All posts by karimkanji

social media, Toronto

Hockey – The new battleground for social media.

Hockey is top of mind for many people these days. Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are providing hockey and NHL fans with a great display of technique, passion and skill.

Then there is the “battle” taking place in Arizona. Balsillie versus Bettman.

Whether you or I believe or agree with what Mr. Blackberry is doing with his makeitseven.ca campaign is not the point of this post.

What Jim and his team do understand is that the power of social media tools are helping them to make a concerted effort to bring a hockey team to the Hamilton, ON residents. And it’s not just the makeitseven Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Here is a list (without links because you can find most if not all if you enter makeitseven.ca in your web browser of choice 🙂 ) of the “tools” he is employing:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • makeitseven.ca
  • Email updates to supporters (just sign up and become one!) on each and every legal and non-legal moves and initiatives
  • the makeitseven.ca shop where fans can buy merchandise
  • the HaveAVoice blog and community where fans can interact and share with each other
  • Photo and video galleries
  • Corporate partners (which are listed on the site) have also put out radio and tv commercials (at least in the Toronto area) which ask their customers to support the makeitseven campaign

This may sound like much ado about nothing. Here’s the thing though: Mr. Balsillie is a billionaire who does not have to garner public support in his bid to buy a hockey team. He just has to pay his lawyers enough and buy the team. He has the financial resources.

Why is this campaign a study in social media then? Because of what Mr. Balsillie has learned from running Research in Motion: In short, it is the public – the Audience – who is responsible for either the success or failure of any business, team or campaign.

This story and fight are far from over. I believe this is just the beginning of both this campaign and how future corporate sports battles will be fought.

What are your thoughts? What do you think of the makeitseven initiative?

social media

Social Media – Superhero? (updated 6/1/2009)

Here’s our team picture from yesterday’s events courtesy of http://www.casiestewart.com/:

My brother is Mr.Facebook on the right. Was part of a team of... on Twitpic
(original photo can be found here – http://twitpic.com/6eex3)

I have had the great opportunity to participate with numerous fund-raising events this past year. TwestivalTO, GREENtuity, GetInLine and now the World Partnership Walk with the A Social Movement Team.

The one thing they all have in common – besides helping to raise funds for worthy charities – is their use of online social media tools to raise awareness, a following and funds.

I could go into a discussion about the relevant merits of these tools. Do they work? Does joining an online cause really translate to much needed awareness, co-operation and funds? Why do they work/not work?

The one thing they absolutely do is engage more people that were never involved before. There is a generation of people who love to engage in social causes that used to be marginalized. No matter the reason they were. Today, however, more charities and other causes are embracing the “wired generation”. So much so that these same techie folks are now leading the way.

The more people we have helping out the more people that end of being helped. And that’s a good thing!


So, I am inviting all of you to this Sunday’s World Partnership Walk in Toronto (If you live in another city please click HERE.). Look out for this year’s Super Hero’s and thousand of other Torontonians as they walk towards smart solutions to solve global poverty.

Are you walking?
reading

The Choice

I’m finally getting back to my proper reading habit/schedule. I’m trying to read 24 books for 2009.

I tried another John Maxwell book. Even Psycho-Cybernetics started out with a promise. Yet I seemed to have gotten myself in a lull after speeding through 4 books early on this year.

So I decided to go to a classic. Someone whom I’ve always enjoyed reading. Og Mandino. He has a way of combining words together on paper that makes me want to continue reading well into the night. Only Malcolm Gladwell, recently, has done this for me.

So I turned to his classic, The Choice.


The Choice is a timely book. During these days of economic uncertainty and the pressures of choosing between financial survival (as we add a third job to our already hectic schedules) and family stability ring true for many people today. This is not the theme of The Choice.

In this book, we find a very successful breadwinner having to choose between the principles he believes in and teaches or succumbing to a life-altering decision.

With Father’s Day right around the corner, I highly recommend that father’s pick this book up today and start reading.

What book did you just finish reading? I would love to hear your thoughts on what you’re reading and if you’ve read The Choice, did you enjoy it?

Uncategorized

To Do Lists

I’ve always believed that if I wanted to get something done, it would have to be on my “to do” list.

This is Victoria Day long weekend in Canada. Only self-employed types and restaurant servers will be working on Monday. Which brings me to the point of this post.

What do you have on your to-do list this weekend?

I’m planning to get some barbecueing done; enjoy Toronto with my wife and son; maybe stop off at the Ontario Science Center (we have a family pass till July); do a little spring cleaning and do some business building.

Business building? Why? Because it’s all about time. A good friend of mine does not get to enjoy long weekends like the rest of us normal people do. Why not? Because many years ago he worked during long weekends. Now he has a successful business and is enjoying the fruits of his labour. His business provides him with the income he needs to enjoy a very nice lifestyle without him needing to work more than a few hours per week. So, he always has long weekends.


