Hosted by Daniel M. Clark, Joe Magennis and Drew Bennett.
The show began as Geek Dads @ Home, founded by Daniel, Joe and Sam Harrelson in December 2008. Scott Jangro joined the crew with the third episode, and some combination of the four dads recorded 43 episodes throughout 2009. In January of 2010, Daniel and Joe rebranded the show as Geek Dads Weekly. BenSpark.com’s Drew Bennett, a listener of the show, joined the cast in April 2010.
Easily access any Geek Dads Weekly episode with the site’s URL short codes. In your browser’s address bar, type qaqn.com/gdwX where X is the episode number you want.
Music for Geek Dads Weekly provided by Mevio's Music Alley.
Pinterest for Men? – Geek Dads Weekly #109
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In which Daniel, Drew and Greg mull over the next generation, the history of blogging, Gentlemint.com, Drew’s new recording setup, and the travesty that is the grocery store toy aisle.
Todd Farmer recently said, “at what point will kids have no idea what “caught on tape” means?” – probably now. The three of us talked about how kids will not have the same touchstones we have, especially when it comes to language. We agreed though, that phrases can take on a life of their own, beyond their literal meaning. This is one that will probably linger.
Speaking of language, the AP Style Guide has issued a decree: it’s spelled “email”. No hyphen. [Here's the thing - someone on Twitter linked to this story, and I assumed it was current. In writing the show notes, I discovered this change was made 10 months ago. Oops. What does the AP say about doing proper research for a story?]
Next, we transitioned into the history of blogging and general internet evolution. Greg keeps up with rebeccablood.net, one of the earliest blogs – and it shows. It’s an example of an old school blog, from a time some considered blogging “pure”. The layout is minimalist, which reminds me of Sam Harrelson’s new site as well as Devin Tonhaeuser’s - two old school looking sites in 2012. Minimalist. Focused on content.
Are you using Pinterest? Are you a guy? Are you wondering how your super macho, manly interests fit into the predominantly female, DIY aesthetic at Pinterest? Wonder no more, now there’s Gentlemint.com. If you have an interest in sports car shaped caskets, giant pizza tacos, motorcycles, grilling or beer, this might be right up your alley. Speaking of Pinterest, Drew brought up an interesting thing…
Drew’s got a new microphone! He’s rocking the Blue Yeti microphone, an excellent choice. His audio is 1000% better… now we just need a more reliable Skype and all his problems are solved! Several podcasters I know are using the Yeti (or its cousin, the Snowball) with great results. If you’re talking into your laptop’s internal microphone or you’re using a cheap headset (itself a better choice than the internal mic) upgrading to a Yeti is a great move.
Next, I talked briefly about buying toys at the grocery store. Overpriced? Yeah, a smidge. The branded toys – Star Wars, Marvel Superheroes, that kind of stuff, were nearly ten bucks for the little 3″ action figures. Generic action figures, without the big licensing deals, were like, a buck. Moral of the story? When your 3 year old says he wants a toy at the grocery store, just say no. Yikes.
Lastly, our friend Tricia Meyer is running a contest. Ladies, this one’s for you, and Dads (or husbands or boyfriends), this is a big chance to be a Great Guy™. Enter the drawing, then go get on Twitter and spread the word:
RT @sunshinetricia Share your mean mom story and win a gift to pamper yourself www.themeanmom.com/contest
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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You Have Been Warned – Geek Dads Weekly #108
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In which Daniel, Drew and Greg talk about a few things revolving around Affiliate Summit in some way or another. Plus, Game of Thrones, which was saved for the end in case people want to avoid spoilers and talk of taboo subject matter.
We started with a catch-up with the guys since last week. Drew’s getting settled with the new house, the new baby and all that domestic goodness. Greg went on a comic book shop tour in the Atlanta area, visiting six shops. He used a site called Comic Shop Locator to find them, and some of the places he went to were pretty funny.
Next, an update on Affiliate Improv!, the new monthly webinar series that kicks off this Saturday, January 28th, at 2pm Eastern. It’s an extension of the three-time Affiliate Summit session that I’ve helmed, and it’s totally free to attend. We demonstrate effective brainstorming and show the process of going from idea to action list. Plus, attendees get inside info on the sites, services and techniques we use on our own sites to blow them up and attract attention. Come check us out and spread the word, won’t you?
