother now in my father’s on his way." Jeremy said.

The medicine man did not say anymore after that, as they walked very quickly to medicine man’s hut which was a few minutes away. Jerry waited outside while the medicine man went into that, and came out with a large deerskin bag full of a number of different things that Jeremy could not make out through the boldest. There were some roots and plants picking up sides, but even these he couldn’t recognize, and Jeremy felt that he knew most of the plants in the forest.

The rapidly left the medicine man’s hut, and crossed the tribal common area heading towards Jeremy Scott. When they arrived the sun already started to set it was getting dark, they inserted into the hut, which was now lit up with a large fire. The fire was lit more for light than it was for warmth. This was apparent because an opening in the ceiling was open wider than normal to let the heat of the fire escape the hut so as not to roast those inside.

The medicine man went over and converse with Jeremy’s mother, and they spoke together for about five minutes. Jeremy couldn’t quite tell what they were saying, but they did glanced at him on several occasions. His father wasn’t in the hut, and Jeremy wasn’t certain what he should do next.

Just as he was thinking this, his mother said, "Jeremy go outside and catch up with her father. He searching the woods to find materials and make appropriate splint for your brothers leg. When he gets back, it will take the three of you said the little boy’s leg." She said

Have you have a new mission, and the opportunity to leave the hut with his mother in the medicine man there, Jeremy quickly left in search of his father."

This summer I have been working on a new project with Joe Klein and Bill Fortune called New Media Creative.  They are talking about the voice aspect of the business on LA New Media Ustream TV show.

Live Streaming by Ustream.TV

This is a test of my night vision webcam. It is actually a day/night web cam. I’ve plugged it in via a Pinnacle usb video conversion device.

Here’s my original article talking about the setup for this goofy experiment.
http://www.softduit.com/…dockffice/

Mobile post sent by brettbum using Utterz.  Replies.

That was the first test. Nothing spectacular and the audio could have been better. I have to figure the audio out a bit more as I fine tune my recipes for nocturnal web cam tests.

This weekend, I set up a green screen in my back up office (winter office when the wifi fishing dock is too chilly or windy).  I set up lighting for filming, set up my video camera, and hung a green screen like sheet as a back drop behind my desk.

I then went through the process of trying to learn how to take a picture or a video and putting that into the background while putting my own head or image into the foreground using Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate.  My son, Corbin, helped me with the whole process and within about 90 minutes we were able to push our images into a South Park episode (just playing at first).

Then I pushed my son’s video image into a Rolling Stones concert, while my son played the guitar with Keith Richards.  Maybe not the best influence, but my son thought it was pretty cool.

Then I toyed around with a very very basic slide presentation using some still images from a trip I took to Cahokia Mounds, the largest pyramid in the Americas and the pyramid with a base larger than that of the Great Pyramid in Egypt.  (Looks like a dirt pyramid with the top cut off if you ever visit)

The tools that I have for this were relatively inexpensive.  I have a $250 mini-dvd camcorder, a $100 software program and a $40 video converter box that came with the software that enables me to plug my camera (or DVR or any video source) into my laptop via USB.  The green screen was thrown in with the software too and I thumb tacked it to the ceiling.

The Green screen can be used for anything from video productions to insert a talking head into a scene or to create special effects (think gollum in the Lord of the Rings) or even in web design (check out the MGM Grand website most of those images are created with Models in New York with the rest of the images pushed in from other sources). 

I’ll probably use it more for talking head purposes myself, so I can kick back in a massage chair drinking a beer while the world sees the professional image of me on the internet.  (Maybe not that extreme, but there are many uses.

The package that I bought is a steal at less than $160, if you can find it at $150 or better you are getting a good deal. This software is more video editing than screen capture. It will not replace Camtasia, but will enable you to take your Camtasia videos to a whole new level.   There are lesser versions of Pinnacle that range in price from $70 – $120, but for a few dollars more, you can get the full package along with many special effects, the green screen and all the cords you need too.  Compared to paying $400 for Camtasia it really felt cheap!

