Why This is a Big Deal for You:

Let’s see here… free to get in, free food, chances to win prizes and check out the latest innovations while enjoying great entertainment, drink specials and music – why wouldn’t you want to go? As an added bonus, the event is held inside the MotorCity Casino Hotel’s Sound Board and gives attendees a chance to experience the casino before or after the event. Whether you are a communications professional or a community member looking for a fun (free) night in the city with friends, Social Media Day Detroit is one more way to celebrate local businesses and international companies using social media. The other cool part? We have sweet sponsors onsite that you can interact with including: Chevrolet, The Detroit Red Wings, The Detroit Tigers, ePrize, Livio, MLive, Motor City Casino, Plex Systems, Twitter, Quicken Loans and Yelp!.

Why This Is a Big Deal for Me:

I am a senior studying public relations at Central Michigan University. When I first was hired at Livio I did not realize how much work and effort would go into planning an event such as Social Media Day Detroit. From calling on press, to watching my manager, Nicole and her partner, John, work out the fine details, I can definitely say that I am one lucky student to have gotten this amazing experience. Some interns leave their internships with knowing how to make coffee and use a copy machine, others get a couple portfolio pieces. I get to leave having helped plan an event, make relationships with press and have a stack of portfolio pieces. Though I am lucky, this does not mean it will be easy. Like my mom always says, “nothing worth trying is ever easy.” I will have to work my butt off to get the experience I desire and the results that are expected from my employers and event sponsors. An internship can only do so much for you, it is the effort you put forth that will give you the experience need. I am eager to start working on this special event for Detroit and thankful I have been given this wonderful opportunity. This summer will be filled with long days but the results will be worth all of the hard work.

For more information on Social Media Day Detroit, or to register for tickets, please visit www.socialmediadaydetroit.com. All attendants must be 21 years or older.

Deliberate is a funny word. Thanks to my dad and dads of Disney princesses, most of the time I hear it used, it’s to convey something negative and generally paired with words like “disobeyed” or “defied.”

Recently I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, a condition that causes my body to not absorb what it needs when gluten is present in the foods I eat.  Now I must make more deliberate decisions with what I’m eating and ensure that it’s gluten-free so my body gets what it needs.  So far, I’m finding this means I generally have to eat the stuff that’s good for me and cut out the junk I eat when I’m not paying attention.

Not surprisingly, this change made me take another look at how we do things here. The Livio crew works hard to ensure that we’re doing things on purpose.  Our events like Autos ‘n’ Apps or Social Media Day Detroit aren’t held because we like to throw parties (which we totally do), they’re held because they contribute to our overall business plan and industry vertical we operate within. Our products, Livio Connect and FM Connect weren’t made because in-vehicle telelmatics is easy.  It’s not. We made them because we meant to.  Technology and music is Livio’s thing and we’re located just outside of Detroit because we mean to be.

I can say the same thing about working with press, our sweet robot swag and the tradeshows we participate in.

It’s on purpose. It’s deliberate. It’s what the brand needs to continue to grow.

It’s incredible the amount of junk that is accessible whether it’s for our bodies or our brands.  Yes, cookies and opportunities to slap your logo on a wall can be found anywhere. Yes, they fill the hole for the time being – but did you get the nutrients or recognition your body or brand needs?  I’d venture to guess that most times, the answer is no. Whether it’s your body or your brand, “low hanging fruit” is never as healthy as we want it to be and generally provides as much nutrients as a candy bar.

My advice? Be deliberate. Pay attention to what you’re doing and choose the thing that your body or your brand needs to thrive.

You can find a job that you are happy to go to every day. An old cliché applies, for sure – like life or love, it’s about the journey, not the destination. In short, there’s no “job search jackpot” you can enter and win, but keeping a few things in mind can help when considering a career change or entering the workforce for the first time.

Only team sports have digital scoreboards, so winning in life is about being happy with an outcome. Pursuing that outcome is what defines passion. We’ve all heard the suggestion “what would you do if you didn’t have to work? That should be your job.” Trite, but so true. Keeping sight of that passion is the only way you can weigh whether you’re getting closer or further from your goal.

So how do you find a job you love? Don’t be everything to everybody. I’d wager that 90% of tech job seekers fall for one of the two cardinal sins: Listing every tech buzzword that they’ve ever seen on stackoverflow, or asserting expertise in some field or discipline that they want to work in. The point is, both approaches are unnecessary and will blur the focus of a job hunt. Being honest with your skillset and your interests will position you for a job that fills both. Worry less about “filling the role” that’s open than finding a role that fits you.

