Simbeck Hampson

Hashtags: The Intent of the Author via @AlexSchleber

2011-08-03T10:40:00.001+02:00

I agree with your view, @Alex, I like the focus on the author's intent... though is the user not engaging in a 'pull' action? ie. marking the content so that it can be pulled towards...? Anyhow, thanks for curating this, a great discussion...

Amplify’d from alexschleber.amplify.com

I like the fact that #hashtags express special intent of the author (or for that matter tagger in a comment) clearly, where all other algorithmic approaches via statistics etc. leave room for doubt.

the only difference between plain text keywords and hashtags will be the certified intent of the author, who is in essence engaging in a "push" action.
Read more at alexschleber.amplify.com

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Rise & shine! 6am motoring towards Dusseldorf

2011-06-30T06:37:00.001+02:00

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/j6suaS

Boredom sets in... Dino action shot requ

2011-06-18T21:06:00.001+02:00

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/mryqQC

We've trained/educated the passion out of our students...

2011-06-11T17:44:00.001+02:00

Lots resonated in this article, enjoy!

Amplify’d from plpnetwork.com

SNB: Today knowledge is everywhere – it’s easily accessible. With a couple clicks of the button, I can find content beyond my ability to absorb it in a lifetime. As a young person today, I can learn anything I want to learn at any time I want to learn it. Therefore, instead of focusing so much of our effort on the content, we really need to focus on helping them learn. We must help students understand how to synthesize and analyze and to create – to think deeply and become passionate learners.

Instead of thinking that I am “The Teacher” – the knowledge-giver who stands up front in total control – instead of that traditional pedagogy, we need a 21st century vision of teaching, where there is less teacher talk and more student talk, where what I’m doing is thinking about how am I going to pull the most out of these kids; how I’m going to enable these students to be empowered; how I can make sure that I create a classroom that’s free from threat and stress, where they’ll be willing to take risks.

Most of all, you’re helping them empower themselves as learners for a lifetime. You won’t one day sit back and look over your career and think, oh my gosh, there were all those kids that I didn’t prepare for this world that awaited them, and they’re not successful because I didn’t do what I needed to do.
Read more at plpnetwork.com

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3 Inspiring Tweets via @marciamarcia

2011-06-11T13:44:00.001+02:00

Fun, Inspire, Transform: Learn

Amplify’d from twitter.com

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. -John Quincy Adams

Marcia Conner on Transforming Organizations through Social Media & Social Learning socialnerdia.com/index.php/2010… via @socialnerdia

Innovation is simply group intelligence having fun. - Michael Nolan
Read more at twitter.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/mHkYmo

Peruvian virus stops play

2011-06-10T12:05:00.001+02:00

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

What are you doing this weekend?

I actually had something else planned, however, it seems as though it will be filled with children, bells, whistles, cheers, screams, laughter and tears… I’ve been activated to help a family member run a children’s fair ride this weekend and I’ve never done that before.

Isn’t the opportunity to do something different great?

Of course it is! Naturally, I’m a little nervous, it’s showtime after all, though it’s true to say that I know this world like the back of my hand, but still the butterfly’s flutter, perhaps because I’ve never actually operated a children’s ride before! They’ll be new buttons to learn, new disciplines to adjust to, new models of working, safety features and all carried off in a charming and relaxed, but professional manner… #gulp

If you were planning a normal weekend, take my advice, do something completely wacky instead, something you’ve never done before, something that makes you go, Phew!

Anyhow, no more time for scribbling today, time to pack up and head out. I’ll be mobile but a little lower on the radar until midweek.

Have a great weekend everyone,

PS. Re: Peruvian virus – My nephew brought one back from his latest trip, he’s not been a well chappy, which is the reason I’m called into action. Re: play – my term for work!

PPS. Hope the PV is not contagious!

See more at simbeckhampson.com

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2011-06-10T10:34:00.001+02:00

See the last image I uploaded to the scrapbook - genius! http://bit.ly/jWKaMs http://bit.ly/k2nrZy

2011-05-31T16:56:00.001+02:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de9CQA7G6vk&feature=player_embedded http://bit.ly/iscdve

Mobile Tagging: Learning and Skills Group (Webinar - 60mins)

2011-05-31T15:48:00.001+02:00

Mobile Tagging (Webinar) from Paul Simbeck-Hampson on Vimeo.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/mJytYt

2011-05-28T11:02:00.001+02:00

Free Report: 60 QR Code examples for #Workplace, #Education & #Marketing. http://goo.gl/wgjcN http://bit.ly/iDmpl7

Paul Simbeck-Hampson is forwarding an em

2011-05-17T00:13:00.001+02:00

Hi New Collaboration Software: Noddlepod,

Paul Simbeck-Hampson thought you'd be interested in this:

http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward/show?u=30f342b6c8b37148e3280bf79&id=215f849c48

Paul Simbeck-Hampson also included this personal message to you:

Best of luck Ollie and Stephen, may the force be with you!

--------------------------------------------------

Did you find the link interesting?

You can forward it on to your friends, too:

http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=30f342b6c8b37148e3280bf79&id=215f849c48

You can subscribe for more emails at:

http://noddlesoft.us2.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=30f342b6c8b37148e3280bf79&id=ba5e2c0ed5

* Note: if any of the URLs above are not clickable, you can

copy/paste them into your web browser.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/mITG1X

The Ultimate Dog Tease (Video)

2011-05-14T22:39:00.001+02:00

Just showed this to my dog and she somehow understood - she's still standing by the fridge with extra large puppy eyes Enjoy!

* Thanks to @TimMoore for sharing this on Facebook, it's a classic!

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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2011-05-14T11:40:00.001+02:00

If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. HT @timmoore http://bit.ly/lR70gu

2011-05-12T10:25:00.000+02:00

New Snap! by #Lectora is only $99 vs #Adobe Presenter ($500) & #Articulate Studio ($1347) http://bit.ly/snap-by-lectora #elearning (aff. link) - with my personal recommendation... Compare the products > http://www.trivantis.com/snap/compare-us-vs-articulate-vs-adobe http://bit.ly/jbVLoM

2011-05-03T10:46:00.001+02:00

“When people are ready to, they change. They never do it before then, and sometimes they die before they get around to it. You can’t make them change if they don’t want to, just like when they do want to, you can’t stop them.” – Andy Warhol http://bit.ly/jhrzb3

Which QR Code Reader?

2011-04-22T23:40:00.001+02:00

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

With so many different readers now available it’s difficult to know which one to choose. My personal recommendation of QR Code Reader on Android is Google Goggles, which is also now available on iPhone. Alternatively, use the links below to connect to mobile-barcodes.com, they’ve assessed which readers work best on which phones.

Apple | Blackberry | HTC | Motorola | Nokia | Palm | Panasonic | Samsung | Windows

See more at simbeckhampson.com

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Discussing QR Codes: New Podcast

2011-04-22T10:33:00.001+02:00

Amplify’d from tayloringit.com

Podcast #9: QR Codes? Sounds like something out of a Bond film!

This podcast sees Craig being joined by Kate Graham, Kim George and Paul Simbeck-Hampson to (hopefully) dispell any misgivings or musunderstandings relating to QR codes, how they can be used to not only enhance learning activities but also as a marketing tool.

Download podcast in mp3 format: QR codes? Sounds like something out of a Bond Film!
Read more at tayloringit.com

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2011-04-21T07:38:00.001+02:00

Insightful quotes meet beautiful imagery. Share your favourite. http://t.co/7irzo0D #purposed #education http://bit.ly/hZekPJ

Dynamic Life Sofa by Matali Crasset

2011-04-06T14:07:00.001+02:00

Amplify’d from design-milk.com

Dynamic Life Sofa by Matali Crasset

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Post Headline: Are 40 Characters Enough?

2011-04-06T13:11:00.001+02:00

I read this excellent article today which inspired this post. I hope it may also be of interest to the AmpTeam. Since the (not so) recent changes on Amplify reducing all titles to 40 characters I've made the following observations:

1) Conversation has dropped dramatically.

2) The depth of #conversation is very shallow (pun intended)

3) Those commenting are limited to a small group.

As I don't have access to all the stats, it's obviously a limited analysis, but it's based on monitoring 1200 hand picked AmpAccounts while regularly dipping into the stream to check interaction levels.

