T Cooper Reads The Beaufort Diaries at Book Soup July 19, 2010

The Beaufort Diaries by T Cooper is the story of an orphaned polar bear who escapes global warming in the same place we ALL go to find love and security -- Hollywood!

I cannot imagine a more welcome introduction to Book Soup on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood than T Cooper‘s reading of his graphic novel The Beaufort Diaries last week. Though I’ve certainly heard of the bookstore frequented by celebrity authors and readers alike, I’m new to L.A. so it was my first time there. And what better way to enjoy one of the last large indie bookstores than as a backdrop to the story of one of the last polar bears beating the odds and making a name for himself in Hollywood?!

Since I only learned of the book and the reading the night before from T Cooper’s lovely aunt (and my neighbor) Ricki Cooper, I didn’t have a chance to read it beforehand. So when I got to the store I grabbed a copy, read the first page and knew I’d be going home with it. Right away, I liked Beaufort’s voice, and I was grateful to see it wasn’t in the typical “graphic novel” format. Committing myself to a comic strip for 30 seconds has always been a challenge for me, so I doubt I could lose myself in a novel formatted that way, even if it is a novel under a hundred pages.

T Cooper is a Malibu-native who got his MFA in fiction from Columbia University. He taught high school English in New Orleans then moved to New York City which he now calls home. In addition to The Beaufort Diaries, Cooper is the author of Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry Blondes and Some of the Parts.

The Beaufort Diaries is written in what I’ll call ”conventional” novel format, but interspersed with more than 20 full-page pictures that beautifully help communicate the tone and direction of T Cooper’s charming story…

Global warming melts the ice, separating Beaufort from his mother in the Arctic sea.

Alone and desperate for attention, Beaufort arrives in Hollywood.

Beaufort meets Leonardo DiCaprio while serving tables at a famous Malibu restaurant.

Leo cast’s Beaufort in his next movie about the environment.

And so on, as T Cooper sends Beaufort through just about every twist and turn imaginable in the Hollywood machine.

T Cooper strikes his "serious" pose after his reading of The Beaufort Diaries at West Hollywood's Book Soup on July 14, 2010.

Cooper’s presentation seemed a perfect example of why readings are such powerful tools for selling books. He dramatized the excerpts in a way only the author can, and shared tidbits you won’t find in the story, like its inspiration.

T Cooper got the idea for The Beaufort Diaries when Sarah Palin was running for Vice President. He had a nightmare of a gun-toting Palin mowing down polar bears from a helicopter. That coupled with Palin’s real-life suggestion that polar bears can survive global warming just fine on fish and berries alone marked the birth of Beaufort.

As for the social media campaign behind The Beaufort Diaries, a third element to Cooper’s reading at Book Soup represents the most effective of all social media tools — video. (Only Google gets more searches than YouTube!) In under 4 minutes, Cooper’s words, Alex Petrowsky’s art and David Duchovny’s voice perfectly capture the essence of The Beaufort Diaries and leave you wanting more.

The video is on The Beaufort Diaries YouTube Channel and featured prominently on Cooper’s website. It’s also posted as an update on Cooper’s Facebook fan page, but needs a permanent presence so that it’s not lost as new updates inevitably push the video off the front page.

What better way to enjoy one of the last large indie bookstores than as a backdrop to the story of one of the last polar bears beating the odds and making a name for himself in La-La Land?!

Specifically, T Cooper and The Beaufort Diaries could benefit tremendously from a social media campaign that looks something like this:

Blog. Though I suspect he may object at first (and perhaps forever), Cooper should consider taking a cue from Beaufort and starting his own blog! Anything goes with blogging and the more creative the better. It’s simply the best means of capturing and keeping an online audience’s attention over an extended period of time. When most of us visit a website, a blog is the first thing we look for to get a feel for the voice of the person, company or organization.  And if we like what we hear and see, we’ll subscribe. Keeping it up-to-date is key, as everyone is looking for fresh content to share — from videos and pictures, to stories and commentary, to book signings and reviews.

