Presentations, research, and kids ... but no Webkinz

I have a very difficult week coming up, loaded with public speaking, writing, and some kids-related activities, outside of my full work and family schedule. I'll definitely be cutting back on Webkinz-related posts, unless something major happens -- like the site being returned to normal.

Here's a rundown of my week:

This afternoon, I'll give a presentation on online communities.

Tonight, I'll burn the midnight oil, in order to finish the draft final paper for From Text to Hypertext. The topic touches upon Mitchell Stephens' book, The Rise of the Image, The Fall of the World. In a nutshell, he thinks "new video" will grow to dominate mass media. My argument: Formats based on computer-generated, 3D environments will overshadow most video content. The explosion of new 3D media formats in the entertainment and news fields is something I've discussed at length before, but the paper has allowed me to hone my thesis. (I'll post excerpts when it's done). The paper will probably be around 25 double-spaced pages. I hand in the draft tomorrow night, the last session for the course, and my last class ever at the Harvard Extension School -- after this, all I need to do is submit my final version of the paper by the 19th, get a passing grade, and my ALM requirements are completed.

Thursday, I am taking part in a panel at Bentley College in Waltham on social media -- blogs, online communities, video, podcasting, etc. It's a gathering for the Social Media Club (Boston). I've presented to this group before, when I introduced Shark Bait early last year. This time, I will be talking about video -- one of my responsibilities at Computerworld, and an area of growth in the online world. I'll prepare for Bentley on Wednesday night.

Saturday, I am attending the first day of the Boston Digital Media Summit. I have volunteered to serve as the press contact. On the second day of the summit, I will be taking part in two panels and giving the closing presentations on demographic factors that are shaping the next generation of digital media. I have a title -- Grokking Generation G: Digital Media and the Video Game Generation -- but I still have to gather stats and video clips, and put the presentation together in PowerPoint. I'll probably work on that Friday evening.

And lastly, we will be celebrating my daughter's birthday that weekend, probably Saturday night. I still have to find the time to get her a present ... most likely during one of my lunch breaks this week.

And no, I am not giving her any Webkinz!