However, if there’s one piece of advice to take away, especially for first-time job seekers is don’t be afraid to “pay your dues”, and realize you’ll be a better person for it. I wrote code for 6 years in a “cube field”, lasso’d with a necktie complete with a precisely 60 minute lunch break, and my very own unique Employee Number (read: some database table’s primary key). What I learned was how teams work, when hard work is more important than “being right”, that sometimes “playing by the rules” is a really smart move, and that I needed a job that needed me back. Sound like a relationship? It is…

Here at Livio, we recently wrapped up a big Livio Connect project that we’ll be announcing next week. Livio Connect is a protocol that connects smartphones with cars. The days started to become fewer as we approached the deadline, but the amount of work didn’t seem to let up. When it looked like we may be going past the deadline, our CEO Jake Sigal, asked if we needed some more help. He would get more people to help with the project. This rang a bell for me, this was a perfect example of “Brooks’s Law.”

Brooke’s Law, for those who have never read “The Mythical Man Month” by Fredrick Brooks Jr, states that “adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.” This was published in 1975, but still holds true today. There is an expensive ramp up time for new developers to get on board with a project. This is not only taking away from the new developers time, but it requires someone who could be working on the project directly to use up their time. This is something that is not common for all types of engineering tasks, but software development is at such an abstracted level that it’s nearly impossible for someone to jump in and produce anything worth while. I believe this is true because unlike other engineering fileds, software isn’t bound by the laws of physics, nor does it have to adhere to what we know is true in the world. Software development is basically the process of creating a new world where you define your own rules and how things should work. So when you try to bring in someone new to your world, it takes time to explain to them that maybe you made the metaphorical sky green and the grass purple.  You have to then explain why you made these choices and how they can leverage them in their everyday life in the new world.

I would call this ramp up process the “Potty Training Phase.” In the beginning you’ll have to constantly reinforce best practices of using the code, but inevitably the new developer will have accidents and you’ll have to clean them up. Over time the developer will learn to do things on their own and be able to clean up their own messes. However, a late project doesn’t have the one vital thing to getting past this phase, time.

So while it may look like adding another person to a project for a week would give you an additional 40 man hours, bringing you to 80 man hours for two people working on the project, it actually will yield something closer to 30 combined. If this occurred near the start of the project  it would be an investment that was worth going after, but so late in the game it is a futile effort. i can assure you, when a software developer tells you it’s looking like they are going over schedule, it’s best to accept it, learn from it, and move on. There is no use in thrashing around trying to hit a deadline because it will only cause that deadline to be moved further and further down the calendar.

It’s here! It’s finally time to work one of my favorite events at Livio:  Social Media Day Detroit. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done to grow this event at Livio along with our friends and co-hosts at MotorCity Casino Hotel.

If you’re not familiar, back in 2010 Mashable asked readers to target June 30 for worldwide celebrations of social media.  At the time, I was still with the Detroit Red Wings and had just accepted a job with Livio. In my last few weeks, I worked with MotorCity Casino Hotel and my pals at the Detroit Red Wings to put together an event, got nearly 500 RSVP’s, help from sponsors and even a bit of press coverage for our quick efforts.

Our second year, we went balls to the wall. We moved the event to Soundboard (the concert venue inside MotorCity Casino Hotel), got sponsors to help with costs, arranged for free food, kept tickets free and with the help of some hard working interns (Ian, Jamie and Jordan) we pulled off a media blitz that knocked the socks off our sponsors. Last year, we really brought the noise with even more press than the previous year including more onsite photographers and Channel 95.5 as our media sponsor (netted by Laura), DJ’s, fun giveaways and great sponsors including ExactTarget as our title sponsor (managed by Jordan).

Fast-forward to today.  2013 marks our fourth annual Social Media Day Detroit and we’re looking to make it the best yet.  How can you help?  I thought you’d never ask:

1. RSVP! Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, May 1 on EventBrite here: http://smdaydet2013.eventbrite.com/
2. Become a sponsor!  Sponsors help us keep this event free for attendees including free food, entertainment and an awesome venue with free parking. Think your brand could benefit from meeting 2,000 professionals in marketing, social media, traditional media and Detroit enthusiasts?  I think so too.  So email me at nicole [at] LivioConnect [dot] com so we can find cool ways to get you involved
3. Tell us what you think! If you’ve come before and saw something you hated or something you loved, please leave a comment so we can make sure to omit or repeat that thing

Michigan State University launched a new site that shows how MSU has had an important role in strengthening the state of Michigan, MI Spartan Impact. This is just one example of how Michigan has such great universities that help mold incredible talent.  Go check it out and see just how much of an impact MSU students and alumni have on this great state!

I’m proud to be a Spartan and will bleed green forever.

Go Green!

Why so serious? This means Livio just made it easier to get apps requiring live updates into factory head units.  Sill don’t get it? Watch a YouTube video demo below with the snazzily-dressed Livio engineering team:

This has been a thing to put on my list for press conferences we host at Livio: always make sure you have a seat for everyone invited.  And for the love of God, give ‘em water and wifi!

