Friday, September 24 from 1pm – 2pm EST
Broadcasted over Ustream
Video Hashtag: #SA30

I’m pleased to announce that I will be sitting down with Stephanie Cheney (@SCheney), Director of Training and Development within the Division of Technology Services at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA.  The Training & Development team works with faculty to help them effectively integrate technology into curriculum to meet course goals.  The unique 1-1 laptop initiative at Wentworth provides students and faculty with powerful tools to transform the educational experience.

During the interview, we talk about the relationship between Higher Education Information Technology (IT) and Student Affairs departments and how they can better work together to see their collective visions become reality.  We will also talk about her role at Wentworth and how she works with Student Affairs departments! I’m excited to talk with Stephanie about this unique perspective!

I hope you can join us for our conversation!

What questions do you have for Stephanie?  Please leave them in the comment section and I’ll try to incorporate it during the interview!

IF YOU’VE MISSED ANY OF MY LIVE VIDEO INTERVIEWS, CHECK THEM ALL OUT HERE. THANK YOU!

I never thought I would say this, but Apple, you got it right with the iPad.  I was a non-believer at first, never going gaga over the iPhone, iMac, or Macbook.  I was like everyone else, calling it a “bigger” iTouch or iPhone.  It just wasn’t my thing, being a loyal PC owner.  Maybe it was just my Generation X nature of rebellion or my complete ignorance to the big picture.  However, this has all changed with my recent acquisition of an iPad.

What Has Shifted:
As a self proclaimed uber-Geek, I thought I had all the technology I needed was my Droid X and Asus laptop.  Add a desktop computer at work and home and I realize how blessed I am to have the type of access I have.  However, over the last few weeks of using the iPad, I’ve realized that it offers a great compliment to these devices.  Something that is portable, lightweight, and powerful enough to replace one of my all time favorite work items: my padfolio.

You all have seen these in meetings, whether you use one or not.  I can’t tell you the amount of paper I have gone through over the years using this, not to mention the handouts I collect and never look at again or simply file away.  Now, I can be more efficient AND green by using the iPad. I take it to meetings and use the PenUltimate App with my Targus Stylus and take notes as if I was using paper.  At the end of the meeting, I can export it to PDF and email it to the meeting participants all with a few taps.  If someone hands out a document, I ask them to email a copy of it and boom, it’s on my iPad via email which I can then transfer to my DropBox so I have access to it whenever I may need it.

And, with WiFi networks around me at home, Bridgewater State, or through my Droid X, I’m as connected as I need to be.

iPad’s Awesomeness
1.  HD in Your HanD – It is like I’m holding my own High Definition piece of happiness. All the pictures, text, and video jump out at you in a way that just draws you in.  I have always thought that the iPhone 4’s screen clarity was fantastic, but multiply that times 5 and you have this amazing picture in your hands.

2.  Casual Productivity - The iPad has become the perfect tool for casual productivity. When I am working on things like email or connecting on social media, having a laptop open or sitting at my desk have been my main options.  With the iPad, I can now casually work and get those things accomplished without having to power up either device (and, it’s a lot more fun doing it!)  If I have to write a longer report or blogpost, I can still use the laptop, but if I get a bluetooth keyboard, those days may be numbered.

Favorite iPad Apps (So Far!)
Productivity
- Penultimate or Note Taker HD: Great for capturing handwriting for notes, drawings, etc. Exports to PDF.
- QuickOffice: Great for converting Microsoft Office file formats and editing them!
- Evernote: Great for capturing quick ideas between the laptop/desktop and syncing with the iPad!
- DropBox: 2 GB for free cloud storage for sync files between. Like having a virtual USB key!
- iAnnotate PDF: Simple and elegant way to view and edit PDFs
- Kindle: Reading books on the iPad is fantastic, and with the integration of the dictionary at the tap of the word, combined with Google and Wikipedia quick searches, I’ve found myself wanting to read more! (Bonus: Since I have the Kindle App for my Droid X, when I read a book on the iPad and bookmark a page, I can open the app on my Droid and pick up where I just left off. So cool!)

