hal tweets ·1:04 PM
Indie comics in 80s LA, a homage featuring Groening, Panter, Hernandez bros…. http://bit.ly/b1FcGM
2008,
18:24 GMT
Bits and Pieces: Hal's Upcoming Weekend, More on Facebook Advertising, playlist for Hal's 10
Posted by: Hal
End of the week bits and pieces…..
1) I’ve been really tired lately. And hungry. I think I’m getting ready to hibernate. W. is going to be away this weekend. It’s just me and the kid. I hope she takes long naps…
2) Michael, reader of the blog, sent me an article in response to my musings about Facebook ads. The article talks about Facebook’s approach to advertising and why they’re using these small low paying ads instead of massive blockbuster advertising.
From the piece:
“Mr. Rose argued that Facebook isn’t so much about explaining products as showing people which of their friends endorse them. He pointed to a campaign by Procter & Gamble that allowed Facebook users to give each other Tide vintage T-shirts (actually tiny pictures of a t-shirt).
“Tide wants to create a positive affiliation with their brand in your mind,” Mr. Rose said. “Are they more likely to do that with an ad that says ‘Hey, we’re better”? Or are you more likely to have a positive feeling if one of your friends sends you a virtual gift that is a Tide vintage T-shirt?”
Again, it’s this whole question of using people’s lifestyle inclinations as a way in. Of course that can backfire: do people who wear vintage Tide t-shirts really have an affiliation with Procter and Gamble products?
Anyway, so far the FB ads for Indie Writers DeathMatch that I’m running have had an average of about 26,000 impressions a day, with about 36 actual click throughs to the FB page for the contest. I’ve capped the amount we want to pay at $10 a day and plan to run the ad for 10 days. So in the end it’ll cost $100 for 360 click throughs. Now since it costs $20 to enter the contest (you get a subscription too) at the end of the day I only need 5 of those 360 to actually enter the contest to make it worth it. The question, of course, is whether or not we’ll get those five people through this.
3) Back to my weekend. In addition to W. being away leaving me as sole parental unit in charge – watch out kid, there’s a new sheriff in town – I’m going to be on a panel at a conference on Sunday. The conference is called Culture Congress and the panel I’m going to be on is Technology of Contact. 11:45 – 1:15 at the Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre, downtown Toronto. also on the panel are: Jacob Zimmer, Michel Lefebvre, and Peter Flemming. It’s free if anyone wants to check it or the other events out.
4) Finally, I’ve created a CD mix of Canadian tunes to send to my 1000th Facebook friend, the free thinking, home schooling blues playing Texan Marie Angell. There are 13 songs on it. Here’s the lineup: 1) “When She Appeared” – Aaron Booth 2) The Commute – The “Barmitzvah Brothers 3) Slow Recovery – Beans 4) In Her Dream – Bob Wiseman 5) Almost Crimes (live version) – Broken Social Scene 6) Pamphleteer – The Weakerthans 7) In State – Kathleen Edwards 8) I Will Not Sing a Hateful Song – Constantines 9) Almost Summer – Jason Collett 10) I’m a Mountain – Sarah Harmer 11) 38 Years Old – The Tragically Hip 12) Blackheart – Cuff The Duke 13) The Dead Flag Blues (all 16:28 of it) – godspeed you! black emperor. I’m excited for Marie to experience this cross Canada panorama of weirdness!
2008,
13:52 GMT
Looking for the Lurkers
Posted by: Hal
Hi everyone, a journalist/researcher in New York asked me to post this. If you're a lurker, help her out!
Do you spend a lot of time following blogs and twitters of people you don't know? Do you watch but don't participate? Do you find interest or comfort in people's daily routines? Are you familiar with JenniCAM, Justin.tv, or iJustine? I'm a reporter looking to speak with nonparticipatory, anonymous online users. Email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if this sounds like you.
2008,
19:53 GMT
Hal Update: Book, Doc, 1000th Friend Photos and Me Love Blob!
Posted by: Hal
I haven’t updated much lately. No excuse, really, except that I’ve been both busy and lazy, a devastating combination, but one that many feel with the onset of winter and holidays. Snow flurries outside, a guy on the radio talking about selling plastic ice surfaces to Quebec townships(!), and, well, it’s already halfway through December.
So lots on my blog agenda. First off, I had lunch today with Amy Holmes who presides over the Open Book Toronto website. She’s cool and it’s cool so check it out.
