I of course, tweeted “earthquake?” the moment I felt it- before I realized that I could be in danger. Luckily I wasn’t, but I was scared. Not much freaks me out anymore. I like to think I’m an independent girl but days like today really make me miss my family, my parents and my friends.

This vlog post is inspired by that scared/sad/worried feeling and what happened right after as I checked back online to see what others had seen and felt. There were so many tweets and replies from friends who experienced the quake and others who wanted to make sure I was ok. @joyofzen was the first “wow, you felt it too? Are you in SD right now?” It’s funny how simply being reminded that I wasn’t really alone instantly lifted my spirits. My friend @solipsistic is a pretty tough guy, “That was a pretty kick ass earthquake. Not disaster movie strength but enough for me to way WTF!!!” Yes, WTF was pretty much my feeling too and his tweet proved to me that I wasn’t just being a baby.

Nothing makes the world feel small like instantly seeing well wishes come in from around the globe, @Lian_O checking in from the Netherlands, @Mikaelj from Sweeden, @starmike from the East Coast and @Dramagirl from Australia… friends who are sprinkled around the globe in touch even before a call from my Mom!

I know I’m a bit mopey in the vlog post above, but there were tweets from new San Diego friends that reminded me to smile. @ShadowCatSD tweeted me, “Welcome to San Diego! You have now been baptized. ” and then there was some banter with @blogworld, @coachdeb and @sugarjones, starting with this tweet from @blogworld,  “@sukhjit that was your welcome to San Diego: earthquake for you and @coachdeb 8)” and ending with this tweet from the sassy @sugarjones “@CoachDeb @sukhjit @blogworld Okay… who wants a beer? ”

As I mention in the vlog post above, I don’t post like I use to, for whatever reason, but tonight I couldn’t help but make note of this day and of the great people who helped me get through it.

Something you may not know about her is that before she retired, Frieda owned a school where she taught computers and technology. I’ve often admired her Entrepreneurial spirit and find it no surprise that she is starting this new business. She is doing something she loves and is known for, so I like to think Frieda’s Hat is bound for success.

If you’re in the market for a fabulous ladies hat, visit her site. I love my beautiful wide brimmed camel colored hat. The quality is great and it’s really fun to wear! The hat bands are handmade by Freida and as you can hear my Dad say in the video, “This one hat with different ribbons it’s like wearing different hats all the time.” The hats are a great value at just around $40 and the bands are just under $6 each.

And last but not least, if you don’t know them yet, the special studio audience in this episode of Unboxing are my Mom & Dad! I decided to open up the box while we had afternoon tea at their farm.

Step one… I have researched the numbers.

SO what happend? See the finale to the Mini Cooper Tire Saga here!

Watch this video and get tips on throwing a tweetup, best practices and useful tools. Thanks to Ryan and his jailbroken iphone we also have a great behind the scenes and bloopers video!

And here is a bonus video! Meet the tweeters and see the entire interview uncut with Tom!

Front page featured image courtesy: Burt Lum

Hope you enjoy the walk in Nuuanu.

Click here for the Chana Dal recipe I mention in the video.

What’s a patron saint? Well, from what I gather, it’s a guide and defender…. typically followed by Catholics, I think. But regardless of religion or belief I think it can’t hurt to have a little video blogging luck via a Patron Saints, can it?

So here is how it happened… during a stellar day of adventuring in New Orleans with my friend Rachael Joy, we discovered Regis Scott an artist set up just outside St Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. Regis is a very talented painter and her specialty is patron saints.  So, is it any surprise that I asked her for a patron saint of video blogging? There is certainly a great need for a guide…  an overseer in this new direction of video communication. It’s my wish for those of us traveling this path of social media, video and web communication to have some luck and guidance as we find our voice… our audience… and of course, find the money. I hope Saint Gabriel – Patron Saint of Video Blogging gives us what we need to find happiness and success.

If you’re interested in Regis and her art I hope you’ll have a look at her site. Now that I am back in San Francisco and have shared this vlog, I am putting in an order for my patron saint, St Gabriel.

*UPDATE* Saint Gabriel arrived! See the patron saint of video blogging here!

