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If you’re anything like the other 10 million people who have signed up for Google+ since the new social networking tool launched three weeks ago, you probably feel like you’re at an awkward middle school dance. Everyone’s just kind of hanging out around the perimeter, waiting for a bold friend to go forth and start socializing. Adele Tiblier, director of interactive strategy at FSC Interactive marketing firm, shares some wisdom and tips about Google and its terrifying (but so convenient!) quest for dominion over all information.

What makes Google+ different from Facebook or Twitter? Do we really need another social networking site?
Google+ is the marriage between Facebook and Twitter. It gives you more control over what information goes to who, and it’s less about the popularity contest because people don’t know how many friends you have. It’s more about the quality of information, and it segments (information) based on what you find qualifies for each circle. It’s a little overwhelming to get used to, but once you do, it’s less overwhelming because it’s filtered based on your preferences.

What’s the deal with the circles?
With Facebook, you get so much information from people who you may have no idea who they are. Google+ allows you to create circles, which are similar to a list, so it gives you the option to segment (your streams) and make them easier to read. At work, I may only want to read the work stuff, versus what my friends are putting on there. And you can be more selective with whom you share your information. For example, I’m not going to share SEO stuff with my family — only with people in my professional circle.

But I don’t want to offend my family members by not putting them in the friends circle.
No one can see that. It shows you’re in a circle, but it doesn’t show which one. And it ties in to other Google products, so for those who aren’t on Google+, you can share information to their Gmail accounts.

What about businesses who want to use Google+ as a marketing platform? Is that possible?
Google has explicitly said they do not want businesses to create profiles in Google+, but people are still doing it. There’s a sign-up sheet for people to say “I am a business,” but Google has to approve it. So Google says not to get angry if you create a business page and it gets taken down, because they are creating pages that are specific for businesses, which should be ready within a month or two. And they are looking at how to monetize ads.

I find it a little bit freaky that Google will have so much of my personal information.
You have to think of the amount of information we are open to share with any of the sites we are on and look at what we get back from that. The reason people put information out there is because they want to share it, and the effect of that is they get ads very specific to what they are doing. Is that such a bad thing? Because everything is gathered. They have everything. The terms of service, which no one ever reads, say “We own your data, and we aren’t going to share it unless it is under subpoena.” But they have it and are very clear they will use it to provide relevant content, but that relevant content could be a gain for them financially.

So users are essentially trading personal information for this networking service.
Information is completely the new currency. Information is what rules everything. Everyone wants data, and (Google) has a whole lot of it and are getting more and more by the day.

What final advice do you have for Google+ users?
Don’t be scared of it. Be mindful of what you put online. If you want more information on certain things, make sure they are what you talk about. You are being watched for a purpose, and that purpose is partly financial gain for others, but it is also to give you relevant information. Google does a good job of getting us what we want.

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Well, hi, Association of Alternative Newsweeklies annual convention, and welcome to New Orleans. It’s been too long. You’re certainly looking well. Lost weight? Well, whatever you’re doing, keep it up.

Sorry to be distracted hosts, but while you’re conventioneering in downtown New Orleans today, we’re working to get the paper out. You can get your own drinks, can’t you? Meanwhile, here’s some smartphone downloads and other stuff to help you navigate the city:

• Gambit staffers will be around the convention sites, wearing red T-shirts with our logo on the front. We’ll be glad to help you out with anything you need. We also accept drinks, compliments and propositions of all kinds.

• Download the Gambit app (iPhone only) for listings, club times, bars, etc.

• Download the official #AAN2011 conference app. It has a schedule, social media feeds, etc. etc. Here it is for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.

• Download Forkfly, our local deals app — Forkfly brings you local deals, but without having to register, go through any rigamarole or bring naive merchants to tears and bankruptcy. Just start Forkfly and let the GPS tell you what deals are nearby for the taking.

• Follow us on Twitter at @The_Gambit. And the official Twitter hashtag for the convention is #AAN2011.

See you out there soon.

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Waiting Around: The Restaurant Musical is deliciously full of the petty horrors of service industry work, and one of the easiest laughs comes when two people sheathed in white plastic bags dotted with “Bourbon Street” sign logos enter and seat themselves at a table. Anyone who’s ever toted a tray or notepad at a local eatery knows what’s coming next: “What’s jambalaya? Are these the real prices? Can we have more bread?”

There’s a basic storyline in which a new waitress (Darcy Malone) joins three veterans who are setting up before a shift. They teach her the ropes, the lingo and how to deflect blame when necessary. In “Fairy Godwaitress,” a guiding spirit (Tracey E. Collins) from a diner intervenes, singing “Gravy” to the tune of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” and advising Darcy to “Stand by Her Spam.”

