Twitterville.

Twitterville.

It's a place. And a book.

Shel Israel has written the answer to when your friends ask you: What the heck is Twitter?

Twitterville is a great synopsis of what Twitter was, is, has been, could be.

Shel gives a plethora of examples of individuals, companies, charities and other organizations who use Twitter to further their cause.

Early on he gives an example of an American who used Twitter to get freed from prison.  He also describes how hospitals and other medical institutions use Twitter to engage with the public.  From small companies fighting large corporations to established brands using Twitter as a PR tool, Shel gives a thorough analysis of this simple tool with a limit of 140 characters.

If you're a student, you can use Twitter to crowdsource information and gather research.  If you're a professional you may use Twitter to market your product or as a customer service tool.  If you're a business owner, being on Twitter may allow you to keep up with market demands.

In the end, Twitter may also save the world. Curious? Read the book.  It's a wonder what we may accomplish in just 140 characters.

Tell me about the book you have just read.

For Love of the Game

(I started this post back in August. The first round of the playoffs have just ended in the American League. What better time to add some thoughts. Wow!  Now the Yankees and Phillies are playing.  Time to finish this and post it for your thoughts and comments.  If you're reading this on Facebook, and you want to comment, please take the time to visit the original post.  Thanks!)


I'm a Toronto Blue Jays fan more than I am a baseball fan. Yet, I love the game of baseball and enjoy watching the playoffs even if my team is not playing. And with the current schedule and format, I'm also glad I don't hold my breath!

Recently, there has been lots of talk and chatter about the pathetic attendance and play this year.

So, I've decided to come to the rescue of the Rogers-owned baseball team and offer some (free) insightful advice, thoughts and suggestions. Furthermore, because I also believe in all this openness on the interwebs, I am encouraging everyone to use this blogpost as a forum to post more suggestions and comments.

Before I share with you my thoughts, here are what others have said/reported:

• Garth Woolsey.
• Mike Wilner.
• Saul Colt.

Now on with the show...

1. Rogers needs to hire a respected baseball president and general manager. And with the not-so-recent Gaston-gate, a respected manager would be a great idea. (The recent firing of JP and subsequent promotion of Alex Anthopolous is a start. However, it's only a start. Note: And so is the recent hiring of Beeston. :) )
   
2. Make the Jr. Jays package more valuable than it is. Include a pair of tickets to a game a month. Give a further gift to the parents and child. Instead of asking who the child's favourite player is and doing nothing about it, include an autogrphed picture or baseball. (Remember, this is also about growing the future fan base of the baseball team.)
3. Flex packs on steroids. Sorry for the using the "s" word. But it is imperitive that the Jays not only continue to market the popular flex packs. They need to spice this up. I like the invitations to special events like this year's Cito Gaston interview. Let's continue to be creative.
4. Where are the local, community, high school, and college/university teams? Invite them to attend games. Offer Jays packages to them.
5. Invite season tickets holders on a Jays paid trip to Spring Training. And watch this word-of-mouth thing explode!
6. As a father (and flex pack holder in the past) I was never invited to a Father's Day game. Never. Fix this and take advantage of other special days. Just don't forget to personally invite people. Rogers owns a HUGE database. Use it.
7. Engage. With local businesses, consumers, bloggers (ahem), the online community, etc. The Toronto model for this would be the Toronto Argonauts. The Argos engage with the community at schools, with various local football clubs and businesses at trade shows. I understand that the Jays probably do the same. Let's do more. But let's also let others know that you're ou there.
8. Invite the online community (bloggers and the like) into press conferences and into the clubhouse. Your future and current fans are part of the online community. Are you there?
9. Study what the Toronto Argos do to sell tickets and keep fans engaged.  Even thought they may put a losing team in the field, they know how to sell tickets.
10. Remember to always thank season ticket holders and ALL purchasers of ticket packages.  And I mean more than a thank you letter.  A free pair of tickets to a game next season or a food voucher is a start.
11. Open dome policy. Unless it rains or snows. Of course.  There's just something about being outdoors.
12. The Argos (yes, them again) have a Double Blue Crew that give away prizes during the game in ALL levels and are very visible. Idea?
13. Free baseball clinics after Junior Jays games.
14. RIM purchased 25000 tickets for their employees to the U2 concert in Toronto.  What has Rogers done for the Jays?
15. Engage fans outside of Rogers with mobile apps and SMS.
16. I remember buying tickets from Dominion (Metro) for $2 way back when.  Everyone goes grocery shopping.
17. Be more involved in the community.  Collecting cans at games is great but no one knows about Jays Foundation doing stuff outside of the Dome. Are they?
18. Invite former flex pack and season ticket holders to come back for special game.
19. Give away more tickets via contests, Twitter, Facebook, etc...
20. Promote your stars and make them household names.  Aaron Hill (multiple award winner this year) should be mobbed everywhere he goes.
21. Engage more with trendy and cool brands.  Develop sponsorship opportunities for team and the stars so that young fans can "identify" with players and team.  Cool is cool.
22. More stars at Jays games and more Jays at other professional games even during off-season.
23. Promote your cool in game promotions (like "run the bases") OUTSIDE of the game.  Rogers owns magazines, TV shows and radio stations.  Use them.  And the other guy's as well.
24. I know the Jays don't have pin stripes.  So, stop changing uniforms and let's try to create some nostalgia.
25. Make every game/series a must attend event. Remember AJ Burnett's return to face Doc earlier this year? Promote, promote, promote.
26. Best Blue Jays commercials have been the emotional "See you at the game". These are much better than the "You were meant to be there".  Remember, people, especially fans, make emotional decisions.
27. Customer service is either your best or worst marketing strategy. This department interacts everyday with fans.  Are you investing in proper training for your front line staff?
28. Winning solves everything.

