Google vs Viacom (Not a “green friendly” post)
Posted By: Candace on Jul 3, 7:41 pm

Erick Schonfeld over at TechCrunch gave us a hilarious take on the recent court order surrounding YouTube and Viacom . Is this proof the court order is crazy? Is this proof the court order could go against the popular “everything green” movement? Who knows?!

As Erick writes in this article “The court order never states what form, the data must be delivered in.” Erick, what if Google reads your article and listens? If they did…I’d laugh so hard I’d cry.

(The entire post save the last sentence was meant to be silly. I really would laugh if Google read that article and did that. )

5 Ways to Screw Up a Website Launch (and how to avoid it)
Posted By: Candace on Jul 3, 3:07 pm

Recently, The Geek Media was speaking to a small “dot com” company on the verge of their big launch. Some coverage on the launch was worked out and, some definite hype was generated about this company. However, on launch day everyone was in for a huge surprise. This company had nothing like anyone expected. It left us and, the people looking forward to this launch sorely disappointed. Because of that, we give you 5 very basic fundamentals when launching a new web based business.

I’m sure many of you are thinking “people know this already”. Actually, you would be surprised how many companies I have worked with that do not. Many people launching their sites are new to the business world or, new to the “dot com world”. These are simple mistakes a lot of first-timers make.

#1. Don’t confuse people: Stick to the nature of your business: The specific company we were talking about is a perfect example. The beginning of their hype was an attempted viral marketing campaign geared towards sending a “message” to Twitter. This lead many people to think this company had something to do with social networking. Their main focus was on the message being sent to Twitter and, not on the company itself. When the company launched, they turned out to be a company offering simple applications for Windows. Wait…what?

#2. Research what you are offering: Many companies upon launch offering a wide variety of products and services to their public. However, some companies don’t think this through. Research the products you are offering. If you are improving on an existing product or service, make sure that yours has a unique spin on the existing. Make sure no one else is doing it. Be certain what you have can somehow improve on the competition. Put as much time into research as you need to and, don’t be afraid to change things around either.

#3. Make sure what you are offering is something people need or want: Let’s take for example a company who is offering a Windows application that is a password generator. It’s a free download that anyone can use. Well, that would be a great idea except for the fact we can find hundreds of those online requiring no download. After you do your research on your product or service be certain this is not something that is widely available. Do people really want this? Would you want this? Would you use it everyday? Don’t be afraid to ask friends, family and business contacts their opinions.

#4. Be available: This is a large mistake for small companies on launch. I have seen quite a few companies launch their site and business then, not be available for questions from the public and the media. Be certain that you or someone designated is available to speak to the public about their questions and concerns and, speak to the media. A press release and some basic marketing using social networks and social media will also help.

#5. Make sure your site is “good to go”: Sites are going to be buggy. Especially new sites. However, some basic testing with members of the team will help your site run smoothly when it launches. Get the live site up and, let people go at it. Have people look over for spelling mistakes, grammar issues, bugs, broken links, pages not working…the whole nine yards. Stress testing your server is also a very good idea.

Chrono Trigger for Nintendo DS?
Posted By: Rob on Jul 2, 12:41 pm

Apparently the Nintendo DS will soon be home to another classic console RPG.  Chrono Trigger, released in 1995 by Square (now Square Enix), appears to either have a port or a full remake in the works.  Definitely a great day for classic RPGs when this comes out.

Rob’s Personal Opinion: I won’t be buying it since I never liked Chrono Trigger.  Yes, I am one of those few people who didn’t like it, we do exist.

Audio Digest 002 Issues on Feed
Posted By: Candace on Jul 2, 4:14 am

Due to issues that only Rob may know about (because he’s the super man of programming and all things web 2.0) something happened between the upload and the TGM feed. The latest episode of Audio Digest can be found Here!

NOTE from Rob: The issue has been fixed.

Anything but this..Dancing With the Stars Game?
Posted By: Candace on Jul 1, 6:06 pm

Activision, Inc. announced today the Fall 2008 release of Dancing with the Stars: Get Your Dance On!, the sequel to last year’s rhythm-packed Dancing with the Stars videogame. They have once again teamed up with Disney-ABC Television Group’s ABC Entertainment and BBC Worldwide America to create this all new game for Wii and Nintendo DS. Players will engage in the battle of the ballroom with more stars, more dances, more intense competition - and more fun!

“‘Dancing with the Stars’ is an ongoing cultural phenomenon that appeals to people of all ages. It is mainstream entertainment at its best,” said Dave Oxford, Activision Publishing. “We feel the game is the perfect opportunity to evolve the idea of ‘active family fun’.”