My gut feeling is that #Amplify took a wrong turn with the 40 characters limit, as I've mentioned, as have others, in multiple posts. Having had a chance to watch this play out for some weeks, I wonder if @egoldstein has any comments to add about the new direction Amplify has taken?

Amplify’d from www.copyblogger.com

Writing Headlines That Get Results

The 50/50 Rule of Headlines

According to some of the best copywriters of all time, you should spend half of the entire time it takes to write a piece of persuasive content on the headline. So if you have a blog post that is really important to you or your business, one that you really want people to read, you should downright obsess over your post title.

Advertising legend David Ogilvy knew the power of headlines, and how the headline literally determined whether the advertisement would get read. He rewrote this famous headline for an automobile advertisement 104 times:

“At 60 miles an hour, the only thing you hear in the new Rolls Royce is the ticking of the dashboard clock …”

Master copywriter Gene Schwartz often spent an entire week on the first 50 words of a sales piece — the headline and the opening paragraph. Those 50 words are the most important part of any persuasive writing, and writing them well takes time.

Even for the masters.

The 80/20 Rule of Headlines

Here are some interesting statistics.

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of the headline, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the entire piece.

The better the headline, the better your odds of beating the averages and getting what you’ve written read by a larger percentage of people.

Writing a great headline doesn’t guarantee the success of your writing. The benefit conveyed in the headline still needs to be properly satisfied in the body copy, either with your content or your offer.

But great body content with a bad or even marginal headline is doomed to go largely unread.

It takes work and focus, but the effort will make you a more popular blogger and a more profitable businessperson.
Read more at www.copyblogger.com

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2011-04-02T17:14:00.001+02:00

Shameless self promotion! http://bit.ly/hOZfVb

The ITA Informal Learning Collection

2011-04-01T11:54:00.001+02:00

The Internet Time Alliance offer more great value!

Amplify’d from internettime.posterous.com

4 members of the ITA on the trail of informal learning

The Internet Time Alliance (ITA) has spent much of the past year on a mission.

We have located and assembled a huge collection of informal learning content.

Today we're publishing it and offering a free subscription to all individuals as well as corporate rates.

       "Without content there is no learning. Repositories of informal learning content
        such as this will underpin much of the social and informal learning over the
        next 5 years."
        Lois Kean, CLO, Polar Foil LLC

Sign up today for The ITA Informal Learning Collection
Read more at internettime.posterous.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hBNN89

New Blog: The Purpose of Education

2011-03-26T11:32:00.001+01:00

URL: http://simbeckhampson.com/?p=3207

New Post for the #purposed (http://purposed.org.uk/) campaign "The Purpose of Education" - RT's, reactions & comments needed, thanks in advance

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eQylEW

Friday Fun: Jedi Badminton (Video)

2011-03-25T15:46:00.001+01:00

Great editing...

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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A New Mindset, Not More Data

2011-03-24T11:59:00.001+01:00

Inspiring article...

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

Finding meaning in a sea awash with data requires more than algorithms, it requires collective open intelligence, a mix of technology and human analysis. I was inspired by these quotes today extracted from ‘A Data State of Mind‘ by Hans Rosling. Thanks to @ozarkherbs for the link.

My basic idea is that the world has changed so much, what people need isn’t more data but a new mindset.

Throughout his career, Rosling has maintained a fact-based worldview – an understanding of how global health trends act as a signifier for economic development based on hard data. Today, he argues, countries and corporations alike need to adopt that same data-driven understanding of the world if they are to make sense of the changes we are experiencing in this new century, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Meteorologists are one group that has a ready grasp of this idea. They receive a huge amount of data, which they process in a highly sophisticated way, translating it into stunning graphics – and there they are on prime-time TV presenting the weather while we all watch. This is exactly what we strive to emulate. We want our economic indicators, our social indicators and our environmental indicators to be communicated on prime-time television with the same level of efficiency.

This is what we’re trying to do at the Gapminder Foundation – and this is what CEOs want their employees to do – play with data and give it meaning.
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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Creating shared experiences...

2011-03-24T00:50:00.001+01:00

I want it today, bring it on

"Viewing media on a multitouch tablet is great, but what if you want to share it? KonnectUs by SENSUS combined with Open Exhibits makes sharing digital assets on your network simple. Creating shared experiences across multiple devices and multiple platforms has never been easier.

Learn more at http://www.sens.us and http://www.openexhibits.org"

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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The Purpose of Education ~ Simon Bostock

2011-03-17T10:59:00.001+01:00

URL: http://hypergogue.net/2011/03/17/the-purpose-of-education/

Brilliant - read and RT

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/g3toDy

Google makes conversations more dynamic

2011-03-17T09:44:00.001+01:00

Applies only to newly created documents...

Amplify’d from twitter.com

"Today, we’re updating comments in Google Docs to facilitate rapid and seamless discussions..." http://goo.gl/eoKK2 - ht @robingood

Read more at twitter.com

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What is marketing?

2011-03-17T00:20:00.001+01:00

Love it!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

I read this quote this evening via @JHarkin ‘s Blog ‘Give it some sparkle.’ I think the original text comes from from M. Booth and Associates, Inc. which was published in Reader’s digest. In any case, my thanks goes to Janet for making me aware of this wonderfully easy-to-remember quote; it ties in beautifully with the KISS anagram (Keep It Simple Stupid)

If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday”, that’s advertising.

If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion.

If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity.

And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.

If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales.

And, if you planned the whole thing, that’s marketing!
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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Red Cross QR Code: Support Japan

2011-03-16T21:44:00.001+01:00

Code resolves to donation page...

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

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Amplify is six words... reflections.

2011-03-16T17:30:00.001+01:00

Looking back at this post reminds me of the energy that exists in communities. For those who may have missed this post in August, it generated over 300 comments in a very short period of time, you'll find some very interesting ideas to the above question.

I wonder what level of energy would be received today, and perhaps more interestingly, how would people describe Amplify today in six words...

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

So here’s the challenge Ampsters’ – come up with a new strap-line that better describes what Amplify is. I’d suggest that we add a time restraint of 24 hours for ideas, after which time I’ll create a new polling post with the responses. The voting will be open for another 24 hours and on Friday I’ll send the most popular entry over to replace the existing one in the list.
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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Live with Internet Time Alliance 30Mar11

2011-03-12T18:08:00.001+01:00

A great opportunity to talk with leading experts on the topic of 'Working Smarter' - There are six books up for grabs too, so do leave a comment on original article. The latest book also contains over fourty QR codes linking relevant print material to digital articles, videos and websites.

Amplify’d from internettimealliance.com

Join the five of us for an online conversation

Ask a question; win a book. Then register to join us online on March 30, 2011.

We will discuss whatever interests you in the realm of Working Smarter.

Do you have burning questions about social learning, web 2.0, or working smarter? Want to find out how other organizations are grappling with the culture, politics, and governance of implementing informal learning?

Ask us a question or suggest a topic. The more controversial the better.

We will give free copies of the Working Smarter Fieldbook to six people who leave a comment below.

to take part in the conversation.
Read more at internettimealliance.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gBfOqc

2011-03-12T14:05:00.001+01:00

For all things mobile and tagging - http://www.facebook.com/mobiletagging #qrcode #rfid #nfc http://bit.ly/e8F5Rt

Indonesia volcano erupts

2011-03-12T11:29:00.001+01:00

More trouble!

Amplify’d from www.independent.co.uk

Indonesia volcano erupts

One of Indonesia's most active volcanos has erupted, sending lava and searing
gas clouds tumbling down its slopes.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is located on the so-called
Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the
Pacific Basin.

The eruption happened hours after a massive earthquake in Japan that triggered
a Pacific-wide tsunami.
Read more at www.independent.co.uk

See this Amp at http://ind.pn/eFzxJa

2011-03-11T13:02:00.001+01:00

Feeling for Japan! Earthquakes, tsunamis, oil refinery explosion and nuclear emergency. #prayforJapan http://bit.ly/hRHJRe

11 Reasons Why QR Codes (Don't) Suck

2011-03-09T18:06:00.001+01:00

I just had to reply to the original post, 11 Reasons Why QR Codes Suck - bull by the horns!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

In reply to 11 Reasons Why QR Codes Suck by David Wachs

1) Some ‘people’ are not yet aware, that’s true. But take a look at this trend report from Google http://www.google.com/trends?q=qr+codes – that seems to indicate exponential growth on the topic. To me your argument is a little like saying, “Hey everyone, don’t look at those shiny iPads, you can simply text each other using a Nokia 3210.” I’d also suggest looking at case examples and adoption rates in countries such as Japan and South Korea.

