Electronic Entertainment Expo

By Porthos Du Vallon  |   Submitted On June 25, 2011

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, which is commonly known as E3, is the world's premier trade show that showcases products and services pertaining to the computer and video game industry. It is an annual trade show owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a United States based association dedicated to serving the business and publicity needs of video companies that publish interactive computer and video games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet.

Throughout the years since its establishment, the E3 Expo has been a venue for many game developers to show-off their upcoming game and game-related hardware. Through the E3 Expo, thousands of professional and avid gamers are able to experience the future of interactive entertainment. The most influential people leading the most innovative companies in the business attend E3 Expo to see groundbreaking new technologies and never-before-seen products for computers, video game consoles, handheld systems and the Internet.

The E3 Expo has been considered to be the Ultimate Expo for the video game industry with a record attendance of nearly 70,000 people in 2005 and 60,000 people in 2006. Because of this most video game companies spend more time and resources on their presentation for E3 than any other convention.

The E3 Expo has been widely covered by many websites and blogs with live webcasts, game previews, game media and blog entries detailing the event.

G4 has been airing the live coverage of each E3 from 2005 onwards.

History of E3

E3 begun with its creation in 1995 and has continued through the latest expo in 2011. From 1995 to 2006, the conference was known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo. For a brief time in 2007-2008, the conference was known as the E3 Media and Business Summit but was reverted back to Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2009.

Before the introduction of E3, most game developers showcase their products and hardware to other trade shows like the Consumer Electronics Show and the European Computer Trade Show. The idea of the first E3 was conceived by IDG's Infotainment World and Interactive Digital Software Association (now known as Entertainment Software Association).

The first E3 in 1995 coincided with the start of new generation of consoles. The first E3 featured the start of Sony's entrance to the video game industry with their new Sony PlayStation console. Sega Saturn, capitalizing on its head start on the gaming industry with Nintendo, used the event to unveil its Virtual Boy system. SNK Playmore Corporation has also participated with the release of their Neo-Geo CD. The E3 Expo has also showcased several video games for both PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Some of the games that were shown and garnered attention were Battle Arena Toshinden, Ridge Racer, Panzer Dragoon, Virtua Fighter, and D. Despite being on its first year of demonstration, the E3 expo proved to be the premier event for gaming in the United States.

Throughout the succeeding years, the event continued to grow and became a common place for unveiling of new products. E3 was able to featured the release of new game consoles like the Sega's Nintendo 64 (1996), Dreamcast (1999), PlayStation 2 (2000), Nintendo GameCube (2001) and Xbox (2000), PlayStation Portable (2004) and Nintendo DS (2004), Xbox360 (2005), and PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii (2006).

In the year 2005, the E3 convention was first aired on television. From then on, all future E3 conventions were slated to air on G4 networks. It was also during this year that the 11th annual E3 summit was able to attract around 70,000 attendees. But despite recent successes in the years 2005 and 2006, E3 has announced that the following conferences would be downsized and restructured due to the overwhelming demand from the exhibitors.

On October 13, 2006, E3 has released a detailed new format of the show. E3 was originally envisioned as an expo open only to game industry professionals. Throughout the years, E3 expo has been populated by a great number of bloggers and attendees who were not perceive to be industry professionals. Through the revised format, these persons were excluded from the event and transformed the E3 conference as an invitation only event.

From 2007-2008, participants of E3 expo has been greatly reduced to 10,000 by 2007 and 5,000 by 2008. A separate conference called the Entertainment for All Expo has been held during these years to accommodate the public demand for a major, annual video game event; but this didn't duplicate E3's previous success and was later abandoned. During these years, the E3 expo has been criticized by both from within and outside the gaming industry; speculating that these changes have excluded, and even damaged, independent developers in favor of larger game companies.

