It’s true, my mother doesn’t read this blog, has never looked and this blog and has no plans to visit this blog in the future. But I’m adorable and she loves me! So what’s the problem?
Talking to her on the phone the other day, I asked if she had had a chance to look at it. She said, “No, I’m not really interested in all that ‘blog’ stuff”. Now, my mother is a well-rounded, intelligent woman whose good opinion I crave – so how can I reconcile her refusal to take a look at a creative outlet that I pour my heart and soul into several times a week without wanting to kill myself?
Actually I checked and it turns out some of the most important people in my life don’t read this blog and will never read this blog. Why?
Case #1: MOM
Subject: My mother, a retired elementary school teacher living in Collingwood, Ontario.
Level of online engagement: Low; she uses email and Skype to talk to my overseas siblings and occasionally looks for travel deals on Expedia.
Prognosis: Hopeless, unless the bridge-playing community in Collingwood inexplicably develops a taste for marketing blogs written by wise-cracking whippersnappers.
Case #2: DOUG
Subject: My boyfriend of six years, an IT support specialist and computer programmer.
Level of online engagement: High; he lives and breathes online content, participates in several online communities, but only those exclusively related to gaming.
Prognosis: Hopeless unless I start adding copious Xbox content.
Case #3: JAN
Subject: My best friend, an investment banker, who I have known since I was three years old.
Level of online engagement: Moderate; uses the internet as an information resource, but doesn’t participate.
Prognosis: Better than average if I keep sending her links on Facebook and whine about it a lot.
This is a little depressing. Mitch Joel, author of “Six Degrees of Pixelation” talks about a ‘The Trust Economy’, where “you’ll trust Sally from Carefree, Arizona over the New York Times Book Review”. So by this reasoning, I get more respect from “rpatz”, my (sole) sixteen year old follower on the Chapters.ca community, who thinks my book reviews are rad (or whatever the kids are saying these days) than I will get from those nearest and dearest to me?
Eh, maybe, but there’s something else in this equation, I just know it…
So, for my mom, as a test, I asked her: if wrote a book, would you read it? After a short but scary pause, she conceded that yes, she would. Okay, so it’s not me, per se –it’s the medium. I can live with that.
Doug, while a lover of things online, is by nature a social idiot. He refers to Facebook as “PhaseBook” and has a one hour time limit at all live social functions. I guess getting him to read a marketing blog about new media is about as fair as him expecting me to go over to his buddy’s place to watch the hockey and talk about video games. Which I won't.
As for Jan, I’ve been nattering at her about my blog since its inception and remind her about it every time we speak. I don’t think she was even considering giving it a try until she spoke to a mutual friend Audra (hey Audra!) who told Jan that it was actually enjoyable. Only then did I see a break in Jan's stone wall – she’s considering it… considering it…and still no. I guess that’s because…er…nope, I’ve got nothing. Nothing! There is no reason that Jan - YES, YOU, JANICE SMITH are not reading my blog! READ IT! Or I swear, I will start describing what we were like in junior high school!
Okay, so clearly it bothers me, but I’m going to have to let it go and get thicker-skinned. After all, my mom, my boyfriend and my best friend already know how totally awesome I am. It’s the rest of you I have to convince.
So, people who are not related to me and for whom I don’t do laundry - stay tuned and keep reading!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Can you see that I am serious?
One of my favourite Simpson’s episodes was “Mr. Sparkle” where the Simpson’s go to Japan to find an explanation for this ad and to find out why the cartoon character in it shilling dishwashing liquid looks so much like Homer. The best line in the ad is “I’m disrespectful to dirt! Can you see that I am serious?” For convoluted reasons, this became a catch phrase for me used to convey to my friends that yes, I was “just joking” – please forgive my lame attempt at humour and move on. It kind of drove them nuts and everyone was relieved when I stopped saying it.
Recent developments have me thinking I may need to develop an online icon to convey that sentiment. Something beyond “j/k”, “LOL” or good ol' winky face.
To explain: I spend a modest amount of time cruising through various forums, reading people’s comments. I don’t post a lot, mainly because when I do, it becomes this epic saga that doesn’t really befit the medium. But if a topic resonates with me, I’ll put my two cents in. I usually opt-in to be alerted if anyone else posts on the same comment after me – to see what other people’s take on the subject was, but really to see if they commented on my witty ripostes, which is, after all 90% of why people post on online forums anyway. I checked and as of this week, it would appear that – yes! People are reading my posts! Yes, they are responding to my work! Yes, they think I’m a jerk!
Wait, what?
Case #1: I started a thread on a LinkedIn community for project managers. I am, by trade a project manager, but marketing is a very different animal than say, engineering. My post was an amusing explanation of those differences. Result: one response from a gentleman who basically told me I’d better start taking my job seriously because project management is serious business. For serious!
Case #2: An online community for digital marketing issues had a poster asking for advice on what social media platforms are “the best”. My response was along the lines of: I was investigating that same question but I can’t give you an answer because there are so many new things to try, my brain exploded and now I’m spending all my time cleaning off my sofa. Trust me, it was funny. Just go with it. Posters thereafter offered the original thread creator some very good, very earnest advice, telling him not to listen to me as I was clearly hysterical and essentially a complete moron.
Yes, dear readers, it would seem that my sense of humour is not for everyone. I know, I can’t believe it either. Perhaps I need to dial it back a little. I can’t have the world at large gasping and clutching its pearls at me; I’m far too sensitive.
Oh wait, no I’m not. Look, I’m aware that a person has to be mindful about the content they create. Anything put online is essentially “out there” for all to see, if not forever, then for the foreseeable future. All content posted under your name should reflect your “brand”. So I reflect: has my freaky faculty for funny impugned my brand?
You know? I don’t think so. My online contributions pretty much sum up who I am (including this blog –if you’ve read the blog, you’ve pretty much met me) and if I start to edit myself now to pacify a certain segment, what does that say about me?
Wow, this post has really been life-affirming. Thanks, Internet!
And so, in either as grand conciliatory gesture to my critics OR as a giant raspberry aimed at the all the Grumpy McCrankypants (I’m not sure which), I non sequitur to you a few links to online stuff I think is really funny. It’s a real grab bag, so enjoy!
