Latest Edition of Aspiring Gentleman

The latest edition of the Aspiring Gentleman newsletter.

 

http://paper.li/jeffreyrcameron/1324083581

 

 

My New Publication

I came a across this curation site that allows users to create their own newspapers based on their twitter accounts, others' twitter accounts and rss feeds. It's called paper.li. I just created a newspaper in about 3 minutes. Here it is. I thinks it's fairly reflective of my tastes and interests. I'll keep working to refine it.

 

http://paper.li/jeffreyrcameron/1324083581#!travel

 

 

Make A Comeback

Although I don't consider Tiger a role model, this article presents some food for thought on redemption.

http://askmen.com/sports/health_500/555_make-a-comeback.html#.

Venture Forth Young Man

Rule 2: Let Chaos be your Wingman

Here's some more sound advice from Men's Health on meeting new people from the same article: http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/best-places-meet-women . We need to get out of our same old routine and move outside of our geographic comfort zone. Research shows that we tend to stay close to home and frequent the same places.

The article cites a Northeastern University study that tracked the movements of 100,000 cell phone users that found people were extremely predictable, keeping to an area only 6 miles wide and spending a majority of their time in five or fewer places. How the heck are you going to meet new people if you stay to that routine?

You need to vary the places you go and when you go there. Once again, EventLoud (www. eventloud.com) can help you discover new places to go, join Loops and meet people that frequent those places. And more importantly, EventLoud Loops provides a forum and context to build rapport with people with whom you share common interests. EventLoud Loops is coming soon. Check this out to learn more about Loops: http://blog.eventloud.com/2011/11/29/meet-new-people-using-eventloud-loops/

Facebook Anti-social?

Here's a copy of my EventLoud blog post: http://blog.eventloud.com/2011/12/06/facebook-anti-social/

 

There have been a number of amusing advertising campaigns recently that highlight the paradox of online social networks.

 

 

 

 

These campaigns remind us that being social is all about getting out and experiencing life in the world, not sitting alone in front of a keyboard. No doubt Facebook has changed the way we interact with each other in a powerful way, but we all smile at these ads because there is an element of truth in the underlying message. I know there are times when I need to decompress and hang out alone. It’s part of my nature. I call it isolating and I don’t consider it a bad thing. The funny thing is that when I’m isolating my Facebook usage increases dramatically!

 

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy Facebook and I have been able to connect with people I hadn’t seen in 30 years.  But I also know that when I’m living life in the real world, my Facebook posts are a lot more interesting, I’m more engaged and certainly a lot more social.

 

Last week I posted a blog entitled “Meet People, Not Women” (http://aspiring-gentleman.blogspot.com/) that discussed ways to build your romantic network by finding group events and activities. The premise is that the more you expand your social network to include more casual relationships the better chance you have of meeting a potential partner. It’s important to get out and live life and meet new people, engage in real-life activities and try new things. You are more interesting when you do things than when you “socialize” in the virtual world in front of your computer.

 

The introduction of EventLoud Loops will enable you to begin the process of expanding your social network by facilitating the creation of more non-core relationships centered on activities that you like to do. You can get to know fellow Loop members through online chats, discover and organize group events and take your social life into the real world.

 

Try using EventLoud now. Post a few Events and invite your friends to join. When we introduce Loops in the coming weeks, you and your friends will be members of the Loops for those venues that you’ve visited in the past. You can be among the first users to be “in da Loop”!

 

Meet People, Not Women

I'm working on a start up (www.eventloud.com) that facilitates meeting new people based on common interests. As I was was doing some research I came across this article in Men's Health that gives some great advice to meeting women entitled "Yes She's Out There. And she wants to meet you. Trouble is you don't know where to look."

http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/best-places-meet-women

Rule number 1: Build Your Romantic Network

The key take away is to meet people, not woman. By expanding your social network beyond your core group of friends you have a much greater likelihood of meeting a mate. Chances are someone that is more a casual friend will be able to introduce you to more people that you don't know. You probably know all your core group's friends already. So the question is "How do you expand your casual relationships?" For me, I started doing things that interested me, assuming I was going to meet people I would enjoy.