We covered Affiliate Summit Central, coming up in May. I’ll be there, Greg will be there, Drew is on the ‘maybe’ list. The Emcee for #ASC12 was announced today and she seems like an awesome choice. Her name is Heather Romiti. None of us know her yet, but going by her bio and the trust that Shawn & Missy have placed in her, we’re sure she’s fantastic.
One of the more popular and well received sessions at Affiliate Summit West 2012 was Mastermind Groups Exposed: Success in Affiliate Marketing by Eric Nagel, Todd Farmer and Tricia Meyer. I recently got an invitation to join a mastermind group, and thought I’d bring up mastermind groups as a segment. I didn’t realize Greg would have so much to say on the matter! (Sidebar: you know what I just realized as I was typing these show notes? All three of them are Pinnacle Award winners now that Tricia won her award at West 2012. How cool is that?)
We finished up with a discussion of Game of Thrones, the enormously popular HBO series. Tune in to hear Drew and I ramble about how awesome it is and butcher the pronunciation of a few names. Warning: the segment is full of spoilers. Also, full of talk about what makes the show so controversial – the sex and violence. That’s why we held it til the end of the show, so listeners could drop out if they felt they needed to.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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A New Geek Dad! – Geek Dads Weekly #107
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In which Daniel and Drew welcome a new co-host to the Geek Dads Pantheon of Awesomeness – Greg Hoffman.
The show notes will be completed later this evening. I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to get this thing posted before it got ridiculously late. Not that MONDAY isn’t pretty ridiculous already, I suppose. I’ll explain later.
Always Made My Jumps – Geek Dads Weekly #106
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In which Daniel and Drew welcome Sam Harrelson back to the show for our New Year’s Special. Topics include spotty resolutions, video games, social media, Shoemoney, affiliate marketing and more.
My new New Year’s resolution is to not agonize over the show notes. Rather than many paragraphs of overview, I’m going to break it down for you more simply. Let’s go!
New Year’s resolutions? Drew and Sam don’t do ‘em. Me? I’m resolving to have fewer paper cuts, listen to more Tom Waits music, and start smoking. Everyone resolves to quit, but I’m a rebel. I go against the grain.
Video games – we talked about the new Godfather multiplayer game from Kabam!,Unreal Tournament, Skylanders, Skyrim, and the granddaddy of all the modern resource allocation games, Utopia.
We talked about social media, Facebook and the “freemium” business model, which Sam wrote about just the other day.
And Shoemoney! Did you hear? Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker called me “the best podcaster in the affiliate marketing business and a great interviewer”. Now that’s what I call a compliment. The guys and I knocked around some thoughts about Jeremy and his upcoming appearance at Affiliate Summit (less than a week away as I write this!).
If you haven’t heard it yet, check out Jeremy’s 75-minute interview on Inside Internet Marketing #39.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Three Years? Really? – Geek Dads Weekly #105
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In which Daniel and Drew talk about a forgotten anniversary, the Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program, holiday decoration deals and 2012 being the best year ever for movies.
We started with yes, the anniversary I forgot. Oh, not my wedding anniversary, no. Today is the third anniversary of Geek Dads – the third anniversary of my very first podcast experience. Everything that I am today in my podcasting career stems from that first episode of Geek Dads three years ago today.
And I completely forgot about it until it was too late to plan anything to mark the occasion. I suck.
After that bit of happiness, I mentioned that the Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program closes tomorrow, December 23rd. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up by the end of the day tomorrow so I can make the final matches over the weekend.
Drew brought up late Christmas shopping next. Not shopping for presents, shopping for his tree. Yep, he left it a little on the late side on this one! That led into a nice discussion about finding great post-Christmas deals on decorations.
Our main segment this week covers the movies coming up in 2012 that we’re looking forward to (provided we’re not all dead). We had a great talk about movies and television from the 80′s to today and how things have improved significantly over the last 25 years.
Lastly, the winner of our last giveaway was Christopher Sorel, congratulations! We have another copy of the Green Lantern: Secret Origin hardcover to give out, so enter! The winner will be notified next Thursday!
