Episode 2 - Couchsurfing.com and the Latin Social Network, Que Pasa. [Discussion]

[travislopes]

Irene shares a latin social network with everyone at the cafe, Que Pasa. She also highlights Couchsurfing.com which will help you find a free place to stay all over the World.

Watch and download the episode. (http://revision3.com/socialbrew/fiesta)

[ryudo]

They at least put more effort this time around but the host I just can't stand,sadly even though only 20 min long..just made it 12 min in and just turned it off.

[upgraydd]

I definitely thought this episode was an improvement, even though I thought the first episode was still pretty decent. Seemed to flow better and didnt seem to drag as much. Definitely can see that Irene is going to be a polarizing host with people loving her or not. I think everyone is doing a good job.

[ddillow]

I dig social brew. They are doing a great job.

[jdogg2289]

Decent improvement. They haven't failed to show cool stuff: thesixtyone is kinda cool.

[jordanm85]

"You asked, we listened." It kind of looks like we asked, and you try to trick us into thinking the host is gone with a misleading title and picture on the front page.... I will say that this episode was an improvement over the first one. But not so much that I think this show is going to be worth watching each week. So I will not be watching Social Brew anymore, and I think Moujan and Neha's talents are being wasted on this show.

[bani-banan]

/\ what he said. U TRICKED US!

I watched roughly 15 minutes. Couldn't take it. Gosh it was bad.

The show doesn't do the graphics/music/"brewers" any justice.

My issues are that the host has no "connection" with the "Brewers".
She's dull, not interesting and not internet-gen type. She had her moment on MTV, no point in "reviving" a "career" in video.

I just don't see how this show will last more than a ½-season.

Who knows, maybe I'm content-spoiled thanks to diggnation, popSiren, tekzilla, systm, rev3 gazette, pixelperfect, web drifter, scam school, TRS and Internet Superstar.

Waste of bandwidth IMO.

[nextgenxbox]

Moujan should be arrested.... for stealing the show once again! :)

[will_stutler]

Dudes great show please keep up the great job

[tokenuser]

Moujan should be arrested.... for stealing the show once again! :)I was hoping for another Miss M. She has great deadpan timing.

Much improved over last week.

[forkfromouterspace]

An improvement, but not much of one. I loved the fact that they tried to remedy their stiffness through drinking, although drinking requires you to actually swallow some of the alcohol.

You can also tell that Irene, and to a lesser extent, the Brewers, just don't have a genuine interest in the material of the show. I really wish the show would just be scripted so we could avoid the lack of wit and cringe-worthy awkward moments that Social Brew is rife with.

[tgambee]

Here is a link to Allie's MySpace. Maybe the crew could put it in the show notes.

http://www.myspace.com/alliefancher

[ntiwari]

An improvement, but not much of one. I loved the fact that they tried to remedy their stiffness through drinking, although drinking requires you to actually swallow some of the alcohol.

You can also tell that Irene, and to a lesser extent, the Brewers, just don't have a genuine interest in the material of the show. I really wish the show would just be scripted so we could avoid the lack of wit and cringe-worthy awkward moments that Social Brew is rife with.

Hey Fork,

I can actually vouch for myself in saying that I am VERY interested in what I cover. If you follow me on any social network, you would definitely pick up that I really like participating and covering the nets.

The rest of the cast is as well. For example, Johnny is a musician and heads a App building company in the South Bay, so The Beat is right up his alley.

There are 2 examples!! Hope that helps!

:) Neha aka @neha_t {twitter}/ !Neha [pownce]

[CaptainOlle]

Definitely a better show than last time :), This time I could watch it trough (last time I dropped out after probably 10 min.). The show is now decent and that's a good achievement after only two episodes. The "flow" was better and it was more personal than the stiff and nervous ep.1. So the question is now, how to make the show great? I personally think that social brew ep.2 was still only a collection of news items and good hints on sites (TheSixtyOne.com was great), but I can find those (or similar) news items or site hints on digg or del.icio.us. What I'm trying to say is that socal brew is still lacking the orginal content that makes it a good show, a segment of some kind? an interview? something that I won't find anywhere else, that something worth returning to every week.

[nextgenxbox]

Johnny needs to speak up and make his presence felt. He seems too shy/speaks to low/weak -- probably just the nerves... practice shall make perfect.