So many friends, recommended Cafe Dumonde for coffee and a plate full of French pastries called beignets… so that’s how we started today. I must admit… it was a little late in the morning for me to get my first cup of coffee, so I was cranky and scattered, but once our order arrived, the universe was right again. Also want to shout out to Bob from Alaska for letting us share a table with him.

This video “A Day In Amritsar” does not make much sense alone, like my last video “My Punjabi Mela” you’re getting a glimpse of my trip. To fill in the gaps somewhat, I’m writing this post to convey the importance of going to Amritsar and the Golden Temple. To tell you the truth, I’m overwhelmed with how to tell the story of a place that has such great significance. Part of it is growing up a “California Punjabi Girl” and having a distant knowledge of this aspect of my culture.

The Golden Temple, what we call Harmandir Sahib in Punjabi, is the holiest site for all Sikhs. People travel from around the globe to visit and pray at the Golden Temple. It has been the place of worship and peace, as well as the ground of death and massacre when Sikhs have been forced to defend it. The water surrounding the Golden Temple is sacred. Sikh’s, young and old, healthy and hurt, make the pilgrimage to Amritsar. Some come to be baptized in the lake and I’ve often heard of the water’s healing powers.

Harmandir Sahib is filled with Song. Passages from the Guru Granth Sahib, which is  revered by devout Sikhs as a teacher and enlightener and more than a holy book, are sung 24 hours, 7 days a week. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, believed deeply in harmony and song and used it to share his teachings with the world. I did not get a chance to show the inside of the temple where the song and prayers are being preformed because video cameras are not allowed inside. The song I used in this video is actually from a Sikh Temple in California:

Sikhs cover their heads as a sign of respect. Part of the Sikh Religion is to keep your hair, no haircuts. Sikh men wear turbans, like my Dad, because they don’t cut their hair. A Sikh’s turban is generally a very tidy one. That’s another aspect of Sikhism, to have pride in your appearance. So, although there’s no visits to the hairdresser, there is great care in being clean and tidy. I actually got in trouble from an older cousin that day, for not having my hair tied back! I felt terrible after I realized I hadn’t even thought about it and I didn’t bring a hair tie with me! It’s serious business!

Next door to the Golden Temple is Jallianwala Bagh. It’s one of the few quiet places in the middle of the very busy city of Amritsar. In 1919 a peaceful gathering of Punjabis ended after a British commander had the park surrounded by troops and without warning began shooting into the packed in crowd of unarmed people. Needless to say, this was a pivotal point in India’s struggle for Independence from the British and the park remains a memorial to that day and the thousands of people who died or were injured.

If any of you are worried, that my friend Liz’s birthday was a bummer because we went to such serious places… I want you to know Liz chose to spend that day going to Amritsar! It’s an amazing experience not just for Sikhs but for anyone who is looking to be immersed in a proud and independent culture, to feel great joy and sorrow for the history and sacrifice made by generations of people for their faith and tradition… and of course, we ended the day with cake.

Here, I want to invite any of you who have something to say about Amritsar & Sikhism to share your thoughts. I’ve asked my friend Kulpreet Singh, AKA @KulpreetSingh, to add to this blog post when he has time. He already helped me to get some of my facts straight in this post! As, I’ve gotten a chance to get to know him via his tweets and blog posts, I’ve come to respect his knowledge and view of Sikhism. As I said earlier, it’s an overwhelming task to try and convey the importance of Amritsar, but with various voices and experiences we can share and learn together. Also, wanted to note that the featured image and thumbnail photo is by @lizpayne. Thanks everyone!

I’ve been thinking about my trip more than usual because it was one year ago exactly that I was there and because of President Obama’s Inauguration and the hope and pride we’ve regained as Americans. As much as I love India and identify with my Punjabi heritage, last year I swelled with gratitude for the decision my parents made to build a life in America. My life & freedom would not be possible if they hadn’t made the journey out of their village to the New World.

I’m calling the video My Punjabi Mela. There is no real story line, it’s just a sampling of some of the things I experienced over the course of a few days in Punjab. The song is called Mela, by Sukshinder Shinda (mela means party in Punjabi). I traveled the first half of the month in India with cousins, my cousin-in-law Patty’s sisters who were visiting from Florida & Columbia and also, the petite blond girl is my dear friend Liz, who traveled with me the entire month.

