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SocialMedia Talk > Categories
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4/24/2010
Social Media and Innovation go hand in hand. In today’s Productivity Adventure I explore, discuss, and demonstrate some of the key trends in innovative social media focusing on Microsoft solutions in these areas. Featured in today’s adventure are:
- Communities
- Mobility
- Geo-Enabled Data
- Interactive Displays
- Connecting Physical Environments with Virtual Content
- Multimedia
- Mashups and Dashboards
Technologies covered range from SharePoint Server 2010, to Office 2010, Windows Phone, Surface, Slates, and more.
Social Media Video
To learn more about, and start using, the technologies covered in today’s video visit the following links:
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, SharePoint, Office, Photosynth, Surface, IncaX, Tag, Windowsphone, SocialMedia, Gannotti, Technology
Like 3/24/2010
While the push has been on for several year to move applications increasingly to a thin client model the past 2 years has seen the emergence, or re-emergence, of client applications as a way of interacting with data. You see it with entities such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others. While these services are web based and fully accessible via a browser people are increasingly turning to rich client applications that help to sort through and filter the large volumes of data present making end users more productive within these web based environments.
SharePoint has many avenues for pulling and re-representing its data making it a prime web service for access via rich client applications. Now organizations can begin to think about exposing large data sets through surface like multi-touch enabled kiosks and more. Recently, Ian Morrish published a great example of accessing and visually manipulating large data sets in SharePoint using a new application building framework from Microsoft called Pivot (not to be confused with Excel Power Pivot). His post titled When is a Pivot not a Power Pivot? comes complete with a downloadable Pivot that renders a graphical view of the more than 1,500 reference Internet facing SharePoint sites he lists on his own SharePoint powered site. It provides a great working example of the benefits of creating rich client access to large data sets in SharePoint.
In today’s Michael on the Go video I discuss the merits, and some possible use cases, for creating rich client access to SharePoint based content.
Rich Client App for SharePoint Video
3/3/2010
**The following is a repost of an entry I did on the Windows Phone blog on Monday, re-shared here in case you missed it.
With all the buzz lately around the upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series it’s easy to lose site of some of the amazing things that can already be accomplished today with Windows Phones as a part of the powerfully integrated Microsoft stack. Last week I had the pleasure of spending a day with some amazing folks who are doing some incredible things with Windows Phone, Microsoft Azure, Silverlight, Bing Maps, SharePoint, Photosynth and more all brought to life by the geocast goodness of Microsoft partner IncaX. Office of Naval Research (ONR), has been utilizing these technologies to help the US Navy as well as local law enforcement on the North Carolina coastline to evaluate the capabilities of their emergency response units. Conceived by Dano Debroux, Director, Disruptive Business Technologies (ONR), and supported by IncaX, HP, and Microsoft, the geocast efforts by the Office of Naval Research are a great demonstration of how the Microsoft technology can be used in a variety of extreme situations, including military, law enforcement, disaster relief, and more.
In today’s video we head out on another Productivity Adventure and see the work that has been done by the ONR first hand. To see its initial use we will observe a sea based emergency response scenario. We also hear how the use of these technologies has been received in the field and they are impacting training exercise evaluations. Finally, we actually get to head out in to the field with some great folks form the US Navy where we stimulant an insurgent bomb placement to test sensor equipment and special response team effectiveness. In the final scenario we actually carry HP Glisten Windows Phones to capture and transmit the entire mission. Although the video is somewhat unpolished, I think you will still find the use of geocasting in the scenarios pretty compelling.
Geocast Video
The scenarios portrayed are really enabled through the power of IncaX LiveMedia GPS, a solution built entirely on the Microsoft stack. Though running today on existing Windows Phones, IncaX is already poised to deliver new enhanced capability for the next generation Windows Phone 7 Series.
