I’ve been called a hipster before, and each time I flinch. I find the whole “hipster” movement to be a pimp slap in the same vein as the Grunge movement felt when Grunge suddenly found itself going mainstream. I remember how odd a fashion statement bred of thrift stores was suddenly finding itself in upscale malls and European catwalks, and I find equally odd the hipster movement.

I believe there is a fine line between a geek and a hipster, but leave it to Geeks Are Sexy to come up with an infographic that shows that line being so fine that — in some instances — it just isn’t there.

From: BecomeCareer.com

Drawing these lines in the sand is nothing new to Geeks Are Sexy as they ran an infographic on Geeks Vs. Nerds. Funny thing — right now, Sonic Boom is digging on calling her dad a “Nerd.” Not sure where it is coming from, but there it is. Between the three, I prefer “Geek” if you feel the need for labels.

Granted, if you’re going to use labels, call me Tee. That’s the best one of all.

Roughly six weeks ago, as you might have heard on a recent episode of The Shared Desk, a friend of ours — Lisa-Anne Moore — introduced me, Pip, and Sonic Boom to the new Activision game Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures. Sonic Boom was intrigued by the concept of this game, that concept being that at any point you can swap out characters within a game, all dependent on what you need at that moment. The Boom perked up, however, when she heard about a character named “Sonic Boom.”

Imagine her elation when she found the character of Sonic Boom was a girl.

From the Skylanders Portal Masters’ website, here’s Sonic Boom’s story:

Long ago, Sonic Boom took refuge high atop a mountain peak in the far reaches of Skylands, hoping to keep her griffin hatchlings safe.  But despite her precautions, a devious wizard tracked her down and placed a wicked curse on the griffin eggs.  Once hatched, the young hatchlings can live for only mere moments before they magically return to their shells… only to be hatched again in an endless cycle.  Wanting to prevent such evil from happening to others, Sonic Boom joined the Skylanders and has trained her young to defend Skylands each time they are hatched.

In light of how toy makers stereotype girls, this makes me smile big.

How are toymakers stereotyping girls? If you were not one of the 3.7 million people who saw this video, take a moment:

And take a look at this search result for video games targeted for girls.

Seriously?! Cooking Mama 3?!?

Okay, so maybe girls want to play games that deal with virtual cooking, virtual child rearing, and virtual horse camps, but don’t we game to escape reality? And sure, there are games that feature strong characters out there that are women. Lara Croft. Resident Evil. The Femme-Sheppard option in Mass Effect. But as super-blogger Megan Howard points out, comic book and video game heroines tend to be less about getting the job done and more about being hyper-sexualized automatons. Like heavily-armed Victoria Secrets’ models. Before the comic book geeks tell me about Starfire’s propensity for sex — yeah, sure, I get that, but come on…

Come. On.

And as a dad of a little girl, it concerns me that my kid appears limited to her gaming to either “Imagine Babies” or armored anime girls that are lacking armor across two blatantly obvious targets…

Lemme guess — the blades bounce off, right?

That was before we at Case de Morris discovered Skylanders.

In her second week of playing, after spending the week telling us that she was going to be selecting Eruptor (picture the Hulk if he were made of molten rock and could spew lava) as her latest recruit, Sonic Boom surprised us by selecting Whirlwind. At first we wondered what was up as a winged unicorn was a big step away from a volcanic monster.

Then we started playing Whirlwind, and on leveling up the Boom picked up a “Rainbow Strike” power. Here’s where I cued up the cutesy-cutesy music because, yeah, Whirlwind is a girl and part-unicorn so rainbows have to be in here. So she can fly, and her horn shoots rainbows, strikes down enemies, heals her allies…

Wait. Hold on. She does what?

Turns out this half-unicorn-half-dragon is the Cleric of the Skylanders realm. You know, a Cleric — that throw-away “Why the hell are you in this campaign again?” character class that is standing over you right after an ogre ambush, asking “How’s that axe wound to the gut, Tex? Stings a bit, don’t it?” In one night, our own Sonic Boom turned Whirlwind into the most important character in her collection. She also gave Whirlwind a new nickname: Featherstrike. (She came up with that all on her own.)

And the more we play, the more we’re discovering that all the female characters of Skylanders are some serious ladies not to be trifled with.

This weekend, Pip and I celebrated five weeks of fantastic grades and behavior from the Boom by picking up for ourselves some Skylanders. Pip picked up Cynder, and I unboxed Hex.

Now take a look at this black magic woman.

Is she wearing a chain mail bikini? No. Is her upper chest doubling as a flotation device? No. Is she, at any point in this game, making me a sandwich? No.

Is she one of the most powerful of the Skylanders? Three words: Long. Range. Attacks.

It was halfway through my first level with Hex that I figured out I could take out a few baddies from a considerable distance. The more I leveled her up, the more distance her powers covered.

Comparing the ladies of Skylanders to the men made me truly appreciate the game on a whole new level. With air-tight writing and voicework, this game is a blast to play with the Boom; and we will both admit that after she goes to bed, Pip and I play because we enjoy it that much. On a parental level, I love that Activision and Toys for Bob went out of their way to make the details of this game appealing to both boys and girls. While the men breathe fire, fly with hydro-powered jet packs, and belly flop the bad guys, the women bring it with dark lightening strikes, undead magic, and tempest attacks. Finally, we got games that work for everybody, where girl characters aren’t pink, fluffy, big-eyed lintballs floating from adventure to adventure using the power of laughter to vanquish their foes. The girls of Skylanders are tapping kegs of whomp-ass and keeping it classy.