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Noted Joke Thieves – Geek Dads Weekly #104
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In which Daniel and Drew tackle such heavy topics as cello-based Star Wars videos, joke thievery, Louis CK and a Green Lantern contest.
Right off the bat, check this out:
Awesome, right? We also mentioned Lindsey Stirling and the Barely Political series during this opening segment.
Did you know that The Gutters is a site of lousy joke thieves? It’s true. Someone clearly heard our Emo Wolverine show and decided to do a web comic featuring Emo Wolverine! Thieves! It’s true, as far as you know.
Speaking of noted joke thieves, we were reminded of where that phrase came from. I haven’t kept up with Sarcastic Voyage (or most other podcasts) much this year, but Aalgar and Matt continue to put out a stellar show, according to Drew. Drew was featured on this year’s ClusterFlonk event, so he might be biased, but I’ll let it slide. Keep up the good work, gents!
Next – Louis CK. This guy is my new comedic hero. The story behind his latest comedy special is inspiring. I won’t rehash it here (I do that on the show) but click on through to his site and read up on it. It’s a great lesson for content creators, affiliate marketers – anyone who wants to sell anything online, really.
Lastly, we have a new contest. I’ve got a bunch of Green Lantern hardcovers to give away, and we’ll start with two. I can’t promise delivery by Christmas, but hey, it’s a free hardcover. Call it your New Years’ present if you want. Now, here’s the catch. Well, it’s not really a catch, it’s a request. I’m trying to secure a sponsor for other really awesome contests and I want to show them that QAQN and Geek Dads Weekly knows how to throw a contest. Get your friends to participate! Tweet it! Facebook it! Throw it up on LinkedIn, if you think anyone there would notice! Put it on Google+ if you know anyone who’s actually using it! Join in the fun! Details below!
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Just One of Those Days – Geek Dads Weekly #103
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In which Daniel and Drew get a late start, don’t do the show live, and have to deal with Ian wandering into the studio. Turned out to be a pretty good show nonetheless.
It’s the legacy of Geek Dads, whether it’s @ Home or Weekly. We drop the kids in front of the TV for 45 minutes to do a podcast and they invariably get bored and decide to see what we’re up to. That’s probably a good thing, I guess.
This week we’re talking about Drew’s new baby boy and how he’s affecting his family. We also covered Marvel Super Hero Squad Online and classic video games (like Baldur’s Gate, Bard’s Tale and others). I explained how I deal without cable TV – between Hulu, Netflix and various network sites, I’m pretty much okay. Catching live sports is a problem, but I’m not much of a sports guy, so that’s okay.
Drew mentioned that he’s doing even more giveaways, despite Swagsgiving being over and done with!
We wrapped with a segment about DC Comics’ commitment to their New 52 project. I don’t think they’re in it for the long haul.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Still Great, Just Different – Geek Dads Weekly #102
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In which Daniel and Drew welcome Eric Nagel to the show to talk about his epic Christmas lights display. Also, Drew and his wife just added another human being to the planet and we mourn the loss of a Geek Dad. Still great, just different.
The show is divided into three segments this week, the first of which features Eric Nagel. Eric has just debuted his annual Christmas display at his home and is here to tell us all about how it came about, what it takes to plan something is this magnitude and how popular it has become. The event (and it really is more like an event) has its own Facebook page and you can see more pictures and video over there. Here’s one to whet your whistle.
Next, Drew and I announced that long-time Geek Dad, the only other remaining founder of the show, has taken his leave. Joe Magennis and I, along with Sam Harrelson, started Geek Dads almost three years ago. We celebrated our 100th show a few weeks ago. He’s been a rock, and he’ll be missed as he begins a new business venture. Joe’s welcome back anytime, and I hope he’ll jump on an episode periodically to catch us up on what’s going on with him and his family.
Out with the old, in with the new? Drew talked about his new baby, a boy by the name of Andrew Bennett IV: The Quest for Peace. Or Andrew Bennett IV: The Dream Master. I’m not sure which cheesy 80′s movie title to go with. Perhaps Andrew Bennett IV: The Revenge. Everyone is doing well, the baby is great, and I’m looking forward to more pictures. Also – Drew’s got more Swagsgiving goodness going on at BenSpark.com.