Much of the humor is common to restaurant work everywhere, but the New Orleans touches are fun. The show even starts with a shoutout to audience members from local restaurants, ranging from Port of Call to Besh Steak the night I went. Chris Wecklein delivers a touching rendition of the one serious song in the show — about not getting dragged down by insensitive customers and negotiating what for his character is an ambiguous career stopover. It’s sandwiched between fast-talking banter and a slew of zanier numbers. Much of the show is in the vein of medleys like “Four-Course Nightmare,” featuring a brief rehash of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from Pirates of Penzance as “Modern Trendy Vegetable,” belted out gleefully by Jason Kirkpatrick while wearing a regal and ridiculous mushroom cap crown. There also are many interludes with archetypal problem customers: snobs, know-it-alls, cheapskates, drunks, finicky eaters, etc.

“Pork Sushi” gets a little off color, but the menu is otherwise full of winners. Like restaurant work, it’s a great ensemble piece, and musical director Harry Mayronne Jr. provides all the music at the piano on stage. The veterans know that the customers must always be made to feel that they are right, but here, the waiters have the last laughs. Reservations are recommended.

Waiting Around: The Restaurant Musical
8 p.m. Fri.-Mon. through Aug. 1
AllWays Lounge, 2240 St. Claude Ave., 218-5778
Tickets $20 Fri.-Sun., $15 Mon.

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The backstage battle over the future of Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre took another twist today when Civil District Court Judge Sidney Cates IV ruled in favor of the theater’s board of governors. Le Petit’s support guild had filed a suit attempting to stop the sale of 60 percent of the building to restaurateur Dickie Brennan. (Le Petit has hit serious financial shoals in recent years; catch up with the whole story here.)

In a statement, Cassie Steck Worley, president of the theater’s board of governors, wrote:

“We look forward to continuing our interaction with our members and supporters. The Board is making and continues to make every effort to provide Le Petit’s members with a meaningful voice in the future of the theatre.”

The board will also hold an “informational meeting” for all interested individuals on Tuesday, July 26 at 6 pm at Le Petit, where the board and members of the Dickie Brennan Restaurant Group will answer questions.

Within minutes, the Le Petit Theatre guild, which had brought the lawsuit, issued their own statement:

Guild President Jim Walpole filed a lawsuit on behalf of himself and Le Petit Guild against the board of Governors to force them to call a special meeting as requested by 50 member subscribers.

The lawsuit also asked for a temporary restraining order stopping the Dickie Brennan deal until the special meeting could be held.

The Guild was successful on both counts.

The judge did not choose to define who a member subscriber is, and the Guild is still in disagreement with the board of governors over that definition.

The Guild of Le Petit will continue to fight for two goals:

1 — To keep the theatre intact and not allow 60% of Le Petit Theatre to become a restaurant, and

2 — to stop the board from disenfranchising its membership by not allowing all the members to vote on the fate of the theatre.

The next act of this ongoing dramarama should take place next Tuesday. See you there.

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By Emily Jensen

Charmaine Neville is surrounded by a pack of nearly one hundred 7- to 17-year-old kids singing and dancing in elaborate cat costumes. You would think her head would be spinning, but the award-winning singer and actress, who is starring as Grizabella in Anthony Bean Community Theater/New Orleans Recreation Department Summer Youth Program’s production of Cats, is as cool as a dish of milk.

“The kids are fabulous,” she says, “I mean, this isn’t their first production, they’ve been in many others — and they’re really, really into this.” Summertime may be playtime for many children, but for kids involved in Anthony Bean Community Theater/NORD Summer Youth Program, the end of school signals the beginning of a season of hard work.

Jefferson Performing Arts Society and Southern Rep also have summer programs that culminate in productions open to the public.

The Anthony Bean/NORD production of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical composition based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats challenges the kids to portray a slew of quirky felines at their annual Jellicle Ball, where one cat will be chosen to be reborn. Their efforts caught the attention of City Council Vice-President Arnie Fielkow, who has requested that the cast present a preview at the Council Chamber Thursday.

Regular performances kick off Friday, July 22, and continue through July 31. Neville assures that audience members “will be as excited as the kids are.”

The Jefferson Performing Arts Center also has a lineup of children’s musicals about to begin, with two camp sessions featuring more than 180 kids and teens. Three weeks of intensive rehearsals culminate in a production of Seussical, starring 3rd-7th graders, and the Broadway classic Guys and Dolls, starring 8th-12th graders.

Southern Rep’s summer campers will keep the musicals coming in August with a production of Rent: The School Edition, starring a cast of teens, and Willy Wonka: The Musical! performed by its 5 to 13 year olds.

