It’s official now! http://m.techvibes.com/blog/twitter-has-just-changed-canadian-politics-forever-2012-01-13
As I was flipping through this week’s issue of Maclean’s magazine yesterday morning, I came upon a paragraph in the “Good News” section that the Feds plan to repeal a section of our Elections Act that makes the transmission of election results before all polls close illegal.
I think this is great. No more worrying if the tweet you send on election day will get you thrown in jail or if your Facebook post will net you a fine. Maybe this will encourage people out West to get out and vote! Oh, the PCs are winning in the east? I still have an hour until my poll closes, I better go vote for the other guy! Maybe if we know we can actually make a real change to a stagnant and stale governing body (as they all eventually become), we can finally break through the wall of voter turnout that is continually in the mid-60% range.
What do you think? Do you believe that announcing results as they come in will make for higher voter turnout?
January 26, 2012 | Categories: Social Media | Tags: election, Facebook, government, Maclean's, social media, Twitter, vote | 1 Comment »
Sometimes I often wonder if people (brands and organizations) really listen to what customers have to say about them on the various social media platforms. How persistent do you really have to be to be heard, and when do you cross the line to “the crazy lady who keeps asking us/complaining about X”?
Since social media is meant to be instant, do you keep hounding an organization until they respond? And if they do respond, do you keep bugging them if you don’t get an answer you like?
I’ve been on both sides of the fence on this one – the customer and the organization. I love it that some brands are so helpful online (WestJet is a great example), and I get frustrated when I feel like my complaints are not heard (hello, company who runs the transit system where I live). But, when I have my work hat on, and someone is reaching out to us about the same thing over and over again, even though we have already provided an answer to their question, I start to wonder when we can just ignore them…
Yes, I know, play the devil’s advocate and put myself in the customer’s shoes. But really, if you’ve asked something, and gotten a response, why keep asking the same question? To me, it just starts to sound like the five-year-old kid asking “Why?”
(sorry for no photo with this post, I wrote it on my BlackBerry)
January 25, 2012 | Categories: Communication, Social Media | Tags: complaints, customer, listening, social media, WestJet | Leave A Comment »
Part 5 in the Globe and Mail’s #yearinhashtags examines the “It gets better” campaign on YouTube.
The link to the article is here (sorry for the long link, I’m writing this from my BlackBerry): http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/for-gay-teens-words-of-understanding-and-support-on-youtube/article2281708/?service=mobile
December 23, 2011 | Categories: Social Causes, Social Media | Tags: community, gay, Globe & Mail, It gets better, social media, YouTube | Leave A Comment »
Part 4 of the Globe & Mail’s review of the #yearinhashtags. Today, an examination of the Canadians who started the whole #Occupy fad (I’ll bet you didn’t know it was started by Canadians!).
Click here to read the article.
December 22, 2011 | Categories: Community, Engagement, Social Media | Tags: change, community, engagement, Globe and Mail, Occupy, participate, protests, social media, Twitter | Leave A Comment »
Part 3 in the Globe & Mail’s #yearinhashtags project: Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riots. The power of social media to prosecute (or not) and to gather people together to help rebuild.
(This is also my 100th post! Yay!)
December 21, 2011 | Categories: Community, Engagement, Social Media | Tags: Canuks, community, engagement, Globe and Mail, riots, social media, Stanley Cup, Vancouver | Leave A Comment »
Part 2 in the Globe & Mail’s review of #theyearinhashtags. Today they examine Charlie Sheen. From #winning to #tigerblood, even McDonalds and American Red Cross tried to ride his wave of social media stardom.
Read the article here.
December 20, 2011 | Categories: Social Media | Tags: branding, Charlie Sheen, engagement, Globe and Mail, social media, Twitter, winning | Leave A Comment »
A review of the power of social media from around the world in 2011, courtesy The Globe & Mail.
