Mediaboss Marketing

The company wants to create a place for people to share user-generated videos created through its app, hopefully setting itself from a crowded field.

If you look at Ptch's pedigree, you have to take the start-up seriously.

Ptch CEO Ed Leonard was the former chief technology officer of Dreamworks, known for films such as "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda," but left to run the start-up, which last week launched an iPhone app that allows users to easily and quickly create minute-long montage videos out of their existing photos and video clips.

The premise sounds familiar, right? In a previous column, I profiled a company with a similar mobile service called Animoto. Vyclone and Viddy offer similar remix video and photo services. Autodesk just spent $60 million buying Socialcam, which also does video sharing.

Ptch aims to be different because Leonard sees his service as second to the company's goal of becoming its own social network, where individuals follow each other, like their videos, and interact to create new videos.

"We really see this as a platform for living media," Leonard told me in an interview.

Still, with such a crowded field the company will face many challenges in winning converts. Leonard, however, felt so strongly about the company that he opted to leave the big studio behind, he told me in an interview.

"I felt so strongly about the company I decided to leave Dreamworks," he said. "I was excited to jump in with both feet."

Ptch came about as a result of Dreamworks' desire to improve its mobile presence. The company was incubated out of Dreamworks for the past nine months before going public last week.

I tried out Ptch, and like many of the other video services, the interface is easy to learn and fairly slick. By logging in through Facebook, you can automatically pull videos and photos from the site, as well as from your iPhone. You can mix and match, choose music, as well as a "style" that customizes how the photos are presented.

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How Ptch makes its pitch for video social networking

One man was killed and another was shot this month at parties in Charles County, and the sheriffs office said news of both parties was spread through social networking, which has been leading to trouble.

Across the nation and even here, the sheriffs office said in a statement, police are responding to more and more reports of parties that get out of control because the party is posted on social media.

The sheriffs office urged parents and teenagers to recognize that social media has changed the way people party. It said addresses of parties are forwarded to friends, who send the information to additional friends.

Soon, hundreds of uninvited people show up and in some instances violence has broken out, according to the sheriffs warning.

It may be tempting to go to one of these parties, the statement said, but those who do could be placing themselves in a dangerous situation.

The man who was killed, Jerry Adam Gilchrist, 18, of Cheltenham was involved in an altercation at a party July7 in the Indian Head area, the sheriffs office said. He died at a hospital, which reported that he had suffered blunt-force trauma, the sheriffs office said.

In the second incident, the office said, uninvited guests showed up at a party after learning about it through social networking. After an argument, there was gunfire and a 19-year-old was wounded. An arrest has been made, the sheriffs office said.

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Charles County authorities link party violence to social media

The social networking spent $960,000 on lobbying in the second quarter of 2012, the first time it has come close to spending seven figures in a single quarter.

Facebook has once again significantly increased its budget for wooing politicians. The social network giant spent $960,000 on lobbying in the second quarter of 2012, the transition quarter during which the company went public. This is up exactly 200 percent from the $320,000 the company spent in the first quarter of 2011, and up 47.69 percent from the $650,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

As you can see in the chart below, Facebook has been lobbying since 2009 but only cranked up the gears last year. In fact, 2011 was the first year Facebook spent more than $1 million for lobbying. To put the latest numbers into perspective, Facebook spent almost $1 million this past quarter alone, and in the first half of 2012 ($1.61 million) it has already blown past its total 2011 expenses ($1.35 million):

Facebook's 16-page lobbying report for the second quarter of 2012 (PDF) lists the following specific lobbying issues:

In summary, Facebook lobbied lawmakers on advertising, cybersecurity, employment, patents, privacy, taxes, and IPO issues. There are many reasons why Facebook's lobbying is increasing: the improving U.S. economy, the upcoming 2012 presidential election, as well as the various Internet-related bills making their way through Congress.

