Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.30.09 Author Alice Hoffman uses Twitter to "vent"

So, here’s a question on ethics to mull over. If a critic gives a negative review of a creative work, how far is the “artist” able to go in expressing their reaction? No one likes negative criticism, especially when we’ve poured our creative heart ‘n soul into a project.

Yesterday, it was widely reported that writer Alice Hoffman received a less than glowing review of her recent novel, “The Story Sisters”. One such review appeared in the Boston Globe by Roberta Silman. I read the review and in truth, it was kind in some places and critical in others. This is the nature of creating something and putting it “out there”. People criticize and excuse me for stating the obvious, but so do critics.

Hoffman has enjoyed much success in her career and is a seasoned writer. I would think she would have acquired a thicker skin through the years. Apparently not.

In a series of ranting Tweets posted to her Twitter account (partial list here, thanks to Gawker.com), Hoffman basically rants about Silman’s critique and publishes her personal phone number and email information and exhorts her followers to get in touch if they want to tell her off.

In my opinion, a public figure should be a bit more adept at holding it together, even circumstances much more difficult. A bad review (which this was not) is no excuse for a public meltdown and release of personal information with encouragement for the public at large to take action against another.

SELECTED TWEETS FROM ALICE HOFFMAN:

“Roberta Silman in the Boston Globe is a moron. How do some people get to review books?”

“Now any idiot can be a critic. Writers used to review writers. My second novel was reviewed by Ann Tyler. So who is Roberta Silman?”

“No wonder there is no book section in the Globe anymore. They don’t care about their readers, why should we care about them?”

“If you want to tell Roberta Silman off, her phone is _____________. RSilman@verizen.net (sic). Tell her what you think of snarky critics”

Hoffman then soon after and through her publicist, released this apologetic statement (as they say, a day late and a dollar short):

I feel this whole situation has been completely blown out of proportion. Of course I was dismayed by Roberta Silman’s review which gave away the plot of the novel, and in the heat of the moment I responded strongly and I wish I hadn’t. I’m sorry if I offended anyone. Reviewers are entitled to their opinions and that’s the name of the game in publishing. I hope my readers understand that I didn’t mean to hurt anyone and I’m truly sorry if I did.

Of course, the synical amongst us could just view this entire episode as one giant publicity coup. Silman, through her lukewarm review and the resulting tirade on Hoffman’s part, have garnered the novel much more notice than it may have received otherwise.

Ironic, huh? Any thoughts?

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.29.09 Some interesting data (or so we think!!)

Mutt Media brings you some research….

disclaimer…these figures are taken from a 3rd party site (alexa.com).

I’ve compiled some data I thought was interesting. Here you’ll find the top 10 social networking sites (according to Alexa.com) as of mid-month. As you would expect, Facebook, MySpace & Twitter round out the top 3 but there are some others on this list you may have never given a glance or heard of.

Please bear in mind that these are domestic figures so they do not account for overseas data, which is also available. If you haven’t heard of some of these, go check them out and let me know what you think.

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.26.09 MySpace lays off 700+ employees!

MySpace recently announced plans for cuts and closings company-wide including 300 jobs oversees, 420 US-based positions and 4 overseas offices, ultimately leaving them with just over 1100 worldwide employees and overseas offices in London, Berlin & Sydney. MySpace is a subsidiary of News Corp, which also owns the NY Post and Fox Broadcasting. Following is an excerpt taken from the Huffington Post.

“The move, the latest cost-cutting effort at the site, comes less than two months after the unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. hired former Facebook executive Owen Van Natta, 39, as its new chief executive.

It also comes a day after data from tracking firm comScore show Facebook has caught up with MySpace in monthly U.S. visitors for the first time.

“Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company,” Van Natta said in a statement.

The cuts amount to about 420 people, bringing the total number of MySpace’s U.S. staff to 1,000. As of May, Facebook had about 850 employees worldwide, the vast majority in the United States.

MySpace’s user base has stagnated at about 125 million worldwide users, while Facebook said its usage has doubled to more than 200 million in less than a year.

Until now, MySpace still had the edge among U.S. users. But numbers from comScore show that in May, MySpace and Facebook both had about 70 million users apiece in the United States.

MySpace generates more revenue, according to Internet research firm eMarketer; it estimates that MySpace generated about $605 million in global advertising revenue last year, compared with $250 million for Facebook. MySpace’s revenue is expected to shrink next year while Facebook’s is seen as growing.”