There.  That's it for now.


I am looking forward to hearing and reading your thoughts and suggestions.  Do you agree or disagree with anything here?  Do you have any ideas of your own?  Have you read anything else from anyone on their suggestions?  Let's start the conversation.....

10 Things I Love about London

London, England is an amazing city to say the least. Last summer I had a chance to catch a Blue Jays game at the old Yankee Stadium in New York City. At the time I thought New York was THE city that never sleeps. Boy, was I wrong! London is right up there with New York.

To end of this blog series from London, here are my 10 favourite things about London:

1. Size. Size is everything. London is a huge city. If you travelled from the north end of London to the south on the M25 (the circular motor/highway that encompasses London) it would take you almost an hour and a half at a speed of 100km/hr. Why do I like this? It means that there is more to see and experience: Neighbourhoods, shopping, restaurants, etc.
2. Nandos. Is there a Nandos restaurant where you live? Maybe there is one in the city you live in. In London, Nandos is everywhere! It's as prevelant as Swiss Chalet is in Toronto. The only difference is the tender chicken, amazing variety of Peri Peri sauces and the endless supply of Coke Zero!
3. Charity Shops. I understand there is Variety Village and Goodwill stores in Canada. But really, would you brag about shopping at these places? In London, charity shops can be found in your local trendy shopping district. And the clothes and bargains to be found are plenty. I purchased a Zara brand suede jacket for under 4 British Pounds (that's less than $10 Cdn!).
4. Roundabouts. In the city where the traffic light was invented, it is hard to believe that roundabouts still exist. However, it keeps the traffic flowing. Anyone from Toronto would love that!
5. Museums. And not just the world renowned Natural Museum with the dinasour bones. There are plenty of museums and art gallery's in this city. And the museums are FREE. That's right, no charge. I think Chris Anderson would like that.
6. Public Transit. London is a city where one can literally travel anywhere, and I mean anywhere, by public transit. Public transit in London includes bus, train and underground. There are various zones and times and prices to match. For example, one could travel all night long on the famous London buses for under 5 British pounds! Or, you could use all the different options and travel with your family for up to 24 hours for under 50 British pounds. Not only is the pricing outstanding, but so is the coverage. Anywhere in London is accessible to everywhere at all times.
7. No urban sprawl. This does not mean there are no "big" homes or green spaces. It means that London takes it's space serious and does not waste it. For a city as huge, dense and populated as London, it's incredible that it's basically void of highrises.
8. Cobblestone. There is that "something" about roads and sidewalks make of rock and stone isn't there?
9. Weather. London gets it's fair share of rain and overcast days. As a Torontonian, I would swap a week of sub-zero temperatures and blowing snow for a month of rain and drizzle. It is impossible to play golf year round in Toronto. In London? Fore!
10. People. What would a city be without it's people? I am fortunate that I could travel to London at anytime and have a place to stay. With lots of family and friends, London easily tops my list as one of the best cities that I have ever travelled to.

What's your favourite city (besides the one you live in)? I would love to read your thoughts!

Family & Social Media

I'm in England for 2 more days. It's partly thanks to the good folks at Flight Centre.

(Follow some of the links below to see some of the places I've visited on my trip "back home".)

I'm a big fan of social media and am presently studying it to better understand it's implications on business, the charity/non-profit world, and work. Many people use tools like Facebook and Flickr to also keep in touch with friends and family from around the world.

What do these two separate, but related, topics have in common?

Because of, in my case, Facebook, Twitter, email and YouTube, I've been able to "document" my life for everyone to see. And I'm not vain enough to hope that millions of people will follow me. Only those interested will - family and friends.

And as a result, I've also been able to keep track of the lives of my family and friends. So what do we do when we finally meet at a family wedding after years of being apart? We laugh, tell jokes, and enjoy each other's company without having to resort to the always polite, but sometimes boring, "How are you?", "What have you been up to?", "My your kids have grown!"

Conversations tend to be more in depth. We don't feel like we've wasted time visiting a museum , shopping or getting toys for kids. We enjoy the time while it lasts.

For example, my sister and I may see our brother once a year or maybe once every two years. However, because of the relative low cost of long-distance calls, email, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and our yearly hockey playoff pool we feel like we are in constant touch. So when it's time to say goodbye, well, it's not really goodbye.

It's more of, "Talk to you later!"

A New Friend

I'm in England as I write this post.

One of my favourite things to do these days is meeting new and interesting people. Today I had the opportunity to meet a guy who's attempting to set SIX Guiness World Records. His name is Dave. I met him while he was rowing outside a clothing store in Basingstoke.

No, he wasn't rowing down the River Thames. He was rowing on a stationary rowing machine, outside, in the cold and mostly damp English autumn.

So you know I had to go and ask him if he needed directions to the nearest mental facility. Turns out Dave is a great guy with an even bigger heart for people. He's basically dedicated more than 2 years of his life, everyday, to help raise funds and attention to a worthwhile local charity.

Check out Dave's adventures at http://www.worldrecordrow.com/ and please follow him and his adventures at http://twitter.com/worldrecordrow.