Masquertweet Update

Yes - Plans for #Masquertweet are proceeding. Everything is shaping up quite nicely and we expect to have a venue announcement in the next few days.

But, even more exciting, I'm pleased (ok, thrilled really) to announce that all proceeds from Masquertweet will go to 12for12K (or more specifcally their selected July charity).

So, how do I look in blue?

What's 12for12K you ask - well if you've been under a twitter rock (twock?) for the last few months...go here for the best possible explanation.

Over the last few weeks I've had the sheer joy of tweeting, talking and even meeting with some of the lovely 12for12K people - @rachelakay, @ginalaguardia, @arikhanson and of course the 12for12K ringleader @dannybrown (there's too many to name here, but it's a start). This should go without saying, but just in case - follow them ....I'll wait.

Anyway, while working on plans for #Masquertweet @prdude, @aerocles and I realized that in addition to having piles of fun at the event there was room to do some good. Knowing the fine 12for12K people we reached out and things progressed from there.

So know, in addition to having a blast, you can do some good for the world at this July's first-ever Masquertweet.

For full details on the event - http://Masquertweet.com, RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/rsvp09. Some details are still up in the air, but we're always looking for additional sponsors, tie-ins, giveaways or other fundraising ideas. If you or your clients may be interested in playing in the sandbox with us, please do not hesitate to be in touch - prcog1 [at] gmail.com

More details to be posted here as they become available, so keep an eye out and RSVP (even as a maybe) and we'll be in touch.

~PRCog

A very emotional post (Part 1)

So this is a very difficult post for me.

It's an issue I've considered long and hard over the last couple of weeks. Some of the deliberations you all shared last Saturday as I wandered around lower Manhattan awaiting a sign from Sunnyvale, CA.

Sunnyvale?

Yes - I've finally decided on the newest iPhone over the Pre.

First let's go back one step. I Love Palm.

More precisely, I loved Handspring a company created by the original Palm founders that made cheaper PalmOS handhelds. They were innovative in the boring PDA market from Day 1. Multi-colored handhelds, the Springboard slot, the Edge (one of the sexiest PDA's I've ever seen), and finally the Treo line.

Yes - the Treo - up until last week the only real surviving remnant of a product Palm had was actually developed by an acquired company. (Yes, I'm ignoring the Tungsten line intentionally - the PDA w/o phone market is quickly evaporating as prices come down).

As far as I'm concerned Palm was Handspring post acquisition.

And when I say I love Palm I mean, I love Palm. As in we've always been a Palm household - multiple Handsprings, multiple Treos. I even have some Palm stock in my portfolio.

(next part is all about my Apple love....this post got to be entirely too long first time around so breaking it up here....)

Best.Twitpic.Ever

Because she told me to, it's a great pic...and will likely make at least one of them blush....

The case for anonymity

As anyone bothering to read this post knows I had the sheer and absolute pleasure of hanging with @rachelakay earlier this week.

For those of you who are curious - she's an a complete delight!  I could go into all the ways she's great but I don't think I have enough room.  In brief - personally she's great - interesting, fun & funny and truly a joy to hang with.  Professionally - she certainly knows her stuff, doesn't pull punches and has real opinions.  If you're not following her yet - go now...I'll wait...

No really...go...

Once the hours of Guinness and wine faded I pretty much had to again consider my position.  Not that I really could easily change it, but if we 'don't learn from history' and all that good stuff.  Also, I was left with a different post-meet mood than from #1.  I admit, could've been the Guinness.

While I'm still constantly mystified at how I ended up here (I do know how it happened chronologically, just looking at the end point it makes little sense (I will cover this in a later post)) it really struck me that without this persona I would have missed out on the opportunity to meet with those of you I have, those of you I intend to, work with the half-dozen or so who have stepped up to help out with Masquertweet, or party with a hundred or so of my favorite people I've never met.

And so, while in the grand scheme it makes things more difficult overall since everything's a bit cloak & dagger in anything I do it is well worth it to have this opportunity.

Tangent alert: And in case anyone missed it - I'm now on FB.  Since I have virtually none of your email addies I'll need you to start - http://www.facebook.com/people/Peter-Cognoscenti/1818394291.

And in case anyone's curious...yes I do have an 'exit strategy' that should keep PRCog alive & active, but allow a bit of collar loosening in the coming months....That'll have to wait for another post tho...

Dear Twitter....your new @ settings suck

Ok, I don't usually post this quickly on anything but this one sucks particularly badly.

No, I didn't find this out on my own. I first saw it on @whitneyhess's blog.

So here's the beef - there's been a change to what shows up in your timeline - long story short (if I'm reading this right) - when someone you follow replies to someone you don't follow you won't see the update of the person you do follow.

Oddly enough I was working on a blog post on the train this evening reflecting that I get and find more good twitter people NOT through #followfriday but just by seeing who else my people are talking to and what they're talking about. Side note - the iphone/itouch keyboard is really quite wretched on a bouncy train.

Well this change basically takes twitter from a great cocktail party (my favorite analogy) where you can easily join any conversation and make new friends to a cliquey high school cafeteria where if you don't know the right people (or combination of people) you simply won't find a place to sit and wonder wtf you're doing there.

There's simply so many ways this sucks that it's difficult to even list them all. Here's to hoping this changes before I wake up tomorrow morning.

Update: WTF's a #Masquertweet

Hey All -

So, as an update to the original post some new info on #Masquertweet!

A final date has been set - July 16th!

We've also had some problems with the last RSVP page so we've put up a new page at Socializr - http://tinyurl.com/rsvp09 (Yes, the post-slash is intentional).

A clarification on costumes - There is NO requirement to be in full costume.  We do realize a large number of you will be coming from work (or job hunting). A few of us will certainly be in full costume, so if you're so inclined, don't feel awkward about showing up in over the top gear.

However, to stay true to theme, we will expect at least a de minimis mask appearance.

Flack Limerick I

Concept initiated by @karyncooks

Flack Limerick I

There once was a flack from Nantucket

Whose pitch was so slick you couldn't duck it

     He pushed send

     The hits never did end

Yet somehow the client still managed to f_(k it.