Part 1: After one man’s protest, a global torrent of message saw dictators fall
December 19, 2011 | Categories: Community, Social Causes, Social Media | Tags: Arab Spring, community, engagement, Globe and Mail, participate, protest, social media, Twitter | Leave A Comment »
I would like to start off by saying that I am a little bit tipsy after 4 sampler beers at the Whistler Brewing Company tour and 2 glasses of wine at dinner. So if there’s a typo in this post, or something doesn’t make sense, I blame it on that. That, and the fact that I am again in my pjs…this time watching Intervention. Classy, I know.
The first day of the IABC Canada West conference was great. From the opening talk on talking good corporate photographs to the importance of telling the truth, every talk I attended today was informative and useful for my career. I learned how to take better photos at our corporate events and how to incorporate our vision and values into our corporate photography. I learned how a company can properly apply a huge transformational change to the entire company (unlike the way a former employer was doing it). I learned new ideas on how to make our corporate intranet more vibrant and fresh – something employees want to visit every day, more than once a day. I learned that our leaders have to be willing to listen to the truth, as well as speak it.
I met some fellow communicators from Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, and Vancouver. I even met a fellow electrical utility employee from Capital Power. And while I was shy, I did come out of my shell and talk to strangers…without “stranger danger” echoing in my head. 
I also learned how beer is made, and that the Whistler Brewing Company has some great, locally made beer, and some equally great employees. I got some neat photos at the brewery, but unfortunately, I don’t have my USB cable here, so you won’t be able to see any of them until probably Wednesday. Sorry about that.
enjoying a beverage at the Whistler Brewing Company
I learned that by commenting on someone’s neat looking notebook, I can easily start a conversation. I learned that if I go back to the same table I sat at for the morning talk for the afternoon talk, I will probably be sitting next to at least one person I introduced myself to that morning, so at least we can compare notes from the day, and don’t have to start a conversation with the awkward introduction.
So, as the snow continues to lightly fall over Whistler (I thought that was pretty appropriate for my first visit here), I look forward to conference day 2. I’m going to go for a walk around Whistler Village in the morning, and to rejoin the conference later in the morning, before getting on the bus for the drive back down the Sea to Sky Highway and back on the plane to Calgary. I’ve enjoyed my time so far at my first real conference, and I’m looking forward to the next one when I am no longer the conference freshman.
November 7, 2011 | Categories: Communication, Community, Engagement | Tags: beer, change, communications, conference, engagement, IABC, learning, participate, photography, public relations, social media, Whistler | 2 Comments »
I’m at the Hilton hotel in Whistler, wearing my pj’s and watching 13 going on 30, and preparing myself for my first professional conference tomorrow. I’m here for the IABC Canada West “Best of the Best” conference.
I’m thankful my boss agreed to send me, so I can learn how to make our social media strategy even better, among other things. I’ve been looking forward to it since I registered and bought my flight and booked my hotel. But at the same time, I have a bit of the “first day at a new school” jitters. I’ve never been to a conference like this before. Seriously. I know, it’s a little sad, but I’ve never really had the opportunity until now. I’m the only one from my work attending, but I know, thanks to Twitter, that there are many people from Calgary attending. But, I still have the nervous feelings of “what if no one talks to me?” and “what if no one wants to eat lunch with me?” I mean, I’m here for 2 days, amongst a bunch of PR pros and professional networkers, and often in those situations, I tend to revert to my shy-5-year-old-self, wanting to hide behind my mum’s leg. You’d think after 31 years of life, a person would get over that…
Anyway, I’m just happy I’m here in Whistler. The Sea to Sky Highway is pretty spooky on a bus in the dark…especially when the driver almost stalls the bus on a 2-lane highway. When all you can see out any window is the silhouette of mountains on either side of you. But you can only see what the high-beams of the bus are showing you. But I made it..I even ate dinner in the hotel bar by myself. I saw a girl who was on the bus with me in the bar, but again, that shy kid inside of me came out again. And so we sat, at separate tables, alone. Knowing that we had seen each other checking in to the hotel, but neither person willing to make the first move.