2) Radio, no, that’s true. TV, very possible – how? TV campaigns are not about a single advert, so if you added a game layer so people were encouraged to be ready next time, you could indeed get a viral scenario. As ‘more’ and more Smartphones come pre-installed with code readers, TV as a channel will take off. In addition, many TV’s have live pause which ensures easy access to the code. The gaming element and the intrigue is part of the attraction. Texting, although still hugely popular, is rather 90′s, I find. Game shows could display the code throughout the show in one corner of the screen, they could even change the back-link and ask people to re-scan which encourages yet more ‘engagement.’

3) Agreed, there are a number of formats. QR codes are an open source standard and if, as a consultant, your recommending any other format you need to have a very good reason, which currently I can’t think of. I’m sure Microsoft would argue their case, but as you currently need their own reader I would only use standard QR codes in any serious campaign as 95% of readers will read them (apart from the walled garden version offered by MS)

4) As you rightly mention QR codes can be of any size, so are therefore very flexible, if branded accordingly, a brand would want them to take up space. I think you have to go beyond a single method of transferring data. For example you could include a Digital Watermark, QR code and NFC tag and a text option. Give the consumer choice and impress them with your tech know-how, excite them, not bore them.

5) Only 45%… LOL – so not worth considering? Match that together with exponential growth, in terms of search and interest, and you open up a potential market in the millions, if not tens of millions. I’m guessing that as Cellit is promoting text campaigns you may be a little biased towards texting. The ability to print a QR code once and remotely change the URL on a daily, weekly, monthly basis could ensure engagement on new levels. Again, mix it up with more options – the fall back option of text campaigns is interesting, however, if people do not react, perhaps they don’t won’t to be hassled? QR codes are non threatening, conversion through a chosen engagement method trumps being spammed and equals an opportunity for long term customer satisfaction.

6) Branding of QR codes is very possible. I would point your readers to this link http://goo.gl/AzzOR, a simple search on Google, term: “branded qr codes” – there they will find pages of codes designed for premium brands.

7) QR codes can go viral, very easily. You scan the code then share the URL or the attached content, easy – you could even share it via SMS. You could also take a photo of the code itself and send it, in a few clicks, to entire networks ie. Facebook or Twitter.

8 ) You don’t have to be that still! I’ve tried all the major readers and I can tell you that within seconds of the camera seeing a code, even upside down, it has recognised the image, often without focusing – guess you’ll have to take my word on that one – or try it out for yourself. In your airport example, if you did all three options you have a far greater opportunity for results. And again, this idea of capturing telephone numbers does not really resonate and in the end the consumer will not thank you. Final point, you don’t take pictures of codes you scan them, which is a totally different experience.

9) Depends what the code is designed to do. If, for example the code is used to vote on a question with the answer being tweeted (on Twitter) then you have direct ‘passive’ engagement. The design of a campaign, whether be text, QR, NFC or any other method of content transfer is the ‘essential’ part of all of this.

10) The QR code statistics, depending upon which platform you use, are incredibly rich. I would suggest that your readers check out Percent Mobile, and no, it does not capture the telephone number, and I believe that to be good, as I’ve mentioned above (on a few occasions).

11) QR codes are not just URL’s. They can contain approx 4000 characters of text, and yes 4000 characters of text would make the code very hard to read, but possible non the less. If your experience of taking ‘photos’ of QR codes is true, then your doing it all wrong – you scan codes – ie. you hold the camera somewhere nearby and ‘beep’ the code is scanned, no photos, just scanning.

My final comment.

There is a time and place for all these different mediums, something that your article does not suggest. There is already a debate about the coming NFC (that’s near field communication) technology and whether it will supersede QR codes, and again I would say the same, time and place. As an example, QR codes work great on print, ie. magazines and newspapers, NFC technology would be too expensive in this scenario. For those interested in this topic head over to our Facebook page, Mobile Tagging.

I hope your brave enough to publish my comments (which to date he’s not) and I hope it gives the readers a more balanced appraisal of QR codes.

Kind regards,

Paul Simbeck-Hampson

Principal

Simbeck-Hampson Consultancy

Twitter: @simbeckhampson
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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When Knowledge Retires

2011-03-09T15:07:00.001+01:00

In accordance with Amplify's new vision, I'm clipping my latest blog from my official business site. It would be nice to have your comments and reactions here or there

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

Inspired by an earlier conversation today with Jane Hart about how organisations can continue to benefit from experienced employees even after retirement, I thought I’d add a short summary here.

The scenario is occurring on a daily basis. Knowledge gained over years of experience from senior employees is simply walking out of the door. How can a win-win situation be created? How does one capture that knowledge? What incentives are in place for those retiring to continue supporting?

Once the initial joy of retirement has faded, many of those in retirement may be more than willing to stay in close contact, in a non-official role, to support the organisation they’ve invested their working lives in. Does your organisation foster such an environment?

As a simple suggestion, why not provide those retiring with an iPad (or equivalent) and sufficient guidance, instead of a wrist watch, as I’m sure they’re good at telling the time, and encourage them to support the younger employees utilising social learning tools. This seems like a win-win for all those involved. The company doesn’t lose all the vital knowledge gained, those retiring feel connected and learn a new skill set, and young employees can gain valuable knowledge from seasoned professionals; win-win-win.

To emphasise an example from my personal life, my daughter is receiving lessons from a pianist who is well into her 80′s. I’ve witnessed a relationship develop that transcends age and is built upon the joy of friendship and sharing. The piano teacher will accept no financial reward for her services, her win, she says, is to be connect with a youthful mind full of enthusiasm and excitement and to share her skills. For my daughter, who is nine, the valuable knowledge she gains from someone who is highly talented, willing and supportive is immeasurable. Both look forward to their weekly meetings and once every few months they give a small private concert which always brings a tear to my eye and makes us very proud parents!

Perhaps this approach could also be applied to schools, in fact in all forms of learning. This idea also ties into my recent post about how Education Starts Locally. We should not wait for the answers to land in our laps, within our own communities lies an abundance of unused potential that could inspire and support further growth; it is reward in itself to be asked for help – so go ask.
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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2011-03-09T00:58:00.001+01:00

Really liking the new updates: Profiles now have feeds for your likes and comments, plus an updated main stream with the ability to show only posts, ie. minus all comments... #thumbsup http://bit.ly/gdraQ9

It's not about the technology! Or is it?

2011-03-08T02:34:00.001+01:00

Excellent article.

Amplify’d from observations.johnwlewis.info

So what has changed? What has changed is that the technology has enabled activities that were not available before. Rather than being about the actual technology, this is about the fit between the capabilities of the technology and the requirements of people; it is about the applicability, application and usage of the technology.
Read more at observations.johnwlewis.info

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Not everyone gets it... (Cartoon)

2011-03-07T23:50:00.001+01:00

Reflecting on this weeks antics on Amplify, I saw this earlier this evening and with tongue in cheek thought Ampsters' may appreciate the darker side of my humour cc: @egoldstein

Amplify’d from www.robcottingham.ca

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Augmented Reality Examples - Video

2011-03-06T20:24:00.001+01:00

If this doesn't wet your appetite... my favourites were trying on clothes beforehand and the room designer app - very creative!

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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Speeding up Google Chrome (even more)

2011-03-06T19:47:00.001+01:00

Top tip: I've just followed the instructions in this article and yes it's definitely rendering media intensive sites much quicker. Do note: Google does say these fixes are experimental, so please bear that in mind...

Amplify’d from downloadsquad.switched.com

Speed up Google Chrome by enabling hardware acceleration and pre-rendering

We've spent a lot of time jabbering on and on and on about hardware acceleration in the next generation of Web browsers.

Turning hardware acceleration on in Chrome 9, 10 and 11 (stable, beta and canary) is easy, and it can significantly speed up surfing on low-powered devices, like laptops -- or if you're the kind of person who has 30+ tabs open on your desktop PC. We'll show you how to turn on pre-rendering, too, which provides another nice speed boost.