By 2009, Electronic Entertainment Expos has decided to revert back to its original format before the 2007 restructuring. During this year the show was greatly expanded in terms of its size compared to its previous years. The conference has been reopened to all qualified computer and gaming audience, which was greatly appreciated and well received by game makers after a disappointing performance by E3 2007 and 2008. E3 2009 and 2010 has both shown high attendance figure.

E3 Expo 2011 For 2011, E3 will be having its annual trade show this coming June 7-9, 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year, leading computer and video game companies, business partners, media and industry analysts from over 80 countries will converge on the Los Angeles Convention Center. Here's the schedule for E3's 2011 Annual Trade Expo.

The latest 2011 E3 Expo ran from June 7, 2011 TUESDAY 12:00PM - 6:00PM June 8, 2011 WEDNESDAY 10:00AM - 6:00PM June 9, 2011 THURSDAY 10:00AM - 6:00PM

The E3 Expo's are not only open to software developers, programmers, manufacturers and retailers. It also welcomes researchers, educators, financial and industry analysts and worldwide electronic and print media. For more information you can visit E3's official website.

A long time gamer and writer for http://www.gamingclimax.com/.

I love MMORPG's, and everything gaming industry related.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Porthos_Du_Vallon/1109450

Interview With NAMA 2007 Winner

By Caven Masuku  |   Submitted On January 03, 2009

Who is Mthombeni?

My full name is Catherine Mthombeni and was born in Harare on the 29th of August 1984 in a family of three girls and a boy. I'm the first-born and have to set a pace for those who come after me.

Can you give me your detailed academic background?

Well ah! Yeah! I started my primary education in Harare at Thomlson Primary School from Grade One to Seven. I then proceeded to Form One up to Form Six at Daramombe "Christ" the King that was 1996-2000. Currently I am at Midlands State University completing my Degree in Media and Society Studies.

What is art and how do you relate it to media?

Art is a form of communication that can be literary, visual, dramatic and musical. It can be performed in an open space where the community members can celebrate with the artist. Art is a vehicle that perpetuates the culture of the society that is the totality of the people in a given space. It is a social cement that keeps the society in solidarity and bound together. It enhances language and transmits the norms and values. Media are used as the means to perpetuate and promote arts. It enables a multiplicity of views to circulate among the community members.

In your family who do you emulate and why?

Not any one in particular!, but had to achieve what had not been achieved by anyone in the family. Through zeal and determination together with the global atmosphere that we are living in, I had to develop the attitude of hard working and the result have been achieved. What contribution do media give to art discipline?Both the print and electronic media give wide coverage of stories, acts, artistic shows and columns that disseminate culture to the entire society. Such programs help the artists to realize their weaknesses and improve them. Media also makes artists to be popular celebrities. Media assist artistic products to be marketed at a broader scale. Media help in the wrapping of the message in a manner that will make the audience to like it.

What does it take to meet NAMA qualities?

Ah! That is a coaxing question, anywhere talking from experience there are a lot of things that have to be improved. Craftiness in writing the stories, competence in handling language, effectiveness in putting ideas across and having the taste of arts, l suppose is all what it takes for someone to emerge as the NAMA nominee. Criticizing artist, albeit that at times it sours relations and helps the artist to know their strengths and weakness.

Do you think Midlands State University (MSU) is an institution which contributes to arts, if so how?

Yes it does extensively. Programs like musicology, African languages and Culture, and Media studies are the programs offered at MSU and impart skills and knowledge that are artistic in form. Many MSU products have started recording studio in most urban centers and have recruited many intern students for attachment.

What do you think is lacking in Zimbabwe in promoting artistic talent?

Currently, in Zimbabwe there are a lot of problems that the arts industry is encountering. Lack of money to purchase instruments a major challenge. Funding is another problem that this industry is facing, unlike in other developed countries where such disciplines can be state funded or sponsored by big companies. In Zimbabwe it seems that it will never happen. Only if we can get more programs like the "Chibuku Road to Fame.

Who inspired you to pursue the arts?

Well l cannot tell where exactly l got the inspiration from, but what l can say is that l like listening to music and reading novels. At The Sunday News, l got lured to the entertainment desk.