So, here’s hoping my first day at a real, professional conference goes well. I have my notebook and pen all ready to go. I probably won’t sleep tonight with all the excitement (regardless of the fact that I’ve been up since 7:30am, thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time). In the end, I just hope I learn something and that I have a good time. And if that doesn’t happen at the conference itself, I’m sure the brewery tour tomorrow night will be fun!
November 6, 2011 | Categories: Communication | Tags: communication, conference, IABC, public relations, social media, Twitter, Whistler, work | Leave A Comment »
I saw this article the other day in the Globe & Mail, and was shocked by it. Can you imagine being murdered over something you posted on Facebook?
Sure, you’ve probably been really angry when your BFF posted that drunk picture of you at your work holiday party, or when your mother shared a photo of you, naked in the bathtub when you were 3 with all of your Flickr friends, but you probably didn’t retaliate in a violent way. Did anyone ever think they could be killed over something they posted online…or for that matter, for being a good citizen and trying to help your community?
As I was reading the article, I thought about the recent riots in Vancouver and London. If you were a witness to the events, and you posted a picture or a tweet, aimed at the local authorities, which could potentially result in someone being arrested and/or charged, would you fear retaliation? Would you think twice about it? Or would you think to yourself “I need to share this because I’m doing what’s right for my community, and justice needs to be served”? Will you think twice about it now?
We share a lot with each other and with strangers in this 24-7, interconnected social world, and everyone has a voice if they want it. Do we need to live in fear that something we post, something that could help better our lives and our communities, result in our own death?
September 26, 2011 | Categories: Social Media | Tags: community, Globe and Mail, murder, social media, thoughts | Leave A Comment »
Some of you may be wondering why there has been so little action on this blog lately. Don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s me…and the media. I mean, they aren’t really giving me anything good to write about. I’m not seeing a lot of stuff in regards to branding or social media. There have been no articles that have caught my eye in terms of engagement or politics. That and the fact that outside of work, a lot of my times is taken up with marathon training. Running 4 days a week, working, doing some contract work…it all takes a lot out of a girl. But don’t you fret! My inspiration will come back. And I hope you all stick around to hear what I have to say when it does!
Until then…
September 19, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: branding, engagement, social media, work | Leave A Comment »
courtesy www.golddustfarms.com
London is burning. Ok, maybe not all of London, but there is some pretty serious rioting happening in a section of London. And, like the recent hockey riots in Vancouver, social media is being used to rally citizens to come together and clean up their community. Once again, I’m in awe of the power of social media. It seems as soon as the first round of riots in London was winding down for the night, Facebook and Twitter were mobilizing the troops, sounding the horn, and getting all those with a heart ready to get together to start the cleaning process.
Social media really enhances the a person’s sense of community, even if you don’t know the name of your next-door neighbour. By joining together for the same cause online, people are becoming encourage to join the cause in reality. To stand up for what they believe in. Social media has given the nice guy a voice, rallying all the nice guys together for a cause, to show the world that someone out there really does care.
August 9, 2011 | Categories: Social Media | Tags: community, engagement, London, participate, social media, Vancouver | 1 Comment »
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been nagging myself to write another post for my faithful followers. And every day, as bedtime draws near, I think to myself “oh well, maybe tomorrow.” But then the same thing would happen the next day, and the day after that…
I’m not here to apologize for being absent from my blog. The thing is, I haven’t had anything worthwhile to stay. And if I want you, my faithful followers, to keep coming back, I want to be able to provide something interesting and meaningful for you to read!
That’s the great thing about social media - it’s organic. Living by an editorial calendar for your blog posts, tweets or Facebook updates isn’t productive. You won’t create great content if you are forcing yourself to do it. And lately I haven’t had anything to write about, so why force myself to do it? So you can read a mediocre post and think “man, this chick is losing her touch…”
So here I am with no apologies. Reminding myself that social media needs to grow on it’s own. There may be droughts (seen my Twitter feed lately? Not saying much there either), and there may be periods of abundant growth. Just don’t force yourself to do it because you should. Do it because you want to.
July 5, 2011 | Categories: Communication | Tags: blog, desire, Facebook, growth, need, organic, social media, Twitter | 1 Comment »
Did you see the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup last night?…
Wait, that didn’t happen. The Boston Bruins won (congrats Boston! You played a great series), and Vancouver fans, as good Canadian hockey fans, were not happy at all.
The booing started inside Rogers Arena, and when the 18,000+ fans spilled onto the streets after the Cup was hoisted by the boys in black and gold, the trouble began.
According to my Twitter feed, it started with a car that was flipped and then caught on fire. Then another one. I don’t have a huge following on Twitter, so my Timeline isn’t all that extensive, but the tweets, retweets, photos and comments started pouring in.
The funny part – the news outlets were the slowest to report anything. It seemed like at least 15 minutes after the first car was on fire that a news outlet was finally posting about it. Sure, they need to check their sources, but do they not have anyone reliable on their social media feeds that they can trust in a situation like that?
It still amazes me the speed at which news flies around the social media world. 17 years ago (the last time there were riots in Vancouver because they didn’t win the Cup), I’m sure everyone’s TVs were tuned to CBC for full coverage, which was probable very delayed. Heck, last night the CBC were still playing a bit of catch up, and their studio looks out over the main area where the car fires and idiocy started!
So, as the Vancouver Police Department scour Facebook pages today of people stupid enough to post photos of themselves and their friends taking part in the riots, I am somewhat thankful for the instant news feed social media has provided to us. And I am not so proud to call myself Canadian after the classless acts of a few Vancouverites last night.
June 16, 2011 | Categories: Social Media | Tags: CBC, Facebook, hockey, riots, social media, Twitter, Vancouver | 2 Comments »
I found this very interesting article in The Globe and Mail today titled “How social media users are helping NATO fight Gadhafi in Libya.” I found it extremely interesting, and simply amazing that someone 5000 miles away can help an international organization like NATO fight the baddies.
I often forget the power of the internet, especially since the invent of Google Maps, Streetview and Google Earth, as well as publicly available satellite images. You can see pretty much anything that’s going on in a neighbourhood at a given time. I do wonder how long social media will be a useful tool in war, since it is a public forum for all to see (for the most part). If you post the coordinates of what you think could be a terrorist stronghold on the Twitter feed of the good guys, the bad guys could potentially see it as well and prepare themselves.
All that aside though, don’t you think it is amazing? Do you wonder, like I do, when the way we fight wars will drastically change because of the advances of technology and social media? Will the be any place for the baddies to hide anymore?
June 14, 2011 | Categories: Social Media, Technology | Tags: Globe and Mail, social media, technology, war | 2 Comments »
The Society for New Communication and Middleberg Communications announced the results of their 3rd annual “Survey of Media in the Wired World” today, and some of their findings may cause PR practitioners to stop and think (and possibly) reevaluate how we are communicating with the media. The survey (you can read the full press release here) found that while 75% of reporters use Facebook as a tool to assist them with reporting, along with 69% using Twitter for the same reason, 54% of journalists still prefer to receive information via email, and 34% prefer a phone call.
I’m not sure if I’m really surprised by these findings. Many people are still skeptical about the accuracy and truthfulness of social media, and when your job is to report on the facts, you want to ensure that your information is correct. Social media can be an effective way for journalists to track stories and issues, but a large portion still want to get the basic information straight from the horse’s mouth.
So, with this information, will you change how you communicate with reporters?
May 10, 2011 | Categories: Media | Tags: Facebook, journalists, Middleberg Communications, public relations, reporters, social media, Society for New Communication, strategy, survey, Twitter | Leave A Comment »
The US Government is playing with the idea of using Facebook and Twitter to keep its citizens informed of terrorism threats. They also say that if posting the warnings will further enhance those threats, or risk exposing security intelligence or investigations, they won’t do it.
So why bother at all? Are they going to restrict the postings to only their friends or followers? Until you’re screened by the account keeper for Twitter and FB, you won’t be able to see the threats? And really, is it that important for Average American Joe to know what the current threat level? If he doesn’t find out about it until the 11pm news, will he be worse off? Wouldn’t all increases in the threat level compromise “top-secret” investigations the Department of Homeland Security is undertaking? Why do I feel like there will be one post, a huge security breach of leaked information, and then the accounts go quiet?..
April 7, 2011 | Categories: Communication, Social Media | Tags: Facebook, Globe and Mail, social media, terrorism, Twitter, US Government | 3 Comments »
Now I really wonder when our “text” language will end up in the Oxford Dictionary and accepted as the social norm…
Reuters January 11, 2011
Twitter users tweet messages with regional dialects, using “suttin” for “something” if they are New Yorkers and “sumthin” if they are not, a new study found.
The social media site is displaying new dialects because it is such a conversational form of writing, according to the Carnegie Mellon University study to be presented on Tuesday to the Linguistic Society of America meeting in Pittsburgh.
On Twitter, users send or tweet messages no more than 140 characters long and often abbreviate to accommodate the short, quick format.
“Written communication often is less reflective of regional influences because writing, even in blogs, tends to be formal, and thus homogenized,” the study team said in a statement.
The study found Twitter users in southern California might tweet “coo” for “cool,” while those in northern California are more likely to write “koo,” it found.
The word “very” is often expressed as “OD” in New York and “hella” in northern California, the study found.
The word “you” is often “uu” in New York but a single ‘u’ elsewhere, it said. Twitter users in large cities are more likely to use ‘yu’ than those in rural or suburban areas.
The study looked at 380,000 tweets by 9,500 users who wrote at least 20 messages via cell phone over a week in March 2010.
Regional dialects may be present on Facebook and other social media, but those are more private and less easily studied, said Jacob Eisenstein, who led the study.
The differences in regional expression allowed researchers to predict the location of a user in the United States within about 300 miles, Eisenstein said.
January 11, 2011 | Categories: Social Media | Tags: Calgary Herald, social media, Twitter | 5 Comments »
One of the people I follow on Facebook, Danny Brown, posted a link to this on his Facebook status – Like This Book. Basically, it allows you to put all your Facebook statuses and pictures from 2010 into an actual book, printed and everything, for you to keep forever. Seriously, who would pay at least $15 US to immortalize their 2010 Facebook lives for ever? Who really cares? I guess if you’re self-centered enough, you may want to publish your Facebook life, and give it as birthday and Christmas gifts to all of your friends. I would be really interested to find out how well the sales are of this novelty item in one year. But isn’t the point of social media to be…”social”? If you publish it in a book, it’s not really that social anymore.
January 2, 2011 | Categories: Social Media | Tags: book, Facebook, social media | 1 Comment »
I stumbled across this story while browsing my Time magazine app on my BlackBerry the other day. It’s about the question of whether Twitter should have a place in the court room. My thoughts – yes, but it needs to be monitored somehow. I figure if they can allow Facebook posts and status updates as evidence in a court room, reporters should be allowed to tweet the proceeding, as long as they are still following the same laws/rules/regulations that are in place today (hence the need for monitoring it).
As our world becomes more “social” and plugged in, our institutions need to stay up to speed with the technology and how society is using it. The average citizen doesn’t just walk in to a court room on a random day to follow proceeding anymore; we need to be open and accessible to the people, and adapt to all the ways people are accessing that information.
So yes, allow social media in courts, but there needs to be a monitoring system set up before it gets out of hand.
December 24, 2010 | Categories: Media, Social Media | Tags: accessible, BlackBerry, court, Facebook, monitor, regulations, reporter, social media, Time Magazine, Twitter | Leave A Comment »
