UFC and Yahoo!Sports team up for live streaming press conference

Get more pictures like this from SHERDOG.COM

The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Yahoo!Sports teamed up on Tuesday 10/30 to bring the public a free live stream of the UFC's press conference on the topic of their heavyweight champion Randy Couture recent resignation.

The ability for anyone who has Internet access to watch this press conference is great for transparency of the UFC because it allows the public to see and hear the statements form the companies owner, president, and CFO respectively.

Yahoo!Sports has been one of the most receptive of mixed martial arts (not just UFC) by any of the major media outlets. They teamed up with Strike Force in late September of this year to bring streams of live fights from the Playboy Mansion. They keep these videos available for viewing later after the live stream is over.

Yahoo!Sports has become a great online media for PR efforts in the sport of mixed martial arts. They have reporters who are knowledgeable of MMA and offer video with great quality which is very important in watching MMA competition.

Dwight Schrute's "Second Second Life"

Second Life was seen used in this past weeks episode of "The Office" on NBC. Dwight Schrute created an avatar that is exactly like he is in his real life because "life is so great that I literally wanted a second one". Everything was exactly the same...except he can fly. Dwight actually created "Second Second Life" (Second Life within Second Life) for people who apparently want to be even more removed from reality. CLICK HERE to check out a clip form the show or visit NBC.com to watch the entire episode.

This gives the paper company that he works for in TV land , Dunder-Mifflin Inc., a presence on Second Life. However, for those of you who watch the show, Dwight might not be the best person you want doing PR work for you.

Now back the the real world. This is an example of how Second Life is growing in national exposure and that leads to greater PR uses. CSI even had Second Life featured in this past weeks episode as Jennifer pointed out in a recent blog post.

It seems that with the ever expanding Internet applications that emerge practically everyday, PR professionals need to be constantly monitoring social media. It is easy to see that there are a lot of opportunities for useful public relations efforts in the social media realm.

Podcast: "Another New Citizen"

"Another New Citizen" Podcast with Andrew, Cassandra, Blair, and myself. Click or Right Click and select "Save As". This is the debut episode so we are still trying to work all the kinks out. Let us know what you think.

House of Reps says no to internet access tax...for now

An ARTICLE on the Austin American Statesman website outlined the ongoing legislative debate on taxing internet access. Currently there is a moratiorium on taxing internet access. On Tuesday the US House voted 405 to 2 on extending the current moratorium until 2011. As stated by House Speaker Nancy Paloci , the House “will help promote innovation, affordable Internet access and broadband services for American consumers and businesses." However, there was a bill introduced that would permanently ban taxation of internet access that did not get past the Democratic majority house. This could be an indication that Democrats might support lifting the moratorium in the future and support taxing internet access.

The Don’t Tax Our Web Coalition, which has high profile supporters such as Amazon.com and AT&T, is no doubt supportive of the House’s recent vote to extend the moratorium.

While the House has already spoken on their current postiton, the Senate has yet to vote on this matter. The current moratorium is set to expire on November 1, 2007.

We will have to wait and see what the Senate rules. Personally, the unwillingness of the Democratic majority House to pass a permanent moratorium on internet access taxation is worrisome because the internet is the last medium that we haven’t "lost" yet.

What is your position on implementing taxes on internet access?

Open Architecture Network

I came across this through the Wired Science section of the PBS website that Gray Matter Extrapolation pointed out in a recent post.

The Open Architecture Network is an open source online community that offers sharing of architecture designs between all levels of architects. The main theme behind this online community is user generated architecture designs that are cost effective in design, material, and sustainability; their goal is to connect people to help solve housing problems all over the globe. A creation of Architecture for Humanity, the Open Architecture Network allows users to review and comment, share ideas, and work collaboratively on architecture design from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.

This can be a useful social media PR tool and resource for architecture companies. This is a forum for larger companies to give back to the community in the form of pro bono work. It allows companies to volunteer their special skills for the public good. With practically all the architecture companies today creating designs digitally, the Open Architecture Network would be easy to use.

Outer Continental Shelf Drilling

Currently, eighty-five percent of the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States is under moratorium and off-limits to any offshore drilling activity. The moratorium was put in place twenty-five years ago in hopes of protecting the environment from possible oil spills associated with offshore drilling.

However, at present offshore drilling technology is extremely sophisticated and has evolved tremendously since offshore drilling was first done domestically in the late 1800s. In fact, the last oil spill from drilling on the United States Outer Continental Shelf occurred in 1969. Currently, more than 50% of the oil found in US domestic waters is from natural seepage while less than 5% is from offshore drilling. Increased offshore oil production would benefit both the United States Treasury and private business as well. Federal tax revenue would be created and the private industry could expand.

The only area that offshore drilling is allowed is in the central and western Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is an extremely hurricane prone area and only allowing offshore drilling in the Gulf puts the entire United States offshore oil production at risk. The moratorium on offshore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf should be lifted.

You might be saying to yourself: why do we need more oil? Like it or not we are dependent on oil in more parts of life than just cars. It is not realistic to just stop using oil tomorrow and the oil that is available in certain areas of the OCS will benefit us in the near future while we are still heavily dependent on oil. In no way am I saying just start shooting pipes anywhere in the ocean, there is research done my the US Mineral Management Service and offshore oil companies encourage strict safety regulations for both the environment and their employees.

I know that in today's hyper-environmental protection age it is "cool" to just come out and say NO drilling and NO oil. But you need to step back and qualify why you choose the stance that you choose. Ask the question why? Just saying "because" is not good enough.

Think of it this way - would you rather cut a check to the middle east or would you rather support domestic business what is here in US/North American territory?

Wanna be a weatherman?

Want to be a weatherman? Now you can be one with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (COCORAHS). Cocorahs.org is community based collaborative network of “backyard weathermen”. Anyone can contribute and all you need are a few inexpensive measurement tools.

To join all you need is to be enthusiastic about the weather in your area. When ever there is a precipitation event in your area just check your measurements and record your results on the cocorahs.org website. They have several goals that they are trying to accomplish by having such an online community. First, they want to provide the most data that they can on precipitation. Second, heighten interest in meteorology and science. The main backer of cocorahs is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

CLICK HERE to check the site out and sign up if you want.