Scroll down and enable GPU Accelerated Compositing. Just below that, also enable GPU Accelerated Canvas 2D. Chrome 11 doesn't have the 'GPU Accelerated Compositing' option, because it's now turned on by default (hooray!). Mac users, you can only enable GPU Accelerated Compositing; GPU Accelerated Canvas 2D is not yet available.

Scroll down a little, and enable Web Page Prerendering.

Finally, hit the Restart button at the bottom of the page.
Read more at downloadsquad.switched.com

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2011-03-05T02:25:00.001+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcaz3tpw80s http://amplify.com/u/bswyu

2011-03-05T02:17:00.001+01:00

Good night Ampsters, got to sleep now... http://amplify.com/u/bswy3

2011-03-04T00:58:00.001+01:00

@egoldstein and the AmpTeam #LIKE - Feels mobified http://amplify.com/u/bspbw

School isn't really about learning...

2011-03-04T00:35:00.001+01:00

Resonates!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

School isn’t really about learning; it’s about short-term memorization of meaningless information that never comes up later in life. The school model was never intended to help people acquire practical skills. It is intended to satisfy observers that knowledge is being acquired (for short periods of time). ~ Roger Schank: Virtual Learning. p. 7.
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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Mobile Growing Faster than Anyone Expected ~ Eric Schmidt

2011-03-01T00:41:00.001+01:00

Key Quotes:

“We look at the charts internally and it’s happening faster than all of our predictions...”

“Because people are fundamentally better off with a better and smarter and more empowered, if you will, customer.”

“The technology has finally caught up with the promises we talked about for so long...”

“This is the future and everyone will adapt...”

"78% of Smartphone Internet users are using their mobile devices while shopping..."

"More than 200m YouTube playbacks per day on Mobile..."

"Display advertising is really going to revolutionise this..."

"It's fundamentally about solving the problem they (customer) have, which is learning about a product and deciding to buy - you solve that problem, you solve the advertisers problem, you solve the publishers problem and that's the secret of our approach..."

"Its still to complicated to get a campaign up..."

"We need to give advertisers, publishers and users more control..."

"We're betting on everything changing..."

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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Short burst about QR codes

2011-02-28T15:46:00.001+01:00

Asked at Learning Technologies about mLearning...

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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2011-02-27T22:31:00.001+01:00

#Facebook page secured - http://facebook.com/mobiletagging is now the new name http://amplify.com/u/brxpb

IBM RFID Commerical - The Future Market (video) < Awesome!

2011-02-27T13:53:00.001+01:00

Wonder how far we are away? My guess, not far!

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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2011-02-27T13:28:00.001+01:00

Reflecting on the pace of technological change in my lifetime - was inspired after seeing a picture of a ZX80. I never had one of those beasts, my first device was a ZX81, then came the all singing, all dancing C64 - first memory, writing code that made my name scroll across the screen - followed by green screen paddle tennis - brilliant http://amplify.com/u/brwfk

AmpSupport: Mobile Tagging Page on Facebook

2011-02-27T12:56:00.001+01:00

Please help me to claim the username for my new FB page... 15 more likes needed

Amplify’d from www.facebook.com

Mobile Tagging

Thanks for the overnight likes - need another 15 to claim the username... your support is needed :)

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New Facebook Page: Mobile Tagging

2011-02-26T22:33:00.001+01:00

Posts will cover QR codes, Augmented Reality, RFID and Near Field Communications; be nice to see a few 'Likes' from Ampland folk too

Amplify’d from www.facebook.com

Mobile Tagging
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Project Based Learning: Explained.

2011-02-26T12:52:00.001+01:00

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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Why Children Learn Better

2011-02-25T17:30:00.001+01:00

Love this quote!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

“Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one’s self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all.” ~ Thomas Szasz
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/brr0h

2011-02-24T02:47:00.001+01:00

I've noticed that the #Amplify clipping tool is running much faster, even from #mobile cc: @svartling - well done @egoldstein & co. I also like the word 'Like' and the new 'P' One thing that still annoys me on Android, is that I cannot scroll down through the categories when creating a post. I know you can on the #iPhone and I know Amplify cannot update #Android - it just means I have to go in via the desktop and update the category for each mobile clipped post... Grrr! http://amplify.com/u/brj7z

2011-02-17T09:34:00.001+01:00

Love seeing #Apture icons appear on #Amplify - #Linkedin profiles, videos, photos < real classy! http://bit.ly/dGS91J

2011-02-15T13:53:00.001+01:00

Almost 2000 Amplify followers later, and despite my mobile outburst yesterday, I still find #Amplify the best conversation network on the net! http://bit.ly/gLKzMX

Ozark plants for food and healing - Schedule 2011

2011-02-15T13:33:00.001+01:00

Wish I was nearer...

Amplify’d from ozarkherbs.wordpress.com

Ozark herbalists on edible/medicinal plants

Workshops – Class Schedule for 2011

After a 2-year break to relocate, we’re thrilled to re-launch our series covering the use of Ozark plants for food and healing. While most of our students make it a point to attend every workshop (there are no repeats), each workshop stands on its own.

Most of this year’s workshops are organized by the following format:

Focus Plant: Students will study a single plant in its natural environment. They will be able to identify it in the wild, understand its therapeutic uses and (if it applies) it’s other uses (food, cordage, fire starter, etc.). Students will learn about the plant’s energetics and how its used in different schools of herbal medicine as well as modern pharmacological applications. Sensory and journal exercises deepen the relationship & memory (so bring drawing materials). Want to bring this plant into your garden? Methods of propagation and growing are also covered. Through the year, we will revisit plants to see what they’re doing and how their appearance changes. Each plant is scheduled for study during it’s peak season for harvesting, or, when it’s most easily identified.

Therapeutics: What does it mean to say a plant is a diaphoretic or a nervine, etc.? When does one want to use a warming diaphoretic, or a cooling diaphoretic? When various conditions arise, how is one to know which category of herb to use; how to select the most appropriate herbs from that category; how to use them, how to prepare them? What are the safety issues? Students will gain a practical understanding of therapeutics in relation to the focus plant.

Preparation Methods: During weekend workshops, students will learn one of the methods of preparation. Many plants give up their active principles better to one or two specific methods of preparation. We’ll learn about decoctions, for example, along with the focus plant that is best used that way.

Some workshops will diverge from this format. For example, we’ll have a few days dedicated to foraging, another is on first aide, another centers on field work.

Accommodations

We’re fortunate to have the beautiful facilities of Circle Yoga Shala available to us. Students may choose the “economy” route and camp out in our camp ground for $10 overnight. This includes restroom and shower facilities. Bring your own camping gear.

Or, they can sign up for a room in the guest accommodations. A private room is $35. We also have a 4-bed dormitory available for $25. We can provide beds for a maximum of 10 people so sign up early. There’s no requirement to stay overnight for local residents.

Availability

Class size is limited to 15. Sign-up closes 5 days before the workshop.

Contact Info

Phone number: 870-861-5175

Email: dcoda@ozarkseedexchange.com
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Educational Change Starts Locally (New Blog) #lrnchat #edchat #education #schools #parents #teachers

2011-02-09T17:01:00.001+01:00

Inspired by the need for change...

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

This post has been inspired by a week full of educational emotions. On Monday I tweeted out about my pain seeing my young daughter struggling to cope with the overwhelming amount of homework. I must add that the small school she attends has a fantastic reputation and they really do care and work hard with the children, but they of course have their targets and performance criteria and grade sheets etc etc…

It’s upsetting to see the amount of homework my daughter (9) gets daily, there’s often no time for play #sad#education #fail

As a result, a number of kind people reacted and send me links to help support my frustrations. I can’t thank Roger Schank enough for his links (1 & 2), which went to straight to heart of the matter and inspired me to dig deeper. As always it’s a questions of time, and it’s often against me, but I’ve dedicated extra hours to research in order to prepare for a parents meeting on Thursday.

Other sources that have inspired me include Doug & Mark’s ‘Purposed‘ program. Focusing on the question ‘What is the purpose of Education?’ This campaign has already produced some very high quality 500 word articles and I’m excitedly following conversations that pursue. My own article will be out on March, 26th and will be posted here.

My friend and colleague Daniel Durrant ( @ddrnt) has also been chatting recently about a group using the #EduKare. I’m still in the early days of exploring their posts and charter, but already feel a warming to this group and their ideals.

