::HorsePigCow:: marketing uncommon: July 2005

Do agents kill conversations?

I was working on a pre-conference marketing gathering in October before the whole Bill Clinton/Seth Godin/Steve Levitt thing that The Power Within is putting on. Now it's been kyboshed because Seth's agent needs more money for him to come and hang out casually with people in his industry.

I understand his need for cash. He's a busy guy. Time is money.

However, if he didn't have an agent, we may have been able to chat about it. I could have gathered a small and intimate group of interesting online types and mucky-mucks in Toronto and had a nice dinner. I mean, he'll be here anyway and he needs to eat. Why not meet interesting people while doing so. Seriously, the Canadian online landscape is full of people with brilliant ideas.

Sure, agents help get your worth when you suck at it yourself. But do they kill the conversation? The whole process evens the score when you are dealing with big corporations who are making oodles of $$ off of your presence, but when you are talking about creating a salon of conversation, money overrides ideas. It disheartens me a bit.

It all beckons back to that whole hierarchy thing. Those with the best agents stay on top and become powerful and untouchable...but don't they ever think they may be missing out on something crucial to human existence? Remember, that these agents are often representing the guys who are preaching that ideas come from within, from the bottom, up...

Or does the view change so drastically from the agent-protected ivory tower that these statements get lost below the demands of staying on top?

I wonder what I would become if ever I sat atop an ivory tower? Would I want to talk with idealistic girls from Toronto or answer every single email that I recieved (Seth does, btw)? I can say 'yes' right now - that those things would matter to me even more than before, but I've never been atop an ivory tower to say for certain.

Which also brings me to a comment on ideas...(I'll talk about that later)

Credit where credit is due

The images used in my brand new banner were found on Flickr. Thanks aprillynn77 (rocking horse) , Tuna Tallulah (flying pig) and ljc[at]flckr (close up cow)!

I'm not certain what the legalities are here, but I'm not making any money from these fab photos...and I'm not using them for evil. I hope it's cool.

So, when are we going to stand up against Doocings?

[photograph of former flight attendant and blogger at Queen of the Sky, Ellen Sander - also Dooced]

Another one bit the dust a couple of weeks ago. Tessy is a blogging nanny. She wrote about stuff anybody would talk about with their friends. She wasn't a danger to the children. In fact, she seems pretty normal.

Why isn't the blogosphere up in arms? Why aren't we raising public concerns over Doocing?

The New York Times writer and former employer of Tessy, Helaine Olen, has a voice in the mass media - she was able to damn the character of Tessy very publicly without much outcry. Yet, Tessy's character is defamed and her words misconstrued. The words Olen wrote were taken out of context. Judged. Plastered all over a widely distributed newspaper for all to take pity on her.
But there was another element of her posts that unnerved me. Most parents don't like to think the person watching their children is there for a salary. We often build up a mythology of friendship with our nannies, pretending the nanny admires us and loves our children so much that she would continue to visit even without pay.

When our nanny referred to our house on her blog as work in a seemingly sarcastic fashion, she broke the covenant. The more she posted, the more life in our household deteriorated. It almost seemed that as she created the persona of a do-me feminist with an academic bent, it began to affect her performance. The woman who was loving if a bit strict toward the children became in our view short and impatient, slamming doors and bashing pans when my toddler wouldn't sleep and sighing heavily if asked to run an errand.

Instead of opening a dialogue, I monitored her online life almost obsessively. I would log on upstairs to see if she was simultaneously posting entries below me on her laptop while the baby was napping. Too often she was.
But go ahead, fire the poor girl if her job performance lacks (although I think the viewpoint was seriously biased BECAUSE of the blog), but to print the details in the New York Times? It then, stands out like a beacon of warning to all bloggers to cease and decist. Shut up. Stop using your online voice, unless you want to become unemployed.

According to Tessy, she sent in a rebuttal that was never printed. Her rebuttal can be found on her blog, which now looks a bit abandoned.

We have strength in numbers...we can't let them frighten us into remission.

