The Link Adder Nexus
Connecting Worlds

August 20, 2010

Legend of the Seeker Fans Starting Operation LOTS More

Legend of the Seeker has inspired many fan sites and blogs.According to the Save The Seeker blog, Legend of the Seeker has no immediate prospects for renewal or revival but that discouraging news has not persuaded the loyal audience of the fantasy TV show to stop asking networks to pick it up for a third season. In fact, efforts to convince SyFy to pick up the show have been so consistent that SyFy’s Craig Engler is begging fans to stop inundating him with Tweets about the movement.

Unless something changes in the magic formula, SyFy has declared (again) it has no intention of picking up the show for its schedule. Producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert may still be hopeful like their fans but for now there is no news on the distribution front. ABC Studios has also reportedly pulled out of the distribution process.

Unimpeded by these setbacks, fan site SaveOurSeeker.com has raised new funds for advertising in the hope of finding a new home for the show. Fan groups are organizing Legend of the Seeker rallies, tables and presentations at science fiction conventions (including Dragon*Con 2010 in Atlanta over the Labor Day Weekend), and college campus poster campaigns and viewing parties.

To help get the word out about these and other activities, a new promotional campaign named Operation LOTS More will assist in creating visibility and awareness for the various Legend of the Seeker fan projects. That’s no small undertaking because, frankly, there are a LOT of Seeker fan projects under way.

People are selling t-shirts, wristbands, and other merchandise that promotes the show in creative ways. Weekly letter writing campaigns are still being organized to keep the show on the radars of various networks and distributors. And any news article that mentions Legend of the Seeker is being linked to, discussed, announced, and redistributed across Seeker Web forums to help increase awareness of the show and sustain interest.

Legend of the Seeker was cancelled earlier this year after Tribune Group dropped the show from its schedule and ABC Studios failed to find a replacement market. Viewership dropped from an estimated 2.5 million to about 1.7 million, thus illustrating how week the Tribune Group’s contribution to the show’s popularity really is. Nonetheless, those reduced numbers are not convincing any networks to take a chance on the show — yet. Hence, Operation LOTS More and other initiatives are seeking to build new audience share while the show is in reruns.

January 29, 2010

Vivek Kundra Forging to Transform Federal Administration Use of Tech

Filed under: Doing Business, News Center, Technometer @ 5:50 pm

As the first Federal Chief Information Officer, Vivek Kundra manages Federal IT investing. He uses his diverse IT expertise in government, the private sector, and academia to ensure the government spends wisely when it comes to tech initiatives. With a Masters Degree in Management Information Systems, Vivek Kundra has a deep understanding of IT and its complexities.

In his role as CTO in Washington D.C. Vivek Kundra sought out ways to use technology to make systems and services run better. He initiated many tax-saving technology campaigns. One specific project resulted in more than 4.5 million digitized employee files for that particular school system. He also transformed the software that government used for spreadsheets and e-mails to the Google version. He even started a developer contest to choose the best technology applications for the Washington D.C. web site. In addition, he led initiatives to step-up the availability of government information to the public while lowering the cost of providing this information.

Costly technology contracts that do not bring about significant return on investment are an area where Vivek Kundra also thinks the Federal government can save money. To that end, he recently launched the Federal IT Dashboard. He is also working to assure the government is serious and tough on contractors that do not deliver. His ultimate goal is to have consultants and contractors that are adding value to the Federal government so the government can serve the people better. Born in Delhi, India, and raised in Tanzania, Vivek Kundra has a diversified educational and work background. He is utilizing his knowledge and expertise in IT to reach these aforementioned goals.

It seems as though for Vivek Kundra, the time is now for applying innovative Information Technology initiatives. His want is to broadcast more information to the public and to facilitate efficient communication between government offices. He is leading a Federal government technology strategy that is applying cloud computing, open source, and other ways to aid the Federal government achieve its challenging Web 2.0 goals.