Over the holidays I had the pleasure of meeting one of the team members of Canada’s newest trade show: Dx3 Canada. What got me really excited is that Dx3 Canada is focusing on Canada’s digital industry – which is the space that I work in as a founder and partner of thirdocean. After finding out more information about Dx3 Canada and being personally invited, I promised to help promote them.
Dx3 Canada takes place at Toronto’s Metro Toronto Convention Centre (South Building) on January 25 and 26. (There’s still a few tickets left with some amazing speakers and sessions.)
Some of you may be really interested in going but maybe the $199 ticket price is too much for you. No problem. You can still attend and visit the Expo Floor for FREE! (Yeah, that’s my favourite 4-letter word also.)
Companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Visa, American Express will be there. As will local favourites such as BNOTIONS.
On December 14th of last year Neil Young (my favourite music artist by the way) was invited to speak at a Salesforce conference in Japan. During this short appearance, Neil talked about the power of social media and its ability to inspire change. He compared it to the 1960s and 1970s and the impact music and radio had on society at that time.
What are your thoughts on Neil’s comments? I would love to read your comments below.
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There’s a new social network amongst us. Path. To find out more about Path take some time to read this Forbes article.
Path was started by former Facebook-er Dave Morin. He was recently on Jason Calacanis’ show This Week in Startups. I suggest you give it a watch/listen for some amazing insights into Path as well entrepreneurship in general.
I could go into detail about what Path is and what makes it unique but I won’t. What I will say is that at the moment, it’s a mobile social network (Path calls itself the Smart Journal) which limits its users to a maximum of 150 friends.
This blog post is why I enjoy Path.
I remember joining Path sometime last summer. And I was not impressed. At the time it seemed as a limited social network. And I was also very hot on Google Plus. But this past Christmas I was re-introduced to Path when it seemed everyone at a party I was at was using the newly released Path 2.0 on their iPhones and Androids. So I did what anyone else in my shoes would have done: I crapped all over Path and then proceeded to download the new version.
And I have been impressed ever since.
Beautiful User Experience
From the simplicity of the product to the unique “posting” system, there is no social network quite as easy on the eyes as Path. Path is very intuitive with very few steps in order to use it.
Replacement for BBM?
I own a BlackBerry Torch and also use an HTC Android smartphone. The Torch is the phone I primarily use as it has the number I’ve been using for 15+ years. And BBM is an app that I really like to use. But using Path on my HTC makes me question whether I really need to use BBM anymore? I just need to convince/wait for my brother and sister to get an iPhone, Android or other device that Path supports. (We use BBM to “chat”. No other messenger service has appealed to us yet.) Then I won’t really have an excuse for using BBM/BlackBerry.
Everything that I use BBM for I can use Path instead. And Path offers so much more!
Music sharing and discovery
One of my favourite things about Path is the music sharing and discovery feature. On Path you can share thoughts, location, photos (and video on iOS), when you wake up and go to sleep, and music. (Now, remember, I’m a longtime BlackBerry user so excuse me if this sort of feature has been around on other devices and products.)
As many of my friends will tell you, I love my music. And my music consists of U2, Neil Young (including his stuff with Buffalo Springfield, CSNY and Crazy Horse), Aerosmith (their old stuff mostly), Colin James, Black Dub, Led Zeppelin, Broken Social Scene, Rush, etc…
So I love sharing what I listen to. And I can also see what my other friends (up to 150 only. It’s another great feature of Path that you should learn more about) are listening to. Or at least that’s what I thought I could do. Until I clicked on a song icon a few days ago.
Baaam! I proceeded to have about 15 seconds of a song I’ve never heard play on my phone. Path actually allows us to “share” what we’re listening to like nothing I’ve ever seen/heard before.
Anyways, that’s my take on Path. Do you use Path? I would love to read your comments below.
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Earlier this summer I wrote a blog post about the importance of influence. And while I still believe in the idea of Klout and what they are trying (or hoping) to achieve they are still a little way off from a perfect product.
Don’t forget context
I have come across a number of professionals and agencies who use Klout scores in the creation of influencer programs and strategies. (Full Disclosure: I am a managing partner and co-founder of a social media and community management communications agency. We haven’t used Klout for our clients.) And it astounds me that brands pay good money on account of a Klout score with no context.
Here’s what I mean. What does a Klout score of 40, 76, or 29 (pick any number you want) actually mean? Nothing in my opinion. What does matter is context.
Market
What market is a brand targeting? For argument’s sake let’s say that the product is a fluoride-free kids toothpaste. The brand wants to give away 250 tubes of toothpaste to parents of young children. The hope is to generate valuable word of mouth buzz to help the toothpaste maker (and their agency) earn some online media mentions. Does it make sense for the agency of record to work with Klout to identify 250 people with high scores? What if Klout could identify which Klout accounts were parents in a specific target geographic area? Even if Klout could identify parents who love trying toothpaste and want to use a floride-free brand.
Influence doesn’t end (or begin) online
And herein lies the real problem. Most parents concerned about floride-free toothpaste are not concerned with their Klout scores. And this is wildly assuming that these parents are even registered on Klout.
Wait Karim! If these floride-free advocates have high Klout scores won’t that help the toothpaste maker generate valuable online mentions? Maybe.
Influencers
There is greater value, I think, in directly engaging in conversations with these people. Here’s an idea: Connect directly with a dozen or so popular parent or mommy (even daddy) bloggers. Find out what their needs are. Find out what their readers (and community) are interested in. Work with them to create a program that benefits all parties involved: The blogger (or influencer), the blogger’s community, and the client.
During this process you may even find out that the influencer and their community you are engaging with are not interested in the fluoride-free toothpaste. Which allows you to move on to another influencer and engage with them.
Moving forward
The simplicity of measurement tools like Klout is that they tend to make people who work with brands’ communications and marketing programs lazy. It’s too easy to take a bunch of influencer scores and blast them with messaging. What’s not as easy, and therefore more rewarding in my opinion, is taking the time to properly engage with potential influencers. Take the time to deliver a quality product and service to your client. Don’t take the shortcut.
What is your opinion on Klout?
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
17, 2010 I wrote a piece titled 