It seems that where ever I look at the moment wonderful people are trying to make a difference in education. Like minds are gathering to discuss and solve today’s real problems, and it seems that the question of how do we learn is taking a far more prominent role in governments, schools, colleges, universities and ultimately the workplace.

As a result of following Dan’s new network, I stumbled upon this quote this morning by Goran Kimovski, which really resonated, and has given me more inspiration to share my research with fellow parents and teachers this week.

The ingredients for rebuilding the learning experience for our kids are not in the government’s hands. They’re not in the school boards, legislative bodies, educational institutions. They’re in the hands of the teachers, the principals, the students, the parents, the community!

I’m sure I’ll also find others, parents and teachers alike, who are feeling the same way, struggling with their own children, struggling to find a balance between play and school life.

That’s where you come in. Before the meeting, I’d like to ask you what suggestions, tips, links or advice you can offer. Please contribute in the comments below while considering the following question:

In practical terms, how can we help ourselves, our teachers and ultimately our children to cope with the current education system?
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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The Purpose of Education by @fredgarnett #purposed

2011-02-08T01:04:00.001+01:00

Inspiring post! This was the first of many posts through the excellent 'purposed' campaign. "Together, we’re going to spark a UK, and perhaps international, debate about the purpose of education." - http://purposed.org.uk

Amplify’d from heutagogicarchive.wordpress.com

The Purpose of Education

purpos/ed

So far in reflecting on the Purpose of Education, meeting the challenge that Mike Wesch set us, we have had some stimulatingly personal views from Lou, Stephen and Cristina. But Ewan gave us a Scottish perspective taking in the policy horizon, highlighting the collaborative nature of their Curriculum for Excellence.

Pat Kane elaborated on this collaborative quality in Scottish education at the Really Free School on Friday and situated it in a deeper tradition he called the Democratic Intellect. He challenged the audience, most of whom were sharp, newly radicalised students, to describe how they saw the relationship between Citizenship and Education. Unsurprisingly, to me, no one gave him an answer.

This is because in England we are subjects, not citizens, and we are educated for servility and obedience; happily accepting this soma-based life-style choice that we are given. In England we have so perfected this art, of following leaders and believing what we are told, that we created a national consensual hallucination, at the time I called it the National Curriculum Society, and sleep-walked into the Credit Crunch; and we still deny that it happened, because education hasn’t equipped us to think otherwise.

Because of my multiple failures within the education I developed sufficient resilience to achieve just enough success to become a teacher. However I felt I should use the smarts I had gained to help students understand the system for themselves, not punish them with it. Having taught Politics to rich kids in the USA and then Computing to poor kids in Lewisham I concluded that the only difference between them was that the poor kids expected to fail. I decided that I should focus on motivating them to believe in themselves rather than burying them with curriculum facts.

Not unlike Mitra’s work on Granny Clouds, which reflects Luckin’s work on More Able Partners in an Ecology of Resources, I found techniques to support their learning, freeing them up to think. In fact I used to say I taught thinking. A key element of this is interest-driven learning, finding what excites learners and helping them follow it, creating social inclusion in the process. Whereas a curriculum-driven high-stakes assessment education creates social exclusion and a populace brutalised by ‘personal’ failure, or high on the narrower ignorance of exam success.

Keri asked us for our vision of the good society, having worked as an education professional for 30 years, and with technology for 15 years I value the participative affordances that new media and social networks offer. This enables collaborative, discursive learning, the kind of learning that creates a healthy, open and participative society. So to answer Pat Kane’s question, you get the citizens that you educate for. Personally I don’t want the socially excluding, emotionally-damaging recreation of hierarchy that an Oxbridge PPE automatically legislates for. I want to educate for participation.

As we say in the Learner-Generated Contexts Research Group that means a coincidence of motivations leading to agile configurations; find your natural collaborators and do things differently.
Read more at heutagogicarchive.wordpress.com

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Interactive Billboards Deliver Content via Bluetooth & Wifi

2011-02-06T16:08:00.001+01:00

Wifi enabled bus stops... this is cool technology!

Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com

Billboards Join Wired Age

Wi-Fi Lets Once-Static Posters Interact With Smartphones and Their Owners

Billboards and posters are one of world's oldest forms of advertising. Now, some marketers and start-ups say wireless technology could revamp outdoor advertising by bringing interactivity and pay-for-performance models.

Over the last few months, Google Inc., Nokia Corp. and France Telecom SA's Orange have run pilot advertising campaigns that let a person interact with posters in bus stops, phone booths, train stations and airports in cites including New York and London.

So far, companies are using the posters as a way to distribute wireless applications or ringtones for smartphones. But outdoor advertisers and marketers say the ads could also be used to distribute games, video ads, coupons and even as a way to sell physical or digital goods and services.

"You have to wait here. You don't have to be bored," read the poster for a Google campaign, which ran in Boston-area bus stops. The poster let a person download Google's mobile app through a free Wi-Fi router installed in the location.

"It's an old-school media that has been around for hundreds of years but we've dressed it up and made it fresh," said Zohar Levkovitz, chief executive and co-founder of Amobee, Inc., a start-up based in Redwood City, Calif., that has developed the technology and begun selling it to advertisers.

The billboard also gives users free Internet access at the bus stop. People can download the advertised app through their cellular connection as well, but Amobee says using the Wi-Fi connection allows people to avoid any data charges.

Interactive outdoor advertising is still unproven on a large scale and the business model is in an early stage of development, but Amobee says it is in discussions with other large multinational companies to roll out new campaigns.

Starting March 1, European wireless operator Orange will spend several hundred thousand dollars to run an advertising campaign across 300 sites in London and New York City for its ON wireless application that runs on Google's Android wireless operating system. A consumer waiting at a bus stop can hold his or her smartphone near the poster and download the app over Wi-Fi technology or by sending a text message to the company.

The interactive ads have allowed the company "to more accurately measure the effectiveness of our marketing spend" and made the "campaign experience more personal and engaging for our customers," said Jean Donadieu de Lavit, chief marketing officer of an Orange subsidiary that develops wireless hardware and software.

Nigel Emery, director of marketing and business development for Cemusa North America, a large outdoor advertising company that has worked with Amobee to place ads in New York City bus stops, said traditionally outdoor ads are sold for a lump sum covering a certain time frame. In New York City, Mr. Emery said the company charges $5,000 to $8,000 per bus shelter for a month.

Cemusa has yet to fully embrace the model, however. Instead it sold the outdoor ad spaces to Amobee, which is reselling them in a performance-based model to advertisers. But Mr. Emery said the idea holds a lot of promise."If advertisers have positive results they will do more of it," said Mr. Emery. "I love the idea and think it will attract more money into the outdoor medium."

Over the last few months, Nokia said it got a good return on its $1 million interactive poster campaign that ran in the U.S., U.K., South Africa and Australia promoting the app for its Ovi app store.

"Get apps and much more for your Nokia, turn on your Bluetooth now," read the poster, which displayed a Nokia smartphone and icons of apps for Facebook, Foursquare, Angry Birds and other programs.

A consumer could download the app through Bluetooth technology or by sending a text message. During the 10 weeks that the campaign ran, Craig Hepburn, global director of digital for Nokia, said 1.5 million people interacted with the poster and tens of millions of people saw it.

Mr. Hepburn said the campaign helped drive registrations for the Nokia Ovi app store and was relatively cheap compared with the cost of display and search ads on the Internet. And in an age when advertisers are facing tight ad budgets, the campaign was welcomed because it helped him show that Nokia was getting results for its money.

"We've been really impressed with the kind of performance and the engagement," said Mr. Hepburn. As a result, he is already mulling new campaigns and plans to move more of his ad budget into this area.
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What Time is it Mr QR Code?

2011-02-05T20:46:00.001+01:00

Ampsters, you'll need to click through to see this working, get your scanners ready!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

Geeking out, pure!

Kudo’s to @qrplanet for the invention of the first QR code clock. Hold your scanner over the image and let it focus, as it scans the actual time is sent back. That’s it.

Now from a practical perspective it’s useless, as an artform it’s delightful and from a technical perspective is mind boggling.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Read more at simbeckhampson.com

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Transparent Business Card #Designs

2011-02-05T16:00:00.001+01:00

I've not see them before, have to say they look rather classy... click through to see more examples.