Do you think the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) needs to be hailed for facilitating NAMA, and why?

Yes! Like in my case the award is my first achievement time to be recognized by NACZ. I am happy that l was the first person to attain that award as a woman. Secondly, it encourages journalists writing stories to work hard by rewarding them accordingly, depend on their abilities. NAMA Award encourages journalist to write arts stories. Respecting media as a discipline and giving recognition is something that needs to be hailed.

Whom do you want to thank In the Media studies department and why?

General l would like to thank all my lecturers who contributed immensely by nurturing my skills and writing talent. However, special thanks goes to Mandava the Media Chairperson for the message that he gave us when we were going to an attachment. Not forgetting Oga Ndoro who taught me the craftiness of writing the stories.

Any words of encouragement to the NAMA Award aspiring individuals?

Yes! They should not write expecting to win the NAMA Award, but all the same have to write competently and effectively to whet the appetite of the reader. Determination, zeal and hard work is all what it takes to scoop an award. Craftiness and good handling of language is a prerequisite. Anywhere in journalism if you cannot handle language properly you automatically do not qualify to be there.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Caven_Masuku/218153

Charting a Path for Success Using Social Media - The Value of Hiring a Public Relations Professional

By Karen L. Monsen  |   Submitted On August 18, 2011

New entrants into the social media realm are likely to feel like Alice in Wonderland, after chasing the rabbit down the hole, who inquired of the Cheshire Cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go?" Not surprising, the Cat responded, "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."

Individuals with sparse understanding of the nature of the Web and the potential for using its interlinking capabilities will fare no better than Alice, who replied, "I don't much care where."

Without clear expectations and with meager understanding of the variety of platforms, tools, and media available, the average newcomer will experience the satisfaction and disappointment akin to Alice when the Cat retorted, "Then it doesn't matter which way you go."

Into this newly created and constantly evolving electronic world, the average person needs a guide-a personal promoter of sorts not unlike those hired by athletes, actors, artists, and creative professionals to promote their "persona" and prepare a "face to meet the faces that they meet" to paraphrase T. S. Eliot's poem written long before Facebook arrived on the scene.

Laurie Pehar Borsh, founder of LPBPR, is well ahead of the learning curve on social media, yet she would never claim to be an expert. The novelty of social media and its meteoric rise in usage precludes anyone from expounding to be an expert. Laurie Pehar Borsh is one who deserves our attention because she readily admits that she is learning as fast as she can to keep abreast of the new tools and platforms.

Businesses recognize the undeniable growth of social connections when they cite the posting from Nielsenwire (back in July 2009) that people trust peer recommendations 90% of the time-up from 78% reported in Erik Qualman's 2009/08 YouTube video, "Social Media Revolution." With exponential increases in referrals through social media, consumer product and service companies will quickly be left without a base unless they create and maintain an expanding presence in social networking circles.

By collaborating with an experienced media specialist, small companies can level the playing field as they compete with large, established, traditional consumer industries that have huge marketing and advertising budgets. Small companies and individuals trying to establish a social media presence are usually confronted with the complexities of platforms and terminology that is truly mind-boggling. Unless they have sufficient resources and time to build their own expertise, it is more cost-effective to hire the services and guidance from someone else who believes in the power of social media and who enjoys working with a fluid industry and exploring multiple avenues to transfer information through print, electronic media, social networking, blogs, tweets and multitudes of links and search engine optimizing tools.

In coining the term, "continuous partial attention," (Johnson 2006 posted June 19, 2007 under "Is Multi-tasking Counterproductive") Linda Stone, former executive at Microsoft and Apple, expressed what we know to be true-"If workers are engaged in multiple activities at once, they're performing more slowly and less accurately than they would if they focused on each task until it was finished." Therefore, it is unrealistic for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and creative persons to believe they can focus their energies and attention on their business outputs at the same time they are focusing on managing a Web and social media presence.