So this weekend, I’ll be doing some business. Oh, I’ll also enjoy the weather and friends and family.

What are you doing this long weekend?

social media, twitter

Anemometer and Digital Democracy

Don’t know what an anemometer is? That’s not the important thing. Okay. Go and google it.

The important thing is that today I just witnessed democracy in action via Twitter.

The players:

Michal Hay and John Laforet.

The issue:

Whether we should investigate having wind turbines in Lake Ontario 2 miles off the Scarborough Bluffs.

The link to the conversation between the two is below:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=michalhay+laforet

Sometimes I feel that the techno elites are the only one’s making headway in business, public policy, and social change. However, following the conversation today on Twitter and actually engaging with the both of them has given me a glimer of hope. If we want to make changes, a difference, an impact or even a suggestion, the advent and use of technology tools like Twitter and Facebook are levelling the playing field.

Want to participate in your democracy? Jump in.

Uncategorized

Just doing it

Why do we do what we do?

Have we ever asked ourselves this question?

How would you define what it is that you do? If someone were to ask you that question, what would your answer be? Would it be related to what you do for money (ie your career, job, business)? Or would the answer be related to something you are passionate about (ie dog lover, mother)

Curious question.

Here are two answers I received yesterday to the question “Why do you do what you do?”:

@J_Lab from Twitter said: I do what I do because it seems to be the path of least resistance.

Anonymous said: “sadly, to pay off debts, pad the resume, and cause my wife won’t let me max out cards to start my own thing – ask again in 2010.”

I’m not here to judge any of these comments. I can actually relate to both of them.

So, I’ll ask all of you:

Why do YOU do what YOU do?

twitter

Earth Week

Not too long ago I became interested in what tools like Facebook, Twitter, iTunes and YouTube could do for my various activities in work, business and volunteer efforts.

This lead me to create various profiles on Google, Facebook and a host of other “social media” sites.

Finally I got myself invited to host a booth for the Toronto Green Community as a volunteer at an event known as TwestivalTO.

Which leads me to today as we enter the last few days of an event myself and a few others are spearheading. It’s called GREENtuity. More on this in a bit. But first I must tell you why.


Toronto Green Community has been home away from home for my wife for over the past 10 years or so. She started as a volunteer and is now the Director. They are an amazing grassroots-based not-for-profit organization. They have played a role in the creation of AutoShare and the wind turbine co-op many of you see near the CNE grounds.

Despite these amazing programs as well as many community-based initiatives like Lost Rivers Walks and Green Gardening, TGC seems to have never managed to create a following large enough to attact major donors, sponsorships, and even new and young memberships.

And this is where myself and the GREENtuity team come in.

GREENtuity

GREENtuity, a Tip to the Environment, works by allowing patrons of our partner stores to make a $1 (or more) donation at their time of purchase. The goals of GREENtuity is to increase the profiles of our partners during Earth Week; increase the profile of Toronto Green Community and raise $5000 for TGC’s various initiatives and programs.

Before the event was even created I had 3 objectives:
  1. Increase the profile of Toronto Green Community across Toronto.
  2. Raise $5000 for Toronto Green Community.
  3. Engage the “wired community” to become involved with Toronto Green Community.

GREENtuity, a play on the words green and gratuity, has increased the profile of TGC among our various partner stores. We have also had great support from various bloggers.

Which leads us to the $5000 goal. Can it be accomplished? Is it posibble? Impossible? Does it even matter? It does matter and I believe that we all can raise the $5000. The objective and the receipient are both worthy of our efforts.

I hope you will help.

Thank you.

Uncategorized

Opening Day

No other sport has one. Not even students have it. Corporate Canada can’t imagine ever having it either.

Opening Day.

Not even Canada’s beloved game of hockey has an Opening Day. They do have the first game of the season. Just not an Opening Day.

There’s the first day of school. But even going back to school doesn’t have offer hope. Going back to school is like going back to work on a Monday: You can feel your stomach getting tied in knots on Sunday evening.

Today is Opening Day in Toronto. Blue Jays versus the Tigers.

It may be snowing outside here in the big city but the Boys of Summer are back at their trade tonight.

Baseball is Back!

Why does baseball, still an innocent sport despite what MLB has done to itself, still evoke hope and passion? Why does baseball transcend boundaries and unite historians and 3 year olds?

Is it because everything that happens between the two white lines, stays between the two white lines? Or is it because there’s no time limit to the game? Or maybe because, in baseball, the players play until there’s a winner?

Whatever it is, my heart is a little warmer today. Even though it’s colder outside and the snow continues to fall.

Let’s play ball!

(photo courtesy of WisDoc from Flickr)
social media, twitter

Strawberry Ghetto

A few posts ago we featured a guest post on “Love” by Strawberry Ghetto resident Mehnaz. Well, today she has returned the favour.

You can read about my thoughts on social media, the Facebook vs Twitter debate and whether or not these things really matter.

Check out the Ghetto HERE.