We wrapped up with a bit of talk about the new-ish direction of the show. We’ll be intersecting the paths of geeks and of dads a lot more in coming shows. We’ll have topics ranging from video games, comic books and TV to kid-oriented stuff like… well, video games, comic books and TV. But lots of other cool stuff, too (like biking, movies, making fun of celebrities and acting like we’re above all that, books, technology, social media…). If it’s geeky and we’re interested in it, we’ll cover it. Stay tuned. It’s going to be awesomesauce. Not lamesauce. That’s what the kids today say, right? Awesomesauce?
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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The Affiliate Summit West 2012 Gold Pass Giveaway!
We’ve got FIVE Gold passes to giveaway, valued at $549 each! If you’re thinking of hitting Summit in January, we’ve got your hookup. Follow the instructions in the widget below!
Emo Wolverine Feels Nothing – Geek Dads Weekly #101
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In which Daniel and Drew welcome the Affiliate Marketing Fanatics to show, talk about divorce, Facebook, the Rocky Horror Picture Show and a video game. None of which have anything to do with the other, sadly. Also, Emo Wolverine.
Our guests today were Mike Buechele and Trisha Lyn Fawver from the Affiliate Marketing Fanatics podcast, a great show you can find over at GeekCast.fm. This episode is the first of a two-part crossover, Law & Order -style. I play Detective Munch in this scenario. When this episode finished, Drew and I headed over to their place to sit on their guest couch and talk affiliate marketing. (Their episode hasn’t been posted yet – I’ll put up a link when it is)
We opened with a story of a divorcing couple who have been ordered by a judge to disclose their Facebook passwords to each other. This could have grave ramifications down the road. The story came to us by way of ZDNet.
To satisfy Tricia Meyer’s insatiable need to know more about my history in stockings, I told the story of my time performing in the Rocky Horror Picture Show about 20ish years ago. It was a Friday/Saturday midnight show performance with the actors performing in front of the movie on-screen. I played all the roles at one time or another except for Magenta. Yes, I wore the costumes. Yes, I was smokin’ hot. No, there are no pictures… that I’m aware of.
And from one extreme to another, we wrapped up with a brief segment about a very family friendly video game, Marvel’s Super Hero Squad Online game. The kids, especially Ian, have really been loving this game. It’s not seriously violent, there is quite a lot of well-written comedy, and I highly recommend it for small kids that have an interest in super heroes. Wolverine doesn’t cut anything up in this game (not in the way he does in the comics at least), which led to an interesting note to end the show on. Emo Wolverine. I’m not going to spoil it. Go listen to Mike’s joke about Emo Wolverine (pick it up starting at about 30:41).
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Milestone – Geek Dads Weekly #100
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In which Daniel, Joe and Drew celebrate the first 100 episodes of Geek Dads Weekly!
You know how sometimes you have a birthday and it’s a giant, no-holds-barred, massive blowout of epic proportions, but sometimes you just stay home and hang out with a few friends, kinda low-key? This anniversary show was the latter.
We talked a little about the history of the show – a few minutes about where we came from and how we got to where we are now. There was a little bit about politics… oh, don’t worry, we don’t get political on this show. We were mostly just lamenting the whole sad state of politics all around.
Drew gave us a big rundown of his Swagsgiving event, and we covered our planetary near-death experience with an asteroid (and noted that there will be an even nearer-death experience in less than 20 years’ time).
Birthday parties, the fall of Joe Paterno and we gave away a Gold Pass to Affiliate Summit West 2012! We’ll have more of those to give away in coming weeks.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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I Got 99 Episodes But a Bitch Ain’t One. (Wait, that doesn’t make sense.) – Geek Dads Weekly #99
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In which Daniel, Joe and Drew talk about video game systems, Gmail’s new look & feel, managing giveaways & contests and Zac Brown. Hang on, who’s Zac Brown? Oh, and I’m going to start betting on sports.
We started with a mention of next week’s milestone episode #100! Be sure to hit QAQN.com at 1pm Eastern next Thursday to listen live and get your shot at winning an Affiliate Summit West 2012 GOLD Pass (valued at $549!). We’ve got six to hand out to listeners, so you won’t want to miss that. We’ll have some other stuff, too. Also, a special guest will be joining us, one of the original Geek Dads, Sam Harrelson!