Its called Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate

Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate

Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate combines a high-speed USB 2.0 capture device with the power of Pinnacle Studio Ultimate video editing software and a suite of highly-acclaimed pro audio and video tools for professional results. The extensive range of capabilities includes compatibility with the Windows Vista operating system, HD DVD and AVCHD format editing and disc authoring, Hi-Fi audio music generation, and automatic Web publishing. In addition to Pinnacle Studio Ultimate video editing software s improved performance and speed, and a sleek new user interface, Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate includes BIAS Inc s SoundSoap audio cleaning tools, professional level special effects from ProDAD VitaScene, precision Panning and Zooming with StageTool MovingPicture, and a Chroma Key green screen backdrop for easy-to-achieve professional results. Product has new packaging, smaller footprint and upgraded software. Hardware remains identical to previous version.

Here to for, I’ve generally built videos and tutorials with the unorganized approach of recording some video while I do something and then going back and editing it into something useful.

Today, I was working on a viral video for a client and actually built a story board of the video before I put it together attempting to plan out how I would present the video.

This actually worked pretty well for me, even though the story board turned out to be very rough.

Here’s a quick video showing the MindManager map I used for this situation.

Plus, here is the resulting viral video that I created from the story board draft.

Note. there’s a technical sound glitch in the final product that is the result of a problem with Camtasia’s ability to render 2 tracks of sound and a slow motion video clip at the same time.  I’m hoping to resolve this by reworking the clips in Pinacle.  If that succeeds I’ll add a third movie with the corrected result. For now, there are a couple sections where the volume level is a little buggy.

So now, I have to crack open this new software, get it installed and start learning some advanced techniques.  Coming soon, I will have my office on the fishing dock converted into a green room studio, you won’t even be able to see the patio furniture when I’m done, but I’m not sure what I’ll do when the occasional duck flies through my office.

I have been conducting a few tests today with the Jing Video Capture tool from TechSmith.  I learned about this in September at the Podcast and New Media Expo, TechSmith had a great product and I didn’t need to be won over with advertising pens.  (note, it took me a few attempts to figure out how to install it on my machine running XP Media Center)

I noticed that when my microphone was set to red in Dragon Naturally Speaking, this seemed to turn off the microphone for Jing too.  Dragon Naturally Speaking does not normally have universal control over the microphone for other applications and I routinely shit in and out of it with other voice programs or recording programs.

I’m going to attempt to embed the video I created and published to TechSmith’s site, Screencast.com.

Here is the text I wrote with Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 during the test (not very polished, but it is what it is)

This is a quick experiment to see if I can use Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 at the same time that I’m using Jing. Jing is a video capture software program from TechSmith.

The first time I tried this program I had the microphone for Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9 turned off and I attempted to record sound with the video. The sound did not work on the video capture program. This time I have the microphone on for Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I’m wondering if there’s an incompatibility with Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Jing.

As you can see Dragon NaturallySpeaking doesn’t like to spell the word Jing very much.

Note, I to get the actual video installed, shared on this blog, the steps were not obvious and I had to backwards engineer some code.  I suspect that this will be an area that I will focus my initial efforts to figure out the best way to apply the use of this tool.

Quest to Build an Entertainment Empire

I am on a quest to build an entertainment empire.  The world of entertainment cannot fulfill the demand for programming on TV.  Most every network rely significantly on reality TV and the quality of entertainment has dropped dramatically. 

Consumers meanwhile have developed more sophisticated tastes and demand better entertainment.  So I’m working to grow and entertainment empire that can fulfill that demand with hundreds of thousands of writers and actors and comedians and musicians.

2 Point 4 Children Case Study

I’d like to give you an example of a great British televeision program that was taken off the air after running for about eight years.  The show was called 2Point4 children and it aired from about 1991 until 1999.

I know of the show because a good friend of mine married one of the actresses from the show.  Her name now is Kim Dodge and she goes by the nickname K T Dodge and even has a blog of the same name. 

K T Dodge is Kim Benson from 2Point4 Children

On the show, 2Point4 Children she was known as Kim Benson and worked as a British Comedy actress for many years playing on Grange Hill in the late 70’s and working on many more shows since.

