Lowe’s Canada took its next step in embracing technology with their most recent partnership with digital agency Red Piston and LG Appliances. Check out this cool video below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLIZQZ7to4Y&w=560&h=315]
Category Archives: digital media
Have the Webby’s Sold Out?
The following video was previously published on itbusiness.ca. I have received permission to re-post it here.
The Webby award winners were announced today. But do they really reflect the best content the Internet has to offer?
[brightcove vid=1615943950001&exp3=96976228001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=1815854478&pk=AQ~~,AAAAAGw7vY4~,MT1x6TzuB4-6gtolhFTaM4bruMSIwgr6&w=300&h=225]
#SaveInTheCity Video Campaign
There’s an interesting video campaign happening in Toronto right now called #SaveInTheCity. Sponsored by ING Direct (the bank here in Canada famous for their “Save Your Money” commercials) and being hosted and powered by My City Lives, this video campaign aims to inform Torontonians on the many local places people can save money.
If you know me, then you know why I LOVE this campaign:
- I love to save money!
- I love the folks at My City Lives!
- I love Toronto
All the details about this campaign can be found HERE.
And if you want to vote for me in this campaign consider “Liking” THIS VIDEO. It’s about my LOVE for the good boys and girls at The Work Republic (another great Toronto location!).
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4mrIrKNVt4&w=560&h=315]
social media workshop at PwC
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to lead a workshop focusing on social media as it relates to the business-to-business realm. It was a lively 75 minute workshop mostly filled with discussion and interaction amongst the attendees who were all from the marketing department at PwC (Price Waterhouse Coopers).
We didn’t video tape the workshop, but I do have the presentation below. I hope you enjoy. And if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or find me on Twitter
social media and business-to-business [slideshare id=11943108&w=425&h=355&sc=no]
View more presentations from Karim Kanji
The Social Media Revolution: Using Social Media to Market Yourself and Raise Money
Are you an artist or a member of an art-based youth organization?
If so, you might be interested in an interactive workshop I’m helping to facilitate on February 23rd:
Join ArtReach Toronto for an interactive workshop where attendees will discuss how to use social media tools to communicate a clear brand and promote their art or nonprofit group / organization.
Another focus of the session will be on how to leverage these tools to generate revenue and raise funds to support your cause. Attendees will also hear from a youth arts organization that has successfully utilized social media strategies to increase their profile and raise funds.
The Details:
RSVP: This workshop is open to youth (13 to 29 yrs). Please REGISTER no later than February 21 at noon by emailing:info@artreachtoronto.ca with your name, organization/ group (if any), email address and phone number. A confirmation will be sent. Space for this workshop is limited so register today! Food and refreshments will be provided.
Date: February 23, 2012
Location: ING Direct Cafe, 221 Yonge St (Yonge and Shuter), side entrance.
Time: 6:00pm – Registration
6:30pm to 9:00pm – Workshop
my #FollowFriday list for 2011
It’s finally here.
The last unofficial workday of 2011. So what better thing to do then continue something I started last year here.
Here is this year’s list of Tweeple (people on Twitter) who positively impacted my life in one way or another (in no particular order). After reading this make sure to follow all these people. Your life will be better for it.
- @jpuopolo – Joseph has been a good friend and supporter of mine for a little while now. I first met him at freelancecampTO. Before we met he was just the dude who used Charlie Brown as his Twitter avatar. Today? He’s my UFC buddy. He’s been kind enough to open his place up to host many a UFC PPV. And he’s also offered his stickers for our XConnectTO events.
- @manalsiddiqui – Who would have thought that meeting on a TTC Streetcar party would have netted me a good friend in Manal. Manal is one of the few people I know who spends so much of her energy and heart into making Toronto an even better place to live in.
- @salimavalji – We met briefly at MusicConnectTO and then again at a Mobile Monday event. Next thing you know I was heading up to Stratford with Salima for Canada 3.0. Salima is a bright young lady whose understanding of social media and digital marketing is second to none. Knowing Salima this past year has helped me gain a better understanding of my own industry and business.
- @OrangeYYZ – ING DIRECT’s foray into co-working with their Network Orange space has been a success as far as I am concerned. Our business, thirdocean, proudly calls the space at 221 Yonge home. Thanks to Melissa, Conrad and everyone here for making 2011 so special for us.
- @thehartley – Matt has come through for thirdocean like no other this year. He has hosted 3 events for us this year: HashUpTO, FilmConnect and WebPalTO. His tweets on #cdntech and baseball are always enlightening if not downright hilarious. Thanks Matt. We shall do more lunches/drinks this year.
- @hessiejones and @azimalibhai- I met Hessie through my friend Azim when they were both with Due North. Today, they are both carving out their own path. Azim is an independent consultant in the media space while Hessie is starting to kick butt with a new Toronto-based startup. They have both introduced me to some amazing people. Thanks!
- @TheWorkRepublic – Thank you very much Ray, Maurice and Milan for hosting me on many days. It’s always a trip hanging with you guys during the day. TWR is the best place to work north of Bloor Street.
- @funkstop – Although an entire continent away, Rahim has continued to support and be an inspiration to me and my business. The folks on the west coast are lucky to have a talented guy who wears his heart on his sleeve.
There’s probably a bunch of Tweeple that are not on this list that have impacted and continue to impact my life in a positive way. This is an incomplete list. I have also not included the many people not on Twitter who I interact with often whom I could not do without. To everyone, thanks for making 2011 another amazing year!
If you’re not on Twitter, get on and follow me at @karimkanji.
UFC uses Social and Digital to rule Sporting Universe
Earlier today an article I wrote was published on the website Web Not War.