Performances:

Cats
8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. July 22-23; 3 p.m. Sat.-Sun. July 23-24; 8 p.m. Thu.-Sat. July 28-30; 3 p.m. Sat.-Sun. July 30-31
Anthony Bean Community Theater 1333 South Carrollton Ave. 862-7529; www.anthonybeantheater.com
Tickets $20 general admission, $15 children (15 years and under)

Seussical
7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun. July 24
Westwego Performing Arts Theatre, 177 Sala Ave., Westwego, 885-2000; www.jpas.org

Guys and Dolls
7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. July 29-30; 2 p.m. Sun. July 31
Jefferson Performing Arts Center, EJHS Auditorium, 400 Phlox Ave., Metairie, 885-2000; www.jpas.org

JPAS tickets $15 general admission, $12 students/seniors/military, $10 children (12 and under)

Rent: The School Edition
7 p.m. Thu.-Sat. Aug. 4-6; 2 p.m. Sat. July 6
Southern Rep, 365 Canal St., third floor, 522-6545; www.southernrep.com
Tickets $5 and up

Willy Wonka: The Musical!
August 11-13, times TBA
Southern Rep, 365 Canal St., third floor, 522-6545; www.southernrep.com

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“If Michelangelo himself painted the Venetian’s ceiling, it still wouldn’t work.” -George Rodrigue

I first visited Las Vegas in 1994. It was the flashy Circus Circus sign that dropped my jaw, along with the restaurant at Caesar’s Palace, where the lights mysteriously illuminated from above as we opened our menus, yet lighted only George’s place as the bill arrived.

Vegas today dwarfs the mid-1990s, taking over-the-top to a new level. Many might argue the absence of art in such a place; yet my husband and I not only seek it, but also seek a role in it, during our yearly trek to the land of excess.

It begins with the 7:30 a.m. Southwest party-flight from New Orleans. On Friday George and I sipped coffee, folded origami, discussed a political biography, eaves dropped, and took notes, anticipating this post, as the folks around us snapped photographs, drank Baileys (or Jack Daniels), and derided or applauded Kim Kardashian’s new diamond and Edwin Edwards’ approaching nuptials.

Other than the occasional restaurant theme, such as Picasso, Renoir, or Botero, fine art doesn’t work in Las Vegas, at least not on the Strip. Repeatedly over the years we visited museum ventures by Steve Wynn, Guggenheim and others, oftentimes the only visitors surrounded by millions of dollars in Monets and Warhols, replaced by empty galleries before our next trip.

“But if you install the same paintings in some nowhere place,” insists George Rodrigue, remembering Minimalism in Marfa, Texas, “then the artwork means something, and everyone pays attention.”

Lines for such exhibitions stretch for blocks in other cities, but in Las Vegas millions of people pass by without a glance, in search of dueling pirate ships, erupting volcanoes, water acrobatics, and ‘a good machine.’

“Let’s face it,” George continued, “It’s hard for Picasso to compete with Garth Brooks.”

Las Vegas, however, makes the unreal appealing, almost like one giant art installation. Packs of young girls run by the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty in coordinated minis; the best chefs in the world show off their five-star restaurants; and New York-quality shows and entertainers perform nightly.

George and I compare the nightlife to home. In most cases, we prefer New Orleans, foregoing the pounding techno music (do they still play that?) of Las Vegas clubs, in favor of watching the ships on the Mississippi River from our back porch, as well as the occasional bar experience at Eleven 79. However, one locale did stand out from the others this trip.

At Minus 5 Ice Lounge we donned goofy hats and fake fur coats for an icy experience in an oddly comfortable 23-degrees Fahrenheit. Although known for their vodka cocktails, we tried the clear cranberry juice within ice-glasses, served from a carved ice-bar.

“You can’t put real art in Disney World,” said George, even as he posed by a nude figure carved from ice.

We gave in to the tourist trap, admitting we liked it, and we wondered about the possibilities of such a place in New Orleans. Throw in blinky rings and boas, and It’s hard to imagine a better locale for a holiday party or an escape from the summer heat.

Admittedly, I know little of the art scene away from the Strip. My friends Noel and Candace, who live in Las Vegas, tell me of an emerging ‘Arts District’ and a fun ‘First Friday,’ which sound similar to our own White Linen and Dirty Linen Nights (Coming up……August 6th and 13th).

In addition, Larry Ruvo of Southern Wine and Spirits recently opened the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, an incredible building by architect Frank Gehry where doctors and scientists make significant strides in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s patient care and research, while Ruvo showcases the work of great American artists.

Less than a mile from the Strip, the Lou Ruvo Brain Center is real, with real art and real accomplishments.

George and I are not gamblers or club-goers. We attend a show maybe once every three or four visits, opting for Tom Jones and Phantom over Carrot Top and Cirque du Soleil. We avoid, occasionally without success, the world-class shopping.

We visit Las Vegas to look around. We linger at lunch and watch the people and the fountains, and we search, half-guilty, for the source of the appeal.

Unlike most of our travels, our Las Vegas three-day vacations are without museums or galleries. Viewed as a whole, however, the Las Vegas experience is art of the most contemporary kind, a complex installation of the contrived and outrageous.

For a few days, once each year, we happily take part.

Wendy Rodrigue (a.k.a. Dolores Pepper)

*unless otherwise noted, all photographs by George Rodrigue, 2011

*thanks to twitter, this year’s trip exposed us to the latest Las Vegas info and new friends, namely @24k and @VegasBILL

*also this week, I hope you enjoy “Gator Aid: Nude Swamp Women” from Musings of an Artist’s Wife

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