Springfest 2010 is next week Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Ohia auditorium on the Kapiolani Community College campus. Founded in 1979 the Hawaii Macintosh & Apple Users’ Society, Inc. is the first and largest Apple and Macintosh user group in Hawaii.
The organization provides support and information for people who use Apple, Macintosh and related technologies. Membership is open to all who wish to benefit from meeting and sharing information with others with similar interests.
And, in case you’re wondering, I’m still a PC! The members of HMAUS are very community oriented, they welcome me despite my gadget shortcomings.
A community-based appeal for Google to make Hawaii one of the test locales for its recently announced ultra-fast broadband service is being organized through an online petition. Called Gigabit Hawaii, the initiative seeks to get tens of thousands of residents to add their support on the Gigabit Hawaii Facebook Page by a March 15 deadline when the petition of community based encouragement will be transmitted to Google — which will be making initial selections after March 25th.
Why Hawaii is an Ideal Choice for Google’s Gigabit Network
Hawaii, home to nearly 1.3 million people, is the most isolated island chain on earth. We are 2,390 miles from California, 3,850 miles from Japan, 4,900 miles from China and 5,280 miles from the Philippines. Our state’s unique geographic isolation presents special challenges in keeping our families, communities and businesses connected across our islands and to the outside world. The speed and quality of our connection to the net directly impacts our ability to communicate, educate, learn and conduct business. Here are five reasons why Hawaii is an ideal choice for Google’s gigabit initiative:
Hawaii’s speeds are among the worst in the nation. According to 2009 CWA report on Internet speeds, Hawaii ranks 47th of all states in terms of average download speed.
Hawaii is the most isolated and import-dependent state in the union. As such it’s imperative that its economic drivers shift from tourism and the military to the sale and export of locally-produced goods and intellectual capital. High-speed networking can help achieve this vision of sustainability per our state mandate (i.e. Lingle’s Innovation Initiative.)
Hawaii’s geography has always been a driver for cutting-edge high-speed networking. It’s why the influential ALOHAnet, the predecessor to Ethernet, was invented here. There are thousands of families and communities scattered across the Hawaiian islands. Fiber would provide incredible opportunities for them to stay connected and participate in shared cultural events and educational opportunities. Workers providing net-based customer support from home can provide services spanning Japan to New York within regular local work hours.
Hawaii represents a huge telemedicine testbed opportunity. Hawaii is the first state to offer online physician visits statewide, open to 700,000 HMSA members (54% of the population). As noted in the article, if a high-speed testbed using this software across communities is successful, this would make a great starting point for taking the lessons learned and applying them to the rest of the nation. The software, community, and business infrastructure is already there!
Google has offices in 17 states, but has no Hawaii presence. Why not? As mentioned above, Hawaii could be a great testbed for Google Health. Our state is the perfect place for software engineers to escape the colder weather of mainland winters, and it’s certainly one of the most inspiring places on earth.
Today, Neil Abercrombie filed his paperwork and took an oath at the State of Hawaii Office of Elections as a candidate for Governor of Hawaii in 2010. Part of his campaigning efforts include the use of social media tools and networking sites. He and his team have been using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and more since 2007. Now, he wants to empower his volunteers by providing them with cutting edge campaign training.
Beginning Thursday, March 4, 2010, as the Social Media Director for the campaign, I will be conducting social media training at the Abercrombie for Governor headquarters at Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd., in the former Stuart Anderson’s restaurant. Training is from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Each week, training classes will be every Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Pono Media has partnered once again with CommPac and their client, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii for the launch of the new Mocha and Caramel Frappés and Mac Snack Wraps.
TWEETUP
McDonald’s of Keeaumoku
910 Keeaumoku St. Honolulu, HI 96814
Thursday, January 14, 2010
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Like the #hiangus tweetup, we’ll all get together to sample the new Frappé blended ice drinks and Mac Snack Wraps till our stomachs are full. In addition to food and drinks, we’ll have a games and prizes so make sure you bring your laptops and smartphones! Games begin TODAY, so read below for details and see you on Thursday!
Check into McDonald’s of Keeaumoku on Foursquare and tag with #HIMCD using the ’shout’ option. (Tag #HIMCD is required).
Email photos of your meal and receipt to post@himcd.posterous.com (Photo of receipt and meal is required).
On January 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time we will confirm via Foursquare the Mayor of McDonald’s Keeaumoku and corresponding photos and receipts on the #HIMCD community blog. PRIZE: A $25 McDonald’s Gift Card will be awarded to the Mayor of McDonald’s of Keeaumoku.
I’M LOVIN’ IT! in Hawaii
Email photos of you, your family and friends enjoying a Frappé or Mac Snack Wrap at ANY McDonald’s in Hawaii (any and all islands welcome to participate) to post@himcd.posterous.com
On January 14, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard time we will count the number of posts per user. PRIZES: Up to (4) prizes will be awarded on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island to the person(s) with the most posts.
TWEET, TWEET, TWEET
Post your Frappé or Mac Snack Wrap photos, texts, and tweets to Twitter and tag them with #HIMCD.
On January 14, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard time we will count the number of tweets from 1/05/2010 at 6:00 p.m. to 1/14/2010 at 8:00 p.m. PRIZE: A $25 McDonald’s Gift Card will be awarded to the person with the most tweets tagged with #HIMCD.
There will be more games and prizes at the Tweetup, so make sure you arrive early and look for us in the outdoor seating area.
Disclosure: Pono Media, CommPac, and/or McDonald’s Hawaii reserves the rights to change the rules of the games without notice. In case of a tie or dispute, Pono Media, CommPac, and/or McDonald’s Hawaii shall make the final decision. Pono Media is a paid client of CommPac.
Lists, especially “Top Lists” are always open to discussion and debate because everyone has different opinions. It’s these differences in opinions that can make the world go round, crank the wheels of innovation, and churn up passionate emotions.
Tonight, digital ronin Burt Lum, co-host of Hawaii Public Radio’s technology show, Bytemarks Cafe presented the Top 20 Social Media Geeks in Hawaii at Pecha Kucha 5.0. If you’re not familiar with Pecha Kucha, in a coconut shell it’s an informal presentation format in which the presenter has 20 slides and 20 seconds to present each slide. (Note: This is an informal presentation format, for an equally effective, but a bit more formal presentation format follow Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule).
Here is the Top 20 Social Media Geeks in Hawaii as compiled by Burt, and in case you’re wondering, he says, “it’s very subjective.”
Earlier in the week, Burt had contacted me for a picture so I knew I made his list, but I did not expect to be placed in the top position. I am thankful for Burt’s kind thoughts. I agree with everyone he has on his list and there are easily more people that could be added and room to rearrange positions, however I admire Burt’s courage for compiling the Top 20 Social Media Geeks in Hawaii.
Update: As Burt mentioned in his comment below, his list is not a ranking, but a flow.
It’s been two weeks since the official So Much More Hawaii tour ended, and everyone — bloggers, public relations representatives, marketers, writers, taxpayers, opinion formers — are all asking, what’s next?
The entire process was a complete learning experience for me. I am truly grateful for the lessons learned, even the tough ones. As I previously mentioned, my goal was to bridge the local social media and blogging community with the So Much More Hawaii team. The pairing process, while seemingly simple, was actually enduring. It was more than just coordinating schedules and niches; but also handling rejection gracefully and being able to adjust to personality differences.
One of the key elements that I had before making this commitment was knowing many of the individuals that make up my community. For many, a person’s passions are clear in their online content, however the traits that make them unique individuals can only be discovered through real life or more intimate conversations. Over the years, I’ve invested a lot of time offline at different events or online through frequent instant messaging, VoIP and even telephone calls fostering relationships. These sincere investments, I believe, provided the edge needed in building a solid bridge.
Another goal that was also met, and this perhaps was much more favorable for social media marketers, content creators, and long-time users and enthusiast of social networking; was that the Hawaii Tourism Authority gave consideration to social media tools through this tour. This ground-breaking decision led by Vice President of Tourism Marketing, David Uchiyama garnered the attention of local traditional media outlets: Pacific Business News, Honolulu Star Bulletin, and KHON2 news; and of course the blogging community.
The ultimate and foremost goal was to inspire action, specifically having people book and pay for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and activities to experience a vacation in Hawaii. Time will tell if the ultimate goal was met, and the analytics of the tour is still being compiled. But, the question still remains — what’s next?
Here is what I have been doing and will continue to do next:
The So Much More Hawaii website officially launched early this morning signifying the much anticipated, first ever social media tour sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. There has already been a lot of buzz in the local blogosphere and on Twitter. Some are skeptical, many are anxious, but one thing I know for sure — the Hawaii Tourism Authority is poised to becoming a leader in the social media world.
Organized by Cilantro Media, its founding partner Christine Lu has a proven, successful track record in the social media sphere. She was named “20 Most Influential Individuals in Los Angeles” by NowPublic based on her influence and “publicness” in online visibility, presence on user generated content and social networking sites, interactivity and accessibility, and presence on microblogging platforms. She shared the impressive list with the CEO of Mahalo, Jason Calacanis; notorious gossiper Perez Hilton, and the Queen of Spain Erin Kotecki Vest to name a few.
In November 2008 she co-organized the China 2.0 tour, similar to the So Much More Hawaii, but on a much larger scale. And, even larger than the China 2.0 tour, Christine’s company, Cilantro Media is a partner in the upcoming Geeks on A Plane.
Over the next week, I will be blogging about my role in the So Much More Hawaii Tour; the role of Alltop and Pono Media; and of course highlighting so much more about Hawaii.
tough ones. As I previously mentioned, my goal was to 
