Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

BlogOrlando 2008 aka BlogOrlando 3 is this Saturday in Winter Park.  Along with Chuck Welch of Lakeland Local, I’ll be a session leader for “hyperlocal.”

While in Winter Park, I plan on lunching at Bakely’s on Saturday, and if you don’t already have plans, I’d love to meet all of the Bay area bloggers that are going (walking map to Bakely’s).

There are several folks going to BlogOrlando from the Tampa Bay area, and more than one has contacted me for a ride.  Unfortunately, I plan to make a small getaway out of it, and am spending Saturday night with my family over there.

I’d be happy to give a ride from Brandon at 715am Satuday morning, but will not be able to bring you back.

Do you need a ride?  Leave a comment with contact info.

Can you offer a ride?  Please leave a comment with contact info.

BlogOrlando 2008 is set for September 25-27 at Rollins College in Winter Park.

Voce Communications, in partnership with Rollins College will host the third edition of this FREE event that was open to bloggers and non-bloggers alike from Florida and anywhere else. We bring together a good cross-section of folks to discuss blogging, podcasting, public relations, social media, citizen’s journalism and other related topics. The event was as much a social/family gathering as it is a ‘work’ gathering.

BlogOrlando is held in the “unconference” format, which is a participant-driven conference centered around a theme or purpose. A “session leader” simply begins the conversation on a given topic, and the “audience” drives the direction of the discussion.

Hyku’s Josh Hallett brings together a good cross-section of folks to discuss blogging, podcasting, public relations, social media, citizen’s journalism and other related topics. The event is as much a social/family gathering as it is a ‘work’ gathering.

For BlogOrlando’s third annual event, I have again been asked to co-lead a session, this time with Chuck Welch of Lakeland Local. Our general topic will explore the meaning of “hyperlocal,” and attempt to find out what it is, how to find it, and why it’s important. Depending on audience requests, subtopics may include working with various media people (TV, radio, newspaper, websites), mining government and media data, creating maps (crime, business, etc.), ethics, and more.

Other sessions at BlogOrlando include Business Marketing with Social Media, New Tools for Journalism, Monetizing your Website, Online Professionalism, Politics, and many, many more. Take a look at BlogOrlando 2008 Sessions for the lineup thus far.

In past years, Journalists, PR folks, website managers, and bloggers have gotten much out of the unconference. Those of you who have any interest at all in the future of internet communications may also want to check it out - after all, it is FREE.

Locals already registered to attend include Ashli Cooper, Michael VanDervort, Michael Bishop, Tribune food guy Jeff Houck, WordPress Developer (and Brandonite) Mark Jaquith, Jim Johnson, Dustin Mooney, David Risley, Derrick Daye, Cathalain Carter, Darby Critendon, Carrie Currie, Aaron Bates, Lakeland Ledger’s Barry Friedman, and more.

I hope to see an even larger contingent of Tampa Bay area bloggers, journalists, and website enthusiasts out there this year, so please go register for BlogOrlando 2008.

Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex is undergoing a change, and will soon bear the name of ESPN.  Makes sense since most kids these days have never heard of the long running “Wide World of Sports” brand and television show on ABC.

But anyway, in regards to that subject, Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer Scott Powers interviewed the senior vice president of global sports enterprises for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Ken Potrock.  The Q&A is mostly uninteresting drivel about how ESPN and Disney are going to take over the amateur sporting tournaments away from the rest of the country, and blah, blah, blah.  But there was one exchange that caught our eye:

Q: Any possibility that the Tampa Bay Rays’ schedule might be expanded at Champion Stadium?

A: We love having the Tampa Bay Rays play here. I would love to have them make a longer-term commitment to play here, and to play as many games here as they would like to play.

That sure is an interesting comment, given that the Rays are in the midst of trying to get St. Pete to build a new stadium.

Then again, I may be reading too much into it.  Champion Stadium holds less than 10,000 spectators.

Thanks to Mr. Media Bob Andelman, who originally found the quote at Mickey News, and passed it on to us.

PS:  Don’t look now, but exactly half way through the season, the Rays once again wake up this morning with the best record in baseball.

State Legislators are still trying to kill local environmental protections.  Now the Senate has passed a bill to do just that.  Of course, they are trying to make sure those pro sports franchises keep their tax breaks too.  Meanwhile, Disney World doesn’t want anyone to see politicians at their theme parks, so they created a politician FastPass in the hopes that they hurry up and leave.

I was fully prepared to write a post extolling the virtues of Megacon and listing the one-stop-shopping convention as the best option for nerdy fans of gaming, anime, comics, and sci-fi for another year. The truth is when I got to the con, I realized I enjoyed FX more than I enjoyed Megacon this year.

FX International offered up bigger stars, was less crowded, and had a congenial staff. Katie Jarvinen, the general manager of the con, personally worked with me to get me what I needed, smoothed out issues over the phone and through email, and was always polite and helpful, even when she was busy with keeping celebrities happy at the event’s autograph alley. I felt like a valued guest of the event.

From Megacon, I received one generic email.

While FX was centralized, Megacon was spread out over two floors. And then, there were the scheduling conflicts.

I joined up with One World by Night, a Live Action Roleplay group I’m a member of. In the convention program, the group was scheduled until 1:30 a.m. all three nights of the con. Before midnight on Friday, we had security guards telling us to leave, even after we showed them our scheduled time in the event’s official booklet. Saturday was worse, with a security guard asking if we were in a seance and having a party and then readjusting our lighting to full bright before 11 p.m. Anyone who’s LARPed or table topped before will understand why some angry members who traveled across the country to attend Mega just to game asked for their money back. For everyone else, imagine a security guard turning on the lights during a play or movie and asking the audience why they’re all sitting around.

There were also problems securing passes for game staff and the expected annoyance of paying $6-$10 for a day’s worth of parking. Fortunately, myself and others staying at the Days Inn across the street could walk to the convention center in around 10 minutes. Note to anyone attending a conference or convention at the Orange County Convention Center: the Days Inn is a good choice for a price that shouldn’t eat your wallet.

For me, there were three highlights to the con. There was a miniature game piece painting room, which offered up free classes and free miniatures to paint for different games. I spent at least an hour painting a tiny warrior woman brandishing a pair of swords. There were also a number of people carrying around ball-jointed dolls (china dolls that can be posed and which can cost thousands of dollars when fully painted and accessorized). I even got to hold one, realizing they’re much creepier in person. There were also belly dancing lessons and performances throughout the day. I’m not sure how they fit into the overall theme of the event, but they were fun.

There are more cons coming up this year. Here’s a brief rundown of those closest to us.

Jacon

This is a 24-hour anime con in Orlando. Their guest of honor is Tara Strong and features anime related attractions, from artists to musical guests. They have some guest related info up, but the site’s a little sparse on details.

Oasis 21

Authors and artists will be on hand for the Orlando Area’s Science Fiction Society’s convention. The con runs May 23-25 and has David Gerrold and Paul Vincenti as guests of honor. Their website has a full listing of guests and events.

Metrocon

Tampa’s anime convention is being held July 18-20 at the Tampa Convention Center. Expect a bunch of otaku (hard-core anime fans) in costume. There are also costume contests, a human chess match, a masquerade, and a host of other visual draws. Check out the Metrocon site for more info.

Necronomicon

Necronomicon has had some problems in the past, partly because of rowdy con attendants and overflow from Guavaween. This year, the horror party is going to be at the downtown St. Pete Hilton Oct. 10-12. I’ve always liked Necro for not overlooking literature, as other cons usually do. This year the guests of honor are Frederick Pohl, Julie E. Czerneda, and Rick Wilber (who, for reasons of disclosure, is a former professor of mine.) Necro is another RPG friendly con. Necro’s site has a few tidbits about this year’s events.

Screamfest

Screamfest is another horror fest in October, but this one’s in Orlando. It runs from Oct. 17-19 and has a line up of film festivals and bands as well as stars and writers in attendance. The site doesn’t have much info yet, but if you’re interested bookmark it and check it out in a few months.

FX 2009

Yes, next year’s FX in Orlando is already in the works. The website already has a few juicy tidbits about next year (including info about a poker game where comic book professionals raise money for a good cause) but won’t be up in its full glory for at least a few months.

It sure is funny. Would you believe that “The City Beautiful” is fighting words? Two Florida cities are arguing over the use of the moniker. For a hundred years, Orlando has been calling itself “The City Beautiful.” For 75 years, Coral Gables (www.citybeautiful.net) has been using the same lame slogan.

You remember when Tampa wanted to be America’s Next Great City? Well, a lot of years have gone by since then, and that title has moved with the times. In 2005, National Geographic proclaimed Philadelphia “America’s Next Great City,” and more recently the Mayor-President of Baton Rouge has been using the moniker.

Dear Tampa Officials and other leaders, How about we just go ahead and let those two argue over that one, k? Likewise, do not pit us in a legal battle for any of the following: “Tampa: What A Great Idea,” “Tampa: The Climate Is Right,” or “Tampa: Not Just A Place To Work, But A Place To Be.”

By the way, St. Pete is Sunshine City, and Clearwater would like you to refer to it as “Sparkling Clearwater,” and
I still like “I am Tampa.”

Jennifer Kesse went missing in January of 2006. After eighteen months, she has not yet been found, and there are precious few leads for police to follow up. All of this has been simply horrible for the girl’s family. But in addition to looking for Jennifer, the Kesses have had to deal with a huge amount of drama that has very little to do with finding her.

First a $100,000 donor pulled his donation, because he disagreed with the conditions that Crimeline uses for rewards. Shortly thereafter, they had to address an unauthorized website collecting donations for the reward, along with disputes of what should be included on the websites. Of course, there are always typophishers, too.

Now it has been learned that some people have been using Jennifer’s photos for their online dating profile. WTF?

Whatever your motivation - sick, lonely, dumb, or greedy - you are a pig.

Please help find Jennifer Kesse.

A recent weekend in Orlando reminded me of the vivid difference between my hometown of Tampa and the tourist capitol of Florida that is just 75 miles away.

After the sun went down and the theme parks were all closed, we headed out to downtown Orlando for some fun. It was a good time, although the Orlando group tends to be more mainstream than what you see in Tampa. Fewer tattoos and piercings were visible on this crowd, and they seemed to be a bit older than a random selection of Ybor denizens. Of course, it IS Orlando, so a lot of the people are tourists who will avoid trouble in an unfamiliar place.

Thinking that maybe it was just my limited view, when I got home I googled as much as I could on downtown Orlando and the crime there and found very little. Try putting “Ybor” and “arrest” in a Google search and see the phone book that you get back. The most striking difference is that in the whole night I saw no fights. I didn’t even see anybody tense with that “I’m going to f-up the next person that bumps me” look in their eyes. Everybody, it seemed, was there to relax and check out the scene.

So I have to conclude that there IS a difference between the two cities’ party districts. Why is one constantly the source of pain and contention while the other appears to function more smoothly?

If you are familiar with Orlando and can offer additional information, please comment below. But here are a few that I have observed:

(more…)