Drew told us about a game he’s been into lately, Skylanders. Sounds great, and a true cross-platform experience. That led us into a segment about which video game system to get for a family with young kids. X-Box? PlayStation? Wii? We decided on X-Box with a Kinect. Drew brought up a great kids game, Once Upon a Monster as well as Kinectimals.
Gmail has a new look and feel, and we spent a few minutes checking that out and offering some commentary. Some users will probably be put off by it, but some users always are.
Drew gave us a rundown on his Swagsgiving event, currently in progress. GO WIN STUFF. He’s giving away some really awesome things in the month of November, you should take a few minutes and go see what he’s got. He makes videos for each thing. In one of them, he sings.
Rafflecopter is a new system for managing contests, and Drew’s using it. I’ve just been accepted as a Beta user, too. It looks great and I’m looking forward to running more contests!
For Halloween, Drew was Zac Brown. I, of course, have to ask the big question: who the hell is Zac Brown? Turns out, it’s this rather famous guy…
Zac Brown. Famous guy. Note: no pink microphone.
…who doesn’t look completely unlike this other not-famous guy…
Zac Brown's beard-brother, Drew Bennett. Not-famous guy. Probably because of the pink microphone.
We finished up with a story about a winning sports bet on the Cardinals winning. The bettor spent $500 and won $375,000. I explained how.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Let’s All Sue Klout! – Geek Dads Weekly #98
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In which Daniel, Drew and Joe talk about Halloween, Pinterest, Pixar movies and the debacle that was Klout this week. Also: more information about the big 100th episode coming up!
We started with a little history and lead-up to the big milestone episode #100. There will be freebies! Live listeners will have an opportunity to score a free Gold pass to Affiliate Summit West 2012 (six of those will be given away) as well as some graphic novels and other cool stuff. We will also have a special guest joining us - Sam Harrelson, one of the original Geek Dads!
Halloween is coming up in a couple of days, Drew has an amusing story about costumes for his pregnant wife and daughter. His wife got some ideas for Halloween party decorations and DIY things at Pinterest.com, which led us into a big discussion about this new site. We all agree it’s pretty cool and has a lot of potential – though it does seem to be overrun by crafters and DIYers right now (not that that’s a bad thing).
We headed next into somewhat familiar territory with a discussion about social media – specifically the following of people on Google+ and Twitter. I’m beginning to sense a pattern… I think I’m getting burned out on social.
Klout had a big shakeup this week, with some people seeing their scores drop by as much as 20 points. We had quite a large discussion about Klout (for the second week in a row!) – is Klout a fad? Does anyone take it seriously? Should anyone take it seriously? There was a report of a social media consultant who lost clients after his score dropped; should people be reliant on the whims of a company like this?
Drew is finally caught up on Flickr! He was behind in posting his Photo-a-Day to Flickr (it has been going to other services) but he’s all caught up now. Go check out his sets!
Next up, Homestar Runner! We reminisced about Homestar, a site we were all fans of in years past. Where are they now? The site was last updated on December 22, 2010, over ten months ago. Will they ever be back with new ‘toons?
We had a great discussion of Pixar and their commitment to quality. They’re not a company to throw a bunch of things to the wall to see what sticks, they take their time and make sure that each project is a good one. Given that they make movies largely for kids, that’s something that we, as dads, really appreciate.
Lastly, congratulations to Joe’s parents on their 50th Anniversary! That’s a wonderful achievement! We wrapped up with a discussion about old 8mm recordings and transferring them to a digital format.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Who is Gary Johnson?! – Geek Dads Weekly #97
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In which Daniel, Drew and Joe talk about girls vs. boys, DC vs. Marvel, grown-up humans vs. a corn maze, and husbands vs. wives (with the new iPhone 4s as the weapon of choice). Also, Klout.
Recorded October 20th, 2011.
We started with me sounding like death incarnate and the lament that the kids were probably to blame.
Episode #100 is coming up! We’ve got a confirmed guest (and working on others) and we’ll have giveaways! The big ticket items for the giveaways are SIX Gold passes to Affiliate Summit West 2012, coming up in January. For the comics geeks I’ve got a bunch of Green Lantern hardcovers to give away. ONLY live listeners will be able to get in on the giveaways, so be sure to hit QAQN.com at 1pm Eastern, November 10th to join in.
