You all know (or should know!) how HUGE of a Neil Young fanboy I am. Here is a piece from GigaOM on Young’s Pono music player.
End of the road beckons for BlackBerry: company is looking for “possible transactions”
BlackBerry’s board has put together a special committee to look at a potential sale of the company, joint ventures, strategic partnerships and other options.
#FollowFriday: Head of Magic – Saul Colt
I won’t pretend to speak for Saul but I’ve considered him a good friend and mentor since before rocks were soft. Or 2009.
I was first introduced to Saul via a blog post by another good friend, Sameer Vasta. Sameer wrote a post about job titles in 2008 which referred to Saul’s title, Head of Magic. I was intrigued. Who has the audacity to insist on a title (especially with his employer at the time: FreshBooks) like that? Saul!
When he began working at Zoocasa, I was in the same industry. So I took it upon myself to grab a drink/lunch with him whenever I could. And guess what? Saul gave me his time. He didn’t ask for anything in return except to introduce him to cute women and never c@#k block him.
For those that don’t know Saul check him out. He is a word of mouth marketing genius who transcends technology and trends to focus on results.
For his friendship, time and wisdom, Saul is my #FollowFriday for this week.
Simple social media and experiential integration
You don’t have to spend lots of money, sell your first born or mortgage your house to have an integrated campaign.
ING DIRECT Canada’s latest initiative, #ChequeIn, is a testament to that.
Their mobile app allows you to deposit your cheque by taking a picture of it. (The process is secure.) To support this announcement, ING has (among other things) undertaken an integrated social media and experiential campaign.
Street teams are going across major centres in Canada with a massive vanity cheque to promote the new digital product. As they’re explaining to people the new program they are also letting people know about the $20,000 worth of cash rewards the company id offering to support the campaign.
All someone has to do is take a picture of the cheque and upload it to Instagram and/or Twitter including the #hashtag: #ChequeIn. (Note: Imagine what the recent Lexus/Instagram campaign could have looked like? OK. Off that soapbox.)
This is how a simple, cost-effective and interesting integrated social media campaign should look like: The street team is out promoting the program; those who want to participate further can snap a shot with a chance at winning some of that $20,000; and ING get a HUGE spike in both mentions and exposure.
Bravo Team Orange!
#FollowFriday: Jaime Stein – Campaign For All Canadians
I have had the privilege of knowing Jaime Stein for more than 3 years now. In “internet” years, that’s a lifetime. Although I consider him a friend he is also someone whom I’ve learned so much from.
I consider him a thought leader in the social media space. However, more than that he is passionate about people. This came to life especially over the past six months as he has prepared for his fundraising climb of Mt Kilimanjaro.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hySLe6tMisY&w=560&h=315]
I have “interviewed” Jaime a number of times over the years. Here’s the first time when Jaime was with the CFL:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6yKE0qzI5I&w=420&h=315]
Still humanizing digital: Shopify acquires Jet Cooper
Congrats to Satish Kanwar, Verne Ho and the entire team! It was formally announced today that Ottawa-based tech darling Shopify acquired Canada’s premier user experience agency Jet Cooper. You can read about the news on the Shopify website.
I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to know Satish from when he was with Microsoft and made the transition to business owner in 2009. Since then I’ve had the pleasure of sharing coffee’s and picking up some great nuggets from him. And for that I’m thankful.
Like many other friends and observers, I am not alone in wishing everyone all the best!
Since 2009 I’ve formally interviewed Satish a number of times. Here’s a link to an interview I did 6 months after the birth of Jet Cooper. I hope you enjoy reading it: Creating smart user experiences with Jet Cooper.
Getting Started on Social Media
Recently, I’ve been asked a number of times how to help brands and companies get started on social media. Sometimes, these questions are being asked by companies not using social media. However, sometimes it also includes brands that have social media accounts, but are just not using them.
Here is my three-step approach to using social media effectively. Note: For these three steps, I would highly recommend using HootSuite. Read my posts on HootSuite here.
Listening
What are people saying about your company, brand and industry. Learn what the conversations are like and who the people are. You will find influencers, thought leaders, friends and even enemies. Like GI Joe used to say, “Knowing is half the battle!”
Get Involved
After you know who these people are and what they are saying, you are now prepared to say hello and enter the conversation. Be there to answer questions. And do not be afraid to let people know that you’re new to the social media game and are here to help in any way that you can. You will find that most people on social media embrace and appreciate honesty and authenticity. Don’t try to be someone you’re not.
Lead The Conversation
After a few weeks of listening and getting involved, you should now be ready to lead the conversation. It’s your turn (as a brand, company or independent business owner/professional) to be the thought leader and influencer. You ask the questions and provide guidance. Remember that you are the expert. Social media is just a tool to help engage with people to tell them your story as well as to listen how you can help others.
Try these three steps and let me know how things turn out.
#FollowFriday: Karim Awad of big time design and communications
Karim Awad is the founder and principal of Toronto-based creative agency big time design and communications. I have had the pleasure of knowing Karim since 2009 when he and I met for him to demo his (at the time) new product called Radar. His vision for a communications system that focused on consumer relevancy was clear. It is still a problem he continues to solve with products such as Qlouds, Pro.ps and others (I’m under a friend-NDA – but it will be WELL WORTH THE WAIT!)
Besides making the web a better place, Karim can be found playing soccer, supporting the Toronto FC and being taunted by teenagers playing Ultimate.
Here is a conversation I had with him in 2011. Yes, it was a while ago. I hope you enjoy.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE70GqaYIGU&w=560&h=315]
A look back at Syncapse
Just over 3 years ago I was the Toronto Community Manager for Techvibes.com. During that time I was fortunate to interview the (then new) COO of Syncapse, Kerry Munroe. He was one of hundreds of people I interviewed during my time with Techvibes. Some I captured on camera. Others became part of articles I wrote.
Syncapse was in the news yesterday as it announced a massive wave of layoffs in the midst of a restructuring move aimed at improving their financial state. With this in mind let’s take a look back as Kerry discusses the future of Syncapse.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFn3v8toXFI&w=560&h=315]
Note: Syncapse builds and delivers social media marketing software for enterprises.
Don’t get fooled by LinkedIn
Earlier last week news came out that former 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson (both also current sprinters) tested positive for banned stimulants at the Jamaican championships in June.
In the middle of the subsequent investigation is Toronto-resident Chris Xuereb. Apparently, Xuereb was hired to help the athletes recover from injuries. How Xuereb was able to even obtain access to these athletes is now under suspicion too. At least by some.
Why? Well, on Xuereb’s LinkedIn profile it states that he was a member of the 2004 Argo Grey Cup Champions. (Xuereb’s account seems to have been shut down.) According to an interview with the Toronto Star, spokesperson Eric Holmes stated, “We have no employment record for Chris Xuereb, and I can confirm he was never employed by the club.”
Which brings me to my pain point: Don’t get fooled by LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a great tool that allows people to network with other people based on their professional “resume”. However, one must do some extra “homework” before entering into any type of business/employment relationship with a person:
- While Endorsements seem to be the equivalent of the Like button, it is still important to see what people are recommending and how often they recommend an individual.
- Does their profile include any other contact information such as email, phone number, blog or other social media profiles? While not everyone needs to have a blog or Twitter account, there should be some other ways of connecting with an individual.
- Recommendations. Anyone worth their salt should have for than just a few recommendations. If your candidate has none: sirens should be blaring in your head.
These are just a few simple tips to help determine whether a person on LinkedIn is really who they say they are. How do you use LinkedIn?