Category Archives: digital media

digital media, social media, twitter

itbusiness – The ever-changing social media landscape

Social media is all over the news these days. Whether we’re talking about startups and tools, brands, issues such as privacy and security or how big brands and events are using social media, we can expect to hear something new or interesting every day. Just consider some of these examples:

Tools

Last month we were introduced to Vine. Twitter purchased Vine last year which is a six-second looping video creation tool and consumption platform. It’s all the rage right now. But what will be the shiny new object we all flock to next week?

Brands

One of the most popular international brands using social media (and integrated media) these days is Red Bull. Its culture of “pushing the limits of human endeavour and experience” makes for great content on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.

Privacy and security

Privacy has taken a back seat in the social media discourse these days. That’s only because the hacking and unauthorized use of Twitter accounts of Jeep, Burger King, HMV and the City of Vaughan, Ont. has brought the issue of security to the forefront.

Events

Recent events such as the 2013 U.S. Presidential Inauguration, the 2013 Super Bowl and Beyonce half time show, the Grammys, and Oscars have all heavily used social media tools and tactics to amplify the conversation and experience.

Over the coming weeks and months I will be highlighting specific social media trends and case studies. I encourage you to participate in this column by reaching out to me on Twitter @karimkanji and also by including the hashtag #ITBSocial.

The preceding article was first published on the new itbusiness.ca website.

digital media, social media

Top Ten Reasons To Attend #PCTO13 This Weekend in Toronto

PodCamp Toronto 2013 is almost upon us. For myself, PodCamp, or PCTO has a special place in my heart. This will be my fifth year attending. The first year I went to learn how I could help a non-profit use social media to increase their reach and fundraising. The second year I presented on Community Management from my learnings leading a national tech-news website’s successful foray in to Toronto.

This year I’m attending because of 10 simple reasons.

1.) Learning. There is always something new to learn even if you think you know everything. And if were like me 5 years ago, there will also be something for you too.

2.) Friends. Over the past five years I have met many people who are now partners, associates and friends. PCTO is a great place to meet everyone in one place.

3.) Networking. Many of Toronto’s (as well as visitors from miles away) top digital influencers and marketing professionals will be in attendance. What beter way to grow my knowledge than by hanging around with these people.

4.) New talent. As a partner with thirdocean I am always looking for young, bright and enthusiastic people who are looking to make their mark in this world. If you’re one of these, make sure to seek me out and say hello.

5.) Speaking. Although I’m not scheduled to speak at PCTO this year, I am keeping my options open. If someone wants me on their panel or needs someone to interview, I am available. Hit me up on Twitter.

6.) Clients. Whether I can learn something that can help out a current client or meet someone who ends up being a client, PCTO is a great place to be. People will be attending to learn. And if I can help someone out, then all the better.

7.) Podcasting. Although I have hosted podcasts and shows on YouTube for more than 2 years, I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. One of my manin goals is to meet someone who can help me go from “zero to hero” in the world of podcasting.

8.) Carolyn Van. She’s my business partner and on a panel. So I have to go and support her. Or heckle her. Depends on how I feel. 🙂

9.) The Sessions. How could I not put the sessions here. I’m sure there will be sessions during this weekend that sound so outrageous that they deserve to be attended. Like this one. What does “GTFO” mean, anyways?

10.) I’m kinda helping out. I wasn’t with the organizing committee from day one. But I recently hopped on board to lend a hand. Why? I really enjoy PCTO and it has a special place in my heart.

These are my Top Ten Reasons To Attend #PCTO13. What is your reason that you’re attending?

digital media, social media

3 Music Streaming Services To Discover New Tunes

I love listening to music at home, in the car, in my ear buds, at home and even at live concerts. And of course I love social media. Which is why I helped organize MusicConnectTO a few years back:

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/16837473 w=500&h=281]

Today, let me share with you my 3 favourite music streaming services and why I like them. In no particular order:

Mediazoic

Mediazoic was founded by my friend and cousin-in-law, Greg Nisbet. Mediazoic’s internet radio system allows individuals and organizations to create, customize and deejay their own internet radio stations as they create playlists, have complete control over the look and content of their station(s), and distribute a graphic “tuner” pointing to their station(s) anywhere on the web. The best thing about these stations is that tend to change every week and almost every time I have no clue who I’m going to listen to. It’s one of the best music discovery sites out there.

My favourite Mediazoic station is New Canadian Music (click on link for a link to the player)

New Canadian Music

Songza

Songza is my station of choice if I’m with a group of people with different music tastes. There are professional curated playlists and even one’s put together by fand and friends. My favourite feature is picking music based on the day of the week, time of day and what I’m doing. Hat tip to Karim Awad from big time design for pointing out this website out to me.

