the week that was

I can't believe how fast this week has gone.  It's been a really cool week.  Lot's of opportunities have been coming my way recently.   

If you want a pulse on what's happening with me follow me on Twitter.  I've even been asked to do a meetup overseas.  I'll let you know how that turns out the closer it comes.

Ready to go back to the future?  Here we go!

Techvibes:

1. Everyone watched the Olympics.  Well, almost everyone.
2. Shipgooder.com
3. Tweet & Win (another reason to be on Twitter)
4. TheBizMedia (video)
5. 5 Questions...with Joallore Alon (a MUST follow for Torontonians in Toronto)
6. Julie Tyios and the TTC
7. Lavalife 
8. Top 25 technology predictions from futurist Dave Evans
9. iBizBook's Community Manager (video)
10. Art of Marketing Twitter contest winners (another reason to be on Twitter!)
11. The Canadian Budget and technology

iBizBook:

1. Finding your online pulse (video)

Fadoo.ca:

1. Thoora.com "knows" what the most popular Olympic story was!

As always, feel free to be my friend on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and watch my videos on YouTube.

Have a great weekend!

Week in Review

Well, another busy week has ended.  Yet it began with a bang as I participated in my second PodCamp Toronto.  The great thing about it was that it was also my first time leading a discussion at an unconference. 

Here's this week's, Week in Review! 

Techvibes

1. 
   
   Digital book publisher Vook (you SHOULD check these guys out!) receives additional seed financing.
2. 
   
   Ottawa flexes it's digital muscles.
3. 
   
   General Motors Crisis Communications - Case Study.
4. 
   
   Mark Evans on telling stories.
5. 
   
   ShesConnected - A social networking site for the ladies.
6. 
   
   In conversation with the Senior Partner of Bamboo.
7. 
   
   Rogers has a new plan for roamers.
8. 
   
   5 Questions...with Crystal Gibson.
9. 
   
   Sprouter continues to sprout.
10. 
    
    Justin Kozuch on the Toronto Transit Commission.
11. 
    
    Mitch Joel.

iBizBook

1. 
   
   Finding your online pulse - Video with Mitch Joel.

I was also preesent this week at Third Tuesday Toronto which is a monthly meetup featuring some of today's most thought provoking personalities in the marketing, public relations, technology and social media world's.  At this meetup, Mitch Joel spoke and answered questions about branding.  You can find my videos of the Q&A at THIS link.

As always, feel free to be my friend on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and watch my videos on YouTube.

Have a great weekend!

Blogging as fast as I can

I have to admit it.  I stole the title from a presentation I saw this past Monday.  But I guess it's appropriate for the subject of this blog.

I've embarked on a new journey.  I'm not sure exactly where I will end up but I do know that it will be exciting.  Before I spill the beans let me give you a little bit of a professional update.

Presently, I work for a cool little start-up in Toronto called RealCash Bancorp Inc.  They are a leading financial solutions provider for real estate agents in Canada.  I am tasked with spreading good karma about the company all over the country.  I also work with a good friend of mine at Rogers Centre shaking hands and kissing babies.  I also spend some time helping out a couple of social enterprises.  One is now a charity called Toronto Green Community.  The other is a group I co-founded called GREENtuity.

And because I'm not busy (tongue in cheek) I've recently picked up a gig with an online publication called Techvibes.  They provide hyper-local tech coverage in Canada.  I am now one of their Toronto Community Managers.  So I'll be blogging (as fast as I can) about the people, places, events, and companies that make up the Toronto tech and social media scene.

I hope you'll take the time to visit the site and especially read my posts.  I think you will find them interesting.  I'm still searching for my "tech" voice.  A good friend suggested I just look for my voice and not to worry too much if it's techie or not.  Let's see which one comes up in 2010....

Your visits and comments both here and on Techvibes will go a long way in helping me along my present and future journey.

Thanks for reading and following me. 

I hope you enjoy the ride.

Hockey - The new battleground for social media.

Hockey is top of mind for many people these days. Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are providing hockey and NHL fans with a great display of technique, passion and skill.