Just the other day, I was recently reminded of a phase in my life I would rather forget. About 5 years ago I was fearing the prospect of living alone for the first time in my life. My marriage was dissolving and I realized that most of my friends were people I met as a result of my wife's outgoing personality. I honestly felt that I was incapable of forming new friendships and I certainly wasn't going to be able to meet any woman. I had no interest in finding anyone at bars and clubs. I don't drink and I was in my late forties. So I decided to pursue some new activities to stay busy and perhaps meet a few people. I started going to yoga, art and ballroom dancing classes. I met new people and discovered new passions. I have a ton of new relationships and a much wider variety of friends than I ever have had in my life.

My advice if you're looking for companionship is to search for activities and events that you can attend on your own that don't require you to go into mingle mode, such as classes and seminars. I hate mixers and networking events, always have and probably always will. With a class or a seminar you have a purpose for being there. You're there to learn something and get some information. You have context. Usually others are in the same boat and generally the instructor or teacher makes you feel welcome. It seems to me a more natural way of meeting people, especially if you are genuinely interested in the activity, Your enthusiasm and desire to learn will make you much more attractive and far less needy than trying to walk up to a group a women in a bar and try out your pick up lines and strategies.

An Easy Way to Meet the Right New People

One of my roles is co-Founder of EventLoud, a social networking app that helps users meet new people and explore and organize events with their friends. We are getting ready to introduce our most excitng feature yet: Loops!

Check out my post at the EventLoud Blog.

 

http://blog.eventloud.com/2011/11/29/meet-new-people-using-eventloud-loops/

 

 

Gamification Trends

Gartner: 50% of Innovation will be Gamified by 2015 April 13th, 2011 Jeff Lopez By 2015, 50% of companies that manage innovation and research will use gamification to drive innovation, according to a press release by Gartner. As gamification is just beginning and few public examples exist today, this finding means that the next four years are going to see rapid changes in management of the enterprise. According to Brian Burke, an analyst at Gartner, “Enterprise architects, CIOs and IT planners must be aware of, and lead, the business trend of gamification, educate their business counterparts and collaborate in the evaluation of opportunities within the organization.” The press release sites a few examples where changes are already beginning to take place including the World Bank’s Evoke, but the most interesting example is Idea Street. Idea Street is an internal project of the United Kingdom’s Department of Work and Pensions, where employees interact and share ideas. The project includes a few basic game mechanics like badges and leaderboards, but the intrinsic driver of sharing ideas and collaborating on projects is the primary motivation behind the project. Idea Street facilitates the process. There is a case study available on Idea Street from Gartner, and the findings show that within the first 18 months, the project had around four thousand users, generated 1,400 ideas, 63 of which have been implemented within the Department. Idea Street exemplifies some of the more general strengths of gamification, as explained by Gartner: 1. Accelerated feedback cycles. In the real world, feedback loops are slow (e.g., annual performance appraisals) with long periods between milestones. Gamification increases the velocity of feedback loops to maintain engagement. 2. Clear goals and rules of play. In the real world, where goals are fuzzy and rules selectively applied, gamification provides clear goals and well-defined rules of play to ensure players feel empowered to achieve goals. 3. A compelling narrative. While real-world activities are rarely compelling, gamification builds a narrative that engages players to participate and achieve the goals of the activity. 4. Tasks that are challenging but achievable. While there is no shortage of challenges in the real world, they tend to be large and long-term. Gamification provides many short-term, achievable goals to maintain engagement. You can find more research on gamification currently underway at Gartner from the press release and on Brian Burke’s blog.

MamboWalk is Ready for Early Testers

We've been working hard at MamboHg is get our very Minimally Viable Product(vMVP!) into the hands of some testers. Our goal is get a very basic step counter into some people's hands and to learn what they think about the idea of monitoring their steps on a daily basis while trying to complete the challenge of walking the Boston Marathon route over 14 days (3,900 steps per day). Give it a try and let us know what you think!

 

www.mambowalk.com/test

 

 

Men As Romantics - Surprising Findings

Here's a surprising article on men and romance.

