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what’s the story, morning glory?

This past week I had the chance to finally meet the guys behind StoryGuitars.com.  I’ve known about Ricardo and Ujwal and their unique business for a few months.  But to hear their story was quite interesting.  And to see the relationship musicians have with their instruments is something to behold!

StoryGuitars came out this week at Toronto’s monthly SproutUp held during Small Business Week.

I encourage all of you to check out their website.  Here’s a sneak peek:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=904FM-nsO2k]

What’s your story?

social media

TEDx [video]

On September 30th I had the good fortune of being present during the second installment of TEDxToronto.

Many of you are familiar with the popular TED conferences and podcasts.  However, some of you may not be familiar with TEDx-branded conferences.

Here’s a description from the TEDxToronto website:

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxToronto, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxToronto event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

During this conference I was asked to help out in the green room.  The green room was where the speakers and volunteer staff would huddle throughout the day.  Some  came there for conversation.  Others to relax and get prepped for their talk.

I took my handy FLIP camera with me to capture some special moments. Here is a video I made. (If YouTube allowed more than 10 minutes per video I would have taken advantage of it.)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQP6BQgVlU8]

Appearing in the video are: Bruce Poon Tip, Drew Dudley, Dr. Catherine Zahn, Neil Hetherington, Sol Guy, Trey Anthony, and Neil Pasricha.

social media, twitter

malcolm gladwell almost got it right

So Malcolm Gladwell has an opinion on “social media as saviour.”  Seems he has been reading the wrong people because I don’t know anyone who believes that.

Gladwell recently penned an article in the New Yorker titled Small Change: why the revolution will not be tweeted. In it he argues that social media has not been responsible for social change and in the future won’t be responsible for social change.

A few things first.  No one really has argued that point.  Well, maybe a few people.  But nobody who anyone takes seriously.  Second, the article is not the first time Gladwell has spoken about social media’s role in society.

Back in April, 6 months ago, Gladwell spoke at the F5 conference in Vancouver.  In his keynote presentation he outlined 3 main points:

  1. Social Media connections are made up of many “weak ties” and very few “strong ties.”
  2. Social Media does not build trust.
  3. Social Media will not change society.

In his New Yorker essay, Gladwell builds on a couple of the same points.  His main argument is that social media has never, and can never, create change in society.

So let’s discuss this.  One example Gladwell continues to come back to is the Iran Election and the influence Twitter had on any protests.  Here’s the deal, some pundits may have said that Twitter was a catalyst in these protests but after reading Gladwell’s piece, I have to be honest with you: It’s the first time I ever heard of it.

In my opinion, and I’m no Gladwell, Twitter was used in a few other ways.  First, it was used by sympathizers to message other supporters outside Iran on activities and progress of the movement.  It was also used by those outside Iran to keep in touch with what was happening inside Iran.

Gladwell also fails to mention the impact YouTube had.  I remember images of a young woman dying on my screen after being caught as an innocent bystander in the Iranian protests.  This and other images helped to strengthen the resolve of those inside Iran as well as their Western supporters.

Gladwell also fails to point out the election of American President Barack Obama.  If you read David Plouffe’s book, The Audacity To Win, you will come to learn the massive role technology and social media had in creating and mobilizing a movement.

Here’s the point, social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, even SMS and IM) are mediums for the message.  They are not the message itself.  I agree with Gladwell in that its people who will be the catalyst of any future change.  And most social media “pundits” will agree, too.

What social media does is allow more people to become involved.  And when more people are connected, then the chances of identifying people who can help spread the message is increased.  And that’s the power of social media:  it’s people driven.  Just like the next social movement.

I would love to know what you think. Feel free to comment below.

podcast, social media

fashion and technology – beyond social media: sms episode 9

Yesterday afternoon, Jas Banwait joined me live as did Aditya Shah via Skype to chat about Fashion and Technology.  Again?  Can you believe it?  Who would have guessed that fashion would make a return to SMS before sports?  Don’t worry, my fashion un-sense will not improve.  I do have an un-image to uphold. 😉

On to the show! It was great.  We actually (as the title would suggest) talked more about technology and not just social media.  One of the topics we discussed was how would technology help independent designers and boutiques attract more customers.

Here’s my question to you, do you know of a mobile app or website that designers and boutiques could use to drive traffic to their stores?  If you do,  please share them here!

One that I can think of it www.MyCityLives.com.  Running in Toronto, My City Lives uses videos to help maps come to life.  Imagine visiting the website and entering “independent clothing store”.  Up would pop up all the independent clothing stores that people have posted videos about.  Simple yet effective.

Anything else?


social media

facebook places in Canada

It’s finally here.  Facebook Place that is.  The question is: 

Is Facebook Places here to much or little fanfare.  I guess it depends on who you’re asking.  Ask brands and marketing folks and you’ll probably hear some enthusiasm.  Ask individuals and you might hear a mix of delight and trepidation.