Eva’s school does a Dad’s Night in order to accommodate fathers that work during the day and can’t make it to events that take place while they’re at work. While there are exceptions of course, it’s a great effort by the school to get both parents included in their kids’ education. They got to do crafts and interact with the kids in the school environment, which is great.
Drew and I talked next about the segregation of boys and girls and why it’s wildly inappropriate in many cases. This ties into how PR companies treat mom bloggers and dad bloggers very, very differently.
Next up – The Avengers! This is shaping up to be the biggest movie of 2012, certainly the biggest movie ever based on a comic book. If you haven’t watched the trailer, you don’t know what you’re missing. Go check it out! We also covered upcoming Marvel movies and the differences between DC and Marvel in both animation and live action movies. (DC crushes Marvel in animation, Marvel pwns DC in live action).
Have you ever gotten lost in a corn maze? These folks did, and we laughed at them. What? It was funny.
I gave the guys an update about the My Little Pony show that we talked about last week. My wife and kids have all watched it, and they give the thumbs-up (especially – no surprise – my 6-year-old daughter).
Klout is next. We’re not convinced it super-useful, and the topics it assigns to users are truly bizarre. Who influences who? And what is influence anyway? Nobody really knows! What are we influential about? For me, it’s affiliate marketing, internet marketing, social media, New Mexico and Gary Johnson. Will someone please tell me who the heck Gary Johnson is? I really have no idea, and Klout gives me no context. I haven’t lived in New Mexico for the past two years, and I don’t interact with anyone in New Mexico any more than people from anywhere else. Drew and Joe have similar oddities. Klout’s weird, man.
Some Klout competitors include Empire Avenue, Kred, PeopleBrowsr and PeerIndex.
I sometimes feel like social media is starting to get stale. Do you feel that way at all? We talk about it. It seems to ebb and flow for all of us. We talk about the use of Facebook vs. Twitter vs. Google+.
Drew’s got some complaints about another Google product: Picassa. The company made some changes that make using it a lot more of a hassle.
We wrapped up with a story about a suspecting husband and his (allegedly) cheating wife being “caught” using the Find My Friends feature on the new iPhone 4s. It raised some privacy concerns. Should it have?
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Geek Dads Weekly #96 – Bronies, iOS 5 and Faceb–wait, Bronies? Really?
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In which Daniel, Drew and Joe talk about… My Little Pony. Seriously. I know, I know. Also, combining Facebook and Spotify, upgrading to iOS 5 and all the headaches it caused, Shoemoney vs. the PMA and a bunch of other fun stuff.
The first thing I had to bring up was My Little Pony. You see, there’s an interesting situation happening right now where grown men are watching the new My Little Pony series, Friendship is Magic. They call themselves bronies. Drew’s take on this trend is interesting, and he provided a few helpful links:
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic
Next up, Joe and I talked about Spotify and Facebook music. I love me some Spotify and I went into great detail about the hows and whys of the service as well as the Facebook aspect of it. The published playlists that I mentioned in the show are these:
(Me) Instrumentals While I Work
(Me) Awesome 80′s Metal
(Me) Your New Favorite Playlist
(Missy Ward) TheMusicIListenToEveryday
We’re dealing, with varying degrees of success, with upgrading our devices to iOS 5. It seems like this one has been more plagued with issues than past updates. We also beg the question… what else can you put in a phone?
Lastly, the story behind the Inside Internet Marketing episode, Shoemoney and the PMA. I tell the story of how that came to be, what my role was, and what I learned from the experience. It was very educational.
Drew knows a guy named Scott who is writing a book about Daddy/Daughter dates, which is very cool.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Geek Dads Weekly #95 – Moving On
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In which Daniel, Joe and Drew talk about the death of an icon, updates from the kids and the genesis of the Shoemoney/PMA episode of Inside Internet Marketing.
We began this week with a discussion about Steve Jobs‘ impact and the legacy he left. It was not my most shining moment. 56 is just too damn young for anyone.
Next up, Drew’s daughter’s birthday celebration is in full swing, with cupcakes and crowns at school. There’s a local artist’s collaborative that has a kids’ birthday party area. For Eva’s party, princess-themed sock monkeys! And more cupcakes.