Now, we’re in a new week and quickly approaching a crossroads. We are short two elements — Fire and Life. The earlier mentioned Eruptor is a Fire element, and he’s got a lot of power. Who do we have representing the Life elementals?

And here’s what she can do…

My advice to the Boom? Go green.

Recently, J.C. Hutchins asked across various social networks for people to sum up their 2011 in one word, and then sum up their hopes for 2012 in another. I responded with three.

Yes, I’m a rebel. Screw the rules, ‘cause that’s how I roll.

Man, I really need to make “avoid talking street” a New Year’s Resolution. Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hutch’s “Sum Up Your 2011” question…

I responded with “The Small Step” because I’ve started looking ahead already to 2012. Planning for appearances. Pre-production for a book trailer. Considering a posting schedule for Volume Two of Tales from the Archives.  And, of course, the release of The Janus Affair. It just feels like everything is piling on already, and I’ve still not put away Christmas decorations.

Not sure what it was about this week — maybe the storm front breaking, maybe the sunrise, maybe the unusually smooth commute to work, who knows? — I started to look back. 2011 has been one astounding year. A year of change. A year of direction. Some of these items may some across as a touch trivial, but they defined the year for me, and are helping me work through tough spots and dark times. I stopped to think of those high points and put them out there on this blog, my intent being that you might find five things to be thankful for at this time.

5.  Getting My Game Back. This is P.C. Haring’s fault; and while I might have sounded disgruntled about it on The Shared Desk, it’s been something that I’ve missed. Terribly. The story goes that P.C. was paying a visit and, on hearing we had picked up an XBox for Sonic Boom, he took it upon himself to bring a few games for the grown-up’s. Both Paul and Pip have seen me shout and swear and blame the controller (which, when it’s a Kinect game, is kind of embarrassing); but I find myself constantly drawn back to the challenges of Aperture Laboratories or the overrun Arkham Asylum. (Batman: Arkham City is in the wings. I just need to complete Asylum’s basic story, and then I’m in.) I had forgotten how much I loved to game when I was a kid (ColecoVision reprah-ZENT!), and now I find it a nice stress relief. (Stop laughing at me, Pip!) When I feel stuck creatively or survive a less-than-satisfying day at the office, I find inverted takedowns when hanging from a gargoyle most satisfying.

And there is, of course, the workout aspect of the Kinect. I pwn The Humpty Dance!

4.  Investing in the Home. Last year, between one incredible day where friends and family helped me get the place in order, to Pip helping me sort and organize the details, I have found my house to be an ongoing challenge. That was when I regarded it as a house. My original plan was to hold on to it for a few years and then move. This was before I discovered what was in plain sight: an incredible community of people who I now refer to as friends. When Pip arrived for a more permanent stay, I saw myself caring less about the house and more about my home.

Our home.

Additions arrived. Changes were made. It’s no longer a place where my stuff is. We’ve got a home now. It feels great.

3. Sonic Boom: The Next Chapter. Being a parent is not easy. It wasn’t easy when she was born. It wasn’t easy when it was just the two of us. Presently, it’s no different from Arkham Asylum — each subsequent level is harder than the previous one. (Admittedly, there are far fewer sociopaths and super villains involved when parenting Sonic Boom, although there are some days the Boom could give Harley Quinn a run for the money in the diva department.) In this year, with Pip at her side, I’ve seen her take strides developmentally that have me in awe. I’ve watched her go from dropping to the ground and throwing fits to “calmly” working out problems, working through them, and not giving up. In Taekwondo, I’ve watched her rise to challenges that I thought was far out of her reach and conquer them. She’s not perfect (neither are her parents); but considering everything that’s been thrown at her, she’s continuing to take strides forward. I’m really, really proud of her.

2. The Launch of Phoenix Rising. Yeah, the game changer. At the end of the April, this steampunk novel joined many other urban fantasy, science fiction, and epic fantasy novels on bookshelves. Did it take the world by storm? Well, no. While Pip had the well-received Geist under her belt already and we both had nearly ten years of fiction, podcasting, and non-fiction under our belts, we were still regarded as “newcomers.” But much like Geist, Phoenix Rising has been enjoying what can be best described as a slow burn. The title was honored as one of Goodread’s Top Ten Science Fiction Titles of 2011 and the winner of the 2011 Airship Awards for Best Steampunk Literature. Pip and I were invited to be speakers at ComicCon New York. And we have been introduced to a generous, creative community of people who have made time for our book and have been enjoying our initial offering. It’s been a wild and wacky eight months; and with The Janus Affair slated for a May release, we have more amazing adventures ahead of us.

1. Getting Married. Yeah, this may sound very newlywed or “If you don’t make this #1 for 2011, Pip is so gonna pwn you!” but it’s the truth. The ceremony really did bring together a lot of things that made 2011 such a fantastic year. Pip looked amazing. The neighbors turned out and decorated the new patio with lights, banners, and flowers. And then there were the neighbors themselves — once total strangers to me, now some of the best people in my life. These same neighbors became fast friends with Pip and a support crew for Sonic Boom. All those emotions, hopes, and anticipations reached critical mass on that Saturday morning when a “simple paperwork ceremony” became an incredibly special day for the three of us. We — Pip, Sonic Boom, and I — became a family. We were blessed by God with fantastic weather for October, and also blessed with a Justice of the Peace who had a sense of humor. At the end of the vows, she read to those assembled “I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now go and update your Facebook status.”

Priceless.