Dancing with the Stars: Get Your Dance On! features all-new stars such as Mel B, Apolo Anton Ohno, Joey Fatone and Jennie Garth. Players will be able to cha-cha with new professional dancers including Derek Hough, and his sister, two-time “Dancing with the Stars” champion, Julianne Hough.

The Wii version improves on the original with refined Wii Remote and Nunchuck controls to enact their favorite dances. Other additions include all-new special “flair” moves that will wow the judges. Dancing with the Stars: Get Your Dance On! for Nintendo DS brings a fresh take on the rhythm game genre, complete with the ability to change outfits and swap partners at the player’s whim.

For more information visit www.activision.com/

Source: ACTIVISION

Candace’s opinion: This is not the announcement for a new game I was hoping for, considering Activision just merged with Blizzard and, Wii Fit recently hit the shelves. I understand that the Wii has taken the mainstream audience by storm, getting rid of the stereotype of your “typical gamer”. I also understand Nintendo has created a system that relies almost entirely on social games. However, Dancing with the Stars? That’s a little too much cashing in on pop culture if you ask me. I’ll pass..give me yet another Zelda, Mario or Metroid game. Anything but this.

Burning Man Studios Presents Released!
Posted By: nathanpinard on Jul 1, 12:42 pm

Most of you have heard of the podcast in development that features an audio drama segment at the end of the episode, essentially bringing the listener into the world of COH. It’s finally released, and you can listen here at The Geek Media, or go to www.conquestofheroesfans.com.

Also, the BMS staff would request you check out our forums. Some discussions are starting there, and we’d really like to hear your input! Ask your questions about the novel or game in production, and it may be answered on the next episode!

Help us with networking, and tell your friends about the podcast!

Baka Savants website down due to technical issues
Posted By: Rob on Jun 30, 2:07 pm

The Baka Savants website is currently experiencing some technical issues.  Their site should be back up and running soon.  Until then, here is the latest episode of Chronicle of the Annoying Quest.

Happy Birthday WoWHead!
Posted By: Leto on Jun 29, 4:37 pm

I was going over to WoWHead for the first of many times today as I normally do, and I noticed they had the little birthday skin up on their front page. WoWHead’s a fantastic resource, originally starting with the very basic talent calculator that was so popular (even Blizzard changed theirs to a very similar style, and still are that way to this day) in December of 2005, and evolved into the full out website in late June of 2006. Happy Birthday WoWHead!

Crytek CEO Estimates 20 PC Game Pirates for every 1 Legitimate PC Gamer
Posted By: Rob on Jun 28, 8:12 pm

[Source: ShackNews]

ShackNews is reporting that Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, estimated that PC gaming piracy currently could potentially be around 15:1 to 20:1.  Thats 15 to 20 PC game pirates for every 1 legitimate PC gamer.

“It’s crazy how the ratio between sales to piracy is probably 1 to 15 to 1 to 20 right now,” Yerli told IGN. “For one sale there are 15 to 20 pirates and pirate versions, and that’s a big shame for the PC industry.”

Yerli added that he hoped to see some change with the release of Crytek’s upcoming shooter follow-up Crysis Warhead. When asked if the game would include anti-piracy measures similar to Electronic Arts’ activation protocols in the PC edition of BioWare’s Mass Effect, the CEO didn’t directly specify but hinted at some new ideas.

“Effectively, if the game isn’t an online game or multiplayer game—there are challenges regardless of what you do—the game can be cracked. The effort is to make it more difficult to crack, and certainly we’re going to make it more difficult this time with Warhead.”

Mega Man 9 Coming To WiiWare, With 8-Bit Visuals
Posted By: Rob on Jun 28, 12:11 pm

The home-console classic, Mega Man, is back in the latest incarnation, Mega Man 9, and is confirmed for WiiWare.  Rather than using the power of the Wii hardware for 3D graphics, Mega Man 9 will be presented using the visual style of the original Mega Man games from the NES:  Glorious 8-Bit.

The bosses for the game are being reported to be Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, Tornado Man, and…

…Splash Woman?  0.o

DIABLO III CONFIRMED!
Posted By: Leto on Jun 28, 6:28 am

Earlier on the video stream from Curse, we had the confirmation for Diablo 3, as well as a gameplay video.

You can view Diablo 3’s website here: http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3

Curse Gaming to have Live Streams from WWI Paris
Posted By: Leto on Jun 27, 6:30 pm

Curse, widely known as one of the best online MMO resources, will have two different live streams from the Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals in Paris, starting tommorow morning at 6:45 AM EDT. The times on their page are all in Paris’ time, so to get the EDT calculation, just subtract 5 hours. After going over the schedule for their feeds, it’s impossible to tell when specificly the game announcement will take place, one can only assume it’ll be on the main floor feed, though, not on the tournament feed. You can read more on this as well as watch the feeds right here:

http://news.curse.com/details/11212/