[thanks Renae, for pointing out her blog for me]

Redfaced

See? I do admit I was wrong...sorry Donna...wasn't you. Adi exists and has nothing to do with Kryptonite (just a concerned citizen - nice girl, it seems).

I like that Donna is joining in. She must be having oodles of fun spending all day long in the blogosphere. Maybe this action will lead to companies hiring full-time bloggers/blog watchers. That would be an amazing job. Donna rocks at this. Truly. She's better at it than me. Now, if only she could do something about that website...

Thanks Donna for clarifying! Just your presence makes me feel warm and fuzzy about Kryptonite. I'm still a rollerblader, but my 12 year-old son has a bike and I may just buy him a new lock!

(see what happens when you take off the PR hat and put on your consumer hat!)

Things are really heating up...

...over at Naked Conversations regarding the Kryptonite conversation.

For the record, though, some of my best friends are in PR. I know what they go through and advocating honesty will get them fired.

Oh...and I've been quoted here. I think it's my general eloquence.

What would be REALLY cool...

If they took the indexing of Technorati, combined it with the folksonomy, networking and bookmarking of Del.icio.us and Flickr, added in the podcasting index capabilities of Podscope, the trend measurements of Blogpulse, some of the fabulous features of Google (local, news, images, maps) and then put a big, fat RSS feed on it.

If only I would have stuck with those Computer Science classes...sigh...

Kryptonite strikes back

I received an interesting comment (not shown in my Haloscan comments, somehow it came through the deleted blogger comment system) yesterday on my Kryptonite still won't take responsibility post that smacks of undercover PR defensiveness (you tell me):

I'm not sure what exactly you want from the woman - blood?

Seriously, she accounts for what the company did in regards to communicating with customers, and they created a trade-in program in a really short amount of time. What else could they do? Post a press release so that people (like you have) could stir up the pot again? I could see issuing a statement on their site to note that everything was cleared up, but perhaps that fell under the same idea - the trade-in links are fairly prominent though.

And if you can think of more than 20 blogs/feeds that are pertinent to locks and their business, I'd love to hear them.

Signed - adi (anonymous blogger)

Why, 'adi', yes...I DO want blood. I want a FLESH & BLOOD human being, not a PR spin. The problem with this defensiveness is that it wants to end the conversation, not join into it. And, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. What I love about the blogosphere is that people tell me off. They disagree with me all of the time. They tell me I'm a loser. They call me pathetic. So, I say, 'bring it on' - maybe I'm a loser and pathetic, but you took the time to post those comments on my blog, so what does that make you?

Nothing makes me crazier than 'anonomous' comments. It's a total conversation killer. Tell me who you are. I don't mind. Let's have the chance to duke it out or, even better, change one another's minds. I'd love that. I may be an outspoken crotchity bag, but I am pretty open to changing my mind. I even apologize occasionally. Actually, I apologize a great deal.

So, 'adi' (or shall I say Donna? Or another Kryptonite line tower?), come back and play. Tell me how things really went down. Then, when I'm your biggest fan, I'll post all sorts of nice things about you and your company.

(and...btw...I had spent my money on 3 Kryptonite locks and had 2 bikes go missing years ago - my contents insurance was canceled, so I took up rollerblading) (police recovered one bike)

Kryptonite still won't take responsibility

Everyone remembers this story...

Well, today, Shel & Robert over at Naked Conversations have posted a lengthy discussion between NC and Kryptonite's 'PR' guru, Donna Tocci.

Sha'! Puh-lease! Tell me this...do you believe a word she says? It sounds like too little too late PR babble to me.

Here are some juicy quotes to ponder (emphasis mine):

"...not being able to rewrite history, we just didn't have the man or woman power to go and answer every forum question or blogger comment - and there were quite a few, as you know. As the weeks went on and I did comment on some inaccuracies, we were blasted for 'not getting it'. Apparently, you aren't supposed to correct bloggers.Being new to the space, admittedly, we backed off a little bit at that time because, we really didn't need to rile up anyone else."