Nothing’s really changed between us, and yet everything feels different. I don’t make claims of being perfect in our relationship, and I work to make sure Pip is okay, that our communication is rock solid, and that we’re making time for each other as well as the family. Maybe it’s easier with only the three of us, but then again there’s nothing really “easy” about a marriage. It is work, but I play as hard as I work, and I can only hope Pip and the Boom are having as much fun in this family as I am.

So there it is — another year gone, but what a year it has been. Now 2012 is just a few days away, and there is that feeling of expectation. Right now, I feel like I’m on the edge of something big, something wonderful; and I am ready for the new year to begin and set off on this new adventure. But before doing so, it never hurts to look back, consider the lessons learned, and be thankful for friends old and new who have enjoyed the ride with me.

Thanks, everyone. See you all on the other side.

Chevron 9. Locked.

Just a quick bit of news before the holidays — the 99¢ sale of Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel is now officially on! And here’s where you can find it…

Kindle — http://amzn.to/o31YFI
Nook — http://bit.ly/rBBrT7
Kobo — http://bit.ly/ulBPet
iTunes — http://bit.ly/uuQ0XS

That’s right, Harper Voyager has lowered the eBook price of Phoenix Rising down to 99¢ for a limited time, and this isn’t just for Kindle, but all ebook readers out there. We’re getting the word out today, so if you’ve been curious about steampunk, or how I write in novel-length with Pip Ballantine, or just in the need for something new to read, here is the 2011 Airship winner for 99¢. Feel free to leave us a review and tell a friend!

Something tells me this is hint of things to come. Pip and I are working on a new trailer, bigger and badder than the last one. We have a Christmas Special in the works for both The Shared Desk and Tales from the Archives. And we’re looking ahead to 2012. All this before Christmas.

I need a vacation.

So, this eBook thing. It’s been a trip.

We’ve not been at it for very long, but Pip and I have learned a lot. The biggest thing is that Smashwords’ “Meat Grinder” (the one-stop online application that creates a multitude of formats) can be a fussy, fickled wench. And sure, it’s great to handle all the other formats, but imagine our surprise when we were being asked by Nook users “Why are you using Smashwords? Why not use PubIt?”

And we responded with “Yeah, why not?”
Now, after a whopping half-an-hour for set-up, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is making their first round of short stories available for the Nook as well as the Kindle. Here is the complete list of the Ministry’s 99-Penny Dreadfuls, ready for both devices:

• The Evil that Befell Sampson, written by Philippa Ballantine
  Amazon –Nook
• Dust on the Davenport, written by O.M. Grey
  Amazon – Nook
• The Astonishing Amulet of Amernatas, written by Nathan Lowell
  Amazon – Nook
• A Ruby in Rain, written by Grant Stone
  Amazon – Nook
• Darkest before the Darkwater, written by ME!
  Amazon – Nook

As I mentioned in my previous post, you should expect more Ministry shorts coming from both Pip and myself. Some will be podcast in the 2012 for Tales from the Archives: Volume 2, but many will be available only as eBooks.

For those of you enjoying your digital short fiction on iPad, eReader, and other devices, we will continue working with Smashwords and all its quirks. Don’t mistake — Smashwords does make it easy. Amazon and Barnes & Noble, however, are making delivery a touch faster.

Thank you, everyone, who have already invested in our 99-Penny Dreadfuls. We hope you keep coming back for more! Please, do leave us reviews on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com for our short story offerings, and tell a friend curious about steampunk to give our short stories a spin. Who knows — your 99¢ suggestion might lead them straight to an exciting steampunk adventure. Available for both the Kindle and the Nook

Social Media carpetbaggers (as I call them here, and I’m liking the term the more I use it) would challenge me on many of my work beliefs and ethics, two of which that have been brought to light just this month:

• You can’t make a viral video. They just happen.
• There is such a thing as bad publicity.

I have seen this as a topic on many a conference track — “How to Make Your Videos Viral!” or some such nonsense — and I also get the “Let’s make a viral video…” request a lot from my day job. After my skin stops crawling, I pull no punches and speak the best-kept-secret truth that the carpetbaggers won’t admit: you can’t make a viral video. A video goes viral due to traffic on social networks increasing awareness (of a product, person, or cause), and through self-replicating processes that gain momentum on both the Internet and mainstream media.

Did you catch that “self-replicating” part? That’s key. No one can make self-replication happen. You can promote a video, sure, but that does not necessarily guarantee it going viral.  The constant thread (if there is one) is luck. Good or bad, it comes down to luck. You can’t predict it. You can’t produce it. You never know what will strike that nerve. Viral videos just happen.

And in the case of Rebecca Black, that is exactly what happened. What two comedians referenced off-handedly has now become 2011’s viral sensation.

If you are missing the hubbub, Rebecca Black’s “Friday” has become the new benchmark for viral video success. On March 1, it sported a modest few thousand viewings; but with two snarky quips from Mystery Science Theatre 3000’s Mike Nelson and Comedy Central’s Daniel Tosh, it broke ten million within two weeks.

How could this have happened? As it is when someone asks me “What makes a video go viral?” my answer is “I don’t know.” After writing up this blogpost, I still don’t know…

…but I do have a few opinions on what helped it along.

The production, or cookie-cutter thereof. When synthesizers with accompanying “Oooh’s” and “Yeah-yeah’s” kick in at the start, you know exactly what you’re going to get. The look and the feel of the video is much like the song itself: processed. So are  Black’s vocal abilities which has been Auto-Tuned within an inch of perfect-pitch. Provided you can make it to the end, this Ark Music Factory production comes across as a Hannah Montana video…that didn’t make Disney’s final cut and therefore tabled for a later project. (Maybe a lost video reel or some such.)