Amplify’d from webdesignfan.com

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10 Social Media Tips

2011-02-05T08:10:00.001+01:00

Useful reminders, like the 60,20,20 split.

Amplify’d from socialmediatoday.com

So here are the basics you should be following as you get started – or reminded of as you optimize your current social media initiatives.

1. Don’t forget it’s all about making social connections.

2. Have a plan on what you want to do, and stick to it. We’re past the days of social media being a brave new world. Make your activities programmatic to be consistent and to help your team on the same page.

3. Create real goals and objectives for your social media initiatives. Otherwise, how will you know what is successful if you don’t what that success looks like?

4. Leverage expertise from across your company and network. The role of social media doesn’t just live with the social strategist. Find content contributors, ideas and resources from anyone and everyone internally who can provide value through your channels.

5. Don’t feel like content shared in social media has to be new or different than what you share on other channels. Use existing, valuable content and share it in your social channels.

6. Measure, Measure, Measure. Include qualitative and quantitative metrics. These measurements will help illustrate the value to stakeholders and also point

7. Regularly produced content, particularly on a blog, can be one the most effective ways to drive traffic to your site AND bring in organic leads. Create a content calendar to help organize your content topics and frequency. It’s one of the best ways to commit to the cadence you want.

8. Ask and answer questions. People are roaming the social web looking for valuable help to them. Be a resource for this – and not just when people ask you for something directly.

9.Find like minded people and communities online to engage with. This might be prospects on Twitter, clients on Facebook or industry enthusiast on LinkedIn. Connect, share and engage with these people.

10. 60/20/20. At the end of the day, you need to find a way to help your brand, while being yourself and providing value to your network. A simple rule of thumb (updated from the 80/20) is talk about the things and topics your community cares about 60% of the time; talk about yourself 20% of the time and talk about your products 20% of the time. Fair, balanced and valuable.
Read more at socialmediatoday.com

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Twitter Heat Map (Video)

2011-02-04T12:32:00.001+01:00

Interesting twitter usage visual...

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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Reduce realism to make graphics cognitively efficient via #tk11

2011-02-04T02:42:00.001+01:00

Interesting the relationship to 'fewer distractions'... he say's listening to a conference in Australia, while crafting an Ampost and thinking about how making another cuppa! #learning

Amplify’d from tk11app.astd.org

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Check In with Google Latitude (Video)

2011-02-03T02:25:00.001+01:00

Just upgraded #Google #Maps on #Android to play with the new features from #Latitude checkin. Does this spell the end for #Foursquare and co? The integration with other map services is very rich, seems only a matter of time before I would suggest it to friends as a serious alternative. Would I miss the badges? Don't think so! Are you going to try it out?

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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Volkswagen Commercial: The Force (ht @NGC6544)

2011-02-03T01:45:00.001+01:00

Love it!

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

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2011-02-03T00:26:00.001+01:00

Re-engaged on Amplify this evening and it was like walking into the Cheers bar after being away for a month. It was by total coincidence that the AmpTeam we're rolling out a major change to the feed structure as I walked in, it's now back in place as a single feed and I have to say, the conversations are flowing very fluidly... and you know, you've gotta love Amplify for it's power to facilitate conversation, and you've gotta love this community for loving Amplify - I'm just waiting for others to say, welcome home - Funny! http://bit.ly/euPluy

2011-02-02T21:32:00.001+01:00

I've been a little absent from Amplify recently as my own business is starting to ramp up, and although I recently read a post (with many comments) by @svartling about how #Amplify may be losing its magic, I have to say I don't really agree. I'm actually really impressed with how clean the site is looking and this has obviously been quite a challenge, so a big thumbs up from me and well done to those taking time to improve the UI. If I think back to how Amplify looked a year ago... sometimes you have to take a few steps back or to the side in order to leap-frog forward. It's so important to try, fail, retry, fail and so on, only by taking such courageous steps does #innovation and #creativity have an opportunity to flourish. Keep up the great work @egoldstein and team, your rewards are not far away, I'm sure of that. http://bit.ly/eBlmxe

A case for social learning in business (Video) via @hjarche

2011-02-02T15:14:00.001+01:00

Harold ties together some very important points in this self-narrated video, it certainly makes sense to me...

Amplify’d from www.jarche.com

A case for social learning in business

This is a first draft of putting together the case for social learning and social business. Comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome. This was not rehearsed, so I know that the narration can be tightened up. I’m interested in seeing what other points could or should be added and especially if the central theme makes sense.

See more at www.jarche.com

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How 150 Cents Changed Everything

2011-01-21T16:57:00.001+01:00

It was love at first sight! #android #chrome #bookmarks

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

For a number of years now I’ve been extensivly researching all things technology and learning. I began bookmarking posts and organising data using Delicious and Chrome via a manual export-import methodology. One of the problems I found was that I was not returning to Delcious very often, so although the list was increasing in size, it didn’t really serve it’s purpose of being accessible and useful.

I then discovered Amplify which allowed me to clip and curate content in a new and exciting way. I could drill down on the important information within posts and even have conversation within the network. One of the more recent options within Amplify is to post out to bookmarking services Diigo and Delicious. I experimented with both, but still had that feeling of distance and began seeing my bookmarks more as a silo than a useful content structure that I would visit daily. I wanted a sharable, portable library, not a silo.

With the imminent release of Ampliy’s mobile App, getting access to my Amplify content on mobile is no longer an issue, but for all my other bookmarks it still remains a problem that I’m trying to solve.

I continue to use Chrome for adding bookmarks, it’s a simple approach of clicking the star and choosing a folder, and it works for me. The only problem with Google’s approach is that you can’t sync your bookmarks to your mobile. I’ve dreamt about the possibility to have all those links live updating and syncing between a PC and a mobile device, but gave up on the hope as Google haven’t brought out this option , which in itself is astounding!

And then last night I stumbled upon the ChromeMarks App for Android.

Howardb works in a office supporting websites and maintaining systems by day. By night he develops software. He has wow’d me with his App. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do and even goes way beyond my expectations.

Last night I synced 2500 Chrome bookmarks in about 4 minutes, including all my Amplify clips, directly onto mobile. The App can also be saved to the external storage, which as we all know is vital, although the total file size is anyway only 3mb.

I tried out the free version first, loved it and then coughed up the £1.27 to upgrade, which allows for live syncing and a whole host of premium features. Now when I bookmark a page in Chrome or on Android it is automatically synced. Over the coming weeks, I am now motivated to re-sort the folder structue within Chrome and ensure the relevant content lives in the right folders. I only have praise for this developer who also responded very quickly to support and suggestion requests.

Having access to all my bookmarks via simple search on mobile and an easy way to sync from both mobile to desktop and visa-versa has indeed changed everything. Thank your Howardb for developing ChromeMarks.

Here are some of the features that are rocking my world!

Bookmarks are downloaded to your device and accessible offline. Keep them in sync with your browser(s). No further software, like browser extensions, required.

You can search your Chrome bookmarks and folders from within the app by pressing the search button (or menu, search) or by using the Android Search Widget.

Theme support (even thought about left and right handed people.

Intelligent App configuration options.

Keep your bookmarks automatically in sync (Paid version only)

Create new bookmarks directly from your mobile browser. Most Android browsers allow you to “share” a link or a web address. When you do this, you’ll get the “share via” popup and you can choose to pass this new link to ChromeMarks and then save it instantly to Chrome.

Long click on a folder and select “create shortcut” to create a desktop shortcut on your home page to launch ChromeMarks in your favourite folder.

The only thing I’d like to see added, which I’ve communicated to Howard, is the ability to change sort criteria when opening a folder. Currently it displays the bookmarks in alpha/numerical order – I’d like an option to have it sorted by date too, but that is really the only request I have (so far).

Here endeth my report on ChromeMarks. If your an Android user and you use Chrome, I’m pretty sure that your going to be excited as I am and for the price of three bread rolls you get all your bookmarks syncing with no effort – it’s an incredible deal! Once again, kudo’s to Howardb, keep up the great work.

Note: The QR code link above will take you to the paid version. If you want to test it first, there is also a lite version available – search ‘ChromeMarks Lite’ on the market.
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gt9QT6

Work and Learning - @olliegardener #NoddleSoft

2011-01-20T12:59:00.001+01:00

Really enjoyed this article which is getting to core of how work and learning are merging into one of the same. And yes, self directed learning is a very necessary requirement for knowledge workers today - great post Ollie, love this quote >

"Employers now have to accept that learning is an essential part of being able to get the job done - learning IS work."