The opening shots are of the streets of Punjab and then a sampling of one of our many trips to the bazaar. This shopping is in a very hectic city called Jalandhar. I included some pictures from my Aunt and Uncles home & village…my Aunt & Uncle are no longer alive, but my cousins have done an incredible job keeping the village home in great condition and the memory of my dear Aunt & Uncle alive. One of the ways they do that is by giving back to the community. My cousins all live full time in the US, but they spend time and money building schools and colleges in the area. The Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute is one of those colleges. It’s special to me because it is a college that makes an effort to educate girls as well as boys. To my surprise educating girls is still an issue in parts of India. Again, my gratitude for those who made it possible for me to be born and raised in California.

Thanks for coming to my blog and watching My Punjabi Mela. I’m glad to take friends along on my travels in Punjab and if you have any questions about this video I hope you’ll ask.

I’ve been hit in a game of virtual tag by my friends Andrew Fielding and Ryan Graves and now one more time by my friend Phil Baumann. I never  knew that such a thing existed, but apparently it’s an online phenomenon and this is how it works. When you get tagged, you’re supposed to share 7 things about yourself that people don’t know. I’m a pretty open book so it’s very likely that if you know me at all, you probably already know these things. I have to say thought, I’ve really enjoyed learning the 7 things each friend has shared. So here goes my 7:

1. As you can probably tell, family is really important to me. I’m the youngest of 4 kids and the only one born in the United States. My Dad immigrated to California in the late 60′s and after getting settled he sent for my Mom, brother and sisters. I was born years later. We’re all adults now, but I’m still treated like a little sister. I usually don’t mind, but sometimes I do.
2. I’m a big fan of 60′s and 70′s Hindi films. My favorites are Kabhi Kabhi & Silsila (even thought it’s early 80′s) and in my opinion, Rekha is by far the most glamorous actress ever. My parents get some Indian television stations, so when I’m home visiting them I get a major fill of Desi video content. I think both my parents are addicted to Indian soap operas.
3. I love chocolate and ice cream and eat one or both every day ( but only a little bit =). Sticky chew chocolate from Swensen’s is the ultimate ice cream flavor and salted caramel from Bi-Rite is second.
4. Basketball used to be my favorite sport. I even played in high school. Now I prefer yoga, running and when I can, hitting the slopes with my snowboard.
5. Green is my favorite color. My birthstone is emerald and my Mini Cooper is British Racing Green.
6. For quite a few years I worked as a local Bay Area traffic reporter.  I was myself on the TV morning news shows but when I did radio reports I had other names! I was Liz Green and Liz Brown. My reports sounded something like: “Heavy traffic at the the MacArthur Maze, especially west bound on the Eastshore Freeway. Bay Bridge is light and the metering lights are off and Bart is reporting all trains on time this morning. For the Bay Area’s best traffic coverage, I’m Liz Green, KGO radio news!”
7. I’m really good at parallel parking. One time I parked my Brother In Law’s rental SUV at night,  in a storm on a steep hill without a problem. It’s not unusual for me to pass up a big parking spot for a smaller more challenging one. It’s crazy, I know, but I like the challenge.

Part two of this game, is that I get to tag 7 other people and ask them to share 7 things…. I’m not usually one to respond to chain emails or forward things that are meant to be spread. I just don’t do that… but in this case, I think it’s actually a great way to get to know people. So now that I’ve shared my 7 secrets, now I ask these 7 friends to do the same:

Kiki Valdes

Phil Moneypenny

Wanker Girl

KeeptheFunkAlive KDFA!

Ohdoctah

Mayjah

IamKat

Here are the rules of the game as copied from Andrew’s blog:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post – some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

If you haven’t tried 12seconds.tv yet, you should. It’s a site that lets you post 12 seconds of video using your webcam. I think of it as the video equivalent of twitter. Once you start posting, those videos live on your channel. Friends can tune in and comment on your video with either text or a 12second video back.