Grooveshark

Grooveshark is my old-faithful. I’ve been using this service to listen to my favourite new and old music since as long as I can remember. I have the ability to search for music, create my own personal playlists and listen four hours without hearing the same song. Grooveshark is the only place online where I have found that I can listen to all my favourite Neil Young songs for a whole day without ever hearing the same song twice!

What are your favourite music streaming services?

digital media, social media

Sports & Social Media with Anthony Zanfini

Over at thirdocean.com is the original version of the following post.

I have known Anthony Zanfini since 2010 when he was a guest on a panel I hosted as part of the short-lived but very successful Social Media Show (SMS). We finally got back together again after more than 2 years. And this time, he came into the thirdoceanTV studios.

Anthony has had the opportunity to work with top Canadian brands in online travel (Expedia.ca), confectionary (TicTac), women’s magazines (Canadian Living), insurance (Intact Insurance) and sports/apparel (Nike).

In this episode we chat with Anthony about:
– What him and his team at Ambit are doing with Nike Hockey in Canada.
– The role of social media in leagues such as the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
– How teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays are using social media though campaign such as Tweeting Tuesdays.
– What trends to look out for in 2013.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmgx620vQGc?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Connect with Anthony on Twitter at @AnthonyZanfini.

You can connect with me on Twitter at @karimkanji.

You can also connect with thirdocean online at thirdocean.com and on Twitter at @wearethirdocean.

And finally, if you want to watch all our shows feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel at http://sqz.co/Zc47WyL

digital media, social media

6 Tips for Making a Great Vine Video

I’ve already blogged about Vine twice so far. Once about my thoughts on the new app. The other time about Vine’s first superstar.

It is officially my favourite mobile app. I’ve used it a little bit personally. (I wish I could use it more. I use Vine on my iPad because I don’t have an iPhone.) And I’ve spent some time checking out some really good Vines.

Anyways, here are 6 tips (because we only have 6 seconds) to make a great Vineo (sounds good):

1.) Plan before you record. Two things here: You only have 6 seconds so there’s not much time to waste. Second, you have the ability to be creative with Vine’s stop motion recording feature so really think about all the cool things you can do. Here’s one simple example: http://vine.co/v/b1E7TQuO6q9
2.) Tell a great story. It may only be 6 seconds. Yet, ask any comedian: a punch line is delivered in less time than that.
3.) Effective tagging. Vine has categories that you can use to search for Vines. If used properly you should notice more people liking and commenting on your submissions. Remember #2: Tell a great story. If you use tags inappropriately or your content sucks no one will like or comment on it.
4.) Publish to Twitter and Facebook. Not everyone is on Vine so share with your friends and family. Even if they are not on Vine they may still give you valuable feedback on Twitter and Facebook.
5.) Camera Position matters. I screwed up on my first Vine. Hold your iPhone vertical. Not horizontal.
6.) Be yourself. Don’t try and imitate other people. Be yourself.

What tips would you add to this list?

digital media, social media, twitter

Does Vine have it’s first Vine-Superstar?

I say yes. And his name is Adam Goldberg.

Many of you might know Adam from movies such as Saving Private Ryan and A Beautiful Mind.  Adam also happens to be an accomplished musician, designer and director.

And now, he’s using Vine as a creative outlet and to showcase his creative talents. (If you’re curious about Vine check out the blog post I wrote on my company website.)

Which is a good thing. He’s not making videos of cookies being eaten or cats playing with dogs. Not that I have anything against dogs. It’s those darn cats I can’t stand…

And Adam will not be alone for much longer. The Vine platform and format is simple to use. For anyone.

All you need is 6 seconds. A 6 second movie. About anything you want. Think about it. How many people wish they could create a viral video on YouTube? Many. But it’s not really the viral video people are interested in making unless they use the platform for business – “Hey Karim, can you make me a viral video?”

People are interested in the creativity of these videos. However, the masses have been stopped as a result of a continuous raising of the bar. With Vine, the barrier to entry is fixed. And it’s low. Only 6 seconds. Imagine what you can come up with in 6 seconds. Now all you have to do is grab your smartphone* and away you go.

What will you create in 6 seconds?

* = currently Vine is only on the iOS platform. 

digital media, social media, twitter

Vine – the newest social network

Vine seems to be all the rage these days – It is the video equivalent of sharing your life 140 characters at a time. And yes, it’s owned by Twitter.

