So What Is On-Demand Internet Television?

Millions have already cut the cord with their cable or satellite providers, and are enjoying television anytime, and on any device they have via on-demand services over the Internet.

Problem with many of these on-demand services, is they serve up the same distasteful menu of Reality TV, sitcoms, game shows, and even re-runs of once great shows, but nothing new, and original.

And when they do their own programming, just because it receives rave reviews from the television critics, doesn’t mean you are going to like it.

Television is like food – we all have different tastes.

Some like it spicy, others run to the bathroom at the mere thought.

The same goes for television shows. Actually, it’s even more so for television – we all have such varied and unique interests, hobbies, career aspirations – so naturally we’ll all have very different tastes in what we like to watch on television.

That’s the magic of our crowdfundng project – we open up the discuss forums, giving you a voice.

Be heard – tell us what YOU want to see on television.

If enough people get talking about it, we’ll create the show – and FINALLY there will be something YOU want to watch on television.

Even better, because it’s on-demand over the Internet, YOU can watch it when you want too, and on any connected device.

So while waiting in line at the grocery story, you can be watching your favorite show on your mobile phone, and thanks to cloud-based computing, you can continue watching your favorite show after you put your groceries away on your connected big screen television in your living room!

All of this can only happen with YOU.

So please help us make on-demand Internet television possible. DONATE to our crowdfunding project NOW – we’ve got some great gifts as our way of saying ‘thank you.’

Once you’ve made your contribution, don’t forget to spread the word – the more people that know we exist, the better. Tell EVERYONE you know via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest – whatever social network you are on – please share this link. 

Thank you for making On-Demand Internet Television matter.

Why Do You Tweet?

It took me a while to embrace social media. I was a late social networker.

I tried Myspace when it first started, got tired of Tom and moved on over to Facebook, discovered Twitter, YouTube, Google Plus, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and now I’m addicted.

Social networking has become more than a hobby. It’s a daily ritual.

But why do I tweet?

Why do you friend, follow post and pin? Why do you take out your smartphone in a restaurant, and insist on taking pictures of your food in a restaurant, and uploading those images to Instagram before enjoying the taste?

Since social networking began, we’ve been told how it’s all about creating your own personal brand – essentially about making you look good, in a consistent and continuous way online.

You are your own product – just virtually represented.

But many old school social media junkies, or even just ‘newbies’ new to the online world of social networking, don’t have a personal brand, they just post what they are doing, what they are thinking, or what they are experiencing.

And isn’t that what social networking really was about?

Sharing your life experiences in an online virtual social realm, with others doing the same, so you could learn, develop and grow your friends?

Wasn’t the whole point of Facebook to reconnect with family, friends and colleagues that you originally lost touch with?

Twitter’s original homepage encouraged people to tweet “what you are doing right now.”

The essence behind YouTube was the ability to record video of what you were doing, and share it with the world.

Then the friending addiction kicked in, and many of us – myself included – became more interested in growing our friends, fans, and followers.

There may be strength in numbers, and it certainly is impressive to have a million friends following you on Google Plus.

But how many of those people do you actually have real conversations with, and really enjoy getting to know?

How many of those people do you actually care about?

The real test of friendship, is asking yourself if you care about someone.

Social networking has come a long way, but perhaps it has fallen off the rails, as we race to have more friends, fans, followers, circles, subscribers and others we really don’t care about.

Perhaps it’s time to rethink being social?

Why do you tweet?

Is Social Media Really the Real You?

Back in high school, while most were dating, I’d be smack dab in front of the computer, chatting and downloading.

This predates the Internet, back to the days of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and dial-up modem connections.

This goes way back to the days when CompuServe and America Online were king, and only a handful of people actually knew what email was, let alone had it.

I’d chat with some dude named “The Terminator” about his BBS named “The Forbidden Zone,” or with another system operator (called Sysop in BBS slang) named “Mike Donovan” about his “V-BBS.” I remember having long debates in the chat forums with “Tiny Dancer,” “Mayor Hardin,” and someone that called himself “Thing.”

On these dial-up computer networks, everyone went by a handle, some even taking on the persona or character of their chosen name in the chats, by typing as if they really were The Terminator, or whoever else they chose to be.

As BBS computer networks were a basis for the Internet as we know it today, it got me thinking – just how real are the people we chat with online now?

Just as it was back in the era of the BBS, it’s not very hard to log onto any social network site, make up an assumed name, and post content under that assumed identity.

Twitter has tried to prevent people from assuming celebrity identities, by verifying such accounts – but even these verifications can be faked.

I get posts all the time from Albert Einstein on Google+ -- and although I’m honored that one of the greatest minds of the Twentieth Century shares his thoughts with me, Einstein died long before the two young men who created Google were even born.

I also get posts from Planet Earth on Google+ -- which is even more interesting, because I didn’t know the Earth could talk.

Clearly, someone on Google+ is posting under Einstein and the Earth’s identities, which brings us back to the original question, how real are we on our social networks?

We grow friends, fans and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest and the rest. But even if we are posting as ourselves, under our real names, are we really real?

Do we really share what is actually happening right now in our lives online? And if we do, do others really care?

Just how different are you online from the real life person you are, in the real world?

Do your posts reflect the real you?

How would I know that?

How would you know that my posts are really me?

This social networking thing is really confusing.

Share Your Blog – By Pinning It on Pinterest

Yesterday I discovered a new trick which I’ll share with you – how to Pin your blog posts – or any posts for that matter – to Pinterest.

Pinterest is the latest social networking site to go big, where people post images on their virtual cork boards. Think of Twitter, only instead of 140 characters, you “tweet” pics.

As Pinterest has hit it off with women, it’s become known as a place to post recipes, fashion trends, household items, and vacation destination pictures and descriptions

But surprisingly, I figured out a way to post my blog to the highly visual site, and you can too.

So long as your blog posting – or whatever site you want to link to – has an image, you’re good to go.

Here’s how I did it in a few quick steps:

1. Create a Board – Click Add + at the top of the Pinterest page, and then select Create a Board.
   
   If you want to post your blog to Pinterest everytime you have a new blog entry, it’s not a bad idea to create a specific place on Pinterest to stick these.
   
   
2. Enter the Board’s Details -- Type a Board Name, Category for the Board, and any additional Pinterest users you want to allow to pin to this board, and then click Create Board.
   
   
3. Go to Your Blog --  Go to the blog or website where you want to pin content from, and select the specific web page which you want to link to in your newly created Pinterest Board.
   This is really important, otherwise you’ll just link to the first page of your blog.
   
4. Click Pin It -- From the specific page you want to link to your Pinterest Board, click the Pin It button in your web browser (assuming you’ve already added this when you joined Pinterest, if not, click here for instructions).
   
5. Select the Specific Image -- Select the image you want to pin.
   
   
   The standard pinning window opens.
   
   
6. Select the Board to Pin Too -- From the Boards drop-down menu, select the board you created for these pins.
   
7. Describe Your Pin -- Enter a description of this pin – I use the blog posting’s title, a brief description, followed by “click the pic to read the post.”
   
8. Select Additional Connected Networks -- Select the check boxes at the bottom to post to Facebook and/or Twitter if you’ve linked those accounts and want to do so – which gets you more views.
   
9. Pin It! Click Pin It and in a few seconds you’ll get a Pinning Success Message, letting you know your blog posting has been pinned!

Check out your new blog board on Pinterest!

Pretty cool stuff – and an excellent way to increase your blog’s presence on the constantly growing social networks.

And hey, while you're at it, follow me on Pinterest!