Herding Cats for eds.com. This aired during Superbowl a number of years ago. Best. Commercial. Ever. So on the nose for a marketing project manager, I can’t even tell you.
I’m a big Warcraft adherent and I used to be married to the King of the Geeks (hey, Tim!) so this web series about a bunch of online role-playing game addicts is really entertaining.
The Social Media Guru (not work-safe – don’t click if you don’t like cuss words, or if you take yourself and your social media career very, very seriously) Thanks to Margaret G. for this link!
Television Without Pity (spare the snark, spoil the networks) is chock full of very funny writers, the kind that make me pea soup green with jealousy. Pea soup green! Not even regular green! It’s gotten to the point where I hesitate to start watching a TV show if they don’t review it because it’s not nearly as fun if I can’t watch the show and then read their recap to see what they had to say about it.
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Yes, I have a tragic addiction to romance novels. I’m so over apologizing for it, however. Fortunately SBTN has reassured me that I am not alone. This site has made me snort milk out my nose. Only it was Diet Pepsi, and it hurt and I still go back to read their reviews!
Recent developments have me thinking I may need to develop an online icon to convey that sentiment. Something beyond “j/k”, “LOL” or good ol' winky face.
To explain: I spend a modest amount of time cruising through various forums, reading people’s comments. I don’t post a lot, mainly because when I do, it becomes this epic saga that doesn’t really befit the medium. But if a topic resonates with me, I’ll put my two cents in. I usually opt-in to be alerted if anyone else posts on the same comment after me – to see what other people’s take on the subject was, but really to see if they commented on my witty ripostes, which is, after all 90% of why people post on online forums anyway. I checked and as of this week, it would appear that – yes! People are reading my posts! Yes, they are responding to my work! Yes, they think I’m a jerk!
Wait, what?
Case #1: I started a thread on a LinkedIn community for project managers. I am, by trade a project manager, but marketing is a very different animal than say, engineering. My post was an amusing explanation of those differences. Result: one response from a gentleman who basically told me I’d better start taking my job seriously because project management is serious business. For serious!
Case #2: An online community for digital marketing issues had a poster asking for advice on what social media platforms are “the best”. My response was along the lines of: I was investigating that same question but I can’t give you an answer because there are so many new things to try, my brain exploded and now I’m spending all my time cleaning off my sofa. Trust me, it was funny. Just go with it. Posters thereafter offered the original thread creator some very good, very earnest advice, telling him not to listen to me as I was clearly hysterical and essentially a complete moron.
Yes, dear readers, it would seem that my sense of humour is not for everyone. I know, I can’t believe it either. Perhaps I need to dial it back a little. I can’t have the world at large gasping and clutching its pearls at me; I’m far too sensitive.
Oh wait, no I’m not. Look, I’m aware that a person has to be mindful about the content they create. Anything put online is essentially “out there” for all to see, if not forever, then for the foreseeable future. All content posted under your name should reflect your “brand”. So I reflect: has my freaky faculty for funny impugned my brand?
You know? I don’t think so. My online contributions pretty much sum up who I am (including this blog –if you’ve read the blog, you’ve pretty much met me) and if I start to edit myself now to pacify a certain segment, what does that say about me?
Wow, this post has really been life-affirming. Thanks, Internet!
And so, in either as grand conciliatory gesture to my critics OR as a giant raspberry aimed at the all the Grumpy McCrankypants (I’m not sure which), I non sequitur to you a few links to online stuff I think is really funny. It’s a real grab bag, so enjoy!
Herding Cats for eds.com. This aired during Superbowl a number of years ago. Best. Commercial. Ever. So on the nose for a marketing project manager, I can’t even tell you.
I’m a big Warcraft adherent and I used to be married to the King of the Geeks (hey, Tim!) so this web series about a bunch of online role-playing game addicts is really entertaining.
The Social Media Guru (not work-safe – don’t click if you don’t like cuss words, or if you take yourself and your social media career very, very seriously) Thanks to Margaret G. for this link!
Television Without Pity (spare the snark, spoil the networks) is chock full of very funny writers, the kind that make me pea soup green with jealousy. Pea soup green! Not even regular green! It’s gotten to the point where I hesitate to start watching a TV show if they don’t review it because it’s not nearly as fun if I can’t watch the show and then read their recap to see what they had to say about it.
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Yes, I have a tragic addiction to romance novels. I’m so over apologizing for it, however. Fortunately SBTN has reassured me that I am not alone. This site has made me snort milk out my nose. Only it was Diet Pepsi, and it hurt and I still go back to read their reviews!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
One Degree is closing down. Boo!
This is some sad news! I really liked One Degree (duh - I have them as a link on the side panel of my blog). I feel it really stood out in the world of digital marketing online publications. I enjoyed their uncluttered, no-nonsense design, the fun and user-centric tone and language and of course, I really liked their content.
One Degree was also the first RSS feed I subscribed to, back when I had no idea what an RSS feed was. Reading their content was one of the things that inspired me to, well – keep reading about all this interactive and social media “stuff”.
I’m really bummed they called it quits, but I guess you can’t argue with the money. I try not to argue with the money, at any rate, because I never win those arguments. It’s like disagreeing with my mother: futile and a little scary. No, I don’t know what that means either.
At any rate, cheers to the good folks at One Degree, especially Kate Trgovac, to whom I wish all the best.
One Degree was also the first RSS feed I subscribed to, back when I had no idea what an RSS feed was. Reading their content was one of the things that inspired me to, well – keep reading about all this interactive and social media “stuff”.
I’m really bummed they called it quits, but I guess you can’t argue with the money. I try not to argue with the money, at any rate, because I never win those arguments. It’s like disagreeing with my mother: futile and a little scary. No, I don’t know what that means either.
At any rate, cheers to the good folks at One Degree, especially Kate Trgovac, to whom I wish all the best.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A day in the life of a new media wannabe
Today I got up, bright and early and rushed to my computer. It’s a new day in my ongoing quest to become New Media’s best and brightest star. Follow me as I embrace today’s new opportunities to network and interact with my customary enthusiasm and flair…
First up: over a bowl of generic-brand wheat puffs (thus far, being a new media guru isn’t paying well, or at all), I open up Google Reader to see what new topics have been culled from the vast internet abyss for my delectation. Appreciative of my responsibility as a connoisseur, I have cast my net over a wide variety of topics. Thus, this morning I have 178 new articles to read, review and respond to. I quickly close Google Reader and pretend I didn’t see them.