There has been much talk in the interwebs and MSM about the issue of privacy and Facebook.  The introduction of Facebook Places has only increased this debate.

Today show you how to “turn off” Facebook Places.  Why?  The business and marketing case for Facebook Places will be determined soon.  I’m also expecting there to be some tweaks and changes in the coming days and weeks.  You can expect some thoughts from me on this later.  Or you can also check out your favourite search engine; there are already plenty of articles on that.

Back to the topic at hand.  With the media and government harping (which has nothing to do with Mr.Harper…) on Facebook about their privacy many people are curious how to turn this Places thing off.  I’m glad you asked…

How to turn off Facebook Places:

  1. Delete your account.  Seeing as this is the simplest thing to do I thought I’d put this at the top.  You probably won’t do it so on to #2.
  2. Go to Privacy Settings.
  3. Click on Customize Settings under the Custom tag.
  4. You will now see the various things you “allow” yourself to share with others.
  5. See the “Places I check into”?  Click on this and edit the settings to “Only Me.”
  6. Disable the box that says, “Include me in ‘People Here Now’ after I check in”.
  7. We’re not done yet.  Facebook makes this a little difficult. Not on purpose though.
  8. Scroll down to “Things Others Share” and disable “Friends can check me in to Places”.
  9. Still not done. You may want to revisit #1 above.
  10. Go back one page to the main Privacy Settings page.
  11. Go to edit the “Applications and Websites”.
  12. Edit “Info accessible through your friends”.
  13. Uncheck “Places I check into”.
  14. I think this is it. But you can always revisit #1 and seriously consider it.

If any of you find an easier way of disabling or turning off Facebook Places (especially in Canada) please feel free to comment below.  And please don’t cancel your Facebook account. I might take it that you don’t want to be my friend.

social media

#CokeZeroFansFirst

What makes an event trend locally?

Well, the simple answer is that the #hashtag or term needs to show up on the Twitter stream so often that it starts trending.  This past week #TIFF ( Toronto International Film Festival) was trending in Toronto (if not Canada) on Twitter.

Which brings me to a question I want to help answer:

How do you trend?

On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs opened their pre-season schedule against the Ottawa Senators.  This game at the Air Canada Centre was sponsored by Coca Cola’s Coke Zero brand.  But this story began a couple of months ago…

Earlier this summer I was invited to participate in a marketing promotion that the Toronto Maple Leafs were participating in.

Sponsored by Coca Cola’s Coke Zero brand, a number of Maple Leafs and coaches “assaulted” a men’s beer league.  This was the opening of the summer long promotion hyping up the “free” pre-season game between the Maple Leafs and hated Ottawa Senators.

On this evening, Joallore Alon (@clickflickca), Sean Ward (@seanward), myself and a few others descended on the Leafs practice facility in Etobicoke.  We met the “beer” hockey players, the Maple Leafs players and coaches and even a bunch of Coke Zero promotional personalities.

After tweeting 140 characters at a time, we found out that the term #CokeZeroFansFirst started trending in Toronto. No big deal, I thought.  Until I was told that Coke never trended (globally or in Toronto) during the entire World Cup.  It did not even trend during Coke’s World Cup Trophy tour.

Yet here was a local event that did trend.  Here are a few  reasons why I think it did:

1.       Concentration.  Although it was a small event, there were at least a dozen people who were tweeting at the event live.  Out of this, 4-5 people tweeted at least a half a dozen times.

2.       Inclusion.  Include people who are not at the live event.  A few of us decided (with the support of the Leafs) to give away a few free tickets if they tweeted with the hashtag #CokeZeroFansFirst.  And because Torontonians love the Leafs they tweeted like crazy to “win” those free tickets.

3.       Local.  Yes, Twitter is global.  Yes, social media allows a brand to have a global reach at a low-cost.  However, the power of social media is in the local aspect.  Keeping strategies local gives a brand the opportunity to be a “big fish in a small pond.”

Joallore may have said it best,  “I think it was the influencers snowballing the event that made the event.  A combination of an established property in the Maple Leafs, the new trades and Twitter personalities made it easy.  It’s all about timing.”

The next question that should be asked is…

Why do you want to trend?

The simple answer: To peek curiosity and create brand awareness.  Imagine taking a look at your twitter stream (whether it’s everyone you follow or a specific list you’ve created) and seeing a #hashtag appear throughout a part of the day (or even the whole day.)  You naturally become curious.

Then you start asking questions.  And then so does everyone else.

Tweets begin to spread and the hashtag starts to take on a life on its own.  If done properly (and tied to an online property where people can detailed information on the product/service/campaign) a brand can create a blanket of awareness in a city, country and even worldwide.

What value do you place on your brand being the talk of the town?  Especially if its positive? What value do you place on more people becoming fans of your brand and eventually purchasing from you?