To learn more about the technologies presented and to begin leveraging the power of geocasting and geolocation services use the links below:
3/1/2010I just posted a new guest piece to the Windows Phone blog and it is one to check out if you want to see the integrated Microsoft stack at work in real world extreme conditions. The post is titled Productivity Adventure with Windows Phone, IncaX, and the Office of Naval Research and features a video where; “In today’s video we head out on another Productivity Adventure and see the work that has been done by the ONR first hand. To see its initial use we will observe a sea based emergency response scenario. We also hear how the use of these technologies has been received in the field and they are impacting training exercise evaluations. Finally, we actually get to head out in to the field with some great folks form the US Navy where we stimulant an insurgent bomb placement to test sensor equipment and special response team effectiveness. In the final scenario we actually carry HP Glisten Windows Phones to capture and transmit the entire mission.” 
1/14/2010
Microsoft Photosynth allows you to create rich, immersive, 3D experiences of using digital pictures of physical landmarks. In this video we take a little Productivity Adventure and walk through the use of the Photosynth application to create a synth as well as the options for editing and using the resultant synth.
Photosynth Application Adventure Video
Be sure to check out the other 2 posts in this Productivity Adventure series:
Ready to try your hand at creating your own synths?
1/13/2010
The other day in my post Geocast And Photosynth: The Portiuncula in Winter I presented two examples of social media, a geocast as well as a Photosynth. The process of capturing a geocast with IncaX Live Media GPS on my Windows Phone is a simple straightforward process. You simply fire up the application, press record, and…. record yourself ;-)
Creating a high quality, high synthy percentage, Photosynth can be a little more more challenging. Photosynths are not simply images stitched together. Many people creating one for the first time make the mistake of standing still, capturing a series of photos like they would for a panorama stitching program, and then find that the effort was not successful.If you understand some simple tips however, creating a successful Photosynth can also be a simple process.
In today’s Michael on the Go video I take you behind the scenes of the creation of the geocast and Photosynth shown in Geocast And Photosynth: The Portiuncula in Winter with the help of my son Sam. You get to see the whole process of capturing both take place and I explain the tips required for a successful effort along the way. Tomorrow I will wrap up this series with an in-depth look/walkthrough of the subsequent use of the Photosynth application and the creation of the Photosynth as well as online editing and usage options. After watching all these be sure to grab both the IncaX geocast software for your Windows Phone as well as the Photosynth application to get started on your own social media productivity adventures!
How To Video
Update: You can check out all 3 postings in this Productivity Adventure:
1/11/2010
This past weekend I loaded up both of my kids and road tripped from North Carolina to Steubenville Ohio. My son’s Christmas vacation from college and it was time to get him back to Franciscan University for the spring semester. While on campus I decided to do a short Geocast using IncaX Live Media GPS and a Photosynth. There are many beautiful buildings I could have chosen for my subject, each with fascinating stories behind their history and name, but the one I chose was a modest little stone chapel on campus called The Portiuncula. The Portiuncula is a replica of the original Portiuncula built near Assisi Italy by Saint Francis. The building has a special place in the heart of my family and I because of the person responsible for its construction, Fr. Sam Tiesi.
Fr. Sam was a warm, generous, Franciscan Friar back when my wife Tracy and I attended Franciscan University many years ago. Well known for his joy of life, he was always quick with a kind word, ready to offer a helping hand wherever needed, always up for some fun, and very beloved by the students at Franciscan University. During her time at Franciscan my wife became quite close with him as he helped her through some difficult times and even helped her after college moving her apartment and just being a support. When my wife and I became engaged to be married it was Fr. Sam we approached to perform the ceremony and he married us up in Saginaw Michigan. When our first born child arrived on this earth, we named him after Fr Sam. Over the years we would visit him when possible and toward the end of his life, with his health failing, Fr. Sam was still the ever gracious host making breakfast for my wife in the friary during visits, and entertaining my children and spending time with his namesake, our son Samuel.
The Portiuncula was a labor of love by Fr Sam. He felt that Franciscan University should have a reminder on campus of the humble beginnings of the Franciscan order and the namesake of the University. He wanted it to be a quiet place of reflection where students could go to quiet their hearts, reflect, and pray. To help raise money for the effort he made, and sold countless San Damiano crosses (my wife helped him make quite a few for the effort). Fr. Sam is now in a better place watching down on my wife and son but his legacy lives on in the small humble chapel on campus know as The Portiuncula.