Amplify’d from noddlesoft.com

NoddleSoft -
because learning is social!

Work and Learning

In previous blog posts we have discussed the importance of informal, self directed learning in creating an educated, up-to-date workforce. We have also looked at the importance of trust in employee engagement, and how an engaged workforce can result in increased productivity and innovation.

Today I want to bring these two subjects together, and talk the pace of change in modern organisations, about the link between work and learning, and how they interact and affect each other.

Work is learning! But is learning work?

The pace of change in organisations, in technology and information has only increased with time. Knowledge becomes obsolete quicker than ever, and work itself has become a constant learning curve. In days long gone, it was enough to turn up at work and do your job according to your job description. The current rate of change means that your job description is likely to be out of date within months of you starting your job. As employees we need to keep on top of this constant change in order to do our work effectively.

“For people engaged in business today, self directed learning is the only way to keep pace with change; it has become a business survival skill”. Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society.

The role of the employer

Employees are active partners in, not suppliers of, the success of any business - and the relationship needs to reflect that. Employees’ contributions to the welfare of the business should never be governed by any rule set down in a different time - times change - allow people to change with it.

Learning belongs to the learner

The Internet Time Alliance argue in their Working Smarter Field book, that “learning is too important to delegate to the training department”. I would argue that learning cannot be delegated at all, it will always belong to the learner. When we discussed learning and engagement in the post Never Blame the Lettuce, I argued that learning cannot be forced, managed or delivered - motivation and drive for learning have to come from within. And from what we have discussed today, this should apply as much to work as it does to learning.
Read more at noddlesoft.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gMrh8E

Livefyre: Next Generation Commenting

2011-01-20T03:23:00.001+01:00

Very impressed with this new startup... read on!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

The evening had been exciting enough without discovering via @hackmanj, a new and wonderful commenting system. As many of you know I do go off the deep end somewhat when it comes to tech simplicity wrapped around ingenuity, but that is indeed what @Livefyre is. It currently works on WordPress and Joomla with Blogger, Tumblr, Typepad, Drupal coming soon. Posterous doesn’t allow outside JS, so you won’t be seeing it there until that changes. Below is a snippet from their site; you should also visit the ‘very rich’ feature list.

I want to thank @jkretch (CEO) for being more than generous with his time replying on Twitter and for being a good sport, especially as my methods to attain a private beta invitation were somewhat below the radar. You can sign up for the private beta from the homepage, they’re working hard to get the invites out. That’s it for now. And if you’ve read this far, please leave a comment before disappearing so we can fully test it out… in realtime!

Turn your comments into live conversations - Replace your static comment section with a live stream of comments, images, and video. Built on chat technology, Livefyre brings the most engaging live conversations right to your content.

Drive Traffic to your content - Users who are interested in topics you write about are notified when you post new content. Your conversations are also listed in our real-time search, and are built for SEO.

Get higher quality comments – User reputation filters, one-click comment blocking, and on-page real-time moderation give you the highest quality comments. Even add multiple moderators for your site.

Build community around your content – Game mechanics keep your readers engaged and eager to participate. Livefyre lets users connect with each other and create strong relationships around your content.
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hZGfJr

Human Again...

2011-01-17T18:10:00.001+01:00

Due to popular demand I've uploaded a new image to my profile; it feels good to be human again!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

See more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/efZQWQ

Working Smarter Fieldbook: 2011 Edition (now with #QR codes)

2011-01-16T04:08:00.001+01:00

If you're passionate about #learning #change #culture #networks #collaboration #socialmedia or #km, this book is a MUST have...

I've clipped a few key points from the ITA's recent post on Posterous about the launch of their latest book version. It's really great to finally see the book full of QR codes; this was a project I recently completed for the ITA so please give it your full #AmpSupport - RT's, ReAmps etc...

Amplify’d from internettime.posterous.com

Working Smarter Fieldbook: 2011 Edition

2011 edition. $24. 426 pages. Downloadable.

By Charles Jennings, Harold Jarche,  Clark Quinn, Jane Hart & Jay Cross

Excerpt

Workscapes

Working smarter is the key to sustainability and continuous improvement. Knowledge work and learning to work smarter are becoming indistinguishable. The accelerating rate of change in business forces everyone in every organization to make a choice: learn while you work or become obsolete.

A typical workscape features these components:

Participant profiles, expertise locators

Information flows, feeds, subscriptions

Information repository, archives, search engine

Forums for written discussion by topics or by teams

Facility for online discussion, instant messaging, video conferencing

Unfettered access to the resources of the internet

Technology is never the most important part of this. Foremost are people, their motivations, emotions, attitudes, roles, their enthusiasm or lack thereof, and their innate desire to excel. Technology, be it web 2.0 or instructional design, social psychology, marketing, or intelligent systems, only supports what we’re helping people to accomplish.

As business de-emphasizes industrial-era command-and-control systems to make way for agile, sense-and-respond networks, the structure of business adapts to its new environment.
Read more at internettime.posterous.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gDYoiF

Happy at Work, Happy at Home

2011-01-16T01:54:00.001+01:00

Inspired...

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

If your working for someone who expects the job to be more important than your family, or indeed, if work has become more important all by itself, then this quote should be printed out and placed on a fridge magnet; better still, tattoo it onto your inside forearm.

“There are countless studies on the negative spillover of job pressures on family life, but few on how job satisfaction enhances the quality of family life.” Albert Bandura
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/fCCX7X

New Post: The Future of Mobile Tagging

2011-01-15T03:57:00.001+01:00

QR fans, this is a highly recommended (free) report!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

The scene depicted above is from the futuristic film, Blade Runner. There is a scene where … stop! You know what, just scan the code I’ve added above – this scene came to mind as I was constructing the post, especially the opening line.

Now, onto the main reason for posting.

Of the many reports I’ve read on QR codes and tagging recently, this report ranks right up there with the best. It combines an eye-catching modern design with a report structure that enables the reader to easily digest chunks of relevant content. There are a wide array of examples in each section which inspire the reader to think beyond simple applications.

The report, sponsored by Microsoft, can also be downloaded.

Mobile tags offer a unique opportunity for brands and their agencies to interact with potential and existing customers. These two dimensional barcodes can be applied to almost any surface and the information contained within them can be leveraged to create incentives and drivers that lead consumers along the purchase path. ~ Elliott Lemenager

The QR code can carry meaningful information in the vertical direction as well as the horizontal, hence the two-dimensional term. By carrying information in both directions, QR codes can carry up to several hundred times the amount of data carried by an ordinary bar codes. ~ Denso Wave

The capacity of QR Code is up to 7000 digits or 4000 characters, and is highly robust. ~ Kentaro Fukuchi

PSFK presents Future Of Mobile Tagging Report
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/if3kZ2

Homemade Apps Anyone?

2011-01-12T22:25:00.001+01:00

Get 'em while there hot!

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

Today I created an Android App using http://eyemags.com. The whole process was quite easy with an intuitive interface and simply to follow instructions. There is a free version which allows you to create up to 10 pages. Premium accounts and personalised coding can be ordered in addition.

My app is a story about someone’s busy day and how they found the right supplier for the right job and all as a result of finding a QR code. I’m sure I’ll be using this service again, and I hope you find it useful too. If you’d like to check out the app, scan the QR code or follow this URL: http://m.eyemags.com/12424, to download it.
Read more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hB3oSJ

What's Your Brand Story?

2011-01-12T12:54:00.001+01:00

Inspired by this slide share today. The power of stories...

Amplify’d from simbeckhampson.com

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived two brothers both with a passion for design and improvement. Paul, the older of the brothers was quick see opportunties and with a moments notice could facilitate action around ideas. Tom, was far more methodical, enjoying the time to explore each detail before moving to the next. As they grew up, in the simplicity of the far, far away land, it was clear, to both, that staying in one place was not a realistic option.

Tom, the younger of the brothers, was the first to leave, closely followed by his older brother, Paul. The stories that unfolded, the places they visited and the people they met all form part of an amazing narrative…

Where did they go?

What did they do?

Who did they meet?

What are they doing now?

And now your journey begins…

Ask questions, add comments and share.

This post was inspired by the following presentation.