[rokov]

Definitely an improvement over last week. Neha and Moujan did a great job as always and it was nice to see Johnny actually doing a segment this week :p. He doesn't look like he's quite comfortable on camera yet, but I'm sure that will change.
However, did it seem to anyone else that the Headlines and Net Savvy segments ended very abruptly? In both cases Irene was almost cut off mid word. Maybe it was just me.:rolleyes:

[coreknell]

Good show! Much better than last week as everyone finds their footing. Definitely benefits from a shorter, tighter format, too. Irene rocks!

[secret-steve-crumbles]

I just can't do it. Irene's voice makes me want to punch babies.

[ptrussell]

I wanted to congratulate the cast on the changes this week.

The crew appeared to be in a better mood and the interaction between host and crew is getting better.

[sherb]

Meh... defiantly not as boring as last week, but it still sucked. I won't watch any more episodes until the host is gone. She's so annoying.

[rlitchfield]

Much better....nice to see there are real people in front of the camera. I'm not so tough on the host...she will warm into this whole internet TV thing soon enough...

RJL

[bonsai]

I gave Social Brew another go, but unfortunately, my feelings remain the same.

The show just isn't working with the current format or host. The Brew crew should go it alone w/o Irene.

This reminds me of the total on-screen chemistry/timing disaster that was the John Tesh & Leeza Gibbons daytime talk show. In TV production circles, this was often derogatorily referenced as "Break and Leeza". Mr. Tesh's poor timing and stiff delivery constantly 'broke' the show during rehearsals and in the precious little "air-worthy" footage to make it through production. Eventually, Tesh was released from his contract and the show continued with just Mrs. Gibbons.

And for Zod's sake, get out from behind that dinky little table. If you have to, borrow the large elliptical one from the PopSiren set.

[ntiwari]

I gave Social Brew another go, but unfortunately, my feelings remain the same.

The show just isn't working with the current format or host. The Brew crew should go it alone w/o Irene.

This reminds me of the total on-screen chemistry/timing disaster that was the John Tesh & Leeza Gibbons daytime talk show. In TV production circles, this was often derogatorily referenced as "Break and Leeza". Mr. Tesh's poor timing and stiff delivery constantly 'broke' the show during rehearsals and in the precious little "air-worthy" footage to make it through production. Eventually, Tesh was released from his contract and the show continued with just Mrs. Gibbons.

And for Zod's sake, get out from behind that dinky little table. If you have to, borrow the large elliptical one from the PopSiren set.

So...we actually bought a new table. The old one was dinky, agreed. This new one works pretty well I think!

[jtleroy]

once i stopped looking for kevin rose to run in and start smacking people in the face w/ a keyboard i really enjoyed myself. i think we should all give them time to grow into the show and grow to know each other. i mean i think every show currently on is hosted by people who've known each other for years. which makes their shows much more fluid and give them the style that they posess

but thats just me, and i only know what i see from my own backyard. 'sides i think mcgee has a sort of charm to her.

[deep]

i enjoyed the show. it's nice to see that some of the comments regarding the first episode were addressed. to be honest i didn't think the hosts would really hang out in the forums, but i am glad they do. i view the second show as a natural improvement upon the first and will be looking forward to next weeks episode.

[tuxotaku]

HUUUGE improvement guys, well done. My only gripe is that it seemed like you were trying to remind us constantly that you were trying to improve. Just stop trying so hard!! Be yourselves and your personalities will shine through, THAT'S what we all really want to see.

[drlecterspersonalchef]

I agree, it was an improvement over last weeks show. I definitely think the chemistry with Irene and the "Brew Crew" will only improve as the show moves forward.
Great job guys!

[johninberkeley]

Like the show, and you guys got major points by emphasis on email rather than the messaging built into these sites. I personally am trying to ween my self off of the myface etc.

I was curious as to the last words Irene gave us: "bad case of candy" that went along with the deaf sign for "candy" (im sure of it cause it represents the rotting teeth). Cute is here (http://lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/c/cute.htm)

[aerodash84]

Enjoyed this episode as well. The couchsurfing.com seemed like a great social network to promote. It was nice to see some more segments that I gained a little more from. I'd like to see some stuff covering ways to make social networks easier to manage like apps such as twhirl for twitter or the pownce program. Just my opinion or suggestion.

[phoenixp3k]

Good job on the shop. I was satisfied and even had a few smiles during the show. I actually have nothing to complain about...