There was a big discussion about peanuts in school. Where did all these kids with peanut allergies come from? We don’t remember it being like this when we were kids. Schools all have different rules about how peanut products can be brought in for lunch, and Joe’s daughter’s school says that if you bring in a peanut butter sandwich, you have to sit at a table away from all the other kids in the cafeteria.
Last Tuesday was National Night Out, which we participated in. My wife and kids and I headed to the neighborhood park met a few neighbors (including everyone from the homeowners’ association and the mayor of our town, who lives near us). Unsurprisingly, Joe and Drew had never heard of this event. Neither had I, though my wife swears she’s known about it forever. You’d think after ten years of marriage, she would have dragged me to at least one of them by now…
One of Joe’s neighbors is missing a cat. You will not believe the lengths to which they are going to get it back. Listen to this segment and tell me you’re not thinking of joining the search.
The episode of Inside Internet Marketing that pitted Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker against the Performance Marketing Association is the most downloaded episode of any show I’ve ever produced. It was an insightful show and if you’ve not yet checked it out, you should! Here, I explained how that episode came to be and how it was produced.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Geek Dads Weekly #94 – Take Me to the Gifting Suite
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In which Daniel and Drew get fired up about the Kindle, give updates on the state of the comics wall, and talk a lot about toys – some of which were for the kids.
The big tech news this week was the announcement of the Kindle Fire, the new tablet that is… well, it’s a… it’s really good for… oh, it’ll totally kill the… hm. Having a hard time with this. There’s a lot to say about the Fire, but the big question seems to be: is there a place in the market for it or will it fall by the wayside like every other 7″ Android tablet so far?
We moved into the realm of comics next. Without Joe to temper us, we get geeky, but you know, it’s right there in the name of the show: Geek Dads Weekly, so we’re allowed sometimes. I gave an update on the status of the shelves that I built for my collection and also talked in detail about the software that I use to catalog all my comics: Comic Collector by Collectorz.com.
Drew had a really big update after his trip to New York for the 2011 Time to Play Holiday Showcase event, which he attended along with fellow dad bloggers Adam Cohen, Chris Lewis, Josh Becker and Mitch from GayNYCDad.com. His really big update story can be found in more detail and with way better links than I can come up with on my own, at BenSpark.com. Go check it out, I’ll be here when you get back.
We wrapped up with some talk about getting free wi-fi in fast food restaurants, getting free swag at conferences (and how to get the best stuff while making the best personal connections) and Drew has a question about teaching kids how to ride a bike. If you have any tips or tricks when it comes to riding bikes, hit us up by email or on Twitter (me or Drew). We’d love to hear your suggestions.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Geek Dads Weekly #93 – Ever Seen an 8-Year-Old Chef?
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In which Daniel, Drew and Joe talk about child chefs, the Netflix drama, and the idea that not every kid has to be a winner.
After Darren Rowse mentioned it on Twitter, I discovered Junior Masterchef, an Australian cooking competition for children aged 8 to 12 years. It’s brilliant. I described it on the show and opened up the discussion to cooking-related topics. When is a kid old enough to start cooking with a parent? How might that affect kids who are picky eaters – would helping cook make them more likely to try new things?
That led into the idea that not every kid can come in first place. More and more we’re seeing situations where parents are insisting on everyone being a winner and eliminating the concept of losing. None of us are on board with that.
Drew went to a wedding last weekend and his daughter was a flower girl. You’ve got to hear Drew describe how she charmed the crowd, she was adorable.
Everyone is all abuzz about Netflix this week, and we’ve got some theories about it. Netflix isn’t the only company that has its users in an uproar – Facebook is at it again! While you’re listening, check out this cartoon from The Oatmeal that describes the Facebook phenomenon.
Drew wrapped us up with an iPad app called Bobo Explores Light and I followed with a demo of The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Geek Dads Weekly #92 – Spongebob Makes You a Stupid Gay Kid
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In which Daniel and Joe discuss “bad” television for kids, throwing away your kids’ stuff and accepting jobs outside of your comfort zone. Oh, and the nearly complete destruction of major studio equipment. Good times.
Earlier this week I took my first job designing a website for a client. Design work is something that I’ve been doing for myself for many years, but I’ve never done it for anyone else. Last week I was contacted by Greg Hoffman, who asked me to take a crack at redoing his site, Greg Hoffman Consulting. I took that job and he was very happy with the way it turned out, so I couldn’t be happier myself.