All because you saw a value in using social media and the power of a community of brand ambassadors.

That’s the power of trending, the power of community and the power of social media.

Here are two videos I made from the ambush event and the first game.  I hope you enjoy.

#CokeZeroFansFirst Ambush Event:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfIolrqR3V0]

#CokeZeroFansFirst Pre-Season Game:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BP-GVJViyE]

youtube

blackberry torch party

On Monday I was invited to the BlackBerry Torch release party.  Why?  I’m telling people that someone made a mistake and that there is another Karim Kanji out there who is mad at me.

This party was a perfect example of “pixels and people” coming together.

Amber MacArthur was there showing off various cool things you can do with the Torch’s new Social Feeds feature.  Research In Motion also had a big wig there thanking everyone for coming to support an iconic Canadian tech company.

There was also plenty of food and drink for everyone and music to burn the calories away.

There is a difference in how RIM and their major competitor, Apple, releases products.  Apple keeps everything a secret and invites all the Apple fanboys and techies to massive product announcements that resemble a Christian revival.

On the other hand, RIM throws a party and gets everyone feeling great.

One manages to generate worldwide buzz, while the other seems to generate more of a local buzz.  Both work.

The one you choose to employ with your client or company depends on the intended goal.

At the end of the night, myself and about 200 others walked away with a BlackBerry Torch.  I’m happy and still talking about it.

Although I will miss my Samsung Galaxy S.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GCv-eOg_3E]

social media

the future of media: sms episode 8

Three great guests joined me this week as we discussed “the future of media.”  (You can listen/watch HERE.)

We had Sean Ward, Karen Schulman Dupuis and Kevin Keane.  All three of them more than added great content, expertise and knowledge to the conversation.

One topic that did come up was the recent completion of the Bell and CTV merger.  The conversation led to a discussion on the viability of closed wall gardens.  Then on Monday Michael Geist penned an article, Media mergers the latest stab at ‘walled garden’ strategy.

I highly encourage you to watch or listen to this podcast and also read Geist’s article.

Here’s my question to you:

What’s your opinion on walled gardens?  Are content providers serious about looking at this as a viable strategy?  Or will they offer everyone’s content?  And at what price?

social media, twitter

the problem with social media? mainstream media

A few hours ago my Twitter feed was bombarded with news that TSN and the Montreal Gazette were reporting that former Leafs, Canadiens and Devils hockey coach, Pat Burns had died earlier today.

I read the news here.  But as you can see the story is gone although the link (as of now) is still valid.

Now, I don’t know for sure about Mr. Burns’ status.  I wish him well and pray for him, his family and loved one’s.  However, this is not an article about Pat Burns.

It’s about trust.

Who do we, as a media consuming society, trust?  The Montreal Gazette?  TSN?  Twitter? Our buddy at the water cooler?

Mainstream media (MSM) is concerned about selling advertising and units:  The more papers sold, the more advertising on the local news, the more banner ads on websites.  All of these increases an operations revenues.  And that’s good for them.

Your buddy at the water cooler?  She gets her news from media.  Traditional or new.  She’s too busy working and getting water to be involved.  She just wants to be part of the water cooler conversation.

Me and you on Twitter.  There’s no money in tweeting or retweeting.  There is, however, the issue of trust.  And it’s that trust that opens or closes doors for us in regards to career or potential business opportunities.  It’s also trust that determines our status in our local community.  Here’s what I mean:

If a large volume of my tweets are unsubstantiated and turn out to be false then the amount of trust I hold falls.  In real life, this can affect whether people will trust me as a friend or trust me to be a community manager of their brand.  On the other hand, if my tweets (and other social media content) are seen as valuable then opportunities for friendship and business abound.

And that’s the difference between MSM and social media.  MSM is profit driven and social media is trust driven.  It’s true.  National Enquirer is not popular because their stories are true.  They don’t care.  It’s about profit.

So when news breaks, it’s not social media/Twitter that is breaking that news.  People don’t make money tweeting.  People tweet based on news that comes from traditional media and their online properties.  Twitter and social media just spread what MSM publishes.

Rumours may spread like wildfire on Twitter.  But they are created by MSM.

What’s your opinion?

books, podcast, social media

Google and a little Apple – sms episode #7

Apple and Google

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9533542

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of speaking one on one with Saul Colt.   Saul! (say it like it reads!) is a great guy in the marketing and social media community here in Toronto.  He is a highly regarded speaker and somehow the ladies love him.  Which is why I appreciate any time he spends with me.

On the show we spoke about Apple, Google and even one of his favourite books.

After you listen to the show I would love your thoughts on Ping – Apple’s new “social networking” experiment with iTunes.

So you use it?  Have you found it useful?  It is a pure marketing ploy by Apple or are they sincere in wanting to give back to their iTunes community?

Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated.