I would like to begin with an apology. I usually try to write and post a blog twice a week. Some weeks this is easier then others but to date I have been faithful to the schedule. This past 2 weeks I was on holiday – a much longer vacation then I have had in many years. Usually, I go “dark” for my time away, forwarding my cell phone, rerouting my emails so they don’t forward to my blackberry and never bringing a computer. For the first time however, I brought my laptop along, intent to keep up the blog schedule. Clearly, it did not quite work out that way.
While the truth is that I did think about writing… and did actually fire up the laptop once… procrastination got the better of me. So, since it has been 2 weeks since my last post, I thought I would start with some random observations from my time in the southern U.S. (Florida to be exact).
The big political topic on everyone's mind was the new health care reform bill. In reading the papers and watching the news, it is not surprising that it’s mired in controversy. The political rhetoric and the poor and often biased reporting is nothing if not confusing. I really don’t think that anyone really understands the legislation and news outlets have done little to help the matter. Having said that, it amazes me how adamant peoples opinions are based primarily on their political leanings.
Another big topic was the weather – virtually every greeting was followed by some weather related thought. Everyone insisted it was the coldest winter on record and though it was definitely cooler then expected it was still sunny and the beaches were busy.
Speaking of sand, I have to admit that I was amazed to see a woman on the beach with a Kindle exactly as I have lamented in a previous post. She read for some time, put it in a beach bag, then proceeded to toss it onto a chair while she toddled off for a swim. And here I thought sand and electronics didn't mix. I have trouble keeping my paperback sand free.
I am not sure how some of the retailers in Florida exist. I was in a store where the prices were already marked down 40 – 50%. Most of the items had signs advertising an additional 40% off the lowest marked price and when we walked in the store, we were handed an additional 20% off voucher valid for one day only. This made a $70 item $20.
I have celebrated my share of St. Patrick’s Days over the years. Toronto has some great parties. A few years ago we ended up in Savannah Georgia for the parade and I was informed that it was the largest annual St. Patty’s celebration in the U.S. (not Boston or Chicago?). Quite a party for sure. For the past 2 years, we have found ourselves in Key West Florida. Far be it from me to compare but I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better celebration (although it is tough to find a good Guinness pour in South Florida). It was ironic however, that we spent a good part of the day in an Irish pub listening to a band from Toronto.
Lastly, March Madness is everywhere. I am not a big NBA fan but I do love the NCAA Tournament. I am sad to say that as we look forward to Final Four weekend my pool results were a personal worst. I am officially out with none of my final four (Tennessee, Syracuse, Kentucky or Villanova) still playing.
Cheers and have a great day.
George
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Recap Regroup, Reload
For anyone reading this blog for the first time, I should point out that it was originally meant to be a chronicle of my experience investigating how various forms of social media could be used as a business tool (I know - it sounds really boring). I have strayed off course a bit as I have read and learned and weighed out the differences between traditional communication vehicles and the latest in electronic communications. It has also morphed into part social commentary, news of the day that I find interesting and a kind of overview of the current state of print. I hope it has been at least somewhat interesting. Personally, I have learned a great deal and continue to push forward.
To be completely honest however, I have participated in the social media arena mostly from the sidelines – mostly an observer and contributing little. This is part a result of having little experience and part concern that anyone would be interested to hear what I have to say.
As I continue, I do know that there is a lot more to learn and know. As it is still the Wild West when it comes to on line content and analytics, it is hard to measure real value. As a colleague said recently, there is a great deal of information available about who's looking at what but still no clear line between hits and sales.
I have recently opened a Facebook account - which is still odd to me as did Twitter when I first started. I think that I now understand Twitter and have found it to be a great resource tool. I have read more great articles that I never would have seen if someone I follow hadn’t retweeted the links. I am still not sold on the minute by minute type updates from people but I will keep an open mind.
Importantly for me, I have also learned that print is still alive and, while it is critical that traditional media companies change and embrace the newest technologies, there is a case to be made that print is “the new black”. Ok – so that may be an exaggeration but there is clearly a need to blend the new with the old in order to have a complete strategy.
I was forwarded this link for an ADDY Awards promo recently… I thought it was an appropriate (and funny) ending to this post.
Cheers and have a great day.
George
To be completely honest however, I have participated in the social media arena mostly from the sidelines – mostly an observer and contributing little. This is part a result of having little experience and part concern that anyone would be interested to hear what I have to say.
As I continue, I do know that there is a lot more to learn and know. As it is still the Wild West when it comes to on line content and analytics, it is hard to measure real value. As a colleague said recently, there is a great deal of information available about who's looking at what but still no clear line between hits and sales.
I have recently opened a Facebook account - which is still odd to me as did Twitter when I first started. I think that I now understand Twitter and have found it to be a great resource tool. I have read more great articles that I never would have seen if someone I follow hadn’t retweeted the links. I am still not sold on the minute by minute type updates from people but I will keep an open mind.
Importantly for me, I have also learned that print is still alive and, while it is critical that traditional media companies change and embrace the newest technologies, there is a case to be made that print is “the new black”. Ok – so that may be an exaggeration but there is clearly a need to blend the new with the old in order to have a complete strategy.
I was forwarded this link for an ADDY Awards promo recently… I thought it was an appropriate (and funny) ending to this post.
Cheers and have a great day.
George
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Facebook Newbie
Finally, after weeks and perhaps months of procrastinating, today I joined Facebook! My first 'friend post' suggested, “Hell had finally frozen over”. In fairness, I have been ignoring invitations to join for some time for no other reason then it just seemed like another thing to update, another thing to check.
Of course, my little social media experiment could never be complete without Facebook but, as mentioned in previous postings, time is the big issue. Between this blog, my twitter account and followings, hundreds of emails, texts and PINs every day I might be running out of time to do my job! I guess it is time to start exploring some of these other programs – there must be one built to consolidate the messaging. Well, we will see how this all works out but it leads me to wonder how many of the reported hundreds of millions of Facebook and Twitter users are active and how many grew bored and simply abandoned accounts without deleting them from the system.
In the meantime, some news items continue to amuse me. I read a Paid Content article recently that reported several large magazine publishers (the same ones who have been selling their online content) are launching an ad campaign aimed at getting more readers to buy the printed versions. One ad proclaims, “The Internet is fleeting. Magazines are immersive”. And so the wheel continues to turn. That I happen to love printed magazines aside, I think the line is terrific! The article suggests a potential conflict between the publishers and their digital units but there is an old saying “everything old is new again”. I believe the origin was meant for fashion but could printed magazines be the next nouveau frontier? Again I might suggest that it’s a lot easier to toss a magazine or paperback on my beach chair then risk getting sand or water in my IPad.
Cheers and have a great day.
George
P.S. I should update on the sailing blog I have been following. Our young Aussie sailor recently passed the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope or as Jessica points out actually Cape Agulhas) and is headed towards Madagascar on the last leg of her round the globe journey.
Of course, my little social media experiment could never be complete without Facebook but, as mentioned in previous postings, time is the big issue. Between this blog, my twitter account and followings, hundreds of emails, texts and PINs every day I might be running out of time to do my job! I guess it is time to start exploring some of these other programs – there must be one built to consolidate the messaging. Well, we will see how this all works out but it leads me to wonder how many of the reported hundreds of millions of Facebook and Twitter users are active and how many grew bored and simply abandoned accounts without deleting them from the system.
In the meantime, some news items continue to amuse me. I read a Paid Content article recently that reported several large magazine publishers (the same ones who have been selling their online content) are launching an ad campaign aimed at getting more readers to buy the printed versions. One ad proclaims, “The Internet is fleeting. Magazines are immersive”. And so the wheel continues to turn. That I happen to love printed magazines aside, I think the line is terrific! The article suggests a potential conflict between the publishers and their digital units but there is an old saying “everything old is new again”. I believe the origin was meant for fashion but could printed magazines be the next nouveau frontier? Again I might suggest that it’s a lot easier to toss a magazine or paperback on my beach chair then risk getting sand or water in my IPad.
Cheers and have a great day.
George
P.S. I should update on the sailing blog I have been following. Our young Aussie sailor recently passed the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope or as Jessica points out actually Cape Agulhas) and is headed towards Madagascar on the last leg of her round the globe journey.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Olympic Wrap
It is a bright, sunny morning in Toronto and the forecast is for gradual warming over the next week. I am not sure that this is the start of an early spring or simply a tease … it is certainly not unusual to get a big blast of winter towards the end of March but I am hopeful.
On another exciting note, the Olympics are over and were by all accounts a great success. From everything I have read over the past few weeks, the coverage of the winter games has captivated Canada. Record television viewers for everything from the opening ceremonies right through Sunday’s final hockey game. I have also read that the television numbers in the U.S. were great with the gold medal men’s hockey game being one of the most watched sporting events in history. At it’s peak, the game had 35 million viewers in the US – averaging more viewers then the Daytona 500, the Masters and the World Series. I heard a report that in Canada 16 million televisions were tuned in with an estimated 80% of the population seeing at least part of the game.
Clearly, our network coverage was amazing and I cannot remember more daily “water cooler” conversation on any other subject. When the dust clears and we can look at the entire experience, it will be clear that we care about sports, about achievement, about our country and about our athletes. Maybe our governments should reconsider how much money is allocated to amateur athletics – not because it’s critically important that we win more medals then anyone else but because we want to feel accomplished as a nation. It seems to me that the past 17 days have done more for the Canadian psyche then anything in my memory.
The success of these Olympics should be a reminder that we share a commonality throughout the country. We are passionate…maybe that passion could spill over into expectations for the country as a whole.
For a great wrap up check out this CTV video
I was also forwarded a great video by Tom Brokaw that aired in the U.S. just before the Olympics…kind of a crash course on Canada. I found it to be really well done.
Cheers and have a great day!
George
On another exciting note, the Olympics are over and were by all accounts a great success. From everything I have read over the past few weeks, the coverage of the winter games has captivated Canada. Record television viewers for everything from the opening ceremonies right through Sunday’s final hockey game. I have also read that the television numbers in the U.S. were great with the gold medal men’s hockey game being one of the most watched sporting events in history. At it’s peak, the game had 35 million viewers in the US – averaging more viewers then the Daytona 500, the Masters and the World Series. I heard a report that in Canada 16 million televisions were tuned in with an estimated 80% of the population seeing at least part of the game.
Clearly, our network coverage was amazing and I cannot remember more daily “water cooler” conversation on any other subject. When the dust clears and we can look at the entire experience, it will be clear that we care about sports, about achievement, about our country and about our athletes. Maybe our governments should reconsider how much money is allocated to amateur athletics – not because it’s critically important that we win more medals then anyone else but because we want to feel accomplished as a nation. It seems to me that the past 17 days have done more for the Canadian psyche then anything in my memory.
The success of these Olympics should be a reminder that we share a commonality throughout the country. We are passionate…maybe that passion could spill over into expectations for the country as a whole.
For a great wrap up check out this CTV video
I was also forwarded a great video by Tom Brokaw that aired in the U.S. just before the Olympics…kind of a crash course on Canada. I found it to be really well done.
Cheers and have a great day!
George
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