Allow me to get this one out of the way:

Content is King

Almost seems like a New Media cliche now but it’s only because it’s the fact. It has been forever and it always will be. We will watch what we like, not because it happens to be on.

The TV is just a screen

But it’s not the only screen. Most new phones play video. iPads. Computers. These are the most prevalent and the most obvious. I watched the first two seasons of LOST on the original Video iPod. It’s a tiny screen compared to the “giant iPod Touch” known as an iPad (yuk yuk), but I enjoyed the content and it was a great experience. It fit my needs because I was living in my car for 15 months at the time. (making a good living mind you, it’s a long story) While I’m writing this I’m watching/listening-to “STOMP Live” on Hulu Plus on my iPad. And this is a great experience. But I could just as easily be watching it on my computer screen. I don’t own a TV.

Watching is getting expensive

I enjoy TV as much as the next guy but I limit it because I have too much to do. Actual TV shows I keep to just a few at a time. But I’m getting off topic.

Watching is getting expensive because everyone wants a piece of the pie. Back when I had cable, I paid $40 a month (I think). Now I have an internet connection for $40 a month. There is certainly plenty to watch for free, but great content isn’t free. Which is just fine by the way. We all have to make a living. Problem is the specialization. I’m trying out Hulu Plus. $10 a month. I have Netflix for movies, $9 a month. I just watched the Tour de France for three weeks on streaming video from Versus. It was awesome. It played fantastically on my iPad. It cost me $30 for that one race.

All of the sudden I’m paying more for TV-ish content than I ever have in my life and something tells me this isn’t going to go away any time soon.

Where do you seen TV going and are you willing to pay for it to come over the Web?

Strike your fancy? Great! Please leave a comment below and/or please follow along by subscribing to the RSS feed. You can also follow along through email.

Thanks for stopping by!

--Jeremy Vaught

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I’ve not talked about it here, but my big project right now is Web Strategy for the John McCain 2010 Senate re-election campaign.

I love this gig. It mixes two of my biggest passions, Social Media, and politics. I’ve learned so much more about both it is ridiculous and I need to start talking about it here more.

I was reminded today, in a huge way, about being authentic. You see, marketing has campaigns, politicians have campaigns, and there are similarities, but there are also huge differences. For example, to my knowledge, when a company is holding an event, the competing company doesn’t show up with video cameras to film it. This happens in politics regularly. For example, not long ago, I took this photo of the campaign manager of our primary opponent at a Town Hall hosted by Senator McCain.

This brings us to today. Between dropping by two fire stations, Senator McCain hosted two Town Halls and there was another prominent staffer of our opponent there to film. I was making small talk with him afterwords and said, “So, what horrible things were said that will end up on your blog?” He replied to a statement the Senator (not a poor man by any measure) had just made in the last few minutes, “I hate rich people just like everyone else.” So offending staffer replied, “‘I hate rich people,’? what was that all about? haha I know it was just tongue-in-cheek.” Which it entirely was.

So not much time had to go by when I see this tweet by tongue-in-cheek-statement-mentioning-opponent-staffer, “#AZ Sen McLame @ Tempe Town hall 2day: “I hate rich people.” Wait, is he running in the DEM primary? #azright#azgop#tcot

Wait.. what?!

And this got me thinking more about authenticity. I don’t recall a time I was faced with such blatant disregard for what you truly think and what you say in public. In fact when I was talking to this individual that followed us around today, I kind of liked him. He was personable, friendly. But then to turn around and tell the Internet what he told them is inexcusable. I have altered my opinion of this individual 180 degrees and he is now in the untrusworthy human category.

I don’t have to go on and on and explain why you need to be true to yourself whether online or off. This story does it for me. In our commercials, there is a line that is always repeated, it says, “Character Matters” This individual’s actions tell me what kind of person he is, and by association, the person he represents.

Character matters. Integrity matters. Authenticity matters.

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My new discovery: Dan Pink

by Jeremy Vaught

A topic I think a lot about is what motivates people to action. For some crazy reason, I’ve thought of this separately from this blog, but no more. Motivating people is what we are all trying to do. Especially those of us in New Media. So imagine my joy yesterday when I happened across someone [...]

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A couple of speaking gigs coming up

by Jeremy Vaught

Happening on September 14th. Kevin Spidel (@kspidel)  and I are talking about how Social Media is being used to in political campaigns. (I don’t talk about it here much, but I’m a Web Strategist for John McCain’s 2010 Senate Campaign) Check out JoinAZIMA.org for more.
 

And coming even sooner, Scottsdale Camp on April 24th at SkySong. [...]

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Social Media 101: Owning your name

by Jeremy Vaught

This is an update to my post from earlier this month, “Do you own YOU?”
You have to own your name(?)
I argued in that post that everyone should own their own name.  Well I’ve given that some thought, and have decided that is not ultimately true.  And truth be told, I knew it when I was [...]

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Social Media and the Arizona State Government

by Jeremy Vaught

This post is was going to be a part of a series of posts about Social Media in the Arizona State Government inspired by the potential of incoming Governor Jan Brewer’s administration to use Social Media much more prominently than has been done up until now.  More info on brewertransition.org & twitter.
Scratch that!  That is [...]

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The Social Media Expert Question

by Jeremy Vaught

The Social Media Expert Question Posted using ShareThis
I was hoping ShareThis would post the video, but alas, it did not, so let’s just roll with it.  Click the link to see the video, or check it out on Facebook.
I’m not going to add much to this, but I did just recently mention CC in a [...]

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Do you own YOU?

by Jeremy Vaught

I’m reading the news this morning, and two things really collided in the metaspace between my ears.  Who owns YOU?
Part 1

Let me set this up… I’m not as old school Internet as some people my age, I got on in 1993 with a 14.4 modem on a 386 33Mhz computer.  I know, I’m a noob.  [...]

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jeremyvaught.com is turning the corner

by Jeremy Vaught

This blog is written by me, Jeremy Vaught.  I have spent years pondering exactly what this blog should accomplish, and I have finally figured it out.
What you have seen up until now
Chaos, basically.  Whatever I wanted to write about, I threw it down here.  I have written about trips I’ve taken, what I’m doing with [...]

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Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference 2008

by Jeremy Vaught

I love conferences <3
I love attending them because of three things. The people I meet, the people I already know that I catch up with, and the panels/speakers I get to attend and learn from. All three of these help me to think of things in a new way and motivate me. [...]

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