This podcast was recorded on Tuesday July 6, 2010, and it was a historic day for Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Superstar LeBron James. No, it was not the day that he announced which team he was going to via free agency. It was the day that LeBron joined Twitter.

Let’s look at the lessons learned from LeBron James’ first day on Twitter.

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1) Major brands need to engage in social media

Let’s face it, LeBron James is a brand. He is worth millions, is recognized worldwide, and generates revenue and profits on everything from ticket sales to merchandise. Until now, he has poked fun at Twitter, but he has finally broken down and signed up. Any major brand looking to engage with fans that does not have a social media presence does so at their own peril.

2) Your social circle strongly influences your decisions

What is the goal of nearly every company’s marketing department? To build a product with strong word-of-mouth marketing. Did you start using Google or Facebook because you saw a TV commercial about them? No. You found out about them because someone you know said ‘Hey, you need to check this out.’

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Jim interviews top podcaster Adam Carolla, talking about his new format, podcast revenue models, and portable dishwashers.

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For years we’ve praised the concept of “time-shifting” as a unique advantage of today’s digital media. No longer are we forced into a do-or-die option of being present at a live event or face the consequences of missing it completely.

We can use a DVR to record a World Cup game in the morning for viewing later that day, stream Saturday Night Live on our laptop via Hulu on Sunday morning, and forgo commercial-filled drive-time morning radio in lieu of an iPod’s worth of our favorite podcasts.

Since his live morning radio show was canceled in February 2009, that’s exactly what entertainer Adam Carolla (Loveline, The Man Show, Crank Yankers, Dancing with the Stars) has done. He’s amassed an army of loyal listeners that have downloaded The Adam Carolla Podcast millions of times, making his show a mainstay at the top of the iTunes charts.

But now he is “getting the band back together” and attempting to combine the best of both worlds. He’s brought back nearly the entire staff from his former radio program, including news co-host Teresa Strasser, producers, announcers, and even sound effects wizard “Bald Bryan,” who is able to insert his comical sound bites into the podcast on the fly.

However, in an interesting turn away from time-shifted content, Carolla’s goal is to get people to tune in daily to keep up with current events, essentially creating a drive-time morning show via podcast.

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Apple’s iPad is flying off the shelves. Jim gives his real-world results after 30 days with it, reviews the Wired Magazine app, analyzes market share trends and asks, can it be beat?

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iPad iPad iPad.
Everyone is talking about the iPad, and so am I. Lets take a look at three things today:

1) My experience with the iPad 3G after one month with the iPad
2) My thoughts on the Wired Magazine iPad app
3) Analyze Apple’s historic marketshare and drill down to see the future of tablet computing and if the iPad can be beat

Note: All thoughts are my own opinion and not that of Wired or Apple. I have no affiliation with Apple and was not compensated.

Summary of the podcast below. Listen to the entire show for the full experience.

OK, so I’ve had the iPad for 30 days of real world testing.

I’ve installed various apps: the Entertainment Weekly Must List and Weather Channel (good, but could use some work), ones with solid functionality (Kayak, Pandora, MLB at Bat), ones that I normally wouldn’t use (Marvel’s comic book reader and games such as Asphalt 5 and Labyrinth), and Conde Nast’s own (Epicurious, GQ, and Wired).

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Jim talks about what Sting and The Police can teach us about finding your voice when blogging or podcasting.

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Passion.
Millions of teachers, authors, parents, friends, clergy, poets, and musicians have tried to help others find their passions. But I’ll tell you where you can find yours.

In your voice.

When you’re speaking about something you’re truly passionate about, there’s a change in your tone. Your heart beats a little faster, your eyes get a little wider, and sometimes the thoughts and ideas cascade from your brain so quickly that they trip over themselves in a rush to exit your mouth.

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With privacy concerns escalating and new players entering the space, is it the beginning of the end for Facebook?

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I’m just sayin
Listen, the mighty behemoth that is Facebook is probably doing just fine. They’ve got us sucked in like lemmings, with upwards of 500 million people on the service checking email, uploading photos, finding old friends, and tending virtual farms.

But it’s been a rough month, and I’m sure young Mark Zuckerberg has aged a little as his company has been tossed about in full public view recently. I’m not saying he’s going to have a few gray hairs, after all, he did just turn 26 on May 14. But maybe he feels like a 29 year old or something.

On Wired alone, the stories have been flowing, showing the progression of events:

- Report: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Doesn’t Believe In Privacy
- Today Facebook, Tomorrow the World
- Facebook’s Gone Rogue; It’s Time for an Open Alternative
- Privacy Flare-Up Prompts Facebook Meetings with Congress, Employees
- Facebook to Launch ‘Simplistic’ Privacy Choices Soon
- NYU Students Aim to Invent Facebook

Could this be the beginning of the end? Consider…

7 reasons why the mighty giant might fail

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Today on The Hopkinson Report: Everybody Gets a Trophy!