Building Confidence Step by Step

A gentleman exudes confidence without being cocky, boastful or full of false pride. Confidence is not something that we are either born with or not. If we feel we lack the level of confidence we need to fulfill our dreams we can take action to improve our self esteem. Confidence can be developed through intentional actions and affirmations. Little victories add up to feelings of accomplishment which feed feelings of expectations of success, leading to a confident attitude. Just about everyone has feelings of anxiety and shyness in certain situations. The key to overcoming these bouts of low self esteem are to recognize them for what they are (building awareness) and understand you can survive and overcome even the most distressing situations.

For more continue reading here: Confidence

Maintaining self-esteem is a lifelong psychological process. Think of self-esteem as a mental muscle that must be developed and maintained through regular psychological workouts—or you will be vulnerable to depression and anxiety. It must be renegotiated at each stage of life and in each domain of experience. When we build up the self-esteem muscle deep inside us, we learn to like and respect who we are, no matter what is happening around us.

10 ways to Acheive your goals

Have a look at this list of 10 common ways you might go about achieving your goals. Most of these should be familiar, but which ones do you think work? More to the point: which ones do or don't you use?

Make a step-by-step plan.

Motivate yourself by focusing on someone who has achieved a similar goal.

Tell other people about your goal.

Think about bad things that will happen if you do not achieve your goal.

Think about the good things that will happen if you achieve your goal.

Try to suppress unhelpful or negative thoughts about your goal and how to achieve it.

Reward yourself for making progress in your goal.

Rely on willpower.

Record your progress.

Fantasize or visualize how great your life will be when you achieve your go

What Every Gentleman Needs To Know

I started ballroom dancing over 3 and half years ago and any man who wants to make a woman feel special should acquire this much appreciated skill. Here I am dancing a foxtrot with my beautiful partner Jenn!

NYT -Relationship Deal Breakers

February 1, 2011, 8:55 AM

What Are Your Relationship Deal Breakers?

By TARA PARKER-POPE

What are the qualities that you must have in a relationship? What are the behaviors that you simply can’t stand?

The dating Web site eHarmony asks all its members these questions, and the answers offer a glimpse into the collective minds of men and women as they embark on a new relationship.

When eHarmony members begin to communicate with a prospective date, both sides are required to exchange a list of “must haves” and “can’t stands.” These are the positive and negative qualities that are nonnegotiable and help the couple decide if they want to pursue a dating relationship.

Now eHarmony has analyzed the “must have” and “can’t stand” responses of nearly 720,000 members, identifying the top 10 relationship deal breakers for men and women.

Men and women agree on many of the “must haves.” They want a sense of humor, someone who is affectionate and kind, chemistry, good communication and loyalty. Not surprisingly, both sexes want someone who is emotionally healthy, and who is honest and has strong character.

But there were also differences. Men said they must have a woman who is patient, meaning she “can handle life’s frustrations or momentary setbacks with a patient and steady demeanor.” A partner who is “passionate” was the seventh most important quality listed by men, but passion didn’t make the top 10 list for women.

Instead, women said they must have a partner who is financially responsible and committed to family life, qualities that were not listed as important by men

Men and women were mostly in agreement about what they can’t stand in a relationship, although there were differences in how they ranked various behaviors. Both men and women posted similar concerns about lying, cheating, rude behavior and drug use.

Infidelity was the fourth most common “can’t stand” for women and the sixth most common response for men. More concerning to men was poor hygiene, which they ranked fourth; it was the seventh most common concern for women. Mean-spirited behavior was the fifth most common concern for men, while women ranked it in eighth place. Meanwhile, women said an inability to control anger, by either yelling or bottling it up, was their fifth biggest concern, but for men, anger management dropped to eighth place. Laziness ranked ninth for women and 10th for men in terms of undesirable qualities.

The final quality that women “can’t stand” was being racist. But for men, the remaining deal breaker was “excessive overweight.”

Here's the article.

Jane Fonda's Does the Mambo in Her Walking Video! Next she should promote MamboWalk!

Victoria Secret Swim

Mambo Health Gaming, Inc - Our introductory video

Here's a video Tim Schmidt and I put together for the TechStars competition! Please share and let us know what you think.

Download now or watch on posterous

MamboHG_Intro_-_Medium.m4v (30014 KB)

Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive - Spicing Things Up a Bit!

What Have I been Working on Lately?