Social Networking
- Osfoora HD: My favorite Twitter app for the iPad hands down. I think it’s even better than the newly added Twitter for iPad app.
- Social: My favorite Facebook app for the iPad for sure. Until Facebook releases an official iPad app, this one is the best.
- Flipboard: Without question, my favorite app on the iPad. It turns your Social Networks, Twitter Lists, etc. into a magazine format and makes reading your friends updates and tweets in a new, engaging way. I have opened more links because they are previewed in such a creative way.  If you get the iPad just to use this app, I would understand.

Other Apps I Love So Far: Netflix, Words With Friends HD (Scrabble type game), ABC Player, Epicurious (recipes/cooking), Zinio (magazines).

Bonus Apps (if you have young kinds): 123 Color HD (Virtual Coloring Books), ABC Writing (practicing letters and numbers), and Fish HD (just fun).

Through syncing your music and video content from iTunes, and the iPad has shifted the way I stay productive.  It is something that I highly recommend you put on your wish list!

For those who have an iPad, what are your app recommendations? How do you use your iPad for Productivity? What paradigms have been shifted for you?  For those who don’t have an iPad, do you want one? Why or Why Not?

I was interviewing a potential candidate for the Oregon State University College Student Services Administration program when she asked for my business card. Unfortunately, I had not brought any with me. I found myself saying what has become an inside joke amongst my friends: “Just Google my name.” Trust me, it sounded a little ridiculous when I said it. However, I think it brought up a valuable topic/question for student affairs professionals: Are you searchable and how does it relate to your personal brand?

We’re all aware that people like to Google each other. Prospective employers, current employers, colleagues, friends, family members…any member of our professional/personal network can search for our name. I’m often asked how I was able to get my name, and the sites that I either run or belong to, into the top 10 search results page for the top 3 search engines: Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

The answer is relatively simple: consistency, reach, and connections.

Consistency: I use my full name for every website that I am affiliated with and/or own. My primary web presence is EricStoller.com. Because my name is in the URL, search engines automatically give it a higher value in search engine results pages (SERPS). Using my full name on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, and Google Profiles ensures that when people search for my name, they are shown links to sites/services of which I am affiliated that have a higher likelihood of appearing in a SERP due to their PageRank.

Reach: In addition to the sites that I mention above, the more sites/services that you sign up for using your real name will strengthen your overall searchability. If a website allows you to create a unique identity with a profile, I would highly recommend that you be the first person to sign up using your full name. This will assist you with maintaining and managing your personal brand. I use “ericstoller” for every website. According to HowManyOfMe.com, there are at least 11 people named Eric Stoller in the United States. When people search for “Eric Stoller,” I want to be at the top of the results page.

Connections: If you have your own website and your name is your URL, making connections with other websites is crucial to establishing your site, your name, your searchability and your personal brand. Search engines will find your site/name much faster if you are linked to from prominent websites. I currently blog for Inside Higher Ed as well as for The Student Affairs Collaborative. My site posts are aggregated into Blog High Ed and linked from CollegeWebEditor.com. Whenever I speak at a conference, I include links to my website and to Twitter. These virtual pats on the back create a strong network of connections that enhance the placement of my name in search engines and help to spread my personal brand throughout the web.

Eric Stoller is a nationally known thought leader on using social media in higher education to create connections and enhance communication. Eric has spoken at multiple Student Affairs conferences (AACRAO, ACPA, NACADA, NACAS, NASPA, and OACADA) and is a former regional chair of the NASPA Technology Knowledge Community. He holds a BA in Communications/Public Relations from the University of Northern Iowa and an Ed.M. in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University.

Special thanks to Tara Hunt for taking time out of her very busy schedule to do this Live Video Interview!  We had a great conversation about her book and its application in Higher Education.  Feel free to follow her on Twitter to ask more questions!  If you haven’t had the chance to read “The Whuffie Factor” yet, I highly recommend it!  Thanks to all who participated and watched live!

Other Higher Ed resources citing “The Whuffie Factor”:
“Invest Your Social Capital” by @Wepps (via @ACUHOI)
“What’s a Whuffie?” by @CindyKane on @The_SA_Blog

Thursday, August 26, 2010
Broadcasted over Ustream
Video Hashtag: #SA30

I am excited to announce that I will be sitting down with Tara “@MissRogue” Hunt , author of “The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business“!