On the weekend of December 10th Dana White’s UFC settled in Toronto with Sunday’s UFC 140 anchoring their activities. Over the past 10 years, Dana White, his partners the Ferenzzo brothers and their MMA athletes have created one of the most popular and fastest growing sporting and entertainment brands in the world. The reasons are manifold: the demise of the boxing industry and the need for fresh and new programming for this 200+ channel universe being just two of them.
To read the rest please visit http://www.webnotwar.ca/ufc-uses-social-and-digital-to-rule-sporting-universe/
my favourite co-working spaces in toronto
Almost a year ago I blogged about co-working spaces in Canada. On December 
17, 2010 I wrote a piece titled “the (in)complete list of co-working spaces in Canada”.
The impetus of the previous co-working post was the desire to find a space to work from while at the same time being able to take advantage of other people working and building. Listed below are three places that I’ve had the privilege of working out of:
BNOTIONS:
While not officially a co-working space, BNOTIONS has had a profound positive impact on the growth of thirdocean. We spent 6 months calling the BNOTIONS office space our home. We held our team meetings there and also met potential clients in their space.
The culture of BNOTIONS also positively influenced the culture of thirdocean. Every time a guest exited the elevator on the 4th floor a loud round of applause greeted them. The BNOTIONS office is also famous for their WWE DVD collection and superhero action figures. Today, no matter where we work, all thirdocean visitors are greeted as long lost friends.
The Work Republic:
No matter what I say about TWR it will not be enough. Located at the corner of Victoria Park and McNicol Avenue’s, TWR is only a 5 minute drive from my home. This has allowed me to work out of a space while still being able to drive my son to his morning and afternoon classes.
This north-Toronto space is a welcomed and quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto. On most days you can find Ray, Maurice and Milan listening to old school hip hop (Neil Young when I visit!), building mobile apps and making videos.
Need a space outside the city (yet still very accessible) centre to work from and bring your guests to? The Work Republic is the place for you.
Network Orange:
A slice of heaven in the middle of downtown Toronto, Network Orange is ING Direct’s contribution to Toronto’s startup and freelance community. Nestled at the corner of Yonge and Shuter, Network Orange offers our team a home 7 days a week. Included in their package are a choice of 3 meeting rooms, wifi, coffee, a functional kitchen as well as ample desk space. Open 7 days a week, I have actually “opened” this space at 8am and left when it closed at 10pm.
Operating out of this space has also allowed us to meet with potential clients, clients and even our service partners. More than any other space, Network Orange has helped our team at thirdocean grow from a young company looking for an identity to Canada’s community management and social media agency.
If you have a favourite co-working space please tell me about it in the comment section below. If you want to receive this blog in your email, click on the “sign me up!” button on the right.
guest appearance on the blogtalkradio network
Earlier today I spent an hour talking to Wayne in Milwaukee on his show. We chatted about social media, community building, what brands are doing right and wrong, and what makes Toronto so special when it comes to startup community.
Here is the embed code for all of you.
The problem with Research In Motion
This post will not be the answer to all of RIM‘s current problems (yes, problems). It will, however, help the two-headed beast-led company get back on the path to respectability.
The answer can be found with one word: Respect.
What I have realized is that RIM does not seem to understand what respect means. And I hope to address that today here in this post.
Wikipedia defines respect as such: “Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person or other entity (such as a nation or a religion), and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem.” The writers of that post might as well have added “company” to that definition. Nevertheless, this definition of respect is suitable for this blog post.
This blog post is not intended to summarize all the blunders that have occurred to RIM in recent months. If that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t wind that here. Search on your favourite search engine or tech blog to read up on those.
Let’s get into some detail below on this thing called respect:
Respect for the brand
The BlackBerry brand has been an innovator in the mobile and email communications space for many years. The BlackBerry pager was the first device to offer incoming and outgoing email to the masses. Many of the users were business people yet everyone wanted one. Unfortunately, affordability was not what it is today.
The BlackBerry brand stood for quality, innovation, and status. Today? Not so much. The public perception of both RIM and it’s BlackBerry products has fallen. And it seems that RIM is the only player not concerned about this.
Respect for the investor.
It’s one thing to defy public opinion and turn the other cheek. Has anyone ever heard of an investor at RIM suggesting that the company is on solid ground? We all know that the stock has taken a beating. But guess who else has taken a beating? The average Canadian investor who has money invested in Canadian stocks and mutual funds.
Almost every Canadian blue chip fund has a healthy portion of its portfolio invested in RIM. Which means many Canadians have lost a healthy portion of their savings due to the struggles at the Waterloo-based tech company.
Respect for their partners.
Partners such as Rogers, Bell, Telus, WIND, retail outlets, PR agencies, suppliers, employees, and many other partners have seen the BlackBerry and PlayBook portion of their sales here in Canada dwindle.
If it wasn’t for the ubiquitous Android devices or Apple’s iPhone, I’m very curious what the state of Canada’s technology community would look like…
Respect for their employees
How hard must it be to face family members, friends, colleagues and even passers-by when they know you work for RIM?
Respect for the consumer
I’ll be honest with you. I’ve had 2 BlackBerry’s. My current one is the Torch. The only reason I use it is because I received it free at a BlackBerry Torch launch party.
The Torch was supposed to give Apple’s iPhone a run for its money. Never happened.
The PlayBook? No comment. Although everyone who uses one loves it.
I’m not even going to mention the 3 days with no data. And don’t get me started on $100 of free apps as an apology.
Respect. It is this humble blogger’s opinion that if the suits at Research In Motion respected their customers, partners, employees, investors, and brand that they would be in a better position.
Here’s a quick suggestion to get on the path to respectability: Be humble; start listening to your consumers, employees, investors, and partners; start focusing on your core strengths; and become passionate again for technology and innovation.
What are your thoughts?