Journey

Digicel: The Experience

// August 22nd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Life, Technology

Last night I attended Digicel’s 4G launch at Hope Gardens in Kingston. I knew this event was going to be one not to miss, after receiving my invitation in a gold envelope earlier in the week. After entering the venue I was greeted first by Tashana in the 4G lounge, where my drink was ordered via MSN messenger to the bar. Tashana then invited me to experience 4G using one of the computers on hand. I promptly tested and was happy with the results of 8MB/s.

Tashana and myself Digicel 4G Experience

Speed on Digicel 4G service

There were some other attractions as well like the Digicel 4G martini which was made with dry ice:

Digicel 4G Martini

There was also food, and lots of it, I remember seeing at least 3 different buffet tables, I am partial to Sushi though:

om nom nom nom

Thanks to tweeples @persephone101 for coming with me and @andrewcheeky who attended as well:

@persephone101 and myself

@andrewcheeky and @dmitridawkins

Mark Linehan Digicel’s CEO welcomed everyone and made a brief speech on the impact that Digicel 4G will have on the country’s development and GDP. I was glad, because I blogged about what impact 4G could have last week. Afterwards he introduced a new commercial and video, myself and a few others were a bit upset at the video, since it was a ripoff of a viral video launched in 2008! Considering the video has 11 million views on youtube, they must realise people will have noticed. The replaced each frame that has “Did you know?” with “Digiknow” in company colours. Shame. See the original video below:

The night’s live musical entertainment started off with a live stream from disc jockey @pjbutta in LA. Everyone was skeptical of the stream because of the great sound quality but when @pjbutta looked at his watch and told us what the exact time was, we knew it would have been hard to sync that. Kudos to Digicel on using a live stream over 4G service. Tami Chynn shortly followed live on stage afterwards singing several numbers, getting the crowd to actually move. While she was performing I was thinking to myself I wish Tami’s sister, Tessanne, could perform tonight as well.

Tami Chynn

The next live stream over Digicel 4G was to Junction St. Elizabeth where Wayne Marshall was performing. This time the audio quality was not as good as @pjbutta but it was still good, the stream didn’t lag at all. After his performance my wish was granted as Tessanne Chin graced the stage, can you say win? What was even better was when both sisters performed a new single from Tessanne’s upcoming album.

Tessanne and Tami

Overall the night was great, thanks to Digicel for inviting me, you guys sure know how to throw a party, ahmm I mean launch a product!

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Embracing Social Media with Jamaican Hospitality

// January 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // Life, Technology

The internet has changed in so many ways since I first used it in 1996. From early on I realised the importance of branding yourself online. I created my first hotmail account with a phrase people would relate to me, followed by variations of one username for different forums and websites. It was only three years ago that I became aware of the true concept of online branding. Since then I have setup several blogs and websites to some degree of success.

2010 is a pivotal year because I plan to make this, a year of fruitfulness. Taking all of this online experience of trying different things and actually making it work. In December 2008 I launched my first major website RaceJamaica.com I was surprised at how quickly it took off and honestly was not prepared for that level of growth. During the past year it has had its ups and downs, with issues updating content fast enough and the quality of content on the site. The difference between this site and others before it, was that it is designed with social media marketing in mind. User contribution was supposed to be the main content generator for the website. Unfortunately my user base was just not ready to contribute. This year I plan on re-launching the website for the 2010 Jamaican motorsports season. Not only am I relaunching RaceJamaica.com but I am also launching a whole new online assault.

Besides all the goodies I have planned for RaceJamaica.com I am also working this year on properly branding myself. Recently the main question people ask me is “What is this social networking thing and how can it help my business?” followed by “Do I need to be on Facebook and Twitter?”. There is no basic answer. As a Jamaican I appreciate social networking, because that is how most business deals are carried out locally on a who-you-know and who-knows-you basis. People are the main reason why companies constantly support each other, whether it be a family, social, or background tie. Online social media works the same way.

What else is in the works? Well I have four main projects this year, that I plan to stick to, as time goes by and they are further developed you will hear about them. You can also check out my Official twitter page @dmitridawkins or keep checking this blog for updates, but the majority is yet to come! Don’t worry though, if all goes as planned, you will be hearing about it.  Ciao! Thanks for reading!

Abstraction

// January 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Humour, Technology