My awesome microphone, the one I love so much, very nearly ended up on the floor. The clamp that was holding the boom arm to the table loosened and disconnected, causing a pretty major situation. Thankfully I was able to get it all together – and later in the day, after the recording, I checked the mail and found that my desk mount had been delivered. Oh, if I’d only checked the mail before the show…
Joe and I were both profiled on the Dad of Divas site. That’s a great site and we strongly recommend checking it out. You can read my interview and Joe’s interview.
School is going well for our girls. They’ve both got boys that they’re a little smitten with. We talked about packing lunches, getting them dressed and off to school on time, and dealing with the weather.
Joe and I discuss the pros and cons of getting rid of their stuff. Do you just surreptitiously bag things up and hope they don’t notice? Do you convince them to donate some old toys to charities? We’ve tried both. Right about at this time, my son Ian showed up and talked about how he’s been potty training. It’s… amusing.
We wrapped up with some talk about kids’ television. We reaffirmed our hatred of Calliou and lamented the recent “study” that “showed” that SpongeBob Squarepants will make you… what, stupid? He’ll melt kids’ brains? Couple of years ago, SpongeBob was supposedly making kids gay. So… now… apparently, SpongeBob Squarepants will turn your perfectly normal child into a idiotic gay kid.
Yeah, we don’t buy it, either.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Geek Dads Weekly #91 – They Feel Good in My Mouth
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In which Daniel, Joe and Drew cover the new school year, rant about advertising to girls vs. boys, and romanticize the immortal mix tape. Oh, and something about sweaty balls.
It’s that time of year again – school is starting all over the country. Mine started about two weeks ago, Joe’s started recently, and Drew’s is starting up soon. It’s a particularly notable time for all of us because our kids are young. When they’re teens, we’re not going to think twice about the first day of school except to thank god that they’re out of the freakin’ house for 8 hours a day again FINALLY. But for now, with all of our kids either in pre-school, kindergarten or first grade, it’s bit of a sentimental time. We covered a lot of ground related to school: the classrooms, the lunches, the school stores, and carrying milk back to the classroom.
Next up, advertising to girls vs. advertising to boys. Drew and I have stories about companies contacting us to promote their products, but only if we focus on boys. Hey, our daughters might like that stuff, too!
Borders is closing all over the place, and I gave a rundown of everything that I was able to pick up for a heck of a price. If you’ve got a Borders near you and it’s closing, you’ve got to get in there and see what they have. You could save upwards of 80%.
How many of you grew up in the era of the cassette tape? How many of you used to make mix tapes for yourself, your friends, or that special girl/boy in class that you really liked? All three of us were mix tape fans, you’ll want to hear the stories if you were, too.
Lastly, Ben & Jerry’s has a new flavor. You’ve probably heard about it, but if not… let’s just say that I hope it doesn’t really taste like… well…
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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Geek Dads Weekly #90 – She’s a Terrible House Guest
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In which Daniel and Drew talk about getting mellow with the neighbors, rude hurricanes, and comics. Without Joe to restrain us, we went nuts with the comics.
Drew has some… interesting… neighbors. Apparently, they smoke so much weed that it permeates the neighborhood. I can’t decide if that’s good or bad. This revelation follows the landing of Hurricane Irene, which affected Drew and his surrounding area. It could have been much, much worse, but things are definitely a little worse for wear up there right now.
We spent the bulk of the show this time talking about comics. Sorry, all you non-comics geeks. This week was a huge week for the industry as DC Comics rebooted their entire line of comics with a new universe, new takes on old characters and a new perspective. But is that perspective really all that new? Drew and I hashed out everything from the contents of the story of Justice League #1 to the backdoors that DC left open to the old universe, to the pricing strategy of the books. I should have started a comics podcast by now… I could go on for hours about this stuff. Hope you like it.
Due to the odd time of day and the last-minute scheduling of the recording, we didn’t do this one live. Next week we’re back on the live schedule, which you can see on the QAQN Live! page.
All this and more – thanks for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a voice mail at 281-241-QAQN(7276). Also, you can email us at feedback@qaqn.com.
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