Not only did they have Mr. Tom  Colicchio from Craft present the delightful treats they planned to feed press later, but they also had delicious statistics and updates for their infotainment platform, Blue Link:

• Customers will use Blue Link 1.9 million times this year
• Customers have already used phones to remotely start their cars in 2013 than all of 2013
• 4 million vehicle health reports have been sent to users in 2013

Later, the Hyundai team introduced attendees to Hyundai owners who shared how they use Blue Link, a Blue Link agent who shared a story about an accident and speaking with the customer to quickly make sure everyone was safe and an insurance agent.  They put faces on their technology just like we do at Livio because they know what we do: our people are a powerful part of our products.

Here’s the big news: Hyundai announced every vehicle will come with 3 years of connected care for free: car care, safety services.  This cements the brand as the only manufacturer to make their services a nearly permanent part of the vehicle purchase.

Why’d they do that?  I had the pleasure of speaking with both Michael O’Brien, Vice President of Product planning and corporate planning and Michael Deitz, Senior Group Manager for the Connected Car.  O’Brien put it best: “if you buy Hyundai, you don’t have to worry – we’ve got your back.” He also shared that Hyundai launched a program, Think Tank approximately 5 years ago and filled it with over 3,000 car owners to give feedback on things they wish they had, wished they never had and things they currently have and love. It’s like they took my advice and do big by acting small with each and every customer.

Deitz was able to share that Hyundai has worked tirelessly to create lots of services for the car on the phone. Yes, they have Pandora but they also have cool services like navigation, curfew fencing alerts, assurance car care and a lot of voice activated services aimed at helping the consumer while in transit.

When it comes down to it, my big takeaway from today, especially from Hyundai is that they’re making great products by focusing and listening to their consumer.  They showed press what they meant today by offering all of us a seat, a bite to eat, skipped the PowerPoint/music montage and let us meet the team, the consumers and of course, the great vehicle equipped with technology blogs like us can write home about. Thanks for letting me end the day on a good note. I’m looking forward to seeing great things.

Yep. I’ve gotten this far and still haven’t said that word you’re waiting for: Camero.  Chevy is bringing back muscle cars in the coolest, most exciting way  this year. Finally the Stingray has some company in the classic cool cars club with the arrival of the 2014 Chevy Camero Z28. They made it lighter, they made it faster and they certainly didn’t skip the sex appeal.  It wasn’t just me.  That press conference had more hoots and hollers than I’ve heard at a concert and certainly have heard thus far today.  Well done, friends.

Another highlight of my day was the Chevy Spark.  While it may have been a vehicle that was unveiled in 2012, it’s still the first car Livio Connect was launched in. So I found a product presenter and was given a demo of TuneIn working in the head unit.  It. Was. Cool.  Probably my favorite part of the show has been seeing Livio’s work on display and hearing someone explain why MyLink is able to offer new and hot music apps like TuneIn. If you didn’t know, Livio Connect is what’s making that happen.  I just like it as often as possible.  Drink that Kool-Aide

Nissan showed us a taxi.  No, really it has wheelchair access (which would have been really handy when I broke my foot at CES) and is a hybrid offering a solution to rising fuel and subsequent costs for a ride in one. They also unveiled the 2014 Pathfinder, also an electric vehicle aimed at small families with a small family fuel budget. The new tagline is reminiscent of the Livio montra derived from Hockey’s Great One: imagine where the world is going, not where it has been.

That’s it for infotainment updates for now – still plenty to come!

Ford started the day right by announcing a new challenge for the developer community. Ford is looking for developers to help them create a software and hardware solution to help consumers get the best possible MPG based on their driving style alongside the vehicle they drive.  There’s money in it, too. $50,000 is on the line for the solution that will help Ford give consumers more bang for their buck at the gas pump. You can get more information at ford.challengepost.com.

Toyota’s got a brand new bag. Bill Fay Group Vice President, General manager Toyota Division announced a new mid-size SUV that is cleaning up in awards: The Highlander.  This new vehicle has an 8-inch navigation system equipped with Entune along with a spot specifically designed to stash and charge your Smartphone. Toyota also announced a new partnership with Nikelodeon’s Sponge Bob Squarepants that will kick off this summer.  I hope he’s the voice of the nav system.

Volkswagen suited up for yet another product reveal.  Before unveiling the 2015 (yes, 2015 not 2014) VW Golf, Jonathan Browning, president and CEO, Volkswagen group of America announced that starting in 2014, Volkswagen is adding a new connectivity system, Car-Net. Browning explained the system is focused to deliver information about the vehicle to its users in an easy way (think: a check engine light with context and your smartphone). “It’s about delivering a seamless digital experience in an expansive and responsible way,” said Browning.

Last but not least, Jaguar Land Rover launched the new Land Rover.  While I didn’t get the chance to review the infotainment system, I did get to see New York shut down a street so Daniel Craig could deliver it (you can watch the video here). You know it’s cool if James Bond has to deliver the goods. There’s still a lot more to come so stay tuned!