I met Tara last summer while serving as the Boston area “Whuffaoke Tour Ambassador” and she has been an inspiration ever since.  Through her, I met other fantastic people like Karen Hartline, Liza Sperling, and Laura Fitton who all helped get me started down my “Twitter” path.  What I know to be true about Social Media integration, I got from her book and have spent the last year implementing it into my Higher Education administration and Student Affairs/Student Life work.  When I learned she would be in Boston at the end of August, I asked her for an interview and she said yes! (Woot!)

We will discuss “The Whuffie Factor” and how it translates into the Higher Education sector and what has changed since the book was released.  We’ll also talk about her thoughts on how colleges and universities should approach new media today and where the future of social web is headed.

I hope you can join us for this exciting conversation!

What questions do you have for Tara?  Please leave them in the comment section and I’ll try to incorporate it during the interview!

Bio: Tara ’missrogue’ Hunt makes a living avoiding doing anything for a living. She’s an author of a book now published in 7 languages (The Whuffie Factor/Power of Social Networking), speaks internationally on how the social web is changing the world, is CEO and co-founder of startup Shwowp in Montreal and admits the best idea she’s executed on to date is a karaoke roadtrip across America in an RV with 4 friends and her dog. She also spends an inordinate and somewhat unhealthy amount of time online.

(Photo credit: @EvaBlue)

Thanks to Ellie and the entire Rocketboom team for their hospitality in hosting this interview.  We discussed Higher Education, Student Affairs, Technology and Internet Trends, favorite Memes, and what it is like to work at Rocketboom!  We fielded some great questions from the online audience, and I had a blast, learning a lot from the conversation!

Please watch the video replay above for the entire interview in HD and shorter, cut version will be available next week!

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(Original Post)
Monday, August 9 from 4:00pm – 5:00pm EST
Broadcasted over Ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/student-affairs-3-0
Video Hashtag: #SA30

I’m pleased to announce that I am sitting down with Ellie Rountree (@ElspethJane), Producer of Rocketboom Tech and Know Your Meme at Rocketboom.com on MONDAY at 4:00pm EST.  I have followed Ellie and Rocketboom for quite some time now and since I was going to be in NYC on Monday, I contacted her and asked if there was any chance I could do a Live Video Interview with her while I was there, and sure enough, she said yes!

During the interview, we will be talking about Ellie’s work at RocketBoom.com, her take on the intersection of Higher Education and emerging technology, particularly around the use of video, how she got into the “internet” industry, and of course, Internet Memes (Documenting Internet phenomena: viral videos, image macros, catchphrases, web celebs and more!).  I hope you can join us on Monday for our conversation!

What questions do you have for Ellie?  Please leave them in the comment section and I’ll try to incorporate it during the interview!

Bio: Elspeth “Ellie” Rountree is a writer, senior producer, host, and co-creator of both highly successful Rocketboom Tech and Know Your Meme series.

Rountree also oversees the daily Rocketboom operations and is an avid internet culture enthusiast. Listed as a “2009 Silicon Alley Insider 100″ and one of the “25 Need-To-Know Bloggers” by Mediaite.com, she has appeared as an internet culture expert on major media channels including NBC, hosted her own show in conjunction with Conde Nast, and has written for the Saving Grace series blog on TNT.

Prior to working at Rocketboom, Rountree graduated with a BS in Cinema and Photography from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. After moving to New York City, she worked in the photo production field then moved to the newly formed Rocketboom.com. As it’s first full time employee, Rountree has helped establish Rocketboom as a leading daily feature news and internet culture program that broadcasts online with over 40,000 daily viewers.  Rocketboom is widely regarded as the first successful videoblog, and the longest running, with over 1,800 full episodes to date with tens of millions of views. Rocketboom has been profiled by the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Wired, Business 2.0, Ad Age, PBS, and many other media outlets.

Along with Rocketboom’s success, Know Your Meme was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 50 Best Websites of 2009 and has also been featured in Newsweek, Wired, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, MSNBC, PBS, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, The New York Times, Mashable, TechCrunch among others and is widely regarded as the leading source for internet culture information.

Rountree lives and works in New York City.