Facebook. Cooper already has a Facebook fan page that simply needs a few tweaks, including a Video page (i.e., an easy-to-find, permanent location for The Beaufort Diaries link), an Events page for book signings and appearances, a Published Books page for summaries, and maybe a Reviews page for links to media coverage. I would also recommend replacing the editable “Author page” text in the lefthand margin with live links to the website and the YouTube video (as well as the Twitter URL if and when Cooper gets a Twitter page). The Facebook Discussions tool in the Boxes tab isn’t utilized, so I’d get rid of it. Beyond that, the page simply needs to be updated on a regular basis — with signings and media coverage of course, but also witty comments of which Cooper is clearly a master.

In addition to The Beaufort Diaries, T Cooper is the author of Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry Blondes and Some of the Parts.

Twitter. By no means does it surprise me that Cooper does not have his own Twitter page, though I suspect he knows exactly what Beaufort’s first tweet would be. Twitter is one of the most powerful tools for promoting blog posts, helping videos go viral, and just building awareness of a brand, which in this case means author – an ideal way for communicating directly with fans.

In all of these efforts, the appropriate social media links should be featured prominently on Cooper’s website, in the form of icons at the top, share buttons inside blog posts and permanent links in the bottom navigation of each page.

Incidentally, I had planned on reviewing the social media presence of Book Soup too, but this post is already far too long. Funny thing is I could still double its length, not only going into greater depth about Cooper’s social media presence, but more importantly how much I enjoyed Beaufort’s story and meeting an author who is as kind as he is talented.

Click here to read an excerpt of The Beaufort Diaries and click here to buy a copy through Amazon.com.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, please see my Social Media Action Plans.

The Talking Stick Says What? July 14, 2010

For live indie music and a good cup of coffee, check out The Talking Stick in Venice Beach.

My friend Rena Wren is playing a show at The Talking Stick in Venice Beach on Monday, July 26, so I went there Sunday night to check out the venue and the vibe. It’s hard to spot, tucked away in a little corner strip mall on Lincoln Blvd., but once inside the venue does deliver.

There’s plenty of comfy seating, good strong coffee and just a generally warm, relaxing feel to the place.

I sat on the couch in the back with my large soy latte, watching the first act – Kyle Petit with Kaleb Kent. Their acoustic/indie music and vocals are good, and there’s a really positive essence about them. (Maybe musicians hate comparisons like this, but I can’t resist: Kyle’s style reminds me a bit of my favorite male singer/songwriter, Rob Thomas!)

This was Kyle and Kaleb’s first time performing in Los Angeles, with Toni Koch of TK Promotions to thank for The Talking Stick gig. This was part of a West Coast tour – from Tucson where Kyle and Kaleb are from, to Sacramento, L.A., San Francisco, Oregon and back down to San Diego. Their first CD, Passion in the Pain, comes out this summer. Hopefully they will build a stronger web presence to promote the album beyond the MySpace page. They’re working on a website that will need a blog. Of course, they need a Facebook fan page and Twitter page to promote blog posts about their shows, as well as YouTube and Flickr for video and pictures from their performances.

That's Kyle Petit on vocals and guitar, and Kaleb Kent on a special guitar I forget the name of. Help me out guys?

As for the Talking Stick, their website displays an impressive event calendar. This is a popular place. The website needs some love though, particularly in terms of navigation buttons. It could also use some pictures. There is is no mention of Twitter and the only mention of Facebook has no clickable link and I couldn’t find the right “Talking Stick” in iether a Facebook or Google search.

The Talking Stick could also benefit greatly from YouTube and Flickr pages for the inherent social networking and SEO benefits. Tagging videos and pictures with the names of featured artists is a great way to show up in Google search results and drive traffic and interest to the venue.

Where The Talking Stick has its greatest social networking presence is on Yelp. As of this blogging there are 20 reviews, most of them positive for the vibe, coffee and performances. There are some negative comments (as with just about any Yelp profile) and The Talking Stick staff would do well to respond with their own comments accordingly.

Thanks to the lovely Stephanie for serving me coffee with a smile! The Talking Stick has a good selection of hot and cold drinks, as well as food.

If and when The Talking Stick incorporates a blog into its site, I would recommend it be visible on the home page, with feature posts on upcoming artists, as well as follow-up posts with video and pictures from the respective artists’ shows. Links to each post could then be promoted via Facebook and Twitter.