Instead I log into LinkedIn to check my status. Eight people have viewed my profile recently. I am consumed with nosiness. Who are they? What do they want? It appears I have to upgrade my account to find out. Eh, maybe some other time.
I open up my email. A vast array of alerts clamour for my attention: new book launches, exclusive sales and travel deals abound. I pretend I’m not broke and build a fantasy Parisian vacation using TripAdvisor. Good times.
Onwards on over to Del.icio.us, Digg, Identi.ca, Reddit, StumbleUpon…
My brain starts to hurt, I’m exhausted and it’s not even 9 am. That’s a worry, because you’re not worth a plugged nickel these days if you’re not a sweet young thing blogging, linking, tagging and generally connecting your butt off. Although I ponder that using terms like “plugged nickel” in public would be more than enough to consign me to the hopeless old geezer category (the dreaded 35+). Note to self: stop using archaic expressions like “plugged nickel”, “dollars to doughnuts” and “listening to records”.
I spend my morning doing work that will pay the bills. My boyfriend Doug and I are working on a website for a high end furniture designer. He’s programming it and I’m managing the client, the assets and proofing everything. Cognizant of my newfound responsibilities, I ponder: is the website maximizing its SEO optimization? I quickly pop over to Wikipedia to see if I’m using the term “SEO optimization” correctly. Results: inconclusive. Sigh. Soldier on.
I’m vaguely aware of my boyfriend, Doug, hovering around me. He plonks down a sandwich on the printer beside my desk and is nattering on about pacing myself or something. I make shooing hand motions at him. No time!
Because it’s blog time! I edit my most recent blog post, Then I read jump on Technorati and…
…peruse some other people’s funny and interesting blogs (while wishing that I had written them)…
…confirm that Twitter is still not my medium (I can’t possible express myself in less than 144 characters) and engage in some Twitter follower envy…
…randomly browse some MySpace pages and fear for the future of humanity…
It’s now 6 pm and Doug is livid that we’re having ramen noodles and stale Doritos for dinner again. I know our division of household labour has me assigned to meal preparation but who has time to buy groceries or cook?
After dinner I head on over to chapters.ca to post a book review. No one has responded to my previous reviews or various witty comments to other people’s posts yet. Hmmm. Must be a slow week.
I’m chugging Diet Pepsi like an addict to stay alert. “Who are you doing this for?” Doug grumps at me. /ignore. Must remain relevant…
I’ve joined several professional communities online, so it’s time to see what’s happening on them. These groups often have interesting and helpful blog posts, links and case studies. I virtuously read about the legal risks related to using social media (posted by Terrance Barkan, e-Marketing Association) and an article from Business Week about how women are the future of social media (posted by Francis Li, Interactive Ontario). In between all the brain-improving goodness, I find this little gem from poster Arya Sarvam (Social Media Marketing). Love it.
Okay, it’s almost 10 pm. A powerful sense of dread and despair - I mean, jubilation and anticipation fills me when I realize I get to start all over again tomorrow morning.
Hey, the Daily Show is on. With commercials and everything! Surely it won’t impugn upon my new status as new media virtuoso to just watch a few minutes of nasty mass media television.
No one needs to know…
I am asleep. Tomorrow is a new day.
Damn it.
First up: over a bowl of generic-brand wheat puffs (thus far, being a new media guru isn’t paying well, or at all), I open up Google Reader to see what new topics have been culled from the vast internet abyss for my delectation. Appreciative of my responsibility as a connoisseur, I have cast my net over a wide variety of topics. Thus, this morning I have 178 new articles to read, review and respond to. I quickly close Google Reader and pretend I didn’t see them.
Instead I log into LinkedIn to check my status. Eight people have viewed my profile recently. I am consumed with nosiness. Who are they? What do they want? It appears I have to upgrade my account to find out. Eh, maybe some other time.
I open up my email. A vast array of alerts clamour for my attention: new book launches, exclusive sales and travel deals abound. I pretend I’m not broke and build a fantasy Parisian vacation using TripAdvisor. Good times.
Onwards on over to Del.icio.us, Digg, Identi.ca, Reddit, StumbleUpon…
My brain starts to hurt, I’m exhausted and it’s not even 9 am. That’s a worry, because you’re not worth a plugged nickel these days if you’re not a sweet young thing blogging, linking, tagging and generally connecting your butt off. Although I ponder that using terms like “plugged nickel” in public would be more than enough to consign me to the hopeless old geezer category (the dreaded 35+). Note to self: stop using archaic expressions like “plugged nickel”, “dollars to doughnuts” and “listening to records”.
I spend my morning doing work that will pay the bills. My boyfriend Doug and I are working on a website for a high end furniture designer. He’s programming it and I’m managing the client, the assets and proofing everything. Cognizant of my newfound responsibilities, I ponder: is the website maximizing its SEO optimization? I quickly pop over to Wikipedia to see if I’m using the term “SEO optimization” correctly. Results: inconclusive. Sigh. Soldier on.
I’m vaguely aware of my boyfriend, Doug, hovering around me. He plonks down a sandwich on the printer beside my desk and is nattering on about pacing myself or something. I make shooing hand motions at him. No time!
Because it’s blog time! I edit my most recent blog post, Then I read jump on Technorati and…
…peruse some other people’s funny and interesting blogs (while wishing that I had written them)…
…confirm that Twitter is still not my medium (I can’t possible express myself in less than 144 characters) and engage in some Twitter follower envy…
…randomly browse some MySpace pages and fear for the future of humanity…
It’s now 6 pm and Doug is livid that we’re having ramen noodles and stale Doritos for dinner again. I know our division of household labour has me assigned to meal preparation but who has time to buy groceries or cook?
After dinner I head on over to chapters.ca to post a book review. No one has responded to my previous reviews or various witty comments to other people’s posts yet. Hmmm. Must be a slow week.
I’m chugging Diet Pepsi like an addict to stay alert. “Who are you doing this for?” Doug grumps at me. /ignore. Must remain relevant…
I’ve joined several professional communities online, so it’s time to see what’s happening on them. These groups often have interesting and helpful blog posts, links and case studies. I virtuously read about the legal risks related to using social media (posted by Terrance Barkan, e-Marketing Association) and an article from Business Week about how women are the future of social media (posted by Francis Li, Interactive Ontario). In between all the brain-improving goodness, I find this little gem from poster Arya Sarvam (Social Media Marketing). Love it.