In Peep Diaries news, I’m happy to announce that I’m in the editing stage of the game, the feedback from my editor at City Lights is good and things are coming together nicely. The book is on schedule to be published in May. There’s a cover now, it’s great, and I’m going to reveal it early on in the new year. In the meantime, wish me luck on the re-writes. Actually here’s the sick truth: I love editing. Writing is annoying but editing I find incredibly peaceful. I can only write for an hour or so at a time, but I can edit all day. Is that weird or what? I guess it’s going to be a blissful rest of the month, cutting, pasting, inputting changes, adding new developments…
In Peep documentary news, it looks like the funding has finally come together to make the documentary – in which I attempt to be the most peeped man alive – and to put together the ultra-cool Peep interactive online project that will both stand on its own and be integrated into the documentary. We’re meeting on Thursday next week to talk about our plans for the website, and general timing. I’ll keep ya posted.
Well what else to tell you? I took E. my three year old to the TINARS For Tots Holiday Reading last weekend. It was fun and we picked up a copy of CTON’s Super A-maze-ing Year of Crazy Comics by Clayton Hanmer, who also did the cover of the summer Broken Pencil How-To issue! It’s a really funny book and E. is super into it, particularly a maze involving trick-or-treating and a giant monster attacking the candy store. We love you blob!
Finally, before I forget, I also want to update you on my 1000th friend, Marie Angell of Baytown, Texas. She received the box of goodies I sent her and sent back a bunch of pictures of her and her wonderful family opening up the stuff. Now, Marie, I’m waiting for book reports and a review of the mixed CD of indie Canadian bands I burned for ya. Hanukah came early to the Angells of Baytown, as you can see by following this link to Marie’s slideshow .
2009,
19:50 GMT
Belated Birthday Thoughts: Happy Birthday to Me and Thanks to You
Posted by: Hal
Okay so since I've been back from holidays I've been working pretty much frantically (which means for me missing the occasional nap) to get the Peep book done. Everything else has been pushed aside. In a few more days, the super duper newly updated and edited version will go to my editor. Then I'll be back to updating more frequently and consistently.
In the meantime, my birthday was last week! W. bought me a cool new jacket/sweater thingie - hard to describe but i picked it out so obviously i dig it. I will wear it soon and take a quick webcam shot so you can see if you like it. E. made me a card depicting a monster and fire. Not counting the cards from W and E, I got 2 birthday cards, 3 birthday phone calls (not counting relatives), 2 birthday emails, 5 Facebook birthday messages, and 61 Facebook birthday wall posts. I think I would have gotten more wall posts but FB turned off the wall posts function for a while fearing that I was the victim of some kind of spam attack or something.
Anyway, for all who sent me birthday wishes, thank you for helping me turn 38 years old. It was great to hear from everybody.
So how do I feel about turning 38? I haven't really been paying much attention to my age over the last 5 years or so. The 30s are kind of a blur I guess. Turning 38 snapped me out of it a bit. 2 years to 40! I need to be paying attention to my glory days here before I completely miss them.
So here are a few things I've noticed about Hal at 38: I'm still immature, but not as big of an asshole as I used to be. (Could it be I've developed a capacity to consider other people's feelings?) I get tired more. I don't - and can't - drink as much booze as I did in the good old days. I like routine. I dislike spending money. I'll eat just about anything including pieces of meat E. drops on the floor.
That's me at 38. More soon.
2009,
13:36 GMT
The Digital Generations? Book Review by Hal in the Globe and Mail
Posted by: Hal
Hey all. Just recovering from the power outage that hit us the night before last and into yesterday morning. I can live without heat (even though it was minus 20 outside) but is life without computation worth living? Ha, I’m kidding. It wasn’t that big a deal. E’s school was closed so I lost a day of work hanging out with her and her various friends and associates. Once I got over my frustration – I was all set for a day of heavy editing work on the Peep book – I settled into Daddy mode and spent the day observing 3 year-old antics.
Speaking of the younger generations and their antics, here’s a review I wrote that came out in the Globe and Mail last week. It’s a review of two books that purport to explain the wants, needs, thoughts and possible effect of the so-called Net Generations.
Give it a read, let me know what you think.
The Bloggist
Hey, I’m Hal Niedzviecki. I’m a writer/thinker who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with my wife and daughter. Up till now I’ve always considered myself a private person. But at the same time I’m fascinated by people who effortlessly open themselves up to the whole world. So I’ve… more...
Indie comics in 80s LA, a homage featuring Groening, Panter, Hernandez bros…. http://bit.ly/b1FcGM
Issue 47 (spring) is now completely ‘unlocked’ on the NEW Broken Pencil website. Web TV, Liz Worth on punk TO & more http://bit.ly/bXvQuP
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