I’ll be back July 26 to see indie artist Rena Wren perform songs from her album, Sweet Mystery. It’s a free show so please join us – from 7 to 10 p.m. — at 1411 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, CA 90291. If you have trouble finding it, give The Talking Stick a call at (310) 450-6052.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, please see my Social Media Action Plans.

My Evening With Jane Russell July 9, 2010

On June 23, 2010, the Hollywood Heritage Museum welcomed Jane Russell, one of Hollywood's loveliest leading ladies whose career began in the early 1940s.

After spending “An Evening With Jane Russell” at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, I realize she was the first woman to show me what it means to own your sexuality without it owning you.

During his introduction of her, Jane Russell‘s friend and former president of the Museum Nick Beck called her one of the most beautiful women in the world. She moaned. Then during the fascinating bio of her life at the beginning of the program, a dear friend of Jane’s remarked that she does not consider herself a sex symbol, despite a career built on sexy roles and pinup posters, primarily at the hand of Howard Hughes.

In his search for the next Jean Harlow, Hughes signed Jane to an exclusive contract at $50 a week to start and cast her in The Outlaw starring, for all intents and purposes, Jane’s breasts. Hughes even went so far as to have a special bra designed for their optimal appearance on camera. True to character, Jane refused it and wore her own bras instead; Hughes was none the wiser.

I don’t like the term “sex symbol” any more than Jane Russell does, particularly in reference to her. She is not a symbol of sex. As the details of her life reveal, she is a symbol of beauty, faith, strength, class, wit, self-respect and compassion. Only incidentally does this represent the sexiest combination of traits any woman can possess.

It was her birthday so the Museum’s sold-out, standing-room only crowd sang happy birthday to Jane, then she sang a song for us that she and her movie crew sang back in the day. It went something like this: “We’re flat on our asses, our rent is due; but never mind about us, happy birthday to you.”

In his search for the next Jean Harlow, Howard Hughes signed Jane Russell to an exclusive contract and cast her in The Outlaw. Hughes also directed the picture, notoriously insisting on 100 takes of the same scene.

In those days the same crew traveled from one production to the next, no doubt creating a sense of family that I suspect someone like Jane cherished greatly. Her father died when she was 16, leaving her and her mother to raise Jane’s four younger brothers on their own. Later in life, when Jane could not have children of her own, she adopted. The process revealed to Jane a desperate need for reform that she gladly took on, founding the World Adoption International Fund (WAIF) in 1952.

For the event, I had the good fortune of sitting in the second row, just a foot away from Jane’s seat up front. After the film bio finished playing, I heard her remark to a friend, “It’s amazing to have your whole life story told.”

Sitting that close I was also privy to the paparazzi-style pandemonium all around Jane during the break, and these were just regular people with phone cameras who wanted a momento for their photo album or, more likely, their Facebook pages. But it wasn’t just pictures they wanted. It was Jane’s attention. Her acknowledgement of them.

One man wanted Jane to know one of her movies was his first. One woman asked if Jane remembered so-and-so who interviewed her back in the day; he said to say hello. Another woman who overheard Jane asking for a straw for her drink brought her a cup, hoping that would somehow do the trick. And another woman handed her a birthday card and thanked her for not being religious, referencing Jane’s faith in God that evidentally transcends any specific religious affiliation.

Jane spoke on a number of topics that night, from her famous leading men to her faith.

Jane said…

… of Bob Hope: “It was heaven working with him.”

… of Clark Gable: “He was the biggest tease there ever was.”

… of Howard Hughes: “He was a very polite man and didn’t like to fight people face-to-face. I often yelled at him.”

In 1953, Jane Russell starred with Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In it Jane showcased her expert comic timing first seen in 1948's Paleface with Bob Hope.

On a more serious note, Jane shared details of a dark time in her life. She spoke candidly of a pre-marital pregnancy and the abortion that followed. She was unable to have children as a result.

“If you fall off the Lord’s path, he’ll rub your nose in it,” Jane said. “I fell off his path. I was unmarried so I got an abortion and I damn near died. When I did get married, I couldn’t have children of my own.”

