David Kaiser is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Coincident TV, a software suite that allows content creators and distributors to design, manage and measure interactive video engagements across digital platforms. Kaiser is a serial entrepreneur behind seven startup companies, including RespondTV and Navisoft, and was also the first VP of engineering at Macromedia (acquired by Adobe).

Check out our interview with David below and connect with @coincident_tv on Twitter.

1. As experiences become more immersive in the social web, Coincident TV has created an interesting platform that intertwines content, social media, and ecommerce. Please tell me more about how the company came about and what your vision is.

I thought of the idea behind Coincident TV (CTV) in 2008 while at home watching the news with my laptop beside me. After a story caught my attention, I went online to look up more information but found myself frustrated with the disconnected experience. Although simple, it sparked the idea to build a technology that enables hypervideo, the merging of online video, social media, weblinks and commercial transactions.

My vision is to change the way we watch TV by transforming how we view and interact with online video. The goal of hypervideo is to create an interactive experience for the audience, enabling greater engagement between fans, programs, brands, businesses and content owners.

2. What would the ideal implementation of Coincident TV look like?

The great thing about Coincident TV is that it’s flexible and scalable, so the ideal implementation of CTV technology is whatever the author wants it to be. The software suite, both an editor and a player, enhances the video production and viewing experience. Whether it’s a content creator wanting to add real-time social media access to their video or a content producer looking to create revenue-building solutions through increased brand integration, the sequence and combinations of possibilities is only limited by what the author develops. (more…)

Bob Phibbs is a business motivational speaker, and consultant. He is also the author of “The Retail Doctor.” While I don’t work in retail these days, retail is close to my heart because I come from a family of entrepreneurs and I worked in retail businesses from a very young age. Many retailers and small businesses have taken a hit in the last couple of years and I really think Bob’s book is a great read for anyone wanting to transform their business, from returning to basics to leveraging Social Media. Below is an interview with Bob.

1. You’ve written a great book about growing and turning around a retail business. How did you get started in retail and what motivated you to start sharing your expertise?

My first job was as a janitor at a jewlry store in Glendale California when I was 16. i learned then that appearances were everything.  I put myself through college working retail and like so many people my part time job became my career.  I build a small regional set of western wear stores from 5 to 55 before quitting and realizing I could do more on my own as a consultant. I never looked back.

2. Social Media has become an extremely hot topic for businesses because it is now fairly easy to engage directly with customers and potential customers. What are some of the most important things retailers should be doing to use Social Media effectively?

How about what they shouldnt do? Social media is not taking your Val-Pak coupons and tweeting them or offering Facebook Fan page coupons.  Most effective are finding ways loyal customers can share things meaningful with your other loyal customers. Encourage them to post a video of the child who received the gift purchased at your store. You can’t be like the big brands so keep it small and honest. That’s what brings people back time and again. In the book, I mention Pufferbellies in VA, I think they do a great job with  their blog and Facebook page. (more…)

Elli Grace is a fashion brand that was launched in February of 2009 by designer duo Sojung “Sue” Yang and Lamarr Nanton. Earlier this month, I spoke with Lamarr, who has 19 years of experience in apparel design and development with companies like Giorgio Armani and JC Penney, at the first Elli Grace retail location in Plano, TX.

See the three videos below to learn more about Elli Grace, Lamarr’s personal story, and some of the geeky stuff they’re doing to differentiate themselves in the fashion world (including blogging and tweeting):

Lamarr shows how to use a mobile device to charge customers from virtually anywhere that has a cell signal or Wi-Fi, after the jump..

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Have you ever wanted to see who is on your web site at any given time? I’m not talking about the number of page views that your web site got this month. I’m talking about now, right now. Well, Woopra might be able to help.

Last night, on The Social Nerdia Show! live podcast’s 27th episode, I had a conversation with John Pozadzides, the CEO of iFusion Labs, the parent company of Woopra, an innovative web analytics application that lets you see who your visitors are and what they are doing, in real-time.

You can listen to the entire conversation with John about blogging, analytics, marketing, social media, and much more, on the Flash player below. You can also subscribe to all our shows on iTunes, stream it from a mobile phone on Stitcher, and listen to it LIVE on Thursday nights on blogtalkradio.

Enter Woopra

Woopra makes me very excited about the future of real-time because real-time is how the web should be. It’s what the web needs to be. I’ve done my share of waiting, refreshing, and reloading, and if 2010 is not the year for the real-time web to explode and break out of the tech bubble and into the mainstream, then I’m going to hang out in real-time in real-life with actual friends under the real-time sky drinking some real-time water. So take note Google. And take note everybody else. Anyone creating online products and services has a bit to learn from the accomplishments of the FriendFeeds, FourSquares, Radian6s, and Woopras of the world.

I first heard about John P. and Woopra at WordCamp Dallas. I must admit that I did not realize what Woopra was at first. The words “live” and “real-time” simply did not sink in. But once installed, I was able to see who was visting socialnerdia.com at that point. I was used to getting some of this info from Google, but Google Analytics always provided it a day too late. Woopra is about the now, and that adds a whole new layer of meaning to how we measure the web. (more…)

Ryan Paugh is the co-founder and community manager of Brazen Careerist, a career management tool for next-generation professionals. Ryan and I had a great conversation on the 26th episode of The Social Nerdia Show! live podcast.

We talked about his transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, Generation Y, the job market, and the social way to manage your career. Ryan also gave some great tips for those interested in becoming online community managers.

You can listen to the interview in its entirety on the Flash player below, by subscribing to the podcast on iTunes, and by streaming it live every Thursday night on blogtalkradio.

The current state of the job market is not exactly exciting. With the stock market slowly recovering to 1999 levels and a high unemployment that is truly worthy of a ‘Great Recession,’ there are still some good news. I’m serious. First of all, companies are starting to hire again and everyone is a bit more optimistic about the future. Second,  people are becoming much more willing to connect online and recommend others for positions.

And that’s why Brazen Careerist is a site you need to check out, especially if you’re young. While Monster and CareerBuilder are good to browse for countless of too-good-to-be-true and questionable positions, and LinkedIn is the place to share your resume with an established network, Brazen Careerist “helps you build your network,” as Ryan told me. He also pointed out that “young professionals don’t have a lot of experience and connections, and they need a place to build those connections online.”

Getting a job has a lot to do with who you know. Social networks can definitely help. From connecting with old high school friends to getting to know your current friends even better, social networks are becoming an extension of who we are and a map of who we know. As we learn to collaborate better with others online, a collaborative approach to career management makes sense. Ryan said it quite well: ”Collaboration for your career management is something new. Traditionally, it was something very competitive, but it’s not the best way to do it. At Brazen Careerist we encourage people to have that idea sharing mentality, it’s a Web 2.0 mentality. We’re sharing instead of hoarding information for ourselves.” (more…)

After befriending children with no shoes in Argentina, Blake Mycoskie decided he wanted to help. He started TOMS Shoes in 2006 with a simple idea: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.” The shoes were designed after the Argentine “alpargata” and 10,000 pairs were sold in the first year. The company has given away over 150,000 pairs of shoes to kids all over the world.

At the young age of 33, Blake has not only created an admirable brand, but he has also built a platform that allows anyone to provide a basic need to those that are often forgotten and ignored.

1. I love your quote: “I don’t want to be remembered for what I did, but what I gave away.” Have you always had this philosophy or did it develop over time?

As you grow and have different experiences, you learn what you want out of your life and what direction you will pursue. The things I have learned and people I have met over time have shaped my philosophy and have guided me to where I am now.

2. Designing a new type of shoe, starting a non-profit and building a brand that incorporates both seems like a lot to take on, did you ever consider partnering with a brand that already existed?

TOMS was such a unique model from the start, and we broke the mold in some respects of how most businesses operate, so we wanted to show others that this idea of incorporating giving could work on its own. It’s great now to be at a point where we can do some amazing collaborations with other brands like Ralph Lauren, Element Skateboards and even Dave Matthews Band. (more…)

Carri Bugbee is the principal and founder of Big Deal PR. An entrepreneur, seasoned writer and project manager with experience at great agencies like Wieden + Kennedy, Carri is also the person behind @PeggyOlson on Twitter. Not only has she managed to keep the unofficial Twitter account for a fictional character from the popular AMC show Mad Men, but she has done it so well that it won her a Shorty Award.

I was able to do a live “Twinterview” with Carri (done fully via Twitter, tracked by the hashtag #Peggy). Thanks to everyone that followed it live!

The unedited transcript is below: 

CarriBugbee @socialnerdia It’s raining in Portland, so it’s a good time to be warmed by the glow of my computer monitor for a #twinterview. ;-)

socialnerdia @CarriBugbee I must admit I often confuse your name with @PeggyOlson and vice versa. What’s it like to be linked to this character?

CarriBugbee @socialnerdia Been a wild ride. @PeggyOlson is a great character on #MadMen. I think 2nd only to Don. Tweeting 4 her is fun & challenging.

socialnerdia @CarriBugbee I’d say #peggy is my 2nd favorite too. How has your professional life changed since u started tweeting / thinking like Peggy?

CarriBugbee @socialnerdia I was joking in early ’08 about working on my social media MBA. Being a #MadMen Tweeter was like working on a thesis.

CarriBugbee @socialnerdia Building & managing thousands of followers 4 @PeggyOlson on top of mnging many other Twitter accts was great experience

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