It took me a little while to finally post a video to 12seconds.tv, but once I did, I found it to be a great tool to express and have fun. What can you do in 12 seconds? That’s what I thought at first but 12 seconds is longer than you think. I like doing a series of videos that all add up to a story, I’ve got a few of those on my channel. For the most part people are there to have fun which is one of the reasons I keep coming back, the community. Beach, Sol, Jivebotic, and David give a lot of attention to the site and the community, and I think it’s paying off. Even before I met any of them in person they made the effort to get to know me better, by watching my video’s, commenting and actually listening and paying attention. Sounds like a small thing, but it’s not. When you’ve got a growing community like they do it’s hard to keep up. But they’re doing it.

I’ve mentioned to a couple friends that are interested in video blogging that 12seconds.tv is a great entry. You can make a few video’s, have some fun and get warmed up to the idea of talking to your webcam! In addition, if your cel phone records video, you can 12seconds with it too.

If you’re reading this blog I want to know if you use 12second.tv? What do you think of it? If you haven’t tried it what’s holding you back?!

One last thing, thanks to the guys of 12seconds.tv for inviting me to the party. I hope you like the video!

Gnomadic Hearts is a film produced by my friend Andy Orin and the music in this film is composed by Conner Vanderbeek, who just happens to be my very talented 16 year old nephew. A few weeks ago I posted a song of Conner’s called View From A Crater. Andy saw the song and… there you have it… a collaboration between two people connected because of social media. I love this film. It is a cute story about a girl and her gnome. If I remember right, Andy shot it on 8mm which is why the texture is so beautiful and old fashioned.

If you have questions or comments for the artists, feel free to leave them here. I hope you enjoy!

If you’re a blogger, vlogger, lifecaster or anyone who thinks that producing content for the internet is going to make them a millionaire, then NewTeeVee was not the right conference for you. Why? NewTeeVee weighted more toward premium content than it did toward user generated content. By premium I mean shows that come from Television or have enough of a financial backing to have a high production value. As a production professional I was very excited to see television industry people accepting and starting to understand that just repackaging shows from television and putting them on the web is not enough, in fact it’s a missed opportunity. The tools to interact with your audience and give them a chance to participate and interact are everywhere. Creating community within the folks that like your show can’t be done on television, but it can be done using social media tools. To me that is a key factor and why I believe people will continue to move their viewing habits from 1-way TV to 2-way web.

There were a number of “breakout stars” that were interviewed about their success. The one common ingredient I heard from these various Internet celebrities was passion. Being a successful online content producer has no secret formula. They did what they did cause they couldn’t help themselves. Their content was about the things that matter to them that they love and want to share with the world. I think you can call it an obsession. In fact listening to the success stories: Jay Smooth, Lucas Cruikshank & Michael Buckley none of them started doing what they did because they were driven by money. They have a need to share their content and the Internet provided them with a vehicle to distribute their shows, and connect with an audience. There was one other star named Felicia Day. I stepped out during most of her chat, but she has also achieved great success with an online fictional show called the Guild. What I did hear from her was that her webisodes were just that, a series made for the web and not as an afterthought of a show intended for the big screen (in this case television).

There is a great need for online video content and from what I heard the trend is a shrinking television audience and a growing online audience. That being said, there are very few jobs like the one I had at Seesmic where I got paid to produce an online show. The exception is if your show gets millions of hits. In that case the platform, or the place you post your show, will pay you to keep you around. Every third word at the conference was “monetize.” Although that was the case, there wasn’t really a innovation in how that would happen. It all comes back to numbers and selling sponsorship and ads.

So there are my thoughts on NewTeeVee. If you watched the video above you might be thinking, but what about meeting Jesse Alexander, the writer and producer of Heroes. That was cool. As you can see I was nervous and flustered, so I’m trying to forget about it… but since I promised Phil Campbell that I would try and get an answer to a burning question he had about the direction of our favorite show Heroes I am humbly posting it, unflattering, noisy video and all.

This is just a tiny bit of the NewTeeVee experience. I have tons more to say but I’d rather hear from you and start a discussion. Leave me a video message, text or get in touch with me through my contact page. This is an exciting time to be a content producer and I am always happy to keep the conversation going.

And one more thing. Rachael Joy, if you are reading this post will you please tell us, what is transmedia?