social media

The simplicity behind HootSuite

I have been personally using HootSuite for more than 3 years. Probably closer to 5 years. I remember before HootSuite I was using Tweetdeck to send out tweets and keep track of certain conversations and people I was personally interested in.

However, for a number of reasons I soon switched over to Hootsuite to manage my personal online conversations. Ever since I have used HootSuite for work and business. And with all the other options out there (see HootSuite vs Buffer) I intend to continue using HootSuite and recommending HootSuite to anyone willing to listen.

For the rest of this week, I will write about HootSuite and it’s various functionalities. If you’re a professional or own a small business, this series is meant for you.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/43914561 w=500&h=281]

digital media

Live from BlackBerry Live in Orlando: #BBLive

For the past few days I’ve been working from Orlando while attending the BlackBerry Live annual conference. While drumming up interest and business for our social media agency, I’ve also been contributing to Canada’s source for business and technology news.

Highlights:

Alicia Keys. She might have stolen the show to be honest. At the Opening Keynote she announced an initiative aimed at empowering, educating and supporting women in STEM. The same day she hosted a panel on Women in Tech that was filled to capacity. Then in the evening she presided over a concert experience like no other.

BlackBerry Z10. I’ve been playing with the device since Monday afternoon and I’m really impressed. My primary device is a Nokia Windows Phone 8 so maybe comparing the two is not fair. But I’ve seen Android and iPhone users fall in love with BlackBerry’s newest device all week long. The apps are strong and the device is sleek. I know it’s probably not perfect but it’s a step in the right direction for the smartphone innovator.

BBM. The future is bright. Not just for the popular messaging system on the BlackBerry 10 devices. Watch for BBM to show up on your iPhone and Android devices this summer in a planned rollout. And also watch for BBM Channels: the newest social network.

BlackBerry.  When the keynote began with CEO and President Thorsten Heins announcing the new Q5 for emerging markets, I will be honest, my heart sank a bit. However, after digesting the full Opening Keynote I came away excited for the future of BlackBerry. Firstly, ignoring emerging markets is not smart from a business standpoint and BlackBerry is establishing itself as a leader here. Second, BlackBerry’s QNX and BlackBerry 10 is not only about smartphones. It’s about powering the whole internet and the devices and products that connect to it: smartphones, cars, homes, businesses, etc. Third, I mentioned it above but it’s worth repeating: BlackBerry supporting the case of increasing women’s role in leadership and technology is overdue in the industry as a whole. With BlackBerry carrying the torch, watch for other companies to follow suit.

I have embedded a number of links in the post to some articles and videos I produced during my time here at BlackBerry Live. Feel free to click on them for extra content.

Disclosure: As a contributor for itbusiness.ca I was invited to Orlando by BlackBerry and have been their guest during my stay.

digital media, social media

thirdoceanTV: Social Wisdom with Laurie Dillon-Schalk

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to “interview” one of Canada’s top digital strategists and planners: Laurie Dillon-Schalk who is currently with DraftFCB’s Toronto office.  To be fair to Laurie, I think I learned more about the social/digital space during our conversation than the amount of awareness we might have generated for her and her work.

So, thank you Laurie for your time and your generosity. If you ever have a moment with her, don’t take her for granted.

The original post of our conversation (including notes) appeared on our social media agency website.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7l-SfiAzh0?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

digital media, social media

thirdoceanTV: Mark Farmer

At the beginning of May I had the opportunity to have an enlightening conversation with Mark Farmer. I met Mark when he was with The Royal Ontario Museum. He is now a digital strategist with York University.

The original post of our conversation (including notes) appeared on our social media agency website.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuO85jxswQI?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

digital media, social media

Walk Off The Earth at ING Cafe Toronto

Social media innovator, in the Canadian banking sector, ING Direct Canada today officially launched their newest campaign aimed at helping Canadians save their money.

Finding its home on YouTube, the campaign also features Canadian indie stars, Walk Off The Earth.

Earlier this evening, Walk Off The Earth visited the ING Direct Cafe at 221 Yonge St in Toronto to unveil their latest video (sponsored by ING Direct) which is a version of Madonna’s Material Girl. They also stayed to answer a few questions and take some photos.