Okay, it’s almost 10 pm. A powerful sense of dread and despair - I mean, jubilation and anticipation fills me when I realize I get to start all over again tomorrow morning.
Hey, the Daily Show is on. With commercials and everything! Surely it won’t impugn upon my new status as new media virtuoso to just watch a few minutes of nasty mass media television.
No one needs to know…
I am asleep. Tomorrow is a new day.
Damn it.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Google Reader: Maybe for some, but not for me.
This week has been really busy; my team from our CMA e-marketing course and I have been busy working on our first assignment. We’re preparing a case study comparing two online travel agencies, Expedia and Travelocity. I was up until 3 am last night editing and my eyes are so puffy I can barely see. Another item to put on the shopping list (ahead of my beloved iPhone) will have to be new reading glasses. I’m sick of blowing up text on every website I visit to 150%.
One of the things on my to-do list this week was to investigate Google Reader. Our CMA instructor, Michael Seaton, has been extolling its virtues (along with sites like Delicious and Technorati) so I finally took this week to poke around to see what the fuss was about. I’d heard about this type of application before, but my general view went along the lines of, great – another thing I have to immerse myself in or I’ll look like an idiot at dinner parties. Not that I go to a lot of dinner parties, but one likes to be prepared for even theoretical dinner parties. So I created an account on Google, as virtually everything else I have is already on Google.
So what do I think about my brand-spanking new reader account? Eh, not so much. On the one hand, I get what Michael is talking about; he never steers us wrong on these things. It’s very handy to have everything in one place. One of the disadvantages of working freelance all the time is that when I move from company to company, sometimes I forget to forward all my new links to myself on my last day and so I get home and think, what was the url for that cool site I’ve been visiting every day for the past two weeks? Then: total mental block and I have to spend an afternoon searching for them. Apparently my tastes are so exotic, this is not always an easy job. I am so mysterious! Go me!
Back to the subject, Google Reader is a great help in keeping all my links, blogs and random sites of interest organized – and there’s nothing I like more than being organized. So why did the whole experience leave me feeling somewhat meh?
Maybe it’s a chick thing. It’s like the ongoing argument I keep having with Doug. If it were up to him, we’d buy everything online: clothes, housewares, electronics, food... With him, there’s really no reason to leave the house, ever. Even to go to dinner parties. Especially to go to dinner parties.
But not me! I like the shopping experience. I want to go in the stores, see what they have, touch and feel the goods, check out the sales, immerse myself in the brands… I want to BROWSE, damn it! Shoe shopping online? Sacrilege!
The reader was kind of the same thing – once it’s in that format, I lose a lot of the context. Where are my pretty pictures, fonts, bars and banners? I even kind of miss the ads. I guess some (cough-men-cough) find all that stuff extraneous and distracting. I don’t – I feel it adds an extra dimension, an essential dimension really, to the overall experience.
So ask yourself: if someone offered me one big, efficient store to shop for all your needs versus a whole mall of little stores where you could poke around and glean different experiences from each, which would you choose?
Your answer to this question will likely tell you if you’re a potential Google Reader user or not.
One of the things on my to-do list this week was to investigate Google Reader. Our CMA instructor, Michael Seaton, has been extolling its virtues (along with sites like Delicious and Technorati) so I finally took this week to poke around to see what the fuss was about. I’d heard about this type of application before, but my general view went along the lines of, great – another thing I have to immerse myself in or I’ll look like an idiot at dinner parties. Not that I go to a lot of dinner parties, but one likes to be prepared for even theoretical dinner parties. So I created an account on Google, as virtually everything else I have is already on Google.
So what do I think about my brand-spanking new reader account? Eh, not so much. On the one hand, I get what Michael is talking about; he never steers us wrong on these things. It’s very handy to have everything in one place. One of the disadvantages of working freelance all the time is that when I move from company to company, sometimes I forget to forward all my new links to myself on my last day and so I get home and think, what was the url for that cool site I’ve been visiting every day for the past two weeks? Then: total mental block and I have to spend an afternoon searching for them. Apparently my tastes are so exotic, this is not always an easy job. I am so mysterious! Go me!
Back to the subject, Google Reader is a great help in keeping all my links, blogs and random sites of interest organized – and there’s nothing I like more than being organized. So why did the whole experience leave me feeling somewhat meh?
Maybe it’s a chick thing. It’s like the ongoing argument I keep having with Doug. If it were up to him, we’d buy everything online: clothes, housewares, electronics, food... With him, there’s really no reason to leave the house, ever. Even to go to dinner parties. Especially to go to dinner parties.
But not me! I like the shopping experience. I want to go in the stores, see what they have, touch and feel the goods, check out the sales, immerse myself in the brands… I want to BROWSE, damn it! Shoe shopping online? Sacrilege!
The reader was kind of the same thing – once it’s in that format, I lose a lot of the context. Where are my pretty pictures, fonts, bars and banners? I even kind of miss the ads. I guess some (cough-men-cough) find all that stuff extraneous and distracting. I don’t – I feel it adds an extra dimension, an essential dimension really, to the overall experience.
So ask yourself: if someone offered me one big, efficient store to shop for all your needs versus a whole mall of little stores where you could poke around and glean different experiences from each, which would you choose?
Your answer to this question will likely tell you if you’re a potential Google Reader user or not.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Turkey Report
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, a time for family, a time for overdone turkey and a small dish of mostly ignored canned cranberry glop. It’s also the only time I ever get to have turnip– a side dish so difficult to prepare well that many turn up their noses and don’t bother. But as a good third-generation Scot, to me it’s like crack, so it’s a time for much rejoicing.
Traditionally, after the logistics of getting five adults + one baby (the Donahue’s) together for lunch and six adults + one baby (the Swenson’s) for dinner I don’t have much energy for anything else other than rub my incredibly full stomach and listen to an exhaustive discussion of how awful traffic has gotten in this city, how well/badly the assorted babies have eaten/slept/pooped and what kind of wine goes with turkey. Keeping a low profile is a good strategy in order to avoid discussing with various concerned parents What We Are Doing With Our Lives and Where It All Went So Terribly Wrong. My folks are retired teachers and while they are wonderful, lively and intelligent people, terms like “Facebook”, “blogging” and heck, even “marketing” are pretty foreign to them.
Fortunately this year we had the welcome distraction of so much new media and technological gadgets and foofarrahs, that My Incomprehensible Life Choices went largely unnoticed in a flurry of concerns that included:
• Explaining to my parents about LinkedIn and showing them my blog (which should, but does not, help allay fears about the aforementioned Incomprehnsible Life Choices);
• Checking to see if the kid’s show Peppa the Pig was available for download from piratebay.org (it is);
• Pointed hinting at how much I want an iPhone for Christmas (it’s best to start your campaign early);
• Listening to an interminably long chat (during lunch, with a baby on her lap) between my sister-in-law and brother about how to access the internet wirelessly using her laptop (she’s here in Toronto, he’s in England), during which Doug, the IT guy’s head nearly exploded;
• An impromptu seminar from Doug (to make up for not being allowed to participate in the laptop debacle) on how to hook up your desktop to your TV so you can look at your e-mail spam in all its 42-inch flatscreen glory;
• Chatting with Doug’s brother-in-law about updating his website and are my Photoshop skills up to the challenge? (they might be);
• Viewing some family photos on a digital photo album so tiny and grainy, we may as well have left it on the camera display (sorry Jack!);
• Periodically watching family members check their e-mail because, while it’s a holiday here, those strange Americans insist on having Thanksgiving in November.
Good times, good times. God bless new media.
A note (so I don’t get killed): The turkey at Doug’s parent’s place was NOT overdone, it was moist and delicious! We got a to-go plate that included at least a half-ton of it, along with the remains of the most delicious turnip casserole ever. Is 7:30 am on Wednesday too soon for lunch?
Traditionally, after the logistics of getting five adults + one baby (the Donahue’s) together for lunch and six adults + one baby (the Swenson’s) for dinner I don’t have much energy for anything else other than rub my incredibly full stomach and listen to an exhaustive discussion of how awful traffic has gotten in this city, how well/badly the assorted babies have eaten/slept/pooped and what kind of wine goes with turkey. Keeping a low profile is a good strategy in order to avoid discussing with various concerned parents What We Are Doing With Our Lives and Where It All Went So Terribly Wrong. My folks are retired teachers and while they are wonderful, lively and intelligent people, terms like “Facebook”, “blogging” and heck, even “marketing” are pretty foreign to them.
Fortunately this year we had the welcome distraction of so much new media and technological gadgets and foofarrahs, that My Incomprehensible Life Choices went largely unnoticed in a flurry of concerns that included:
• Explaining to my parents about LinkedIn and showing them my blog (which should, but does not, help allay fears about the aforementioned Incomprehnsible Life Choices);
• Checking to see if the kid’s show Peppa the Pig was available for download from piratebay.org (it is);
• Pointed hinting at how much I want an iPhone for Christmas (it’s best to start your campaign early);
• Listening to an interminably long chat (during lunch, with a baby on her lap) between my sister-in-law and brother about how to access the internet wirelessly using her laptop (she’s here in Toronto, he’s in England), during which Doug, the IT guy’s head nearly exploded;
• An impromptu seminar from Doug (to make up for not being allowed to participate in the laptop debacle) on how to hook up your desktop to your TV so you can look at your e-mail spam in all its 42-inch flatscreen glory;
• Chatting with Doug’s brother-in-law about updating his website and are my Photoshop skills up to the challenge? (they might be);
• Viewing some family photos on a digital photo album so tiny and grainy, we may as well have left it on the camera display (sorry Jack!);
• Periodically watching family members check their e-mail because, while it’s a holiday here, those strange Americans insist on having Thanksgiving in November.
Good times, good times. God bless new media.
A note (so I don’t get killed): The turkey at Doug’s parent’s place was NOT overdone, it was moist and delicious! We got a to-go plate that included at least a half-ton of it, along with the remains of the most delicious turnip casserole ever. Is 7:30 am on Wednesday too soon for lunch?
Friday, October 9, 2009
Print in the Mix Conference 2009
I attended the Print in the Mix conference today (thanks CMA folks, again!) at the Hilton Hotel to listen to speakers from various industries comment on the state of print. What is happening in the print industry these days? I’ve been so caught up in digital media recently, I figured I’d better stop by and check.
I enjoyed hearing from Jennifer Davey, Account Manager from Bassett Direct discuss the Ford and Air Miles direct mail campaigns. Air Miles especially is a fun case study. Their 1to1 campaign is just so pretty and I feel they’ve integrated their web elements in a relevant and user-friendly way.
Hugh Dow from Mediabrands gave a presentation on media buying that had some very interesting statistics. Apparently the online readership for newspapers is really small – the vast majority of people still read an actual newspaper. Colour me shocked! The only market that has done well in recent years is specialty and niche publications as well as the freebies like Metro. Apparently the readership of Now Magazine is up 15%! Good on them. According to Hugh, the two next big things on the horizon will be the e-readers and mobility marketing. That makes sense to me: I want an Kindle and an iPhone so much I’d kill your mother for them. Not my mother, but yours, sure.
The last speaker of the day was Jeff Stewart from Trekk Cross-Media discussing social media strategies as they relate to print. It was the end of the day, so maybe I missed something, but I didn’t come away with a solution on how to integrate the two. Don’t get me wrong, Jeff was a fascinating and enthusiastic speaker. My favourite line of the evening was Jeff saying, “In another few years, it won’t be called social media anymore; it’ll just be media”. He discussed a whole bunch of upcoming social media trends like Google Wave, semantic web search, collecta, etc., which was neat. But what about print? How does it stay relevant?
So, final consensus? I’ve attended several digital forum conferences and seminars in the past few months and they were buzzing with new ideas, new innovations, new platforms…new, new, new! I hate to say it, because my background is in print and I’ve always loved the medium, but I came out of this conference feeling that the answer to the question what’s new in print is “Er…nothing. But print’s not dead! We swear!” The overall emphasis was that 2009 was awful and 2010 will be marginally better – recouping some ground, but only a fraction of what will be lost this year. Print is a viable medium and still has access to a large portion of the Canadian populace, but it needs to evolve with digital and integrate new trends in order to flourish. It’s disheartening and I hope the stakeholders holding the wallets figure it out.
An irrelevant note: this event was at the Hilton hotel. The food was very good overall, but their catering department can sure deliver up an utterly fabulous butter cookie. Like, the kind I’m going to be thinking about the rest of my life. Just sayin’.
I enjoyed hearing from Jennifer Davey, Account Manager from Bassett Direct discuss the Ford and Air Miles direct mail campaigns. Air Miles especially is a fun case study. Their 1to1 campaign is just so pretty and I feel they’ve integrated their web elements in a relevant and user-friendly way.
Hugh Dow from Mediabrands gave a presentation on media buying that had some very interesting statistics. Apparently the online readership for newspapers is really small – the vast majority of people still read an actual newspaper. Colour me shocked! The only market that has done well in recent years is specialty and niche publications as well as the freebies like Metro. Apparently the readership of Now Magazine is up 15%! Good on them. According to Hugh, the two next big things on the horizon will be the e-readers and mobility marketing. That makes sense to me: I want an Kindle and an iPhone so much I’d kill your mother for them. Not my mother, but yours, sure.
The last speaker of the day was Jeff Stewart from Trekk Cross-Media discussing social media strategies as they relate to print. It was the end of the day, so maybe I missed something, but I didn’t come away with a solution on how to integrate the two. Don’t get me wrong, Jeff was a fascinating and enthusiastic speaker. My favourite line of the evening was Jeff saying, “In another few years, it won’t be called social media anymore; it’ll just be media”. He discussed a whole bunch of upcoming social media trends like Google Wave, semantic web search, collecta, etc., which was neat. But what about print? How does it stay relevant?
So, final consensus? I’ve attended several digital forum conferences and seminars in the past few months and they were buzzing with new ideas, new innovations, new platforms…new, new, new! I hate to say it, because my background is in print and I’ve always loved the medium, but I came out of this conference feeling that the answer to the question what’s new in print is “Er…nothing. But print’s not dead! We swear!” The overall emphasis was that 2009 was awful and 2010 will be marginally better – recouping some ground, but only a fraction of what will be lost this year. Print is a viable medium and still has access to a large portion of the Canadian populace, but it needs to evolve with digital and integrate new trends in order to flourish. It’s disheartening and I hope the stakeholders holding the wallets figure it out.
An irrelevant note: this event was at the Hilton hotel. The food was very good overall, but their catering department can sure deliver up an utterly fabulous butter cookie. Like, the kind I’m going to be thinking about the rest of my life. Just sayin’.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The next logical step in film: user-based content
A couple of interesting projects in the works have come to my attention that are attempting to blend traditional film-making with user-based content. Is this the next logical step in film-making or a social media fad? I'm betting on the former. Reality television was greatly derided when it first appeared on the scene, but it has shown conspicuously that it has legs. In our new Twitter/YouTube/Facebook world, user-based movies should be just as compelling.
First up, we have the 5000 Seconds project. The concept is pretty simple: "Become part of a feature film and get paid". In other words, average joes can submit their videos, music or photos, and if selected, their content gets included in a 5000-second collage and seen by the world. They have some impressive people already on board (Emmy and Grammy award-winners) and you really can't underestimate the general public's obsession with sharing their experiences with anyone who will watch. The theme of the collage is submissions that are "inspirational, unique and creative", when put together will form a snapshot of the world in a new and interesting way. I'm very eager to see what they come up with. We always complain about Hollywood productions and how "I could do better". Well now, here's our chance to show what's in our hearts and minds.
5000 Seconds TV interview
The 5000 Seconds website
Secondly, we have the less-socially-responsible-but-funny Star Wars: Uncut. The creators have divided the original film (A New Hope) into individual scenes and have invited fans to re-create them. The result is both intriguing for a social media standpoint and horrifying for a die-hard Star Wars purist, like myself. I don't know if I can bear to see the final result - but I don't know if I can keep myself away... you know, like roadkill.
Star Wars: Uncut article on Pajiba.com
The official website
First up, we have the 5000 Seconds project. The concept is pretty simple: "Become part of a feature film and get paid". In other words, average joes can submit their videos, music or photos, and if selected, their content gets included in a 5000-second collage and seen by the world. They have some impressive people already on board (Emmy and Grammy award-winners) and you really can't underestimate the general public's obsession with sharing their experiences with anyone who will watch. The theme of the collage is submissions that are "inspirational, unique and creative", when put together will form a snapshot of the world in a new and interesting way. I'm very eager to see what they come up with. We always complain about Hollywood productions and how "I could do better". Well now, here's our chance to show what's in our hearts and minds.
5000 Seconds TV interview
The 5000 Seconds website
Secondly, we have the less-socially-responsible-but-funny Star Wars: Uncut. The creators have divided the original film (A New Hope) into individual scenes and have invited fans to re-create them. The result is both intriguing for a social media standpoint and horrifying for a die-hard Star Wars purist, like myself. I don't know if I can bear to see the final result - but I don't know if I can keep myself away... you know, like roadkill.
Star Wars: Uncut article on Pajiba.com
The official website
Monday, October 5, 2009
Scotiabank's Nuit Blanche
Set phasers to snark!
My friend Janice and I went to see Scotiabank’s Nuit Blanche on Saturday night. We started at around 9pm and lasted until just after midnight. Wow, it was JAMMED! I can’t believe there were so many people. It was jostling-room only at most of the exhibits – and I don’t even want to talk about what it was like when we ended up at Yonge-Dundas Square. Insanity!
I’m admittedly not really into things like performance art and since this event is entirely made up of interactive exhibits, I’m certainly not a qualified critic. When viewing these installations, part of me insists that after a reflective evening with a pitcher of margaritas I could come up with something just as good. Hmm… project for next year! So, as I said to Jan just before we entered the fray, “Be prepared to hear this sentence out of me over and over this evening: Contemplative pause…I don’t get it.”
Here’s what stuck out in my memory:
• Stationary bicycles attached to lights (just like the Science Centre when we were kids)
• People blindfolded and suspended in sacks from the ceiling – a sensory deprivation exercise. I wanted to try it, but Jan said she wasn’t about to spend 15 minutes staring at me hanging around in a sack.
• A pool of vodka – a giant free-form pond that was apparently filled with vodka. Was it really vodka? I don’t know. What did it mean? I don’t know. There were so many people milling around, I couldn’t find the explanation placard.
• Some sort of experiment involving scent and porta-potties – again, the line up was insane. Jan is sensitive to a lot of perfumes, so we decided not to stand in line for an hour just to watch her go into anaphalactic shock.
• The Giant NO – the best exhibit of the evening! It was two giant letters on a flatbed truck: “NO”. Jan and I stood around for half an hour asking each other questions to which the answer would be NO and then gesticulating…I guess you had to be there. A trio of people stood in front of it and formed “YES” with their bodies. I don’t know why that was so funny, but it had us in stitches.
• People playing Monopoly for money at the stock exchange – okay, so I get this one. I wish I could have played, but all the players were local celebrities. The only one I recognized was the comedian, Trevor Boris. Trevor accidentally knocked me down during a ball hockey game once and I was less than gracious about it at the time. Awww…I hope he ended up winning!
• Giant letters over city hall – this was pretty funny too. Huge, super-bright letters made up of lights to form random 4-letter words, hanging over City Hall. There must have been a thousand people standing and staring in Nathan Phillips Square at them. Every time the word changed, everyone would repeat it. It was surreal. There was VAST, EYES, MEAV… wait, what? MEAV? That’s not a word! Or is it? I think MEAV should be the new Fetch. As we called it a night, we spent the remaining time together walking home coming up with other 4-letter words… POOP, LAME, DUMB…
Oh, we’re so mean! See what I mean about the snark?
Still, we had a lot of fun. I was very impressed with what a great event it turned out to be. I look forward to next year, where you can look forward to seeing my exhibit: Window-Washers Cleaning a Skyrise Dressed Entirely in Twinkling LED Lights: A Commentary on the Advancement of Modern Architecture.
My friend Janice and I went to see Scotiabank’s Nuit Blanche on Saturday night. We started at around 9pm and lasted until just after midnight. Wow, it was JAMMED! I can’t believe there were so many people. It was jostling-room only at most of the exhibits – and I don’t even want to talk about what it was like when we ended up at Yonge-Dundas Square. Insanity!
I’m admittedly not really into things like performance art and since this event is entirely made up of interactive exhibits, I’m certainly not a qualified critic. When viewing these installations, part of me insists that after a reflective evening with a pitcher of margaritas I could come up with something just as good. Hmm… project for next year! So, as I said to Jan just before we entered the fray, “Be prepared to hear this sentence out of me over and over this evening: Contemplative pause…I don’t get it.”
Here’s what stuck out in my memory:
• Stationary bicycles attached to lights (just like the Science Centre when we were kids)
• People blindfolded and suspended in sacks from the ceiling – a sensory deprivation exercise. I wanted to try it, but Jan said she wasn’t about to spend 15 minutes staring at me hanging around in a sack.
• A pool of vodka – a giant free-form pond that was apparently filled with vodka. Was it really vodka? I don’t know. What did it mean? I don’t know. There were so many people milling around, I couldn’t find the explanation placard.
• Some sort of experiment involving scent and porta-potties – again, the line up was insane. Jan is sensitive to a lot of perfumes, so we decided not to stand in line for an hour just to watch her go into anaphalactic shock.
• The Giant NO – the best exhibit of the evening! It was two giant letters on a flatbed truck: “NO”. Jan and I stood around for half an hour asking each other questions to which the answer would be NO and then gesticulating…I guess you had to be there. A trio of people stood in front of it and formed “YES” with their bodies. I don’t know why that was so funny, but it had us in stitches.
• People playing Monopoly for money at the stock exchange – okay, so I get this one. I wish I could have played, but all the players were local celebrities. The only one I recognized was the comedian, Trevor Boris. Trevor accidentally knocked me down during a ball hockey game once and I was less than gracious about it at the time. Awww…I hope he ended up winning!
• Giant letters over city hall – this was pretty funny too. Huge, super-bright letters made up of lights to form random 4-letter words, hanging over City Hall. There must have been a thousand people standing and staring in Nathan Phillips Square at them. Every time the word changed, everyone would repeat it. It was surreal. There was VAST, EYES, MEAV… wait, what? MEAV? That’s not a word! Or is it? I think MEAV should be the new Fetch. As we called it a night, we spent the remaining time together walking home coming up with other 4-letter words… POOP, LAME, DUMB…
Oh, we’re so mean! See what I mean about the snark?
Still, we had a lot of fun. I was very impressed with what a great event it turned out to be. I look forward to next year, where you can look forward to seeing my exhibit: Window-Washers Cleaning a Skyrise Dressed Entirely in Twinkling LED Lights: A Commentary on the Advancement of Modern Architecture.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Make Your Mark
On Thursday I had the privilege of attending the CMA’s women’s networking conference called Make Your Mark, chaired by Cathy Preston (Preston Human Capital Group).
It was a very interesting and worthwhile experience. My table was filled with some connected and intelligent women, all of whom had nothing to do with their respective marketing departments. Isn’t that always the way? Still no knowledge is ever wasted – I don’t know how my new understanding of the public affairs department at the gas company Enbridge will benefit me, but you know? It probably will someday.
First up we had a panel of executive women talking about their experiences with the Judy Project (an executive training program for women at the Rotman of Management).
Moderator: Tiziana Casciaro (Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto)
Panelists:
Denise Pickett (President and CEO, AMEX Bank of Canada)
Daryl Aitken (President and Partner, Dashboard)
Susan Ross (EVP and General Manager, Specialty and Pay TV, Corus Entertainment)
Kerry Peacock (EVP Branch Banking, TD Canada Trust)
Colleen Moorehead (Co-founder, The Judy Project and Entrepreneur in Residence, Signal Hill Equity Partners)
Whoof! What a line-up! Some of the highlights from their panel:
• As a great leader you must develop an authentic, sustainable leadership
• You should care more about other people’s success than you do your own
• Always act with intent (specifically with regard to your online presence, emphasis mine)
My favourite line of the event came from Denise: A’s hire A’s, B’s hire C’s. That sent my brain scrambling. I know I’m an A! But I’ve worked for a B or two before… why did they hire me? Must have been an aberration. Totally.