It seems as though sometimes we need a little “push” to trim the fat…in life and in business. For a long time, Myspace was the only social networking game in town and really dominated the market. However as the above excerpt shows, this is no longer the case.

I say that competition is good. Good for business, good for the consumer. What do you think?

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.25.09 Don't forget your Facebook personal URL…available to EVERYONE after midnight on Sunday!

Just a reminder to choose your personal URL on facebook! This service was available several weeks ago but was limited in terms of PAGES. If you have a PAGE and less than 1000 fans, after midnight on Sunday 6/28 you can now select your own URL…

For example http://facebook.com/muttmedia

This is great, especially when you want to provide links right to your homepage.

Mutt Media's Daily Bone | 6.24.09 More Craigslist Crime News

Here’s a good one. Some bonehead (excuse the pun) placed an ad on Craigslist asking if anyone needed some “420 help”. Do any of YOU know what this even means? If I didn’t read about his arrest, I would think he’s a math tutor for the SAT’s.

Turns out that is not the case. 420 is a term used for POT – you know, the kind people smoke, not the kind you cook in. 420 alludes to the time during the day back in the ’70s when kids in a California High School would get together and smoke. Anyway, police responded to Christopher Gray’s ad and bought a bag for $45 before they busted him. I guess if criminals were really smart they would do something else for a living.

But the big Craigslist story today is that of music composer Joseph Brooks. That name may not ring a bell to you, but his most popular song might. He’s the guy who wrote “You light up my life” – a song that was at the top of the charts forever back in 1977 and for which Brooks won an Oscar. Here’s a 71 year old man who has been running ads on Craigslist (and other “talent” sites) luring young girls to his apartment with the help of his assistant.

These ads would say Brooks was looking for the next big thing, a new face, preferably aged 18-22 to make into a star. His assistant, named Shawni Lucier would screen the girls and even make travel arrangements, with the thought being that if the victim was traveling, they’d be less inclined to put up a fight because they were too exhausted. All of the assaults occured between 2005-2008 but someone from 1970 also had a claim that was deemed beyond the statute of limitations.

Once he had them, he would tell them that the project he was involved in called for them to play a prostitute. He then asked them to drink and take off their clothing and then attack.

Now Brooks is facing over 80 counts of rape, sexual assault and other charges. Lucier is scheduled to turn herself in next week, when she will face 9 counts of criminal solicitation.

Stay tuned….to get the full story from the Chicago Tribune, click here.

http://muttmedia.net

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.23.09 The Iranian Elections and the murder of Neda Agha Soltan

MUTT MEDIA WARNING! | POLITICAL COMMENTARY TO FOLLOW…..

Today’s post is a sad one, but shines a ray of hope on a region in turmoil. I am writing in green to show support for the citizens of Iran and their cause.

No doubt you’ve heard all of the rumblings about the elections in Iran. If you frequent Twitter, Facebook or any of the social networking platforms, you’ve been exposed. Here’s a timeline version of what’s been going on, taken from Reuter’s website.

“(Reuters) – Here is a summary of the main developments in the aftermath of Iran’s June 12 presidential election, which took place against a background of tension with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.

June 13 – Hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially wins presidential election with nearly 63 percent of the vote compared with 34 percent for reformist challenger Mirhossein Mousavi, authorities say. Thousands of protesters clash with police. Mousavi calls result a “dangerous charade”.

June 14 – Mousavi says he has formally asked Iran’s Guardian Council to annul the election.

June 15 – Seven people are killed during a huge march by Mousavi supporters in central Tehran, state media says. There are also pro-Mousavi demonstrations in the cities of Rasht, Orumiyeh, Zahedan and Tabriz.

June 16 – Leading Iranian reformist Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice-president, is arrested, his office says.

– The Guardian Council says it is ready to carry out a partial recount of ballots but rules out annulling the poll.

– Tens of thousands of pro-Mousavi demonstrators march in northern Tehran. Ahmadinejad’s supporters mobilize thousands of demonstrators in central Tehran.

– Authorities ban foreign journalists from leaving their offices to cover street protests.

June 17 – Thousands march in central Tehran.

– Ahmadinejad defends the legitimacy of the vote, telling a cabinet meeting it has “posed a great challenge to the West’s democracy,” Mehr news agency reports.

– Saeed Laylaz, editor of business daily Sarmayeh, and pro-reform activist Mohammadreza Jalaiepour are arrested, a reformist source says.