Then there is the "battle" taking place in Arizona. Balsillie versus Bettman.

Whether you or I believe or agree with what Mr. Blackberry is doing with his makeitseven.ca campaign is not the point of this post.

What Jim and his team do understand is that the power of social media tools are helping them to make a concerted effort to bring a hockey team to the Hamilton, ON residents. And it's not just the makeitseven Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Here is a list (without links because you can find most if not all if you enter makeitseven.ca in your web browser of choice :) ) of the "tools" he is employing:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• makeitseven.ca
• Email updates to supporters (just sign up and become one!) on each and every legal and non-legal moves and initiatives
  
• the makeitseven.ca shop where fans can buy merchandise
• the HaveAVoice blog and community where fans can interact and share with each other
• Photo and video galleries
• Corporate partners (which are listed on the site) have also put out radio and tv commercials (at least in the Toronto area) which ask their customers to support the makeitseven campaign

This may sound like much ado about nothing. Here's the thing though: Mr. Balsillie is a billionaire who does not have to garner public support in his bid to buy a hockey team. He just has to pay his lawyers enough and buy the team. He has the financial resources.

Why is this campaign a study in social media then? Because of what Mr. Balsillie has learned from running Research in Motion: In short, it is the public - the Audience - who is responsible for either the success or failure of any business, team or campaign.

This story and fight are far from over. I believe this is just the beginning of both this campaign and how future corporate sports battles will be fought.

What are your thoughts? What do you think of the makeitseven initiative?

Social Media - Superhero? (updated 6/1/2009)

Here's our team picture from yesterday's events courtesy of http://www.casiestewart.com/:

(original photo can be found here - http://twitpic.com/6eex3)

I have had the great opportunity to participate with numerous fund-raising events this past year. TwestivalTO, GREENtuity, GetInLine and now the World Partnership Walk with the A Social Movement Team.

The one thing they all have in common - besides helping to raise funds for worthy charities - is their use of online social media tools to raise awareness, a following and funds.

I could go into a discussion about the relevant merits of these tools. Do they work? Does joining an online cause really translate to much needed awareness, co-operation and funds? Why do they work/not work?

The one thing they absolutely do is engage more people that were never involved before. There is a generation of people who love to engage in social causes that used to be marginalized. No matter the reason they were. Today, however, more charities and other causes are embracing the "wired generation". So much so that these same techie folks are now leading the way.

The more people we have helping out the more people that end of being helped. And that's a good thing!


So, I am inviting all of you to this Sunday's World Partnership Walk in Toronto (If you live in another city please click HERE.). Look out for this year's Super Hero's and thousand of other Torontonians as they walk towards smart solutions to solve global poverty.

Are you walking?

Making Sense

Many people...a few people...okay...just you read this blog. However, this blog also gets linked to my Facebook account. As a result I have readers who are both web savvy and not so web-headed. So I thought I'd introduce some of you to a couple of pretty cool tools I've discovered over the past year.

These tools may be able to help you in your career or studies. Or maybe you'll just love to use them to help you keep up to date on your old wresting fixation. Ahem.

Twitter. Yeah, I know you've heard about it but you think it's a waste of time. Depends. Watching TV 5 hours a day is a waste of time too. Anyways, here's the cool thing about Twitter. You decide how to use it! It's a micro-blogging program that let's you tell your "followers" anything in 140 (or less) characters. Anything! You can also "follow" people you want to and search for keywords about things that interest you.

Google Reader. I like it better than Google Alerts. It compiles all the cool articles, blogs, keywords that interest you and stores it for you. So, when you're ready to read the latest additions from the fun folks at Freakonomics then just log into your Google account and see what you have yet to read. I like it.

Well, these are just a couple of tools that I use and enjoy. I've also figured out how to use them for business. What tools have you discovered that others may be able to exploit?

To my regular reader(s), sorry about the nature of this post. I'll be back to my regular programming soon. Maybe an Obama post on Tuesday. I hear it's a big deal....