Songwriting: Twitter Style. I read a YouTube comment that called the song “Twitter: The Musical.”

I wish I could say, as a Twitter user, I was insulted; but damn, that’s funny.

Writers Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson penned lyrics that are…

…

…

Well, they…

…

I got nothing. So here’s a sample:

“Fun, fun, think about fun / You know what it is / I got this, you got this / My friend is by my right / I got this, you got this / Now you know it.”

Maybe I’m old, but no, I don’t know it. I have no clue what “it” is. Seriously, what have I got and what have you got, and if the girl to the right of you is your friend, who’s the chick on your left? Is she another BFF or is she a right bitch?

Not all the lyrics in “Friday” are this cryptic. Some do make sense:

“Yesterday was Thursday / Today is Friday / We so excited / We gonna have a ball today / Tomorrow is Saturday / And Sunday comes afterwards.”

Umm…yeah…

It ain’t Billy Joel, is it?

The jury is still out on whether Rebecca Black herself is the next Rachel Berry as the audio’s post-production completely masks her vocal ability. I would hazard a guess the Ark Music Factory assures “quality” by running all their clients through Auto-Tune. (What’s good for the pop talent of today is good for the pop talent of tomorrow, right?) It is evident from her first interview that she wouldn’t say no to becoming the next YouTube discovery. She balked at Ark Factory’s offer to pull the video down. “I decided not to give the haters the satisfaction that they got me so bad I gave up,” Black told The Daily Beast. I admire the 13-year old’s conviction, particularly in light of the video’s feedback.

And here’s where my second point is proven.

As reported by CNN, Mashable, and other news outlets, this “overnight notoriety” is less about Rebecca Black destined to become the next Justin Bieber and more about how Rebecca Black is destined to become the next Ghyslain Raza.

Who is Ghyslain Raza? You might know him by his other moniker: The Star Wars Kid. You know, the geeky high school kid who filmed himself wielding a golf ball retriever as a two-edged lightsaber?

Yeah. That guy.

There is such a thing as bad publicity and Black is harvesting it like a finely Auto-Tuned combine. Black’s newfound fame, when you read the comments and commentary, is not about her impressive vocal range rivaling that of Susan Boyle (a YouTube sensation herself) but more about the appalling nature of this video. Even Nelson and Tosh were very strategic in what they mocked — the song, not Black herself.

Where this backlash gets uncomfortable is when, in pursuit of being clever, the feedback gets personal. Rolling Stone’s recent column, tongue-in-cheek as it was, was titled “Why Rebecca Black is a Demon-Wizard Child Piper.” I’ll admit — I chuckled at the title, but then wished it had had been called something else. Maybe “Why Rebecca Black’s Friday is a Sign of the Rise of the Machines” would have worked as well? The unabashed cruelty directed at Black is unwarranted, but that doesn’t mean the song and video are open game (which was the intent of the RS article). For their own $2000 investment, Black’s parents should be outraged that the song lyrics hadn’t been given a proper grammar check.

Concerning Black’s parents — that gets the “Dad” side of me a little fired up. Maybe this is “sideline parenting” at its finest, but I find myself constantly swapping out Black and her parents with (an older) Sonic Boom and myself, asking myself “What would I do?” As a parent, I would have never approved this video. It’s wrong on a lot of levels, but the most disturbing one — as a few critics have pointed out —is the full-grown adult riffing about a 13-year-old’s quest to party. His rap break goes like this:

“R-B, Rebecca Black / So chillin’ in the front seat / In the back seat / I’m drivin’, cruisin’ / Fast lanes, switchin’ lanes / Wit’ a car up on my side / Passin’ by is a school bus in front of me / Makes tick tock, tick tock, wanna scream / Check my time, it’s Friday, it’s a weekend / We gonna have fun, c’mon, c’mon, y’all”

Anyone else find this attempt at “suburbia street cred” a little creepy?

Before anyone plays the “What about Ludicrous and his rap break in Bieber’s ‘Baby’ song?” card, note Bieber’s lyrics. “Baby” is a pop song about first loves, so at least Ludicrous and Justin can see eye-to-eye there.

But this guy? Switching lanes and screaming at school busses? I’m now wondering if he’s the guy wearing a trenchcoat on sunny days at the playground.

Another call that screams for “parental intervention” is Black’s desire “to show people there’s more to me than they think” by recording an acoustic version of “Friday.” Again, maybe this is my background taking notice, but an acoustic version of a crap song isn’t going to make it a better song. An acoustic version of “Friday” would be the equivalent of releasing a leather bound, gold leaf hardback edition of The Eye of Argon or a limited edition Blu-Ray of Battlefield: Earth.

While I will slam the song, the video, and Ark Music Factory (I have a past experience with a “talent mill” like this. True bottom feeders of the entertainment industry.), I would never think of slamming Black as some trolls out there have chosen to do. Throwing insults at a 13-year old girl, who probably had no idea what she was getting into, is never cool. The backlash against her is cruel and unfair, and I can only hope she is able — with the right people behind her — to turn this around.

What is happening here is the other side of viral videos that no one can prepare for: overwhelmingly negative criticism. This time, the “viral success” is less about fame and more about infamy, but how much of this can you really call a success?

For me, no matter how trivial or professional the posting, I strive to produce quality content. With my own upcoming video project coming up very soon, I’d like to think the video would go viral based on its worth, its creativity, and its sense of fun. I’m keeping it simple, and I’ll be able to step back and look at the final work with pride.