One good thing would be to remind people to check out the site for show notes, that music site seemed interesting but forgot the name of it. If I found you guys on iTunes I would not know that revision3.com/socialbrew (http://revision3.com/socialbrew) is the place to go.

Drinking tea, coffee or alcool is fine too. CONGRATZ on the new table :rolleyes:

[mcstagger]

Now that's what I'm talkin bout. This ep was ten times better than the last. The first was okay, but I think yall have found your niche this time around. I actually felt it ran a little short actually. I was really getting into it when it was already almost over. But still, good stuff. I wasn't too fond of Irene before, but I'm starting to like her more now as the host too. I do have just one piece of criticism and suggestions though:

The different segments don't seem to flow very well. I think this is mostly due to the way the host and the presenter greet each other actually. It's a little too formal I guess?? And just makes it seem a little awkward. With each segement, I noticed esp with Neha's and Johnny's, it seemed like they greeted eachother as if they have just seen one another for the first time that day, when we just saw them all sitting around the round table together chatting (btw, new and improved table FTW!). And I esp noticed at the end of the Beat, Irene kinda closed it like Johnny was more of a guest than a cast member. I know what I'm saying might not make sense to anyone lol, so let me put it this way. I usually think of these types of shows as one long conversation between the people involved, with the host bringing up new subjects every so often, guiding the conversation into one long flowing dialogue, and the presenters simply expounding on that subject until the conversation shifts to a new one. Instead the show seems more like two or three different conversations that have taken place at different times that are just pieced together. Yall know what I mean? Idk, it's late and I'm tired, so I might not be making any sense, but I hope I am lol.

Anyway, other than that little detail, yall did a great job guys and gals!! Keep it up and I'll definitely keep watching!

[donoram]

Wow, basically everything I was summing up to post ere was covered by McStagger (in some cases nearly word for word) So I'll just make a couple quick points

- new table = win
- sombreros = win
- Johnny not actually sipping tequila but pretending = win because he got to do his segment this week
- Cuts between segments that were a hundred times too fast = fail
-Weirdly angled shots of Irene's head during Johnny's segment = weird

[cocodapuf]

Well to be honest, I'm not really all that into social networking in general. But as long as Moujan is gonna be on the show I think I'm gonna keep watching.

That leaves me with one question... Moujan, are you single?

ps. don't break my heart


edit: As an afterthought really, I realized I actually like the whole cast. I think once you guys find your flow this is gonna be a great show.

[enragedostrich]

Way better than last week!

I really enjoyed this episode, and I dislike all the hating of this show. Okay, I did really not like the first episode, but, even with my preconceived judgments of suckitude before watching this episode, I found myself not wanting the show to end this time.

Yes, I have VERY afraid with the Karaoke was about to start... I almost quit right then. Not because I dislike the hostess, but because with all of my being I despise karaoke… Unless I am really, Really, REALLY drunk.

The way I judge the shows on Rev3 is... Would I watch this over TV?
My answer hell yes, I prefer this over anything on the G4 network.

I think people picture you as "stiff" or "uninterested" is because you, at least to me, are enigmas. No one knows who you are as people. We have already grown fond of all the other host on Rev3, know their backgrounds, and understand what type of people they are, but we, or at least I, know nothing of you guys. In this way you are 2 dimensional characters just filling the spots of any random person that could walk through the door. We need to find out and have a chance to fall in like with you all. If you did this I believe it would shatter the preconceived notions of stiff and uninterested. Good luck and...

Good job this week. Hope you keep up the good work. Try to make it just as interesting as this episode but 10-25 minutes longer. I know the average TV show only has about 20 minutes of actual viewing video, but I hold Rev3 up to higher standards.

[lars5]

much better than the first episode!

and i thought moujan was great also... although probably not as much as cocodapuf... ;)

[hrvat]

I havent seen it yet but the pic on the front page saying "you asked we listened, tequila shots this week" is smart enough to get me to give the show another chance

[high6]

Maybe rotate the main host each week?

[makaveli1323]

Alot better then last week. I think that everyone needs to be on camera, you know for a social atmosphere. Nice touch with tequila, hats and bigger table. You guys are heading in the right direction keep it up.

[nathan79]

Neha, you lightweight!!! Lol, seriously your eyes were totally out of focus that episode. Good show. Btw, any of you who can't stand Irene's voice better not like Family Guy/ That 70's Show since her voice is almost exactly the same as Mila Kunis. Keep your head up Irene! I suspect at least 10% of us actually like you as host.:D

[mrpopular]

Good Episode, Much better.