"As you mentioned in your chapter, yes, there were lots of meetings and lots of planning before we announced our full plan. Countless. However, please give this a thought - if we didn't have all of our ducks in a row, announced the plan and then couldn't follow through with that plan for whatever reason (manufacturing, shipping, software) what would have been good about that? Don't you think that would have made the issue even worse? We absolutely did."

"...you understand that controversy 'sells'. Turn on your local news at night. How many good stories do you see? Or is it all about crime, death, accidents, fires etc? I'll bet you don't see stories on too many of the good things that are happening every single day in your community. Same thing on blogs. When they were railing on Kryptonite there were hundreds of comments. When Kryptonite stepped up to the plate, not so much. And that isn't just about Kryptonite, we are but one example. It is, sadly, something that happens all the time. I hardly ever turn on my local news because of this; it's too depressing. World news isn't much better now is it?" [HUH?]

"We've watched blogs and forums for awhile, even previous to September [when the Kryptonite crisis occurred], however, it is a much bigger part of my weekly activities since then. Watching and monitoring what is being said is one thing, jumping into it is another. Blogs are a new adventure and there is a learning curve. I visit about 20 blogs daily, just like I go to bicycleretailer.com or bikebiz.com or any other information source. Yours is on that list, by the way. I also go to some of the blog search engines and look for tidbits of information that we might want to monitor." [20 blogs daily? They've been monitoring for almost a year and they still haven't figured this darn blogosphere out?!]

Wow...

BlogWalk Seattle September 2-3

Nancy White of Full Circle Associates in Seattle passed information on about an exciting 'Salon' that is going on this September:

BlogWalk is a salon-like get-together of 15-25 researchers and practitioners for in-depth conversations about their work, possible trends, and visions, where weblog and related forms of on-line social interaction play a role.

These meetings began with an initiative of Lilia Efimova, Sebastian Fiedler and Ton Zillstra. Previous meetings have taken place in Europe, US and Australia. More information can be found here and here.

This time the theme is (un)conference? blogging? We are going to focus on parallels, differences and synergies betweenblogging and face-to-face gatherings. The topics we are likely to touch:

what happens when bloggers who met online, meet F2F?
blogging and OpenSpace
how is blogging like/unlike OpenSpace
blogging (and social software in general) before, during and afterface-to-face events
back-channeling during events

The meeting will be in an Open Space format so the discussion itself will be heavily influenced by you, as a participant.

We endeavor to make the cost as low as possible, depending on the final space we find for the meeting and for coffee and tea. If you want to be part of this BlogWalk please let us (Lilia or Nancy) know.Also feel free to tell others about this meeting if you think they would be interested.

Attendance however is by invitation only, so make sure that others with an interest in this contact us first (read one of Ton's postings on why we think this invitation-only policy is important) A list of the people currently invited and an emerging set of ideas for our gathering can be found here.

Lilia and Nancy (your Seattle Blogwalk hosts!)

I'm definitely going to try and be there!

Like SIMS online, but with GAP clothes

This is my partner, Ken, at WatchMeChange.com - a funny little viral website put out by GAP. It's loads of fun. Just like playing the SIMS (which I tired of after I built my house, but my 12 year-old son played for months), but with fewer options and a limited GAP wardrobe.

The best part comes in after you create yourself and then choose the clothing...your character does this ridiculous, but hilarious dance. First you strip out of your street clothes, then you change into your new outfit and do some major posing.

This could really catch on, but it isn't something you keep going back to. Once it's done, you may forward it to a friend, but unlike the Subservient Chicken, it's a one-trick wonder. The silly dance is the same every time.

Speaking of the chicken and viral campaigns, I don't know if this will actually make people rush to GAP to buy a t-shirt and jeans. It may, but the clothing isn't too exciting. Perhaps if they had a couple of outfits to try on? The concept of creating your body type and trying on outfits is great, though. I remember 5 years ago, sitting down with a programmer to discuss the creation of a 'virtual try on' (which, was already out there, but not done so well - it gave you a similar character to the GAP

characters, but didn't give the shopper a real perspective of the clothing - will the jeans gape in the back if they fit in the thighs?). After some research and thinking about my own experience as a shopper, I realized that virtual change rooms wouldn't sway my decision significantly enough to order online. There are always returns, which cost less to maintain.