Through personal professional branding, using business-to-business and traditional press, online services, social media, and innumerable customized PR promotional tools, Laurie Pehar Borsh and her team of PR strategists take care of the minutia and free their clients to focus on what they do best-manage their own business. By partnering with a personal PR promoter to navigate the entangled Web of social media, business professionals can establish a clear direction of what they want to accomplish and where they want to take their business. They will not be left wandering aimlessly around in Wonderland along with Alice.

Karen L. Monsen is and independent writing and editing professional with over 20 years of experience in designing and presenting training programs in corporate and small business environments. Her specialties include Business and Technical Writing and Presentation Training Programs, Editing and Document Review Services, English as a Second Language Instruction.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Karen_L._Monsen/809719

Building an Organizational Social Media Policy

By Anna Mathieu  |   Submitted On November 07, 2011

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Social media as a marketing tool for spreading a business' name and mission has become invaluable in many industries. A company's social media marketing strategy aims at building the company brand, recruiting new talent, fostering collaboration and communication, and driving innovation.

When considering a social media policy, a company must consider the opportunities and threats in terms of: a) employee work-related use, b) employee personal use on-the-job, and c) employee personal use outside of work. The use of social media by employees both at work and off work can have both positive and negative consequences, ones that should be thought through by each company in light of their marketing strategy, company mission, and other individual aspects.

The risks of social media use include lost productivity, physical harm (a distracted employee could cause physical hazards by neglecting to monitor their surroundings), and electronic attack (malware, virus). The risk of injury to a company's reputation via an employee's online dialogue can happen on-the-job or off.

Work-related social media use:

Employees' use of social media at work can be a direct or indirect part of the marketing strategy. Employees may actively engage with customers and partners, building industry contacts and relationships; they may solve client problems, streamline processes, and provide services. Social media use by employees can enlarge the viral marketing efforts and reinforce the company's branding efforts and online reputation. The marketing and relationship opportunities of social media use are multiplied by the amount of employee engagement.

Policy should consider the uniformity of the marketing message and company branding. When marketing plans are put together there is obviously consistency and coordination of the visual and intellectual message, this should be extended to include how employees portray the company on social media be it content and tones of blogs, company branding and messaging on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and other sites. The power of branding is that it consistently reinforces who the company is and what they do; consistency should be maintained throughout all company external communications.

Employee personal use of social media on-the-job:

The personal use of social media at work can have benefits. Employee productivity and engagement can be enhanced by allowing a little break to be connected, creative, or humorous. People often need to get a virtual social errand done (much like taking a call during work hours to organize a carpool or child pickup) or getting a little virtual water-cooler distraction. This often allows us to return fresh to the task at hand with renewed focus and productivity. Often a little update on what is exciting at work that day may not be a formal part of the employee's job description but may help enhance the excitement around a company by promoting the company's culture or successes.

There are some risks of such personal social media use on-the-job as well. Overuse may cause lost productivity by diverting the staff's time and focus away from fulfilling orders, making sales calls, or writing software code. Physical harm could be caused by distracting or neglect; for example, a pilot texting while flying or a machine operator looking at Twitter updates could cause a hazard or accident.

Another significant threat whether the social media use is for-work or personal is electronic attack. Malware and viruses can take over an email program, infect a computer, and take down a network. The loss of productivity can be enormous, and the risk to the company's data security can be catastrophic. An IT policy should address computer protection, and should take into consideration employees' authorized and unauthorized use of the internet in the workplace or on company equipment.

Employee personal use of social media outside of work:

Outside of work people talk about work. Sometimes they catch up on work, sometimes they celebrate or lament work. Depending on what employees are doing and saying and how that may be identified with their employer, it can be quite tricky to try to control and to address in policy. An organization's social media policy should address what work-related topics are inappropriate on personal media, and what personal topics are inappropriate on work-connected dialogue - all while being cognizant of and respecting labor laws.