As all technology companies of Facebook's size, the social network will continue to friend Washington, D.C. as long as it has a list of items it wants help with. Working with the government is one of many ways Facebook is working to protect its interests, and in some cases, the interests of its users.

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Facebook breaks its lobbying record in Q2 2012

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Blue Calypso, Inc. (BCYP), a leader in digital word-of-mouth marketing, announced today that the company has appointed John Bucher, former chief strategy officer and senior vice president for Motorola Mobility, Inc., to its Board of Advisors.

I am thrilled to have the caliber of a leader like John Bucher joining the Blue Calypso Board of Advisors, said Bill Ogle, CEO, Blue Calypso. His extensive experience as a financial analyst, technology strategist and M&A leader will help drive Blue Calypsos growth and development. As we begin the newest chapter in our companys success, the timing is perfect to add John to our team, and we cannot wait to start working with him.

Buchers career spans three decades, including 14 years as a research analyst focused exclusively on the communication technology and services sectors, as well as several years working with wireless carriers that are now part of Verizon Wireless.

Most recently, Bucher was chief strategy officer for Motorola Mobility where he helped develop and execute global corporate strategy for the mobile device and home businesses. Additionally, he led the companys M&A teams, which planned and executed numerous acquisitions to augment Motorola Mobilitys technology and R&D capabilities.

Prior to Motorola Mobility, John served as a buy-side financial analyst for a leading equity-only investment management company, where his coverage responsibilities included the wireless, cable, wireline, optical and satellite equipment and services sectors. Additionally, he served as a sell-side analyst and Managing Director for BMO Capital Markets, the US equity research arm of the Bank of Montreal. Prior to his Wall Street experience, Bucher worked several years as an analyst for a private equity firm and held several director-level management positions with Bell Atlantic/NYNEX Mobile and PrimeCo Personal Communications. Bucher started his professional career with the United States Marine Corps where he served as an officer for 10 years.

About Blue Calypso, Inc.

Blue Calypso is the leader in digital word-of-mouth marketing and advertising. With Blue Calypsos patented engine, brands can harness the power of friend-to-friend referrals by empowering their advocates to share brand content with their unique social graph and rewarding sharing andengagement. Through robust, real-time analytics, brands can achieve a measurable ROI against their social media investment, acquire high-value customers and increase sales.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements which explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms believes, belief, expects, intends, anticipates, will, or plans to be uncertain and forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Companys reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Blue Calypso, Inc. Appoints Former Motorola Executive John Bucher to Board of Advisors

Andrew Selby insists the pressure of heading into the London Games as one of Great Britains brightest boxing medal prospects is nothing compared to the torture being endured by his mother Frances on the sidelines.

Selby, from Barry, was crowned European champion last year and followed it up by winning a silver medal at the World Championships in Baku where he was beaten by a single point by Russias world number one Misha Aloian.

But Selby revealed his mother could not bear to watch any of it because she is terrified of seeing her two boys Selbys brother Lee is a professional and the reigning Commonwealth featherweight champion in action.

Selby told Press Association Sport: My mum watched me once years ago, but apart from that shes only ever seen me on TV. Ive persuaded her to come to London for the Olympics, and theres no doubt shell be under more pressure than me.

She did go and watch my brothers last fight and she survived, but she was really nervous.

Its really difficult for her to watch us box so Ive just got to make sure I win in a way that will keep her as calm as possible.

Selby battled weight-making issues for years and threatened to slide away from the British elite scene entirely after a hugely disappointing defeat to Amir Khans brother Haroon who was representing Pakistan in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Selbys amazing turnaround has not come without its issues and the Welshman admits he is no stranger to nerves of his own particularly when his new-found profile means he become the inevitable subject of media scrutiny.

Selby added: Ive started to get used to the interviews now. Usually I would collapse if I saw a camera.

I still think getting in the ring is the easy part. Ive got experience of the big occasion and the fact its in London is not going to get to me at all.

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Boxing: Mum's the word for Olympic hopeful Andrew Selby