Disqus - Latest Comments for jeffcutler

Re: These puppies names are Click, Bokeh, Nikon, Sensor, Skrim, and Gobo

Jeff Cutler — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 12:58:13 -0000

Um, why name one of the pups "Nikon" when all the gear in the bag is Canon? Otherwise, fantastic...love the images.

Re: 6 Mistakes To Avoid When Flying Your DJI Mavic Pro

Jeff Cutler — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 22:24:03 -0000

As all UAV pilots know, it's illegal to fly beyond line of sight per the FAA. SO, the crashing beyond line of sight is moot if you're following operational rules.

Re: Best SD Memory Card For The Canon 7DII

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 18:33:44 -0000

Makes perfect sense. Another comment and then another quick question. I was asking because I wanted to buy a couple fast CF cards (and have done so based on ratings I found online). That said, is there an easy way to go through my existing cards and see how fast they really are - or should I let my fingers do the walking and just search for each card I have in the tests others have done? When I bought my CF cards (a couple 4GBs, a few 8GBs, four 16GB and two or three 32GBs, I focused on their "x" speeds or "mbs" on the card and not on tests. Now I have a bunch of cards (with new 'real' fast ones coming) and I want to ensure I reach for the right card if I anticipate burst shooting coming up. **I split time shooting wildlife and sporting events with corporate portraits, social and business events and landscapes. Therefore, I need to put all my fast cards in the area of my card wallet where I'll go for sports and animals, then I can use the rest of the cards the rest of the time.

Thanks!

Jeff

Re: Best SD Memory Card For The Canon 7DII

Jeff Cutler — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 20:16:10 -0000

Quick question - from your point of view is it silly to do RAW to the CF card and Fine JPG to the SD? This is my standard setup. It gives me a backup of a JPG and allows me to have JPG files written to an EyeFi card when I use that (as an EyeFi CF card isn't reality yet). I have found that the CF card still bogs down, but only because of speed and not because of the SD card slowing down - unless you think the SD card still plays a role regardless of what format it's saving in. If that IS the case, then you're right and even with my strategy I should get the fastest CF AND SD cards I can.

Re: Use the Hidden Meaning of Color to Enhance Your Home

Jeff Cutler — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 15:36:34 -0000

Linked back to this for a blog post on a client's real estate site. Great info.

Re: Journalists, are you seriously still not scheduling your social media?

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:39:47 -0000

Oh, I'll start the discussion. While it might be easier and efficient to schedule updates, posts and content for your audiences, it's not a holy grail. As many organizations have seen when their posts have gone live during disasters - like this tweet from the NRA during the Colorado shooting... https://politicalfails.word... and there are dozens of other examples.

Unfortunately, news organizations (and SPJ) should understand that 'set it and forget it' can't be a strategy. While Hootsuite, Buffer, Bottlenose, Postcron, Tweetdeck and the 17 other apps that help you schedule your updates make it easy to spend time doing your job...your job is also responding to audiences, sharing your content thoughtfully and not automatically, and remaining aware of what you have in the pipeline in case you share some thoughts about tweeting your agenda when bombs are going off or other events are happening.

http://marketingland.com/ep...

Another example ^^ of how scheduling tweets can bite you in the butt.

Re: Boston freelance event

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 15:58:13 -0000

Like public place. Better facilities and parking than homes.

Evening or day are both fine. If pressed, early evening.

Various publications' editors. I want to know about the administrative side. Crafting a quality feature is the easy part. Selling it to editors is the roadblock.

Re: The most enviable four-minutes in marketing.

Jeff Cutler — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 16:51:40 -0000

I was pumping gas when I was 11 years old. My family owned at one point, 26 gas stations and convenience stores. The most difficult thing to do is to get someone to come into the convenience store during their gas purchase or afterward. The most effective way to get people to go into the store is to bring back full service. For the cost of an additional staff person who can run around and pump gas for the customer, you can get that increase in business in side the store. Otherwise, and I do not want to seem like a naysayer, the big hurdle is getting people to change their habits. And we already have a predetermined amount of time that were willing to spend at the gas station, and that falls somewhere between three and seven minutes. So, if we can't use those seven minutes to go purchase something inside AND fuel our car, we are sunk. The answer is more bodies.

Re: Driving Into the Sunset

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 19 May 2014 21:38:31 -0000

Congrats. Excited to see what's next.

Re: How An Influencer Got the Most out of SXSW by Not Attending

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:47:24 -0000

Thanks for the write-up Mike. I'm trying to find ways not to attend a bunch of NMX events, BlogHer and maybe Head of the Charles in the coming year. Best,

Jeff

Re: Friday Roundup - The One Lucky Winner Edition - The Community Roundtable

Jeff Cutler — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 08:38:56 -0000

Two of the questions say they're not required, but the survey won't let you move on without filling those fields. #justsayin

Re: Yes, Vendors DO Shut Down

Jeff Cutler — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 22:15:44 -0000

There was rumor that emails were sent out. Our videos were untouched, but we didn't get an email letting us know about the situation. Guessing we would have been notified if they were scrapping our stuff.

Re: Holding Data Hostage

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:11:19 -0000

I think we've all had this happen on a smaller level. Especially anyone who has set up a Website and then had to migrate it to more robust servers because of traffic and/or success. The hosting provider has no incentive to make it easy to help you transfer your data, so there are quite a few hoops to jump through. It's like getting the free Timeshare breakfast and then trying to escape with your checkbook and your life from the condo complex in Orlando....but I digress. (Anyone want to rent a 2-bedroom near Disney?)