We just gotta keep you guys relaxed... Whats next week Liqour of choice?

[firestonex]

Ok. Still watching as of now. Not completly hooked but, I do want to learn more about all these hosts and co-hosts. There have been so many new hires at rev3 that it's hard to keep up. I personally like the shows with my old favorites from Tech TV the most. It is sort of hard to get into the shows without them, but I'm doing it the best I can. I have already gotten into the digg reel, rev3 gazette, and scam school. It is alittle hard for me to get into this and say popsiren, and for some reason techzilla. But I'm going to try to watch everything because who knows, Sarah Lane might put out another Lip Dubbed video, and I want to know who those people are singing to the music. :p So, I plan on atleast watch all the shows, sooner or later.

The Totally Rad Show didn't even grow on me until it was out nearly a year, so there is still hope for all the other shows out there.

[djmadscribbler]

I think you guys did a much better job this week (I too couldn't make it through the entire show last week). This week's was great though. Some thoughts:

1. I really like Irene - I think she's going to do just fine
2. I do agree that some of the segues are a little rough (as mentioned in some of the other posts here). The whole "oh, how have you been, it's been at least a few minutes since I last saw you" was a little forced feeling.
3. I think it would be cool if you could get some sort of interview segment on the show (say, Leah Culver from Pownce for example) with people who are involved in setting up these networks.

So to sum up - I think it's going great and I expect that it will get better!

[tthaynes7]

I suppose everyone saying how it was such an improvement and how it could still need to be improved. Personally, I love this episode, I watched it all. I suppose what people want to expect is that it needs more of a social vibe! I suggest that you are all sitting somewhere where you all will be interacting or commenting. It seriously would help! I still dig this episode though! Overall, loved it. Especially Moujan! I can't get enough of her.

Tristan.

[ireneslistening]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah the second episode was way better... and we're still growing so it's just going to improve.

Def check out the couchsurfing, even if you are not traveling you can just help someone traveling find something cool to do while they are in your town. I signed up a while ago, because the Australian girls I met took me to a party here in SF, they were more dialed into what was going on then I was...

Thanks for all the feedback... it helped get us a new table!!!

My fave part is the pics and info you guys are sending in... reminds me of my radio/podcasting days because we get to spotlight what's going on with you too.

Irene

[parthurs]

Here is what is good: Neha Tiwari
Here is what is not so great: Everything else.

[oct_dragon74]

I personally thought this ep was a HUGE improvement over the 1st ep! Keep it up! I commented on the 1st ep that it would take time for your personalities to mesh, and I was extremely surprised by how far you have come in just one ep. I just have a a few comments.

1. The show seemed a little short this time. Give each segment maybe 2 more minutes.
2. I agree that the intro to the segments is odd. Let the intro be more of a continuation of the conversation rather than "I haven't seen you at all today" type of intro.
3. The new table is a much needed improvement, but I think a semi-circle (c-shaped?) kind of table would work better. Keep everyone at the table, and allow for more interaction between everyone during the segments.
4. Neha and Irene big props for taking a part in the forum discussions!
5. Moujan - more netiquette from Miss M please!
6. Johnny - cool site! You ought to check out Manda Hill - http://www.myspace.com/tiedupinlife


On a side note - I keep reading posts from some of you guys bashing the show saying that Rev3 needs to stick to its core audience, and thats how they can make money. The truth is they have shows for their original core audience, and its time to branch out. That's how a network survives! I don't know anyone that watches every single show a single network offers. Its all about variety, and attracting a rounded audience, to reach more and more people. I think as long as Rev3 sticks to its core, geek shows, it will do great! All of us are geeks about different things.

[kronos6948]

Moujan...

Please say "Yahoo" more. I love the way you say it.

Neha, is Fisherman's Wharf so bad? I haven't been further west than Colorado, so I wouldn't know. All I know is that George Burns liked Fisherman's Wharf.

*Edited to add*

Neha, I also agree with you about couchsurfing being kinda weird. I don't know if I could just crash on some stranger's couch that I haven't gotten to know a bit.

Johnny, I know you've done it though...but since you're in a band (as is yours truly), did you actually use the service to couch surf or did you crash at a fellow bandmember's place?

[ntiwari]

Moujan...