Oh...and here is me. That sassy little pose is the 'ssssssizzzzle'. I even got to build in my booty. Too bad in real life, GAP jeans don't fit me as well.

But here is something else...if I went into GAP tomorrow, would the employees know about WatchMeChange.com? The last time I received an online promotion from another retailer, I went into the store and nobody knew what I was talking about. Officially, I was supposed to be automatically entered into a draw if I bought a L'Oreal product at Shoppers...I even printed the promotion. However, nobody had informed the employees.

Thanks Ken (OneDegree.ca) for the tip! It was fun! Pass it on!

Citizen Branding ... brilliant!

Years ago, Big Rock was my client. They did something similar, on a smaller scale, and didn't really even realize the potential of what they were creating at all: The Big Rock Eddies (named after Ed McNally, the founder).

Year after year, beer enthusiast friends of mine would produce these 30-60 second spots to enter into the awards, then we would all get dolled up (the dress was 'outrageous' or something) and attend the awards ceremony. The ads were great - written, produced, shot and performed by amateurs (they had to be, no agencies or big time directors allowed). Big Rock, to this day, doesn't air ads on television. They never did believe in spending big bucks on media. But, their viral marketing campaign was more brilliant than they even realized (rumour has it that the concept was dreamt up over a beer guzzling session of the board - how apropo).

Now, there is a group that is harnessing this idea through their Citizen Marketing initiative called coBrandIT. The idea is a little different than Big Rock's Eddies. They are calling for the following:

Here are the guidelines: Make a video about a brand or product you love from one of these catagories: Beer, Gear, or Cars, and make it good. We don't want ad concepts--we want a slice of life. Stylized, silly, serious...it's up to you. Keep it real, and keep it clean (no smut).

Either way, it's a brilliant idea and I hope it spreads far and wide...you can keep track of their growth at their blog here.

Tanya's work of art

My girlfriend, Tanya Enberg, who is a senior editor for 24 Hours in Toronto created this amazing oil painting for my birthday.

It is her interpretation of me in my feather & silk party dress at the Cafe Carlyle in New York. In February of this year, Tanya, Roseanne and I spent a lovely 5 days in a little flat in Chelsea, taking the town by storm. Our last night was spent on the Upper East Side, all glammed up, watching Woody Allen and his Dixieland Jazz Band in the gorgeous cafe. We had an amazing time, spent more money than we could afford and made a pact to do a trip like this every year (next year we are considering Vegas!)

The picture of me in the upper right corner of this blog was also taken that night. I'm wearing a black wig (It's my 40's glamour wig).

I love Tanya's painting. It's fantastic. I've hung it in my office and I'm going to encourage her to paint more. I've also put it permanently into my template...

I have Cluetrain Manifestos to give away!

After giving away many copies already (all except for my own, marked up, much loved copy), I have 2 additional copies of The Cluetrain Manifesto to give away (and I'm ordering more)...

I want to spread the love, so if you can send me a story or an example of a successful application of 'Markets are Conversations', I would love to send you your very own copy.

I'll send a copy of the book to the first two comments and, when more books arrive, I'll try to send copies to everyone who participates. The only limitation is that you have to be within North America - the shipping overseas is a little pricey. Even more pricey than the cost of picking up one of these babies at a used bookstore.

Thanks for your participation in advance!

Droooooool

Just yesterday, whilst searching about for good podcasts on online marketing, I thought to myself: "Wouldn't it be amazing if there was a search engine that indexed all of the words and phrases in a podcast...as well as keywords?"

Lo and behod, this morning Steve Rubel at MicroPersuasion pointed out there IS such a search engine and it will be fully loaded by the end of August!

Try a little search...so far, it isn't so bad and shows the ultimate potential. Podcast, where have you been all my life?