I took a moment to record some of the event. Here is the unedited version of that recording:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPDoGSTwtac?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

social media

my blogging adventure continues

For those of you who have been following me for the past few years or more you will know that a big part of my journey in social media and content marketing started when I was a contributor and Toronto Community Manager with Techvibes. It was a fun time in 2009/2010. I learned a lot and met a ton of great people.

Well, that journey continues with itbusiness.ca. for the past year, I have been sending contributions to Canada’s technology and business publication. Recently, I was formally invited to participate as a contributor. Some of you may have even seen me re-post some of my articles here.

The focus of my submissions to itbusiness.ca will be the business implications of social media. So if you have any questions that you have or larger themes you would like me to cover feel free to ask me on my Twitter account.

In the meantime, I’m still actively building thirdocean into Canada’s premier social media agency.

podcast

What podcasts do you listen to?

I’m in the need for some new and inspiring podcasts to listen to. I’m a Blue Jays and MMA fan.  I’m also an entrepreneur and a social marketer. So the podcasts reflect this.

Here is what I currently listen to:

Drunk Jays Fans – brought to you by the guys from The Score’s mosts popular blog on your Toronto Blue Jays.

ESPN UFC Podcast – from across the pond in England. This is one of the most unbaised podcasts on MMA around.

Freakonomics Radio – from the blog and book of the same name.

Humble and Fred Radio – because sometimes I need to relax and just have some unadulterated fun.

Q: The Podcast – Jian Ghomeshi is the best interview today.

The Ricky Gervais Podcast – Gervais is not actively podcasting these days. But when he does, it’s golden.

Six Pixels of Separation – Mitch Joel’s weekly conversations are very enlightening. And the monthly Media Hacks is entertaining and informative.

Spark – Nora Young helps us understand how our lives are being transformed by technology.

This American Life – Some of the best stories of people and their lives from south of the 49th.

This Week in Startups – Jason Calicanis is entertaining and his interviews and weekly news roundups are a must listen for all entrepreneurs in the tech space.

Under The Influence – Terry O’Reilly uses his unique story-telling style to bring today’s marketing and advertising trends to Canadians.

Wiretap – One of the best shows by CBC.  Jonathan Goldstein’s unique brand of humour and his band of characters always brings a smile to my face every week.

What’s your favourite podcasts? And why? Please share. Thanks!

social media, twitter

11 tools to help you get the most out of Twitter

Personally, Twitter has become my favourite social media tool. Although users are limited to 140 characters, we have come up with many ways to use this simple tool: whether it is using hashtags, embedding links to articles, photos or videos, or using the Direct Message feature.

Since it’s inception, many tools have been created to help people and social media agencies get the most out of Twitter. Here are just a few of them and what they do. If you know of others, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

In no particular order:

ReTweetLab – powered by HubSpot this tool is one of the most powerful I’ve come across to date. ReTweetLab takes a look at your last 1000+ tweets and analyzes them from everything to length, RTs, Day of Week, Time of Day and more.

Qlouds – the premier Twitter storage facility not owned by Twitter.

TweetReach – Want to know how viral that last tweet about Kim Kardashian you tweeted was? TweetReach is the tool for you.

HootSuite – I use this tool everyday to do everything from tweeting, RTing, searching for conversations and people on Twitter, and even to schedule tweets. They also provide social media analytics and a robust social media team workflow solution.

Buffer – An interesting tool that (via its free version) allows the user to schedule 4 tweets during the day at optimum times. The data they report back on helps you to understand which content is resonating with your followers.

TwitterCounter – the free version of TwitterCounter can help you track how many followers you’re gaining on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. And  you can also use this tool to compare yourself to Barak Obama or your next door neighbour.

TweetPing – Probably the “coolest” Twitter tool out there. Shows you a real life word wide view of who’s tweeting in real time. Kind of like looking at Twitter from Commander Hadfield’s view from the space station.

TweepsMap – Want to know where your followers are? This tool will report to you the city and country of where your followers reside.

TweetBig – Another Twitter tool that helps you manage your community.

Twitonomy – Twitter analytics tool currently in beta.

Metricly – Dashboard to track and analyze your social media data.