Please say "Yahoo" more. I love the way you say it.

Neha, is Fisherman's Wharf so bad? I haven't been further west than Colorado, so I wouldn't know. All I know is that George Burns liked Fisherman's Wharf.

*Edited to add*

Neha, I also agree with you about couchsurfing being kinda weird. I don't know if I could just crash on some stranger's couch that I haven't gotten to know a bit.

Johnny, I know you've done it though...but since you're in a band (as is yours truly), did you actually use the service to couch surf or did you crash at a fellow bandmember's place?

Hey Kronos!

Ok, so Fisherman's Wharf isn't soooo bad, it's just so cliche! There are more gems of SF to explore, and I guess if you are like college-aged there is a decent nightlife.

And on couchsurfing--what if someone has a smelly couch? Imagine being in a weird country with nowhere to go but a couch with an odor....dun dun dunnnn

[gobo]

Skipped the first show and tried the second show so I can't compare, but I thought everyone did a good job. I'm a fan of Neha and Moujan from popSiren (and Moujan on Internet Superstar as well), and I think they did a great job here. I'm just still not sure about the overall concept of the show. I think I'll give it another shot.

You guys are doing good work, I just don't know if it's for me.

But a BIG congrats and always trying new and interesting things at Rev 3.

[cybersuchus]

As a typical disaffected loner, I'm no fan of social networks. That said, I still found myself enjoying Social Brew. I like the cast. Irene is a good addition to Rev 3. I respect the work she's done in the past to expose the crap that majour networks do to opiate the masses. I also think she has a nice, distinctive look. She reminds me of a paler version of Laura Swisher (speaking of which, when can we expect a return of the Swish? Come on Rev 3, let's complete the circle. :) )

Plus the cute dimples are definitely a bonus. :D

The interplay between Irene and Josh is a nice twist. There's something wonderfully comical about those shots featuring Irene on the chair with Josh just standing over her looking all serious and apathetic.

The only advice I can give to Irene is to try and avoid talking over the other people on the show (including guests). Sometimes she seems to just get so excited that she starts to cut folks off. The passion is always a good thing, it just needs to be reined in a bit (to be fair, it was reined in a bunch compared to the first episode).

The Brew Crew of Neha Moujan and Johnny are a neat concept. It's kind of like the peanut gallery of old. It's a little strange to have Irene in one spot and the crew in another. Yet when all four of them were on the (now cramped) table, I started getting flashes of The View, so that was much worse.

I think the split-screen approach seems to work best for that situation.

Ms. M. was an awesome concept from the first episode, so I'm looking forward to future appearances of that character. I'm glad Johnny had a chance to really start showing off the stuff he could find in this episode (he kinda seemed overshadowed in the first ep). I'm also looking forward to seeing what these get togethers that Neha talked about, are going to be like.

Overall, the show has been entertaining, and even informative. As far as I'm concerned that's a win-win in my book. If you can get a hardcore misanthrope like myself to enjoy a show about being social, then you guys have to be doing something right.

Keep it up.

[camix]

"You asked, we listened." It kind of looks like we asked, and you try to trick us into thinking the host is gone with a misleading title and picture on the front page.... I will say that this episode was an improvement over the first one. But not so much that I think this show is going to be worth watching each week. So I will not be watching Social Brew anymore, and I think Moujan and Neha's talents are being wasted on this show.

I totally agree with the tricked part hence why I also won't be trying to watch this crap ever again. This show still sucks. Time to scrap this piece and move onto something else. New comers to Rev3 are just gonna be scared away with crappy content like this. Content is KING!!!

[derekr]

Good episode.

When everyone was in the café, the show was SO MUCH BETTER! It always feels awkward when Irene is talking away from the camera to people in a different room. It's one thing to do her individual segments by herself, but when everyone is conversing/communicating get them ALL in the same room :D!

The new table really pulls the café set together as well.

Have fun with next weeks episode!

[jmach0207]

I thought this episode was an improvement. There seemed to be less awkwardness between the brew crew. Perhaps the tequila helped. Irene has not won me over yet. Personally I think Neha and Moujan would do better as co-hosts. As some viewers have stated before me, I find it hard to imagine the whole social networking thing can remain a fresh topic for many more shows. It seems popSiren could cover the subject within their framework.

[aaronsaund]

MUCH BETTER guys! And I like Irene, she seems like a big goof ball. I think she may do her drinking before the show lol.