I have created a short geocast talking about The Portiuncula as I walk up to it as well as a Photosynth of the structure done during a cold Winter morning ( it was 16’ outside at the time…. Brrrr). Some of the great possible uses of geocasting and synthing of digital images includes rich capture of events and places during vacations/travels. Cataloging of historical landmarks is another, and what about news reporting. Imagine using the technologies to capture rich information for the internet to supplement a human interest story, a newsworthy event? The possibilities are endless and I am just scratching the surface here. I do need to mention that the video quality of the geocast is not a limitation of the technology but rather of my phone used. I have an HTC Ozone, which although a good reliable work device, is not a high end social media mobile device with only low end optics. Use of better devices with higher quality optics will deliver much better video quality.
Check out the geocast and synth and then think about how you can use the technology on your next vacation, to supplement your next news story, to showcase a historical landmark.
You can…
View the Geocast and Photosynth by clicking here
Update: You can check out all 3 postings in this Productivity Adventure:
12/31/2009
*Update: I have added a second Photosynth to my SharePoint dashboard page (yes the synths and geocasts are all being delivered as web parts in a standard SharePoint dashboard page). This one provides a synth view of the grand entrance to the Biltmore House grounds and is where I started my original house Photosynth effort. It is a pretty cool view so be sure to check it out.
My family and I recently went on vacation to Asheville, North Carolina, December 28th-30th. While there we toured the Biltmore Estate. Below you can get a glimpse of what we saw while at the estate by interacting with the Photosynth of the front of the building I created. I began my Photosynth at the top of a large hill facing the house and made my way down to it. I would love to return this spring/summer and redo it it but this time with all the vegetation in bloom and also create a more extensive one that goes around the entire building as well as the gardens. It is an amazing landmark and really blew me away.
Additionally, I have included 2 geocasts I created while at the estate as I created my Photosynth. My daughter Mary and I had taken off on our own little side adventure to climb the hill, explore, and create the Photosynth. The Geocasts were done in Sepia to give them an old time look and feel both to reflect the fact that the house was built in the 1800's as well as an experiment for my upcoming Productivity Adventures.
While viewing the Photosynth and the Geocasts try some of the different controls. In the Geocasts you can view elevation and speed among other things. Both applications can be downloaded and used for free for personal use.
Photosynth and LiveMedia GPS geocasting are both great examples of how SocialMedia can really increase the rich capture of information whether the event be a family vacation, inspecting of facilities, field reporting for news events and such. Both were created using common tools available to anyone, a smart phone (mine is an HTC Ozone running Windows Phone 6.1) and a digital camera.
12/4/2009
As more and more applications become geo-aware the ability to represent data and media with geo-location context is growing in importance. Just the other day Bing started surfacing Photosynth content that was geotagged. Leveraging these increasing array of geotag enabled services can prove to be a key differentiator for business as well as a real value add for consumers. In this special Geocast Michael on the Go episode I discuss some of the new capabilities as well as opportunities in this area.
The geocast itself was recorded using the IncaX application/service LiveMedia GPS. Grab a copy of it for free here and start experimenting yourself.
Click here to view the Geocast Mashup video
Resources mentioned in the video:
12/3/2009
Yesterday, 12-02-2009, Microsoft Bing added a number of updated features to the Bing decision engine. One of those updates included integration with one of my favorite web services from Microsoft, Photosynth. According to the Photosynth site “Photosynth creates an amazing new experience with nothing more than a bunch of photos. Creating a synth allows you to share the places and things you love using the cinematic quality of a movie, the control of a video game, and the mind-blowing detail of the real world.” Recently Photosynth had upgraded its service to include geotagging synths. Now those geotagged synths get lit up in Bing’s mapping service! In this SocialMedia Samurai episode I take you on a walk through the integration of Bing and Photosynth.
** Note: for best viewing experience of this video mouse over the video clip and click on the icon in the lower right hand corner of the video to enable full screen viewing**
Bing Photosynth Integration
Resources from this video:
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