That’s when Jane started the adoption process, which turned out to be a logistical nightmare. When she asked agencies about adopting a 1 or 2 year old, they told Jane they only placed babies. Meanwhile, Jane was traveling the world for her films, seeing firsthand the desperate need for adoption of older orphans worldwide.

“I said, ‘Ok, Lord, I’ll go to work on it.’ ” And that’s when she founded WAIF which helped place more than 50,000 orphans in its first year. The following year, Jane was instrumental in the passage of the Federal Orphan Adoption Amendment, which allowed children of American servicemen born overseas to be adopted by American families. She also lobbied successfully for the passage of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act in 1980.

Jane Russell made her last film, Darker Than Amber, in 1970. Now retired, she sings with a group of friends and continues her work on behalf of children who need homes.

Retired from the movies, today Jane sings with a group of friends at a regular gig in Santa Maria. But it is her continual work on behalf of orphaned children where Jane no doubt hopes her voice carries furthest. As noted by a friend of hers in the film bio that night, “God gave Jane a mother’s heart.”

To learn more about the remarkable Jane Russell, check out her autobiography: Jane Russell: My Path and My Detours.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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I previously blogged about my social media review of the Hollywood Heritage Museum here.

Yoga is a Walk in the Park at Runyon Canyon in L.A. July 5, 2010

My friend Sarah strikes a pose at Runyon Canyon Yoga, where dozens of people gather daily for free yoga in the great outdoors!

When training for the San Francisco half marathon last year, I cross-trained doing “hot” yoga in a crowded room set to 100 degrees. The euphoria afterwards was great, but the yoga itself was miserable! After that, it’s nice to know yoga can be a walk in the park by comparison — a lovely, leisurely walk in a park The New York Times calls “one of the most scenic, unusual urban parks in the country.”

On our neighbor Danny’s recommendation, my friend Sarah and I went to Runyon Canyon Yoga last Friday morning. It’s every day, and it’s free! (Bring a few bucks though, as Runyon’s yoga teachers do accept, and deserve, donations.)

Runyon Canyon is a 130-acre park just 5 minutes from my apartment in in the Hollywood Hills. The Canyon is a hiking hotspot for tourists and residents alike (at least half of whom are dogs loving the leash-free rule). As for yoga, it attracts quite the crowd as well. Though I didn’t count the number of people in the 10:30 class Friday morning, it was at least 30. Perhaps as many as 50.

Daniel Overberger led our Friday morning yoga class at Runyon Canyon, giving me one of the most enjoyable yoga workouts of my life!

Our teacher was Daniel Overberger. He so gently led us through his 60-minute class that being sore the next day came as a complete surprise to me. The good kind of sore, just enough to let me know I did my body good!

One of 11 teachers of Runyon Canyon Yoga, Daniel is also a published author and musician. Leaving Stress Behind: A Yoga Practice is “equal parts instruction manual and personal epiphany,” as Daniel ”retraces his journey from pain to presence, struggle to stillness, L.A. to India, and back again.” He also has a CD of Hindu chanting entitled Dharma Gypsys: Music for Yoga, Meditation and General House Cleaning.

As for Runyon Canyon Yoga’s social media presence, there is tremendous potential for growth.

Its strongest social media presence is on MySpace, which is updated regularly. But beyond third-party write-ups, I couldn’t find Runyon Canyon Yoga profiles on any other social media networks. There doesn’t appear to be a main website or blog either.

From the Fuller Avenue entrance, follow the signs to free yoga in Runyon Canyon Park.

With nearly a dozen yoga teachers who could contribute posts, pictures and videos, Runyon Canyon Yoga could really put together an impressive collection of social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

There are three entrances to Runyon Canyon — at Fuller Avenue, Vista Street and Mulholland. To get to yoga, use the entrance at Fuller. And for a current schedule of class times and teachers, visit Runyon Canyon Yoga on MySpace.

UPDATE: Runyon Canyon Yoga has a Facebook Page.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, please see my Social Media Action Plans.

OC Register Makes News for Social Media Day July 2, 2010

The Orange County Register hosted one of the largest Meetups in the world in celebration of the 1st Annual Social Media Day on June 30, 2010.