But can I promise you it will go viral? No, I can’t.

What I can promise you, though, is my offing will be completely and utterly Auto-Tone free.

This is me, six years ago, recording Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana.

Six years ago, I was talking to Evo Terra about podcasting Morevi with support from The Dragon Page, a podcast about Science Fiction and Fantasy literature. This was all to promote Morevi‘s upcoming sequel, Legacy of Morevi. Evo paused, and said “Let me get this straight: You want to podcast Morevi. That’s a really big book, Tee.”

Evo and his on-pod partner Mike Mennenga, at that time, hadn’t been podcasting for long. Only a few months. It made sense, though. Their podcast was all about books, and all about Science Fiction and Fantasy. Have an author podcast a book on their Dragon Page feed. Sure. Why not?

Six years ago, Mike Mennenga patiently walked me through the process of hooking up a mixer to my PowerMac G4. My first rig, including the iLife package that included GarageBand, was an investment of $400. After making sure the cables were plugged into the right inputs, the audio card was solid, and the MXL990 was hearing me loud and clear, I started recording. After roughly a week of recording, editing, and mixing, my first episode was ready for delivery.

Six years ago today—January 21, 2005—the Prologue of Morevi went live on The Dragon Page’s RSS feed, beginning the first novel to be podcast in its entirety.

This was a publicity stunt. A shot in the dark. A leap of faith, which ironically was the title of the Prologue. Shortly after I went live, author Mark Jeffrey stepped up and said, “I’d like to podcast my young adult novel, The Pocket & the Pendant.” Then along came a guy named Scott Sigler who wanted to release exclusively as a podcast his novel, EarthCore.

In the midst of all these downloads from Dragon Page’s RSS feed, Evo coined the phrase “podiobook” and later launched Podiobooks.com.

All this started six years ago. Today. And it hit me just this morning.

Woah.

Thank you, authors and listeners alike, for coming along with me on this unexpected journey.

I’ve got more coming. See you on the other side…

I have been accused of being a real devotee of the house that Steve built. I admit that yes, I do love me my Apple gear…

• MacPro…check
• MacBook Pro…check
• iPod…check
• AppleTV…check
• iPad…check

I have drank the Kool-Aid and I want more. I am impatiently waiting for October so I can treat myself to an iPhone 4 for my birthday. I love-love-love-love Apple…

…but today, my dearest love punched me in the nose. Really, really hard.

From Mur Lafferty’s Twitter feed came a posting that made me go “Wow…just…wow.” Apple is celebrating Podcasting’s birthday with a celebratory banner (seen above), featuring many “trailblazers” of the medium. Very cool…until you note the birthday.

I was willing to scoff at Steve Jobs when he went on record to say “Folks who want porn can buy a Droid.” I was okay with a face-palm when Jobs told their iPhone 4 users “You’re holding the phone wrong.” All of Apple’s recent successes could just be making him giddy with elation…

Today, with me and a few others, a line was crossed. So for Steve Jobs and the folks at Apple, allow me — one of the authors of Podcasting for Dummies — to give you a brief history lesson.

Podcasting came into wide distribution in 2005 when iTunes recognized it, I’ll give you that; but podcasting had been around a bit longer than iTunes claims…and some of their “early adopters” were pre-dated by others. Podcasting for Dummies traces the first podcast back to August 2004 (although just today, I was shown an article penned by The Guardian’s Ben Hammersley where the term “podcasting” is used — thanks, @ghostfinder!) when Adam Curry and Dave Winer created the code in RSS that made the magic happen. Apple didn’t jump on to podcasting until nearly a year later. June 2005 with iTunes 4.9, if you should ask (PfD, Chapter 1, page 24). While it can be debated which came first — the RSS or the iTunes — the truth is that there were podcasts available as far back as 2004, some of them including:

• The Dragon Page
• Slacker Astronomy
• Geek Fu Action Grip
• Useful Sounds
• Coverville
• Escape Pod
• The Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd

…and a few others.

Many of those “few others” went omitted from the “Early Adopters” such as Mur Lafferty, Michael R. Mennenga, Evo Terra, Chuck Tomasi, Kreg Steppe, C.C. Chapman, Rob Walch, and Todd Cochrane. Podcast authors, including the early adopters such as myself, Mark Jeffrey, and Scott Sigler, went completely omitted.

I recall launching into this uncharted territory in 2005 with no help from Apple in the ways of distribution, and still I managed to find listeners around the world. I remember tracing the steps and working on roadmaps for people to try and avoid the pitfalls. I remember Steve Jobs condescendingly referring to podcasting as “the Wayne’s World of Audio” right before announcing that iTunes would provide a directory.

And I also remember when Apple made early adopters rewrite their RSS feeds in order to appear in said iTunes directory.

Still we managed through the up’s and down’s and the lack of a “real contact” at iTunes, particularly when it came to their “Show Approval” notices and rejections, and now, podcasting is rapidly approaching its birthday. We have now evolved into video, and there are still enhanced podcasts working their way through the podosphere. Some voices may have faded into the night, but more talent continues to appear on the iTunes Directory and share their thoughts with the world.

I do agree that this is a time for celebration. And gifts. So for you, Apple, I come bearing the gift of knowledge.

Now you know better. Happy birthday. In two months.