I consider myself an early adopter so I looked forward to downloading and testing this much-talked about app this past week.  At the moment, Vine is available on the iOS (Apple products) OS.

I’ve also had the opportunity to play with the app previously with Andrew Jenkins.  Andrew was recently a guest of mine on thirdoceanTV.

In short, Vine enables the user to “create and share beautiful, short looping 6 second videos.”

Here are some early thoughts:

From a consumer standpoint, Vine has the characteristics to be sticky like Instagram:
– its easy as pie to use.
– connecting with larger social networks like Facebook and Twitter is seamless. This allows Vine content to be shared even with those who are not on the new platform.
– Vine is not just a video creation and sharing app; It’s a social network. When you create a video it automatically becomes part of all the other Vine videos. And the user can also consume these videos on the Vine platform.

To see some examples, check out some interesting user-generated videos on VineRoulette.

As a partner with thirdocean, I’m also interested in the implications of this new platform on how brands and agencies communicate and create new and interesting content. Geoffrey Colon wrote an interesting piece earlier this morning on Vine and why brands should be testing Vine. Here are his 5 reasons (in short and in my words):

1.) Test and Learn.
2.) We know visuals are more compelling than just text.
3.) Tell stories in 6 second snippets.
4.) Showcase your company and product.
5.) Tell stories of the people and the company they work for.

Obviously these are still early days. I’m sure there will be many case studies coming out over the next few weeks and months on the application of Vine both from a consumer and brand points of view.

A version of this article showed up yesterday on the thirdocean blog.

digital media

Windows Phone 8: TTC transit guru

One of the most used apps on my Windows Phone 8 is TTC transit guru. Made by Ikko systems Inc., this app has saved me time and also lowered my stress levels ever since I downloaded it.

TTC transit guru uses the real-time GPS systems onboard all the buses and streetcars to inform the user of the arrival times of any TTC vehicle at any stop (minus the subways).

Another feature I enjoy is the ability to save my most frequent stops. This allows me, with the tap of just a couple of icons to know when my next bus is coming.

Here are some additional features:

– An amazingly clean and simple interface (Metro really is a more enjoyable mobile OS than any other I’ve used before).
– Find your location on street map and your nearest stops
– Slide map to select any stop
– Real time GPS arrival times of next 5 buses
– Search route list and all stops along route
– Pin your favourite stops to your home screen (Another amazing feature of Metro)

What’s your favourite Windows Phone 8 app?

digital media

thirdoceanTV – Toronto entrepreneurs on how to save Research In Motion

In 2011 we interviewed a number of Toronto entrepreneurs on what they would do if they were running Research In Motion. Later this week RIM will be publicly launching their new Blackberry 10 device. Many people have said this event will determine the future of RIM. Only time will tell.

Today’s edition of thirdoceanTV features some very interesting and unedited interviews with some of these entrepreneurs.

Who was right? Who was wrong? What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp3VzFQ4cD0?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Guests:
Steve Hulford – File Mobile
Mark Reale – BNOTIONS
Jeremy Campbell – SpidVid
Ameet Wadhwani – OptMeIn
Andrew Peek – Jet Cooper and Rocketr
Greg Nisbet – Mediazoic (Greg talked about content partnerships. Here is a recent link he shared with me: http://www.newcanadianmusic.ca/buzz/item/134979/2013-01-28. Good call Greg!)

Note #2: The preceding post was first published on thirdocean.com/blog. thirdocean is a Toronto-based social media strategy and digital communications agency. I am a partner in this agency.

digital media, social media, twitter

The World According to Tweetping – 140 characters at a time with Twitter

If you ask my wife, she will tell you how massive of a fan I am of Twitter. One of the reasons is that it is a quick and efficient communications platform that can be used by anyone, anywhere with a mobile phone, tablet or computer. Not too long ago she finally opened her own Twitter account. I announced then that with her getting on Twitter, that everyone in the world must be on Twitter. I tell you this story to tell you how wrong I was and still am.

Not everyone is on Twitter. All one has to do is check out a new and very cool visualization tool called Tweetping.

Tweetping allows you to visualize, in real time, where Twitter is being used globally. One of the things that struck me right away was how dark most of Africa and Asia was. Here are some other observations:

  • At approximately 3pm EST, Europe is more active on Twitter than all of North America
  • Brazil heavily dominates the use of Twitter in South America
  • In Canada, most of the use is along the corridor between Windsor and Quebec City
  • In the United States, the east coast is busier than the west coast.

Tweetping is built as an open source project and was created by Frank Ernewein. Check it out.