Hugh is at it again

The ever interesting, absolutely enthralling Hugh Macleod is stirring up the blogosphere again:

"The Hughpage". An Open-Source "Craigslist" for Bloggers:

This wiki is designed to give bloggers a place where they can centrally collate their links for whatever reason: Work, jobs, love, sex, networking, friendship, apartments, furniture, cars, arranging geek dinners etc etc. Go ahead and build, design, improve and contribute to it as you see fit, in whatever manner works best for you. I'll pay for the bandwidth. -Hugh MacLeod

It's a brilliant new place for bloggers and proponents of The Cluetrain Manifesto to meet, greet, exchange ideas, fall in love, find a flatmate, geek out, get social and get a job.

Oh...and Hugh is deliciously single. I just love this photo (he calls it rather unflattering, but I think there is something saucy about a man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, tousled hair and badly mis-matched shirt and jacket trying to strike a match...he looks so darn academic and rebellious). I have a main squeeze who I adore, but it wouldn't stop me from flirting outrageously with the Hughster.

Web TV

Ken Schafer of OneDegree has forwarded all of his contributors the SearsWebTV site to comment on.

Personally, I love it.

I still find their fashion sense way off, but when it comes to appliances and electronics, they hooked me. The spots reminded me of my beloved Canadian Tire ads...the only ads that I think work. This is not only because I've run out and bought 3 of the featured products in the past 2 years (but I have), but these spots have the effect of 'product attachment recall' rather than just brand recall.

For instance: sitting with a large, mixed group of urban and suburban dwellers, I mention that Ken (my partner) and I just bought the Motomaster multi-tool and are eager to use it (which we still haven't). A voice from the far end of the table pipes up:

"You bought that?!" She screaches, "I want that! Is it great? I can think of a million things I could do with that around the house!"

Almost everyone at the table, whether TV buffs or not, recalled the product AND the brand and expressed at least a small desire to own the product. Those that were only partially moved discussed the windsheild blades that were currently featured (we bought those as well - those we use and are fantastic). The conversation moves to great stuff people have purchased at Canadian Tire - with a few horror stories of the automotive department.

So, I'm watching the Sears WebTV spot on the HE4T Washer and Dryer and I start drooling...the same drooling I experienced when I watched that Canadian Tire spot on the Motomaster tool (which I can't recall the model, but we bought, so what the hey). We rent. We don't even own our house and I'm salivating over the various settings and the fact that they come in orange (my favourite colour). Geez, they even dry running shoes on their removable dryer rack! What I could do with a pair of machines like that! (I don't know, really, but I'm excited to try)

So, in short, the spots could work...as long as they don't overdo the placement of them (i.e. irritate the hell out of Sears.ca visitors). They could incorporate them into the experience of customers who have established their needs (i.e. people looking at washers could see the spot or women looking for blazers could click to see the spot). I also suggested that they allow for customer comments and feedback. Imagine watching the spot and having questions like, "What are the measurements?" and "Is there free delivery?" as well as "My sister has a pair of these and they are amazing!" or "The white colour stains". Adding the level of interactivity would really enhance the spots and bring them into the online forum.

Kudos for Sears.ca for being brave (once again...you should see their travel centre...very impressive...they've incorporated a payment plan for vacations online)!

Where has Dexter Hawk been for the past 50 years?

Seriously. I listened to his audio book, "25 Things to Say to the Interviewer to Get the Job You Want" over the weekend. My eyes hurt, I rolled them so much. If the type of outdated hogwash Hawk gives in this book is truly what it takes to get to the top, I think I'll stay at the bottom.

Here are some 'gems' from the book (remember, these are things you should say to the interviewer...he advises you to memorize these and recite them verbatim):

"The only tried and true way (to be successful) is to crank out more work than is expected of me. To come in early, leave late, put in ten to twelve hour days. To work weekends. To bunk in my office if I have to. The pay off? More work. Harder tasks and tighter deadlines...these are the endearing laws of business...(H)unkering down and cranking it out, no matter what anybody says, is the only sure way to the top."

"The sooner you start on hard work, the sooner you'll get to the corner office...where you'll work harder."