Every day I marvel at the insanity of L.A. traffic, so the idea of fighting my way down to Santa Ana for a Social Media Day event was less than appealing. Fortunately, the very thing that changed my mind turned out to be the best part of the event — its location at The Orange County Register.

Social Media Day on June 30 was founded by Mashable, the must-read blog on anything and everything social media. Through Meetup.com, Mashable encouraged social media enthusiasts like me to do with our online connections what ultimately has the potential for yielding the most success — connecting offline, where networking will always have its greatest strength.

Though the name has changed more than once, The Orange County Register was founded in 1905. So it’s an important part of history, especially for those of us immersed in social media.

During her speaking segment entitled “Putting a personal touch behind your social media efforts,” Rochelle Veturis noted the irony of a newspaper hosting  Social Media Day. After all, it’s bloggers, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets that are presenting such a challenge to the traditional newspaper industry. And that is precisely what is so brilliant about the Register‘s decision to host those of us most passionate about social media. What better way to bring attention to the paper’s aggressive pursuit of a fine balance between social media and traditional news?

What a lovely irony that a newspaper steeped in such rich tradition was the site of the 4th largest Social Media Day event in the world.

As we learned during a tour of the pressroom, The Orange County Register recently updated the look of its website where news is posted online before it makes it way into print. Insider Coordinator Jacqie Mardian explained that some of the most-read stories online are the ones printed in the paper the next day. In other words, the readers themselves are helping to determine the news — the very essence of social media.

The Register is doing something especially innovative with its Twitter page. A number of people post to the account, but on a rotating basis. As that rotation changes, so does the avatar associated with the account (i.e., the picture of the current tweeter). It would be nice to see this concept go one step further, tweaking the bio (or “twio” as Rochelle calls it) to reflect the name of the current tweeter as well. Though the pictures and names of those posting to the account are displayed in the Twitter background, the computer screen I’m working on right now (for example) cuts off the majority of them. In other words, I see the avatar of the person tweeting but I don’t know his name.

Beyond that, the Register has a good following/follower ratio on Twitter, they post frequently and the level of engagement is strong. They are utilizing the lists too, but there is definite room for growth there. What a great way to share with readers lists of ways to get involved in the community, from restaurants, to shops, to local non-profits.

On our tour of The Orange County Register, Jacqie Mardian showed us this linotype machine, the original printing press used by the paper from 1905 to 1976.

As for Facebook, the Register‘s FB page is stellar! They post a wide variety of updates, sharing stories and asking questions, which are super-effective at generating comments. The RSS feed button is prominent and there’s a tab for other Facebook pages, as the Register has a number of them.

I am surprised to see that I can’t find a YouTube channel for The Orange County Register. In search results, the Register does turn up, but they are videos posted by other users. The paper could really benefit from having its own presence there, not only as a means of driving traffic from direct click-throughs to the website, but also for the SEO benefits associated with YouTube.

As speaker Morgan Brown noted yesterday during his “Leveraging online video” presentation, people are increasingly using YouTube as their primary search engine, as it is second only to Google in the number of online searches. And, a YouTube video is 50 times more likely than a text page to show up on Google’s first page search results!

Overall, the Register is a social media star, and will no doubt move forward in all the right online directions. But as Jacqie made clear during the tour, the Register is equally committed to preserving the newspaper tradition.

None of my pictures do justice to the impressive printing press The Orange County Register has been using since 1976. The recycled paper roll weighing one ton starts here and makes its way through a long line of presses, one behind the other, that look just like this one.

The paper opened in 1905, using the same printing press for the next 70 years — a linotype machine that took 15 minutes to create just one newspaper column. They replaced the linotype in 1976 and have been using the same printing press without a hitch ever since. It uses recycled paper rolls weighing one ton each and, at its fastest, the press can print 1,000 pages a minute.

What a lovely irony that a newspaper steeped in such rich tradition was the site of the 4th largest Social Media Day event in the world, at least in terms of Meetup RSVPs. Though I didn’t follow the Register‘s promotion of the event on its website or in its newspaper, perhaps the impressive turnout (which it was) suggests traditional media still has an impressive level of influence after all.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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