I’m starting to get my groove back (like Stella) in producing ideas, writing (seriously), podcasting, and playing with Sonic Boom. This road has been difficult (and no kidding, a blogpost is written, but I am not ready to drop it just yet. Bear with me…), but I’m taking everything one step at a time, one day at a time…

One of those positive steps is getting back into the interview circuit. Recently, Que Publishing contacted me concerning All a Twitter. The book is being featured again in Barnes & Noble Bookstores everywhere, and Que is hoping to get the first Twitter guide written from a user’s perspective (and when my byline says “written by Tee Morris” it means it!) into new readers’ hands. They asked me “Whatever you can do to get the word out…” and so I sent out a query to my Twitter networks.

Meet Michele Price. She queried me before I tweeted!

Michele is the host of Breakthrough Business, and on her BlogTalkRadio show we talk about Twitter, about my job at Intersections Inc, and about approaches that go against the grain of the marketing books. We talk about how “old school marketing” just doesn’t work with Social Media, and how businesses need to understand that Twitter (and Social Media, on a whole) is about people.

We had a blast on this interview, and there are more slated for the month. The geekier ones I’ll feature here, but if you want to hear more about the Social Media, take a trip to Imagine That! Studios for the full blogosphere-podosphere interview tour!

The day after the Great #Snowpocalypse of 2009, I felt the walls closing in a bit…and the twins inviting me to play with them really wasn’t helping. Fortunately, saving the day was Peter Cox all the way from Central London when he rearranged his schedule to sit down, open up the mics, and talk with me about podcast fiction. Seems that Litopia has opened a floodgate in talking about podcasting, Social Media, and the modern writer, and Peter wanted to sit down with the guy that started it all.

If you don’t know Litopia, you should. Lipopia is  run by writers for writers. It’s a podcast, it’s a blog, it’s a forum. It’s an inside look and a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry, and what was supposed to be a fifteen minute podcast…well, we went a little longer…

Enjoy this bit of time travel through the history of podcast fiction, and looking at the present day and possible tomorrows of Social Media in the publishing industry.

Listen. Comment (here and at Litopia). Share.

With a whopping 42 comments to it (and as that is the big answer, I thought the time was right for this post…), I think it’s pretty much common knowledge by now that I got a new job. I didn’t really consider how quickly the wheels got rolling on getting me in there; but on retrospect, this place did not diddle around. I was offered the job on August 4, taught my final class on August 14, and then on August 17 I walked in, filed paperwork, went through the orientation, and was then literally thrown into the thick of it. I didn’t hit the ground running. I bitch-slapped the ground, made it call me a pretty girl, and had it beg for more when I was through with it.

And the really frightening bit? After a week, I’m still not sure how my voice mail works.

But what exactly is the job? I didn’t really go into detail on that in “Perseverance and Peter Gabriel” as that post was less about the job itself and more about the job hunt. Amidst the comments of congratulations and inspiration, a few of you have wondered “So what is this job you got?” I wanted to wait until I finished the first week before I shared details, and I’m glad I did. Last week was overwhelming, amazing, and eye-opening, on a lot of levels.

I was also beat at the end of every day. Slept a lot. Now, with some of the blur that was last week processed, here it is…

Intersections is a security firm, based out of Chantilly, VA. Since 1996, Intersections has dealt with credit history and digital identity protection. They are in the business of making electronic transactions, be they financial or personal, safer; and I have been hired as their Social Media Manager. (I’d like to point out that this job falls under Corporate Communications, not Marketing. That thrills me like you wouldn’t believe.) They were looking for someone who could not only apply Social Media, but understand the different initiatives out there and what they offer.

They were also looking for someone who could write. Yeah, I think I got that covered, too.

What I’m particularly excited about with this job is the angle Intersections takes with Social Media. Obviously, I’m being called upon to manage blogs, create podcasts, edit video (which I’m doing right now), and manage an outreach program with Twitter and (soon) Facebook; but I am also being asked to investigate and research security in Social Media, something I’ve touched on in Bird House Rules but only scratched its surface. On Friday, I was forwarded some news about Social Media from a security perspective and I was floored. The ironic bit is, that morning I was catching up with The SpyCast and listening to a fantastic interview with Dr. Terry Gudaitis who specializes in cyberintelligence gathering. (That’s the June 15, 2009 show if you’re interested.)

I feel as if I am starting all over again in Social Media, this time from a new perspective I hope Blogworld will let me speak on this year. I am officially on their schedule. I’ve confirmed “But Honey, It’s For the Studio” but am working to change topics concerning my second talk. So, if you’re at Blogworld this year, stop me and say “Hi.” It should be good fun in Vegas this October!

A cublicle in transition

So in the end, I am using my knowledge and background on Social Media for good, not for evil. While I will help in the promotion of what Intersections does, I will also be their on-call specialist in Social Media while I find out more about security matters with Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, and the like. My brain has been firing on all cylinders since Day One, and I’m soaking it up like a thirsty sponge. The first week just blinked by, and I’ve not slowed down yet.

If you were wondering, though, how the day job will affect my writing, it will only make me more productive. Now that I know my hours, I can regiment and manage my time efficiently. I’m still writing for AppAdvice; and this weekend Pip and I completed the first draft of Books & Braun: Phoenix Rising, our Steampunk CSI peppered with hints of James Bond. I’m also planning to dust off Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and start working on that. I’ll give up details with an upcoming Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy…and yes, that will be its final episode.

It’s a long story and a hard decision concerning The Guide, and I’ll save the rest for that show.

My job at Intersections is now underway, and my writing is moving forward. From here, all that I have to face now are the possibilities.

