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I monitor emergent communication and information technologies and interactive social medias to forecast strategic opportunities for developing brand community. Embedded within these online communities and virtual environments, I form meaningful relationships with key influencers using indigenous social media tools for collaboration.
Seeding ideas and encouraging co-creation within networks of brand advocates has proven an effective method for crowd-sourcing innovation. I create interactive opportunities for participatory new product development and collaborative brainstorming that encourage customers to build, and in so doing [re]define, the brand experience. The by-product of this non-invasive form of engagement is an expanding network of product hackers, and self-proclaimed customer evangelists.

In addition, I work as Austin Ellison within persistent virtual worlds like Second Life to foster conversation and collaborative ideation toward long-term thinking and forecasting.
I developed Collaborative Ideation to share my research.
Quotations:"The convergence of raw data distribution in a living network, such as the form by which the web appears to be evolving, paves new roads for perception and communication. I think the biggest impact emergent methods of communication will have upon our future is with new modes of temporal contextualization." MediaAngler
"Every example of remarkable customer service and interactivity that is open to search engine traffic becomes a footprint in the history of one's brand identity. Weave inspiring narratives throughout the net that will compel future customers to fall in love with your own unique customer experience" ["An Interview With An Innovator" by Stephen Smith @ HDBizBlog]
"Every observable action is an artifact of who we are and how we interact with the world. By making public our hearts and minds in the language of shared data, we have the potential to not only interact with the present; we may at some point converse with the future." AOC2
Publications: "Collaborative Ideation," Ongoing "It Is Not Enough To Simply Listen," The Age of Conversation, April 2007
"Co-Creation signals a meeting of minds,"Technology & Co-creation Theory, INSIGHT July 2008
"A Trail of Digital Breadcrumbs," The Age of Conversation II, August 2008 Education: Bowling Green State University, 2002 Affiliations: Member of the Long Now Foundation Member of the Rosetta Project Member of the Chicago Business Marketing Association
Activities: social media optimization and engagement, public relations 2.0, corporate development, long-term strategy, emerging media research and development, corporate intelligence, collaborative new product development, word-of-mouth marketing, business in persistent virtual worlds, blogging Interests: DIY, steampunk, GTD, Diyplanner, notebookism, figurative drawing, jazz improv, glassblowing, forecasting, Long Now, pervasive computing, geo-tagging, haptic technologies, startups, 17th century English drama, New Historicism, Yelp, Second Life Business, Social Anthropology 2.0, Journaling 2.0
Favorite Music: The Eels, Soul Coughing, John Abercrombie, Tortoise, Autechre, David Bowie, Rancid, Richard Hell, Talking Heads, Mouse on Mars, Autechre, Kenny Wheeler, Joe Lovano, Flaming Lips, Tom Waits, Radiohead, Aquabats, Placebo, The Clash, The Strokes, Massive Attack, Smashing Pumpkins, Bad Religion, The White Stripes, Medeski, Martin, & Wood, Tom Waits, Marilyn Manson, Bjork, Ladytron, Patricia Barber, The Cars, The Strokes, Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave, Belle & Sebastion, Placebo, The Clash, Devo, Iggy Pop, Moby, Portishead, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Lou Reed, CocoRosie, Weezer, Dan Bern, Funki Porcini, David Byrne, Fischerspooner, Morcheeba, Folk Implosion, The Aquabats, Bill Frisell, Sting, Sam Phillips, Hot Chip, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, Kid 606, Joe Lovano Favorite TV Shows:
Veronica Mars, My Boys, Gilmore Girls [ it grew on me ], The League of Gentlemen, Farscape, Babylon 5, Fraggle Rock, MST3k, Spacehunter, Jim Henson's The Storyteller, Lexx, Flying Circus, The Shield, Stargate SG1, Twin Peaks, Aeon Flux
Favorite Movies:

Posted on July 2, 2008 at 9:30pm —
You bring the digital sparks, we'll supply the gasoline.
November 27, 2009 from 12pm to 3pm – Anywhere (Time Shown is EST)
December 9, 2009 from 6:30pm to 10pm – Holiday Club
December 12, 2009 from 6pm to 7pm – Congress Theater
December 16, 2009 from 7:30am to 5pm – Chicago's Gleacher Center
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Virtual worlds like Second Life provide a great platform for sharing memorable experiences with customers/influencers/evangelists. Earn trust through genuine interaction. Co-creation and collaborative product development are simply neat methods for accomplishing this.
The following machinima is of one such encounter, where I invited a productivity blogger to accompany me to the international space station last year.
It is good to see others with SL experience on here. I know I have asked this from another SLer and I was just curious if you have done and business up there between RL and SL such as RL advertising in SL etc.
Regards,
Shawn Recinto
Sure!
It happens all the time - SL5B for example.
Let's schedule some time in-world. I'd be glad to show you around SL, There, Twinity, wherever you like. ;)
Sorry I have not been able to get back to you until now. I did have a question about online communities and digital spaces that you could hopefully answer.
Where is the technology at in regards to hosting an online and real time event (like a rock concert) in digitally simulated online worlds like Second Life? Is it possible? How many people could cluster in one spot without there being any computer performance problems?
Thats the start. I am currious to see if feats such as this have been already accomplished. If you have any resources or websites to direct me to I would love to mull over them as well. Oh and before I forget thanks for your time it means a lot!
I would love to know more about how you interface with the game world and what you can do conceivably and creative wise.
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