The best method to protect yourself is to back up your stuff BEFORE you need it backed up. That way you have a copy of your site, your data and your information that can be migrated or recovered easily and without a hostage negotiation.

Make sure your SLA has some sort of provision in it that allows you a modicum of control when it comes to your data.

Re: Trust and the Cloud

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:07:03 -0000

Does this CIO understand that the cloud is just storage that isn't right under your thumb or in your facility? Hmmmm.

Re: Yes, Vendors DO Shut Down

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:05:36 -0000

A few of you might realize that one of the hats I wear is that of an online TV show host. Really, it's true. For a few years, I hosted a food show called NomX3 (nom nom nom). And as hosts of the show, my partner and I created a TON of video footage and content.

Well, fast forward to now when the video service we were using just got bought. That purchase resulted in the new company purging the stores of data so it could be streamlined and move into the future.

Fortunately - on two counts - we were one of the few hundred users that were not purged from the system (as our content was drawing in views, so it was valuable to the new company) AND we took the time to back up all our shows on drives, not just online.

So, in this instance we were prepared. I only hope I'm that smart moving forward as I create and share more content online.

Re: Practice Makes Perfect Revisited

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:00:53 -0000

Practice makes perfect. We wouldn't know the phrase (or maxim) if it wasn't true. For the companies that aren't doing practice recovery runs, you must ask yourself what your data is really worth. If you don't care enough to safeguard it with at least a minimal investment in time and effort, then why are you even bothering to store it? *shakes head*

Re: Asking the Right Question the Right Way

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 13:58:26 -0000

The danger of not knowing what answers you want to hear is that you're ill-prepared for the answers that you get. It's an age-old journalist's dilemma. Never ask a question that you don't already know the answer to AND don't ever ask a questions you don't want the answer to.

That said, I think organizations are STILL looking at their onsite and offsite (and managed and in-house) data in different ways. This is scary because in an age where we need all our data to get a clear overview of our business, that's not going to happen if we leave out a whole pot of information.

Finally, I don't know if responses in the middle would have been a 'better' result, but they might have given you a clearer understanding of what people are really doing with their data.

Keep up the good work!

Re: What percentage of total working hours is spent annually by your IT team in practicing your disaster recovery plan?

Jeff Cutler — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 13:52:41 -0000

Eric, you've covered this topic admirably in the past and continue to do so. While the question of time spent on executing a plan is a good one, a few related questions might be... Have you put a plan in place? What is your command structure for reporting and reaction if a data breach or loss of data occurs? Who decides what resources (people) will be allocated to work on recovery and what resources will remain doing their day-to-day responsibilities when disaster strikes?

Though some of this is common sense, if the questions aren't asked ahead of time then the worst time to get the wrong answer is during a crisis.

Thanks for the post!

Re: Data recovery is vastly underrated

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:18:49 -0000

Planned and regular backups ARE the way to go. Hope you make (and mark) your data storage and recovery journey as carefully as you do your cycling ones. Thanks John!

Re: A Closer Look at Recovery-Based Licensing

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:16:50 -0000

I think one of my earlier comments agrees wholeheartedly with this. I want to pay for what I get, not for the machinations that go into 'trying to recover' my data. Good perspective Eric. Thanks.

Re: Do You Need to Be a Data Protection Superhero?

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:15:19 -0000

Totally agree. While the move to hire better personnel is ongoing (or should be) there are just some specialties you need to job out. Sometimes the specifics of data storage and recovery fall into that bucket. I like the post. Thanks!

Re: Putting Security Concerns to Rest

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:09:43 -0000

The caveat emptor feeling still pervades a market where organizations aren't quite sure what's being offered. Until everyone understands clouds, recovery strategy and methodology, and the actual process of storing and protecting data, then we're going to have an environment that breeds skepticism. I want to believe my car mechanic is doing all he can to make my car run right. But I wouldn't know if he's just adding potions I could purchase at the local Auto Zone. Until IT departments know enough to provide storage and recovery services themselves, we're going to be in a situation where we MUST blindly trust our providers. And sometimes that's scary.

Re: Reduce or Eliminate Operational Tasks to Lighten Burden on Existing IT Staff

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:05:39 -0000

For 21 years, I've run my own writing business. At about year seven I realized that it was idiocy for me to be doing my own taxes and selling because neither of those tasks fit my skill set or brought in revenue. When I made the jump from wearing all hats to sharing the burden with other professionals (a tax person, a sales team, placement agencies) my billable hours jumped and my profitability has been on the increase ever since. Now the bulk of my income comes from speaking gigs - http://jeffcutler.com/appea... - If you want to do all the work yourself, then be prepared to fail. Let the teams you've hired and trust to serve you do their job. You'll then be able to concentrate on strategy and making the data that those very teams help you secure and recover.

Re: Build Backup into Hybrid Cloud DNA

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:00:42 -0000

This is my wake-up call post. Thanks Stan. You're right about complacency and how folks can get locked into their existing (and maybe outdated) disaster recovery plan. Organizations need to regularly take a fresh look to see what functionality and capabilities they can - and should - add.

Re: Sometimes You Need More Than a Belt

Jeff Cutler — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 07:58:14 -0000

I have to admit that I'm single-faceted when it comes to my backup plan. I think sometimes that suspenders might help me out a bit in looking ahead instead of just securing my data again and again in a pattern. If I looked to add functionality and a plan (something all organizations should do), I'd be better served if I have an incident and need to recover and then plan for the future. Good thoughts Eric.