In this picture are two people that I hold very dear in my life. One of them is my daughter. I will let you try and figure which one of them is her…

The other “bloke” is Martyn Casserly, a journalist, an accomplished musician, and now he is an award-nominated podcaster with his one-minute Movie Mantras podcast. (Martyn is also a dad and a good mate to boot…although his opinions concerning the new Craig-Bond films and recent Doctor Who are completely wrong, but I digress…) With the many endeavors he had going, Martyn approached me this Spring to talk about an article he was penning on podcast authors. He was optimistic that Wired Magazine (UK) would pick up the column. So I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

This morning, I checked my Twitter stream and found this waiting for me:

My article about Podcast Authors is up on Wired ! @scottsigler, @sethharwood, @jchutchins, @teemonster all appear. http://bit.ly/Pv53w

Now live on the site, Wired Magagine (UK) picked up  “Novels by Podcast” where Martyn discusses how we authors are giving away our hard work in audio format for free. He also goes into the genesis of the podcast novel and why we do what we do.

“Giving away your stories isn’t a risk… it’s a competitive advantage,” explains Scott Sigler. “If a reader who’s never heard of me has $25 to spend and they’re looking at my book next to a Stephen King book, who are they going to choose? They take King. He’s a proven storyteller. But if King is $25 and my story is free they may try me out first. Why not? It’s no risk to them. If they like me, they buy me. If they don’t they buy King. Whatever happens the customer gets what the customer wants.”

It is a tight article covering successes and milestones; and while many who follow us on Twitter, on blogs, and through podcasts, may consider what we do “old hat” after four years, podcasting — and more importantly, podcasting fiction — is still a brand-spanking new concept to the mainstream market. Articles like Martyn’s and venues like Wired are getting the word out about what we are doing. That’s what is important here: getting people to listen.

Show Martyn appreciation by blogging about this article (and yep, I got it covered from the business perspective over at Imagine That!), syndicating his link in your feeds, dropping him comments on the article’s page, and talking it up on your podcasts. Let Wired know we’re paying attention and appreciate their support, and let Martyn know both on Twitter and on Wired that his words ring true.

Thanks, Martyn. Well done!

If you are by your computer or thereabouts, make sure to swing by BlogTalkRadio as I make the return visit TONIGHT, August 5, starting at 9pm EST. With Phil Rossi and Philippa Ballantine rounding out the PodioRacket pandemonium, it’s going to be a very exciting night of audio delight for your ears on PodioRacket.com! See you there!

The closer I get to New Zealand, the weirder my life becomes.

In the past two days I’ve received two interviews next week. Am I excited? Not sure. I don’t want to afford myself that luxury only to face another disappointment. What’s making one of the interviews partucularly intriguing is the woman in need of a Social Media Mr. Miagi actually found me in a LinkedIn search.

I’ll say that again: She came to me.

All this with less than two weeks to go fo rmy trip to New Zealand. I really wanted the days before Balticon to be stress-free. I really did.

My friend and fellow Fantasy-Comedic author, Christiana Ellis, is premiering “Nina Kimberly the Merciless” today, and it turns out her Uk Horde broke Amazon. You go, Nina!

My EalC — nearly done. At the rate I was going, I was going to crack the 10K mark, but I went back, made a few hard decisions, and now I’m aiming for 8500. I’ll have to see if there’s anything else to cut. Short stories are hard, Lt. Dan. The story has been a real blessing. It’s gearing me up for some other touch calls I’ll be making soon.

And tomorrow I get a new MacBook Pro, replacing my seven year old PowerBook workhorse. Seven years. “We have heard the chimes at midnight…the days we have seen…”

Considering the books I’ve written, the articles I’ve submitted, and the amazing things I’ve done on this machine, could it be possible I’ve gotten a little sentimental towards it?

Maybe.

Photo by Kreg Steppe

Hey, everyone! I’m closing in on a pretty busy chunk of time, and it all starts next week. As you can see in the photo, I attempted to jump to New Zealand, get a head start on the travel. The only problem is this picture is taken at CREATE South 2009 in Myrtle Beach, so that puts me by the Atlantic.

Oh yeah, and while I got some serious hang time in the photo…my distance was FAIL!

Before I get into the schedule, I got good news on All a Twitter: the manuscript is now at the publisher and currently being prepped for printing. You can pre-order the book but keep an eye on Imagine That! Studios for latest developments on my latest book concerning Social Media, and get ready — I got something else coming this summer.

Oh yeah, and I’m nearly done writing my smut for Chef Pip. I really am a naughty boy.

Now, here’s my upcoming schedule. This is where I will be:

May 22-25
Balticon 43 in Hunt Valley, MD

May 29-June 1
Conscription in Auckland, New Zealand

June 2
ANTI-Social Media, presented for LIANZA, 12pm-2pm
Room 420 Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

All a Twitter, presented for LIANZA, 3pm-5pm
Room 420 Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

June 3
Social Media Mainline Workshop for LIANZA, 9am-5pm
Computer Lab Room 433, Kate Edgar Information Commons Building #315
2 Alfred Street, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

June 6 (JUST ADDED!!!)
Podiobooks: The Best Audiobooks FOR FREE Online for Tararua District Library, 1pm-2pm
Dannevirke, New Zealand

June 15
ANTI-Social Media, presented for LIANZA, 12pm-2pm
Seminar Room, Reserve Bank of NZ
2 The Terrace
Report at ground floor reception no later than 11.45am
Wellington, New Zealand

All a Twitter, presented for LIANZA, 5pm-7pm
Conference Room, Department of Conservation
18-32 Manners Street
Report at ground floor reception no later than 4.45pm
Wellington, New Zealand

June 16
Social Media Mainline Workshop for LIANZA, 9am-5pm
SOLD OUT (Waiting List available)
Computer lab 510, Level 5, WelTec Wellington Campus
11-17 Church Street (off Boulcott Street)
Wellington, New Zealand

June 17

Speak Geek to Me, for Te Papa Tongarewa: The Museum of New Zealand, 10am-12pm
Location: TBA
Wellington, NZ

If you are in New Zealand and looking for a primer on Social Media, you can still sign-up for the Auckland workshop. I could not be more excited about this upcoming trip the Land of the Great White Cloud…

18.5 hours on a plane…AFTER I fly from DC to San Fran. Whoofah!