Today, many TV shows end before their time, due to the fact that the writers often times extinguish their effort on working the same material.  I believe that with an army of many more writers from all around the world, shows could enjoy a much longer life span and characters such as Kim Benson’s Christine could even be expanded out more to get people interested in the different angles and twists that character development could take when a cadre of writers really puts their best foot forward.

Kim Benson as Christine – A Character that Could have Been Developed More

Kim Benson appeared as Christine starting in season 2 and running through the end of 2Point4 Children, but those appearances like many other actors and actresses on the show could have been grown out even more, developing a number of twists and plot opportunities that a typical linear television program has been limited to in the past.

That linear thinking surrounding television programs is rapidly going to come to an end as more people demand more television programing of high quality.  Developing television character universes following characters like Kim Benson’s Christine and others from 2Point4 Children will enable multiple groups of writers to work on the same universe of related shows, co-mingling ideas and plot opportunities and greatly expanding the potential of a television franchise.

Example of 2 Point 4 Children Excerpt (doesn’t included Kim Benson’s Character)

Last weekend I had the opportunity to talk with the developers of Snagit at the Podcast and New Media (Video) Expo in Ontario California.  This was my second year attending the show.  Next year it is growing up and moving to Vegas.

Anyway, I learned about a simple new screen capture program that TechSmith  (the makers of SnagIt and Camtasia) are working on.  Its a free software called, Jing.  It is like a super light and simple version of Camtasia.

You can snap screen shots, or capture video and upload and share it fast. 

Think screen capture mixed with YouTube, but faster and easier than both, oh and very very very basic and simple tools.

The Jing download is simple too, just 4.4mb and you are ready to run.

The .NET Problem

Jing requires a .NET installation on your computer to run.  I have .NET, but its installed on a separate machine.  When I attempted to run the installation, it died on me. 

So tomorrow, i will try and get VB .NET installed on this machine and then attempt to get Jingy on my machine.

If that doesn’t work, then I’ll try and contact the developers again to see what gives.

In the mean time, I’m diving back into my stack of work, as I attempt to catch up with a backlog of new business and projects.  I might as well mainline diet coke at this point or maybe get a diet patch for coke or something.  Anyone have a spare caffeine patch???

I attempted an experiment on Sunday.  I wanted to see if I could drive and write with Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 at the same time. 

Safety was my primary goal, so I utilized a hands free microphone, similar to one that I have for my cell phone.  I strapped my laptop down to a table top attached to the passenger’s seat and powered my laptop with a DC converter.

Here’s a video of the mobile transcription experiment as well as some of the results:

Here’s what I initially wrote as I got started

I am getting ready to take off in my van. I have Dragon Naturally Speaking preferred 9 running on my laptop which is strapped down to a table top attached to my passenger seat.

I’m backing out of my driveway right now looking backwards what you were going to be very careful.

I kind of look at this like I’m dictating what I’m doing to get warmed up before I start writing a few e-mails.

Alright I’m headed down the road, I just turn off my wireless on my laptop. I figure there’s no reason to confuse my computer while it attempts to transmit to a WiFi router that’s not there. I’m going over a set of railroad tracks right now(note that didn?t get transcribed correctly so I had to edit it ) I was curious to see how a shaken up computer tends to work with Dragon Naturally Speaking, and all in all it didn?t do bad.

So I’m heading to a client’s house to help them establish three things:

1. An e-commerce website including a business front contact information policies such as privacy policy returns and warranty policy and more
2. A shopping cart
3. And a professional business blog which they will use to provide tutorials for the products that they sell (they offer a wholesale storefront for remodelers and in addition to everything else they’re going to show visitors how to install some of the products they sell, make repairs or even maintain DIY equipment and tools.)

So I loaded up my car with all the essentials, my laptop, my projector, a TV tray to put any of those things on if I need extra space.

As I am driving on the road, I realize that I forgot a couple things like a blank CD or blank DVD, I plan on recording a few videos of the tutorial that I’m going to create for them and I want to give them the DVD at the end of it so that they can go back and watch lessons over again if they need a reminder on any of the things I will be training them on as we establish their site. This will also establish a good record of what they did and why they did it in case they need to make a change in the future.

For more Dragon Naturally Speaking articles, videos and tutorials.