Next up we had Mia Wedgbury, (Founder and CEO, High Road Communications) to discuss The Art of Promoting Yourself. I actually used to work on High Road’s website when I was a project manager for Evoke Solutions. Mia spoke to us about profile building: creating a bio for yourself to highlight what makes you unique and valuable. By being accessible and a media-friendly subject, you bring value and generate interest for your organization. As women we tend to shy away from the spotlight, insisting that we are successful because of our team, but Mia told us that we need to get past this behaviour; we need to embrace the fact our profiles can be assets.
After a short break (in which I ran around trying to find my glasses, which I think I’ve lost) we heard from Susan Barrett (Partner, Leadership Solutions Practice, KnightsbridgeMICA) to discuss positive and productive networking. Networking is a funny topic for some – I have friends who think that if you’re a network-er, you’re somehow responsible for the downfall of civilization.
Susan was a real pistol – the kind of person you just want to be around and work for because she’s so smart, charismatic and put-together – like it might rub off on you if you hung around her long enough. Some of the things she discussed were:
• The strength of weak ties (social networking – getting outside your personal connections)
• It’s not all about you, it’s also what can you do for someone else
• Social capital – the karma bank (which I loved; I’m all about karma and paying it forward)
• Using Host Behaviour; giving people permission to enter
After a very nice lunch (no chicken pot pie – sorry former lunching ladies of the Arcadian Court!) the keynote speaker for the event was Michelle DiEmanuelle (President / CEO, Credit Valley Hospital). Michelle claimed up front to be an introvert at heart and not a public speaker. Michelle, I do not believe you - your presentation was very real and engrossing.
Some of the key points she made that spoke to me:
• Have a plan – every choice you make should leave 3 doors open
• Pick great leaders, not jobs (not always easy when you’re freelance, but a great sentiment!)
• Don’t wait until you have all the pieces before you start something
• Self-calibration is essential, professionally and personally
One of my favourite things she said was “I don’t know how to run a hospital; I do know how to run an organization”. This was particularly resonant with me, as a freelancer I often have to walk into an interview and say, “I don’t know how to use your XYZ CMS system, but I do know how to apply the principles of project management to your organization”. It doesn’t always work.
I also liked her description of the “Grey People”… People who go to work every day, do their thing and then go home – the whole while looking miserable. Michelle said she did not ever want to be like that and I wholeheartedly agree. I can’t imagine anything worse professionally.
A great event, all around! My special thanks to Cathy and Lynda at the CMA for hooking me up to attend.
It was a very interesting and worthwhile experience. My table was filled with some connected and intelligent women, all of whom had nothing to do with their respective marketing departments. Isn’t that always the way? Still no knowledge is ever wasted – I don’t know how my new understanding of the public affairs department at the gas company Enbridge will benefit me, but you know? It probably will someday.
First up we had a panel of executive women talking about their experiences with the Judy Project (an executive training program for women at the Rotman of Management).
Moderator: Tiziana Casciaro (Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto)
Panelists:
Denise Pickett (President and CEO, AMEX Bank of Canada)
Daryl Aitken (President and Partner, Dashboard)
Susan Ross (EVP and General Manager, Specialty and Pay TV, Corus Entertainment)
Kerry Peacock (EVP Branch Banking, TD Canada Trust)
Colleen Moorehead (Co-founder, The Judy Project and Entrepreneur in Residence, Signal Hill Equity Partners)
Whoof! What a line-up! Some of the highlights from their panel:
• As a great leader you must develop an authentic, sustainable leadership
• You should care more about other people’s success than you do your own
• Always act with intent (specifically with regard to your online presence, emphasis mine)
My favourite line of the event came from Denise: A’s hire A’s, B’s hire C’s. That sent my brain scrambling. I know I’m an A! But I’ve worked for a B or two before… why did they hire me? Must have been an aberration. Totally.
Next up we had Mia Wedgbury, (Founder and CEO, High Road Communications) to discuss The Art of Promoting Yourself. I actually used to work on High Road’s website when I was a project manager for Evoke Solutions. Mia spoke to us about profile building: creating a bio for yourself to highlight what makes you unique and valuable. By being accessible and a media-friendly subject, you bring value and generate interest for your organization. As women we tend to shy away from the spotlight, insisting that we are successful because of our team, but Mia told us that we need to get past this behaviour; we need to embrace the fact our profiles can be assets.
After a short break (in which I ran around trying to find my glasses, which I think I’ve lost) we heard from Susan Barrett (Partner, Leadership Solutions Practice, KnightsbridgeMICA) to discuss positive and productive networking. Networking is a funny topic for some – I have friends who think that if you’re a network-er, you’re somehow responsible for the downfall of civilization.
Susan was a real pistol – the kind of person you just want to be around and work for because she’s so smart, charismatic and put-together – like it might rub off on you if you hung around her long enough. Some of the things she discussed were:
• The strength of weak ties (social networking – getting outside your personal connections)
• It’s not all about you, it’s also what can you do for someone else
• Social capital – the karma bank (which I loved; I’m all about karma and paying it forward)
• Using Host Behaviour; giving people permission to enter
After a very nice lunch (no chicken pot pie – sorry former lunching ladies of the Arcadian Court!) the keynote speaker for the event was Michelle DiEmanuelle (President / CEO, Credit Valley Hospital). Michelle claimed up front to be an introvert at heart and not a public speaker. Michelle, I do not believe you - your presentation was very real and engrossing.
Some of the key points she made that spoke to me:
• Have a plan – every choice you make should leave 3 doors open
• Pick great leaders, not jobs (not always easy when you’re freelance, but a great sentiment!)
• Don’t wait until you have all the pieces before you start something
• Self-calibration is essential, professionally and personally
One of my favourite things she said was “I don’t know how to run a hospital; I do know how to run an organization”. This was particularly resonant with me, as a freelancer I often have to walk into an interview and say, “I don’t know how to use your XYZ CMS system, but I do know how to apply the principles of project management to your organization”. It doesn’t always work.
I also liked her description of the “Grey People”… People who go to work every day, do their thing and then go home – the whole while looking miserable. Michelle said she did not ever want to be like that and I wholeheartedly agree. I can’t imagine anything worse professionally.
A great event, all around! My special thanks to Cathy and Lynda at the CMA for hooking me up to attend.
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