Next time we talk, I’ll be in the Southern Hemisphere. See you on the other side of the world!

This morning, I completed the ninth chapter of All a Twitter, but I may have to reconsider everything — and I mean, everything — and call up Que Publishing to renegotiate the book we agreed I would write.

This is going to be the next big thing in Social Media, and I want to write the first book on it!

Say hello to “Flutter.”

My editor at Que reads this blog, so let me say I’M JUST KIDDING!!! Seriously. I’m three chapters from wrapping up, and you think I want to do a rewrite from the beginning?!

Been there, done that, got a tee shirt, and I had said tee shirt ripped off me when the publisher tried to stiff me out of the advance.

I am hoping with where I’ve seen this video mentioned on Twitter that it goes viral on an apedemic scale. This is some funny, funny stuff. Consider me the first in line for “Sttr” and a pair of “Flutter Eyes.”

Imagine That! Studios presents…

A FIVE-PART
EPIC MINISERIES
VIDEO PODCASTING
EVENT!

*explosions — screams — kittens and puppies*

Yes, Tee Morris premieres his seminar, ANTI-Social Media: What NOT to Do with Web 2.0, today! Running exclusively at Imagine That! Studios, Tee brings his opinions and commentary on Social Media askew in this…

FIVE-PART
EPIC MINISERIES
VIDEO PODCASTING
EVENT!

*explosions — screams — kittens and puppies*

…and critics are raving!

@PodcastJunky says:

“It’s coming from the house of awesome so it is nothing less than fabulous.”

@akaMonty raves:

“Tee Morris once again proves that he’s more than just a beefcake”

Social Media trendsetter Chris Brogan…

…didn’t return my calls and I don’t know what the restraining order is all about.

@zard proclaims:

“Tee Morris is holding me at ransom unless I write this blurb. Send help!”

Podcasting’s Rich Sigfrit pushes you down, presses his foot against your trachea, and states:

“If you can’t be a good example, be a bad example: Tee Morris brings you Anti-Social Media.”

So you — yes, YOU — must stop whatever you’re doing, focus on the screen, and bask in the awesomeness that is this…

FIVE-PART
EPIC MINISERIES
VIDEO PODCASTING
EVENT!

*explosions — screams — kittens and puppies*

(And if you really dig what you’re seeing, the rest will be made available in installments at Imagine That! Studios. Thanks for playing along, everyone, and thank you, Jason, for the “Epic Miniseries” idea. Nice way to kick off a week!)

Hey, everyone!

cover artwork by J.R. Blackwell

While you all know that the dwarf detective is one for the low-tech solutions like Beatrice and a good battle-axe, you may not know that the award-winning The Case of The Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery is now available for the iPhone! Sure you can download Billi on the iPhone and iPod Touch in audio but now you can pick up a copy of Billi’s first big case as an iPhone application. Along with The Case of The Singing Sword, the Fey Trickster is also causing (double) trouble at the iTunes Store with Chasing the Bard also available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Take a look and show the love. Let iPhone and iPod Touch users know that Double Trouble has now hit the iTunes Application store.

And yes, The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic are both en route. Stay tuned…

photo by Kreg Steppe

Are you in the Washington D.C. area, within driving distance of the Nation’s capital, or happen to be in my stomping grounds next week? If you are, you have two chances to catch me speaking on Social Media. The Washington Network Group and The Washington DC Write to Publish Group have invited me to come in and speak, and I am thrilled to present:

ANTI-Social Media: What Not to Do in Web 2.0

Thursday, February 26
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

hosted by
The Washington Network Group
Merrill Lynch Conference Center, 6th Floor
1152 Fifteenth Street, NW

Ξ

Social Media for Writers: Making Web 2.0 Your Marketing Machine

Saturday, February 28
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

hosted by
The Washington DC Write to Publish Group
Arlington Central Library
1015 N. Quincy St., 2nd Floor Meeting Room
Arlington, VA

If you are in the area, I hope you can make it for the discussions. Feel free to pass along the appearance links on your own feeds, and I hope to talk to you then!

Coach Ian Scott connected with me through my work on Podcasting for Dummies, both the podcast and the book. (No, the PFD Podcast hasn’t faded. It’s just been difficult to get to on the priority list.) I have been working with him on fine tuning both his podcasts, and as a way to say “Thank you” Ian invited me on his interview show “Conversations with Coach Ian Scott” which is a talk show featuring creative professionals from around the world. From his website, Ian says about our interview:

We talk about Tee as a podcaster and author. Podcasting: How and Why organizations, corporations, and individuals should be utilizing the power of podcasting. Social Networking, the CES 2009 Expo of January 8 – 11. Projects Tee Morris is currently working on, and a new book on Twitter to be launched around the Summer of 2009. Oh, and we had some fun along the way!

We most certainly did that! In this interview, I give one of the reasons I have not been on Twitter recently. (It’s a good reason, trust me.) I also have a few announcements to make after I return from Farpoint. Enjoy the interview and please leave Ian a comment on his blog concerning the interview. He’d love to hear from you!