Thanks to Muriel Devillers for posting on Facebook.

How storytelling can enhance digital projects

View more presentations from StoryBeats.

Read more at simbeckhampson.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eB0lqz

Welcome

2011-01-04T18:20:00.000+01:00

2011-01-04T10:20:00.001+01:00

Trying out JumpScan, it has potential - connect http://bit.ly/fS6oC0

Scanning QR Code Tattoos with Video Mapping Interface #qr

2011-01-04T08:25:00.001+01:00

AR & QR collide...

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

See more at www.youtube.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/dZcyRr

QR Codes to deliver Mobile Augmented Reality via @tonylukasavage #qr

2011-01-03T16:25:00.001+01:00

Nice video, thanks for the link.

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

QR Codes to deliver Mobile Augmented Reality
Read more at www.youtube.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/dHhZEO

RFID - Radio-frequency identification #qr #qrcodes

2011-01-03T13:33:00.001+01:00

Much more to investigate here... a successor to the QR code perhaps?

Amplify’d from panhwerworld.blogspot.com

Radio-frequency identification

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses communication via radio waves to exchange data between a reader and an electronic tag attached to an object, for the purpose of identification and tracking. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. The application of bulk reading enables an almost parallel reading of tags.

Radio-frequency identification involves interrogators (also known as readers), and tags (also known as labels).

There are a variety of groups defining standards and regulating the use of RFID, including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ASTM International, the DASH7 Alliance and EPCglobal. (Refer to Regulation and standardization below.)

See more at panhwerworld.blogspot.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eZru2j

RFID - Radio-frequency identification #qr #qrcodes

2011-01-03T13:31:00.001+01:00

Much more to investigate here... a successor to the QR code perhaps?

Amplify’d from panhwerworld.blogspot.com

Radio-frequency identification

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses communication via radio waves to exchange data between a reader and an electronic tag attached to an object, for the purpose of identification and tracking. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. The application of bulk reading enables an almost parallel reading of tags.

Radio-frequency identification involves interrogators (also known as readers), and tags (also known as labels).

There are a variety of groups defining standards and regulating the use of RFID, including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ASTM International, the DASH7 Alliance and EPCglobal. (Refer to Regulation and standardization below.)

See more at panhwerworld.blogspot.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eZru2j

QR Coded Restaurant Guidebook

2011-01-03T13:27:00.001+01:00

Now that's a lot of QR codes to maintain!!

Amplify’d from springwise.com

Bringing the online and offline worlds together is a rich source of opportunity for publishers, combining the tangible benefits and convenience of physical ownership with the opportunity to deliver up-to-the-minute content. Bringing this concept to the restaurant guide, Italian 2Spaghi.it has launched the SpagoGuida 2011, a physical directory of restaurants that links to online reviews.
Read more at springwise.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/fcT90P

Getting Geeky with #QR Codes!

2011-01-02T23:45:00.001+01:00

Startling colour! Love the wallpaper idea though...

Amplify’d from design-milk.com

QRious QR Code Wallpaper by Rollout

Rollout has developed a new wallpaper concept called QRious, covered in QR codes that lead you to various websites that they draw inspiration from. If you don’t know what a QR code is, basically it’s a code that can be scanned like a bar code with a QR reader (you can download various QR reader applications on your smartphone). Once scanned, the code instantly takes you to a specific destination. Easy as pie. Or cake, depending on your preference.
Read more at design-milk.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hMVOQO

Best 2D Barcode Campaign 2010. #qr #qrcodes

2011-01-02T23:23:00.001+01:00

Customer service innovation...

Amplify’d from www.2dbarcodestrategy.com

2D Barcode Strategy

If you are not familiar with the FirstBank campaign, here is a brief summary

One very creative way the bank thought to help travelers "save" in the Denver International Airport was to set up 2D barcode billboards throughout the terminals. Displayed on the billboards were QR Codes which, when scanned, would enable travelers to download, for free (read save), a popular work of literature, crossword puzzles and/or Sudoku puzzles. From week to week, the download offerings were changed to keep the campaign fresh, and I was told the campaign would probably be expanded, due to its success, well into January. More than anything else, this campaign spoke value, customer/user experience and uniqueness to me like no other. And, to give an idea of the competition that this campaign was up against, know that I was also considering campaigns by Canon, Warner Bros., Columbia and Kellogg's Special K.

See more at www.2dbarcodestrategy.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eVVqgm

How to Use QR Codes to Market Your Business #qr

2011-01-02T22:31:00.001+01:00

Excellent article...

Amplify’d from www.inc.com

How to Use QR Codes to Market Your Business

Smart companies are using the scan-codes to break the wall of interaction with customers. Keep these tips in mind when trying it for yourself.

By Tim Donnelly | @timdonnelly | Dec 16, 2010

The technology is simple to use, comes at little additional cost for your company and requires no special hardware. Done properly, devoting a tiny square of your packaging or ad to a code can open up a different spectrum of interaction with current and potential customers. It goes beyond the realm of traditional advertising to incorporate audio and video elements—and a sense of fun that turns advertising from a passive experience to an interactive game.

"Anything really that can be presented in a digital or image format can be returned back to the consumer," he says.

Marketing professionals say a common flaw occurs when companies don't keep mobile devices in mind when designing campaigns. The content has to be able to fit on a phone screen; any video should be short and to the point.

"A lot of people think they can just put the bar code on wherever they want and leave it there," Jordan says. "Lots of campaigns fail because there's a call to action, and the call to action is poor."

"You need to collect analytics to justify to boss why you didn't waste their money," Whiting says. "You know whether it worked or not."
Read more at www.inc.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gV54QD

#QR Codes on a LARGE Scale!

2011-01-02T21:29:00.001+01:00

"great illustration of the very near future..."

Amplify’d from bldgblog.blogspot.com

QR Cinema, or: Machines Making Films For Machines

As Bleecker writes:
Read more at bldgblog.blogspot.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/ed6juL

The Growth of Mobile (Video) - ht @Iqrcode cc: @QcodesR

2011-01-02T20:21:00.001+01:00

"In the next five years more people will connect to the internet via mobile vs a PC" < And what do we consider mobile?

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

See more at www.youtube.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/fbpZF7

The best reader for QR Codes, BeeTagg Codes and Datamatrix supports the following handsets. via @QcodesR

2011-01-02T18:57:00.001+01:00

No excuse not to have one on your phone

Amplify’d from www.beetagg.com

The best reader for QR Codes, BeeTagg Codes and Datamatrix supports the following handsets.

See more at www.beetagg.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/dYsVRI

100 Ideas on How to Use QR Codes by @QReateAndTrack (via @QcodesR)

2011-01-02T16:24:00.001+01:00

All the ideas you need...

Amplify’d from twitter.com

100 Ideas on How to Use QR Codes - qreateandtrack.com/2010/12/22/100… < top post!

Read more at twitter.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/fk2up1

Just created an About.me page < nice interface...

2011-01-01T17:40:00.001+01:00

URL: https://about.me/simbeckhampson

Recommended!!

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/ea7cf2

2011-01-01T14:34:00.001+01:00

Very impressed with the latest updates from #Delivr - checkout the options on the landing page and leave a comment too http://bit.ly/hv8YeH

Business isn’t fun! by @NeilPatel #selfemployed versus #9til5

2010-12-30T17:44:00.001+01:00

This is an excellent post, do click through and be sure to read the comments too...

Amplify’d from www.quicksprout.com

Business isn’t fun!

If you want to have a lot of fun, you shouldn’t try to create a business, you should stick with your 9 to 5 job. Here’s why:

You’ll have less stress

You’ll have fixed hours

You’ll have job security

You’ll have a simple life

Conclusion

Solve a problem

Make money

Now that I broke down the two requirements that you need to follow if you want to create a successful business, here are some of the traits that you need to have if you want to succeed:

Scrappiness

Logic

Hunger

Efficiency
Read more at www.quicksprout.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gA4mvn

Visual History of Corporate Education, 1880 - 2010 by @visualinsight (ht @jaycross)

2010-12-30T17:15:00.001+01:00

This huge 4ft x 12ft poster is fantastic and with the help of Zoom.it reading it is very easy; see http://bit.ly/dQuKdv

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eLdvGH

Creative Foursquare Marketing via @eric_andersen (image)

2010-12-30T16:41:00.001+01:00

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hbtmmf