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I talk with former Wired Intern 1.0 Brandon Werner (pictured above) of The Modern Day Pirates about how engaging with different generations is changing, specifically that notoriously difficult market of 18-30 year olds, known to many as Millennials or Generation Y.

In this corner, Jim, the Gen X archetype. In the blue trunks, Brandon, paragon of all things that represent Gen Y.

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We made it everyone! 100 episodes! I’ll cover 10 lessons learned, the big party, and give some shoutouts.

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Wow, 100 episodes – pretty amazing. I’ve been at this for more than 2 years, week in, week out, whether I was tired or sick or excited, I carved out a little time to try and share some thoughts with you.

Listen, I’m an oldest child, I’m a Leo, and obviously I like to hear myself talk. But I try to be aware of that and not get TOO full of myself. I realize this isn’t 21 seasons of the Simpsons or some of the other social media guys with millions of followers. It’s not the frontpage of the NY Times, the cover of Wired, and it’s not even a video podcast. Even 2010, some people don’t even know what a podcast IS.

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Full Transcript of Part 2 of the Interview with Diana Levine, pro photographer

Recorded in person at Studio Blue in Manhattan, New York
March 6, 2010
Jim Hopkinson, Wired’s Marketing Guy
Diana Levine, photographer

Click here to view the summary page of this interview with photos and links.

Or listen to the podcast while you read:
 

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Hi, this is Jim Hopkinson, Wired’s Marketing Guy, bringing you the marketing trends that matter. Welcome!

Today is Part 2 of my interview with photographer, Diana Levine – smile! [Camera clicking]

Jim Hopkinson: Hey, everybody, this is Jim; welcome back. I am here again with Diana Levine. We talked about photography last time, we talked about how she got her start as a photographer working for magazines, going freelance and all the cool celebrities she works with, and this is Part 2 of the podcast. And, we’re going to talk about the equipment she uses, how the internet and Facebook and new media has influenced her profession, and then some tips and tricks for photographers.

So, welcome, Diana.

Diana Levine: Thanks for having me, again.

JH: So, let’s go right to the equipment. How much of being a great photographer is the equipment? Do you need the best equipment to be a great photographer?

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Whoa, we’re up to Episode 97! Time for a ranting recap of my 5 days at the SXSW Interactive Conference in Austin, TX.

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Topics Covered:

- Happy fans, Happy sponsors: How a brand like Wired throws a killer Happy Hour for hundreds
- Sponsored events: Integrating top-tier sponsors into an event
- Using social media to ensure a great user experience
- How Twitter was like Jessie Jackson

[Above: I give away Wired swag to the Wired Happy Hour Crowd]

- Twitter vs. Foursquare: The similarities between the two products is eerie
- Fourwhere? Jim takes a deep-dive look at the geolocation darling, and what it means for you and your business

Other quick hits:

- Jim meets Four Hour Workweek author Tim Ferriss
- Gary Vaynerchuk: Thoughts on the most energetic speaker that Jim saw
- Clay Shirky: Jim retells Clay’s story comparing an old woman on the street to teenagers and music piracy
- Networking: It’s all about the people, people
- Work-life balance: Do you know when to turn it off?
- Runner recommendation: Check out the documentary film “Hood to Coast,” which looks at the 200-mile relay race held in Oregon each year
- I’m selling my netbook! The netbook is dead! Long live the netbook!
- I’m sold on the iPad! WIRED Magazine creative director Scott Dadich and Jeremy Clark from Adobe wowed a packed room with their vision of what our product on a tablet will look like. Sign me up.

- Anti-social Media: Is it going to keep getting worse before it gets better?
- “The Hoodie Culture” … my take on the new breed of internet entrepreneurs. Young, poised techies like Chris McCann, Brendan McManus, and Ethan Block are driving new media. Best of all, they’ll all be on upcoming episodes of The Hopkinson Report.
- Iterative Development: Why the design/develop/deploy/feedback loop is getting faster, and what it means to rapid web development

Mega rants:
- Gen X vs. Gen Y throwdown… do you know who ZZ Top is? And as a bonus, what is the name of their drummer?
- The bartender conundrum. Please, please someone tell me why a bar doesn’t bring in enough bartenders around major events to maximize revenue. I just don’t get it.

What kind of equipment does a pro photographer use, whether its shooting celebs in the studio or podcast hosts in the hallway of an apartment building? In part 2 of this interview, Diana Levine will tell you. (Above… Diana sets up in Jim’s hallway).

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Topics Covered:

- The importance of equipment for budding photographers and how the accessibility of equipment is changing entry into the business.

- What to look for in a digital camera
- Jim and Diana consider the great debate of Nikon vs. Canon

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