June 18 – Thousands of Mousavi’s backers rally in Tehran to mourn those killed in the mass protests.

– A spokesman for the Guardian Council says it has begun examining 646 complaints submitted after the June 12 vote.

– Iran’s English-language state television has reported eight people killed in five days of protests. The ISNA news agency, quoting provincial officials, says 88 people were arrested in post-election unrest in the city of Mashhad and up to 60 people in Tabriz in the northwest.

June 19 — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says protest leaders would be responsible for any bloodshed if rallies continued against the election, which he said Ahmadinejad had won fairly by 11 million votes.

June 20 — The Guardian Council says it is ready to recount a tenth of the votes in the disputed election.

– Riot police are deployed in force, firing teargas and using batons and water cannon to disperse groups of several hundred Iranians who had gathered across Tehran.

– A suicide bomber blows himself up near the shrine of Iran’s revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reports.

– State television says more than 450 people are detained during clashes in Tehran in which at least 10 people are killed.

June 21 — Mousavi urges supporters to continue protests, issuing an oblique appeal to security forces to show restraint.

– Ahmadinejad accuses the United States and Britain of interfering in Iran’s affairs.

June 22 — Hardline Revolutionary Guards issue a statement saying they will “firmly confront in a revolutionary way rioters and those who violate the law”. Police break up a protest in Tehran hours after the Guards issued their statement.

– People in Tehran again chant “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) from their rooftops at nightfall.

June 23 – Guardian Council again rules out annulment of the election saying there has been no major polling irregularities.”

Just yesterday, a protester named Neda Agha Soltan was shot and killed in the street. Someone captured this heinous act with their cell phone and it’s been getting lots of play on YouTube. Video follows, but please be warned: it is violent and graphic and YouTube requires that you verify that you are over 18 to view it.

There has been so much controversy over the middle east, Iran, Iraq and the degree to which the US should get involved but I think the events of the last few weeks show us that the citizens want some sort of democracy and a fair election process. I am sure that they know the western world is on their side in this endeavor, as their continuous Twitter and other internet communications indicate. This is GREAT. Unfortunate is that lives are lost but this is an important fight and a stand that, in my opinion, needs to be taken.

All of the Tweets, photos and video footage show us that these are a people willing to fight for their desired rights – rights they have long been denied. It’s nothing short of amazing.

So maybe Iraq was the wrong venue at the wrong time, but the ideology was right on target. If only the violence would stop.

links that may be of some interest to you..

thestar.com | nytimes.com (they have a great blog that is tracking the protests and running commentary) | reuters.com

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.22.09 Craigslist in the news…again

Mutt Media brings you a Craigslist update…..

Today, Austin Fenner of the New York Post reports on a Craigslist item that caught my eye.

A woman named Elizabeth Mosh responded to an ad she found on Craigslist posted by Tonja Fenton, a 35 year old who advertised to rent out an apartment in the basement of the two-family home in Queens where she lives. Mosh, a school teacher, gave Fenton a $1300 cash deposit for the first month’s rent and security deposit and even purchased a flat screen TV and a new bed for her new place.

When the time came for Mosh to move in, she received word from Fenton that a pipe had burst and the apartment was flooded. Oh, and another little problem – Fenton doesn’t own the building, has no right to rent the apartment and has made similar agreements with at least 6 other people, netting her almost $12,000.

Fenton has now been charged with Grand Larceny and Scheming to Defraud.

And what about Philip Markoff, who we talked about here in an earlier post (Daily Bone | 5/11/09 Does Craigslist Really Come in Peace?) about violent crimes linked with connections made on Craigslist? A grand jury has indicted him, according to Boston prosecutors.

Last night I finally got to see Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino – a great film about a bittersweet kind of justice. I love when the bad guys get what’s coming to them but still find it deplorable that certain things go on in the world. Craigslist and Gran Torino…..

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.19.09 So 5 minutes ago…MN woman found guilty in music downloading case vs. music industry

Here’s today’s “So 5-minutes-ago” news

Here’s something cool. Today’s blog comes to you from somewhere over the east coast as my daughter and I fly to Florida for a couple of days. In the air using gogoinflight.com and it only cost me $2.49.

I’m starting a running series I’ll call “So 5-Minutes Ago” – which, pretty literally means that this particular topic or web address was the most popular at the time I wrote this piece.