Where it is clear: Disclosure of certain information can be prohibited. For example, trade secrets and proprietary information, financial information, and client records and identity, are all protected information that should never be disseminated via work-related or personal social media communications.

Where it is tricky: It is very hard to regulate what employees say on their personal profiles or non-work hour discussions. Free speech protects employees griping about being overworked and a myriad of other issues that may not be desirable from the company's perspective. Some states even have laws about whether or not an employer can read their employees' personal social networking profiles. Beyond naming the clearly prohibited disclosures, consult with an attorney on writing any part of your social media policy that address non-work discussion parameters and before making any employment decisions due to a conflict of information shared on a personal profile.

Anna Mathieu,
Marketing Communications Manager

Anna Mathieu's experience as a recruiter and as a seasoned sales & marketing professional give her a winning perspective on communicating Redfish's specialized recruiting services. Her evangelization and branding continue to drive bottom line results.

See Anna's full profile and contact information at:
http://www.redfishtech.com/about_us/anna_mathieu.php

About Redfish Technology, Inc.

Redfish Technology specializes in locating talent in the IT and Clean Tech sectors. Recruiting since 1996, the company offers nationwide coverage and boasts offices in Silicon Valley, the East Coast, and the Intermountain West.

Connect with Redfish Technology on the web
http://www.redfishtech.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Mathieu

Social Media Marketing for Measurable Business Results

By Jason Bacot  |   Submitted On January 28, 2011

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Social media marketing has been a catchphrase for a few years now, and everyone knows that they're "supposed" to use social media to boost business. But how do actual businesses get a return on investment from using social media platforms like today's two biggest ones, Facebook and Twitter?

Business Week magazine did a survey of 100 mid-sized businesses and basically asked them what they were doing social media-wise, and how it was working out for them. The results were dispiriting: only 8% of the businesses surveyed said that the effort they'd put into social media marketing actually drove business results. What did this 8% do that the other 92% didn't? Let's check it out.

First of all, lots of mid-sized companies are using social media. Business Week's survey showed that 74% of them use Twitter, 71% use Facebook, 53% use YouTube, and 36% use blogging. But the survey suggests that there are three elements that appear to be common to those businesses that have reported actual success in their social marketing.

First of all, these are companies that have developed media listening skills. Listening is, of course, a very important part of social dynamics, yet lots of businesses don't listen to what their customers are saying. The ones who succeed with it are those that monitor blogs, Twitter, and various online communities to pick up on consumer sentiment, and what's more, they consider what consumers are saying and actually respond to it. Yet only about a third of social marketers even bother to monitor these media!

Second, they use a multi-step approach to figuring out exactly what consumers are saying and what their responses can accomplish. For example, media might displace some traditional consumer research. Or it might be useful in pre-emptying the spread of negative information. The companies that successfully navigate this milieu are the ones that at least attempt to measure the return on value of the components of their participation in media exposure. Rather than, for example, just counting how many Facebook friends they have, they track click-throughs from Facebook users in the company's target demographic.

Third, they rightly see social media as a way to improve their brand's competitive position by creating a whole new type of value for customers. For example, Best Buy decided to put retail staff who were competent in answering consumer electronics questions into a Twitter-based help force. This alone shifted customer expectations about the experience of buying electronics, changing the game for competitors as well.

A social media marketing strategy involves far more than just setting up accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Companies have to learn to listen to what customers are saying, and not just use these platforms for pushing their products. And they need to develop ways of measuring whether they're getting a return on their investment, and come up with novel ways to use it to give customers something competitors aren't giving. If you don't know where to begin with all this, then you should consider working with professional social media marketing services, who know the ins and outs of using these exciting new platforms to get positive, real business results.