I have spent the last few months pulling together a bunch of thoughts and ideas to help people lead healthier and more active lives using online social networks and gaming dynamics. I want to encourage people to take small steps to improve their lives and have fun doing it. Almost five years ago I took a few small steps to change my life. I admitted I needed to change and asked for help. I took a few small steps that led me to a rich (i.e. full not wealthy!) and fulfilling life. Realizing that so many people want to make a change but don’t necessarily have the tools and encouragement to do so,  I founded Mambo Health Gaming with a former Capstone Partners colleague, Tim Schmidt, this past summer Here’s what we’re working on:

 

What does Mambo do?

MamboHG develops and markets online and mobile health games that entertain, challenge, encourage and motivate people to take incremental positive steps to lead healthy lives. Our portfolio of products combines well-researched health behavior change theories with recent developments in online social networks, social media, and gaming tactics to sustain engagement and build healthy habits. Our products utilize goal setting and tracking tools, peer support, competition, education, entertainment, visualization and rewards to produce positive long term behavior change.

 

We have a number of products at various stages of development. Our goal is to have a portfolio of products delivered over various platforms targeting different demographics and, potentially different chronic diseases. Our products range from simple reminder applications for mobile devices incorporating geo-location elements to casual social games played on Facebook. Each of our games will be designed to encourage small positive actions as the building blocks of developing healthy habits.

 

Below is a brief summary of some of our product initiatives:

 

MamboWalk – An Everyday Walk-a-thon

MamboHG plans to quickly develop and launch a social networking product aimed at

complementing the fund-raising capabilities of thousands of non-for-profit organizations and help millions of volunteer fund-raisers to improve their health. The platform is a virtual walk-a-thon called MamboWalk where fund-raisers raise money for the charities of their choice for each step they take every day. The MamboWalk website will connect with Facebook and will allow users to sign up to choose their organization, recruit sponsors, create teams, report their progress and view their accomplishments.

 

Participants will log their steps using either connected pedometers (e.g. iPhone apps) or manually entering their steps recorded on an unconnected pedometer. Fund-raisers will be rewarded with points and badges for achieving certain milestones, such as building teams, raising funds and accomplishing walking activities.

 

HabitMaker- Small actions to build healthy habits

HabitMaker is a mobile device application designed to encourage healthy behavior changes through simple reminders throughout the day. Users receive tasks and reminders to take small actions that improve their health and create awareness to build healthy habits. Users receive points for completion of the tasks. Users can customize their reminders for specific goals or even to break bad habits. Think of it as the digital string on the finger.

 

FutureMe - A Facebook game for health

FutureME is a comprehensive online, interactive health platform consisting of two major

components: a consumer facing website and an online social networking game. The FutureME platform includes an interactive social networking game that links the accomplishment of real life goals with a reward system based on the accumulation of virtual currency with value in a virtual online gaming world. The FutureME program is intended to require the user to post and record real life activities in order to play the

game online thus encouraging positive behavior changes.

 

Crystal Ball - Creating your own Self Fulfilling Prophecy

Crystal Ball uses the power of creating a Vision Board to see the types of results you are interested in attaining through small changes in behavior. It will engage a player to create a picture of the future healthy lifestyle they want to attain.

 

 

What's new, interesting, or different about what your company will do?

MamboHg is positioned at the intersection of three important trends: social media, gaming and health information to collect and use this data in a positive way. MamboHG’s approach is to focus on changing health behavior by capitalizing on the dramatic changes in the way people connect and interact with each other using social media. Now, more data can be captured, analyzed and shared in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. While there is no silver bullet to change health behavior, we approach health behavior in a fun way. We talk about people and games and rewards and encouragement from friends. We talk about entertainment and celebration. We don't talk about patients and compliance and protocols and requirements. We bring games to health.

 

Millions of people around the world suffer from poor health and wellness decisions and behaviors. Two thirds of Americans alone are overweight or obese. These trends, combined with an aging population are driving up healthcare costs globally. It is estimated that over 50% of all healthcare expenditures are associated with unhealthy lifestyles and are therefore avoidable. Most experts agree that a major part of the solution to rising health care costs is an emphasis on prevention and lifestyle changes.