This morning when I began this (at around 10am) this was the top story, according to website Alexa.com. A federal jury ruled against a Minnesota woman named Jammie Thomas-Rasset in our country’s first music file-sharing case to ever go to trial. Others have all been settled where the accused pays a fine to the extent that it causes some moderate to severe discomfort; just enough to ensure they won’t make the mistake again of sharing music files that they do not have the rights to.

Thomas-Rasset was accused by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and various subsidiaries of the major record labels including Sony, EMI, Universal & Warner. She had, unlike others before her previously accused of similar “crimes” – elected to go to trial and take on this Goliath-like opponent in court as opposed to agreeing to pay a monetary settlement to make the lawsuit go away. Others have paid on average approx $3500 to settle their suits and move on, but Thomas-Rasset took her chances at trial.

She was accused of sharing 1700 music files on a service called Kazaa where, for just $19.98 per month you can download as many songs as you like and play them on up to 3 PCs for the life of your subscription. One catch – you cannot load this music onto an IPOD or other personal listening device.

Kazaa didn’t always charge for this service. Just a few short years ago, Kazaa and others like it was a free file-sharing platform where users uploaded files to share with other users. This is when the alleged “crime” took place. Needless to say, the record companies didn’t like this, and I’m sure the musicians were torn between loving the fact that there music was in wide circulation and being really bummed that they weren’t getting their due royalties.

In all fairness, internet-based laws have been slow to catch up with the technology that drives the need for them and so the debates will continue to rage on.

The ruling in the case? The suit only addressed the sharing of 24 songs and awarded the record companies $80,000 per song – or $1.92 million. A little footnote – this was the second time Thomas-Rasset went to trial on this. Initially heard by a judge in 2007, she lost that time too and was ordered to pay only $222,000. A new trial was ordered when the original judge decided he’d made a mistake in giving the jury instructions.

If you’d like to visit the “hottest” url on the web (as of this writing) and get the full story, click here.

Off for a weekend full of family

Happy Father’s Day and welcome to all of our new Mutt Media fans!

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.18.09 wonders why all the press about gender bias?

So it seems this week there’s a lot to read about if you’re into gender “controversy”.

It must be a really slow news week when there has been so much in the press about same sex marriages and Chastity Bono’s impending sex change.

I, frankly don’t get it, but here it is. In New York this week, City Hall has revoked the marriage license it issued back in May for Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson (ages 18 and 21, respectively). These are two men who applied for the license in person while one was dressed like a woman, fooling the city worker who took their application. Queue the applause!

There are so many things at play here  -   a city worker who is clearly sleep-walking through their job, the struggle our government seems to be having coming up with a uniform law regarding same-gender marriage and whether this marriage was ever really legal. Does the government have the right to revoke a license that was issued because of one of their workers’ incompetence? And, though it remains to be seen – will this couple sue in the aftermath?

I think the larger issue here is the incompetency of the Agency that dropped the ball on this one, but that’s not as interesting a story.

The Daily News – yes, the Daily News has run a piece this week (click here) called “Celebs Come Out”. They include Adam Lambert (American Idol), Lady Gaga, Kelly McGillis , Wanda Sykes, Clay Aiken and the list goes on. Don’t know about you but quite frankly, none of these surprised me.

I know I normally limit my posts to tech-like items, but we are Mutt Media and this topic seems to have been running rampant all week here in New York – sexuality and chronic rain. Go figure.

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.17.09 Facebook says "Claim your Username!"

Happy Hump Day – It’s Wednesday

On June 13th, Facebook launched it’s newest toy – the opportunity for users to claim their own recognizable domain name. So now, instead of the generic url address of http://www.facebook.com/home.php, which leaves you virtually unidentifiable, you can – in the spirit of the Gold Rush 100+ years ago – claim your unique identity and easy to convey domain name (i.e., http://www.facebook.com/topeyelidsurgeon). Ok…that was a plug for one of my favorite clients

Anyway, registration began at midnight on 6/13 and according to Bloomberg News about 1 million people staked their claim within the first hour alone.

It’s really easy. Since prior to 6/13 when you logged onto your account you probably have seen a message alerting you to this new feature. It’s easy to get if you haven’t done this already. Just visit http://facebook.com/username and follow your nose.

If you have a Page on Facebook with less than 1000 fans, this feature will not be available to you just yet; you’ll have to wait until June 28th when this limitation will be lifted.

To get all of the answers to your questions, just click on this link. Mutt Media will take you there!

Oh, and it would be nice to become a fan while your out there looking around if you haven’t already. We’ve got a link to make this really easy. Just look to your right under the “Blogroll” header…and click away!