I'm here to help you find a marketing executive for your social media marketing needs and to look no further than my friend Lee Traupel who has the knowledge and expertise to promote your website or company via social media marketing services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Bacot

Electronic Signature Law in Real Estate: A Brief History

By Walter H Chen  |   Submitted On December 26, 2010

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Samuel Morse sent America's first telegram in 1838, heralding the occasion with the words, "A patient waiter is no loser." By the late 1860s, a mere 30 years later, the telegraph had replaced the Pony Express, was in established use for commercial transactions, and had been accepted by the courts as a valid means for creating enforceable contracts.

Of course, the telegraph is sort of like an electric pen, and an electric pen is kind of like an ecclesiastical seal, which isn't far from Moses descending Mount Sinai with the decalogue written in stone. At each period in human history, we've deployed the technology available to us to memorialize important covenants in durable media for the purpose of creating reliable records of what occurred.

In those respects, the internet is no different from past media and the courts and legislatures have recognized that. As a curiosity, Silicon Valley's beginnings can be traced back to 1909 and the founding of the Federal Telegraph Company which was funded by Stanford's president at the time and several faculty members as angel investors. More on point, Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (conveniently, ESIGN) in 2000 whose main import was to declare electronic records and signatures equivalent to the pen and paper. Most states have passed the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, a model state law which also declares the electronic pen and ink pen as equivalents.

Commentators have pointed out, not for the first time, that federal and state legislatures acted too eagerly and wasted their efforts. Lawrence Lessig, in 1995, argued that the law of cyberspace should be developed through the common law, which is the process by which judges make case-by-case decisions drawing from past precedent. As with the telegraph, the courts were already reasoning by analogy that records could be created and signed on the internet. All they had to do was look to the telegraph! In fact, Mr. Jose Arroyo in Florida executed the first paperless home mortgage in 2000, before ESIGN had become law. The loan was closed and recorded in less than five hours down from the average of forty-five days it typically took.

Electronic signatures are now well-established as valid. The rise of electronic signatures mirrors the rise of the internet as B2B and B2C commercial transactions would be impossible without the legal foundation of the validity of electronic transactions. (Although, the, say, online mortgage space wasn't doing that great for awhile.) Nevertheless, the electronic signature is just a chapter in the long history of the writing and the signature.

Walter Chen is CEO of http://www.leasely.com, which makes the apartment rental application process easy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Walter_H_Chen

How to Promote Your Business Using Social Media Tools

By Owais Siddiqui  |   Submitted On January 26, 2011

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Business promotion can be done in a very quick manner through social media tools. Presently, it is the fastest way to reach customers as most people are regular internet users. Social media tools are not as expensive and cumbersome as the traditional marketing methods. Before hiring a social media company, you need to establish your marketing requirements. There are numerous social-media options and a prestigious company dealing with this would advise you to use a proper combination so that the maximum number of people can know about your services. For instance, you can get a streaming video uploaded on a commonly visited website or post a link on a social communication platform. In addition to that, you can post a video link on your company website instead of promoting the video directly.

It is very important hire a marketing company because you cannot market your products online on your own. Such companies are aware of the tips and tweaks which can increase the online visitors of your websites and the customers of your services. Hence, getting professional help can make lot of difference.

You should select the social-media tools according to the nature of your products and services. For instance, if your company deals in electronic gadgets and you need to promote a new portable hard drive through social network media, you need to upload a video on one of the streaming websites. In this way, your users would be able to understand the functionality of this gadget. It is hard to understand how an electronic appliance works by reading text. Hence, using a video for promotional purposes would be an impressive practice which has a lot of positive impact on any campaign.

On the other hand, if you are providing educational services, creating a video for marketing purposes would not help a lot. Instead, a social-media company would advise you to upload information regarding your services on a social community website and post the related links along with it. Thus, the social-media options vary from one business to the other. As an entrepreneur, you need to analyze the promotional requirements of your business and take steps accordingly. Social-media is much faster as compared to all the other marketing methods. Along with that it is one of the interesting options as well. Most people are regular users of social community platforms as it is one of the best ways to get in touch with known people.

For more information on Houston SocialMedia Company Visit webdesignhouston.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Owais_Siddiqui