"I think of fairness, hardwork and loyalty as forever virtues...some people think these values are old fashioned...I disagree. They've done people good and I know your company stands for these values."

"My work is my duty."

"I write, lucid, succinct memoranda." (Memoranda? When is the last time you wrote or received memoranda?)

"I understand bossspeak." (huh?) "To understand bossspeak, you need to first accept him as your superior. You work for him. He pays your salary. He determines your fate."

"Too many notches on resume don't look good..."

"Loyalty is reciprocal in every relationship, including business."

And...what really got me is that everyone in power positions were males - your boss=he, his boss=he, your superiors=he and your clients=he. I didn't hear 'she' once.

Lovely. I'd rename it to "How to be a sycophant 101".

He had a few tidbits of good advice, but nothing any decent human being didn't know (tell the interviewer that you don't belittle coworkers, that you get along with people from all levels, that you are a team player, that you take responsibility, etc.).

Yikes. I'm afraid that I'm never gonna get that corner office.

How to look glamorous in the heat

Whatever happened to advertising like this?

I want that to be me, looking positively moviestar-ish in front of my window unit air-conditioner. She is as cool as a cucumber. I suppose these gowns are an uncommon appearance these days. Too bad.

Speaking of glamour, though, the fall collections are looking pretty glamorous.

Hot hot hot

It feels like 37 degrees Celcius (that's almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit for my American friends) here in Toronto. We've had a pretty constantly hot summer thusfar - between 28 - 37 degrees every day.

It's times like this that I don't mind working in a temperature-controlled building. Air Conditioning is necessary.

I wonder what people did before freon. Here is a little history on our current mode of cooling from About.com (sorry about the pop-ups).

RSS as the TiVo of e-Marketing

Is RSS going to replace eMail Marketing? Part of me really hopes so. As Renee Blodgett says in her recent post, "(maybe) not a replacement, but a damn healthy supplement."

The problem with email is that:

We get so damned much of it that, even if we're remotely interested in a piece, it gets buried in our inboxes.
In any given newsletter, there is just too much information to absorb all at once. We usually scan the headlines, then delete the entire piece.
If the content isn't applicable for a couple of mailings, future mailings are in jeopardy of getting deleted before we even open them.

Blodgett quotes Chris Selland as saying: "This underscores the point I was making in my previous post - that RSS is far superior to e-mail for marketing communications (at least it is from the recipient's perspective). RSS promises to do to e-marketing what TiVo has done to television - it shifts power, control and choice to the consumer and away from the marketer." Which I believe is the most significant point of all.

Like TiVo, we are only in the early adopters phase. What happens when RSS is part of all of our desktops? No more 'unsubscribe' hoops, just delete a feed here, add a feed there. Producing content will certainly be more stressful for those wanting to keep their traffic up. With consumers having the ultimate control over what they are reading, marketers will have to get serious about getting entertaining (and informative).

The law of limits

Is there a law of limits?

I was having lunch with my friend and associate Jay Goldman of Radiant Core today and we were discussing how Google is getting dumber.

Getting dumber? You ask...well, here are a few personal examples:

a. A friend of mine and I were both looking for the same address. I put in the name of the business + the city. My friend put in the name of the business. In the search results, my more exact search phrase ended in finding the address on page 5. My friend didn't even use quotations and a less exact search term and found the address in the second spot of page 1.

b. I own 3 live websites with loads of content. I mention my name ("Tara Hunt") multiple times on at least 2 of these websites. When searching for my name, a website from 2002 that hasn't been updated and mentions my name once (and I asked, it isn't tagged) ends up on the first page near the top, whereas my own websites show up several pages in...some don't index at all. Believe me, I've done all of the SEO work behind them.

I'm generally having a tougher time finding what I'm looking for on Google. Unless I'm looking for a specific brand, I have to scroll through several pages to find what I'm looking for. I don't think I'm getting worse at using search engines, I think Google is becoming more polluted.

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the Magic Number 150. George Miller said of the number 7:

"There seems to be some limitation built into us either by learning or by the design of the nervous systems, a limit that keeps our channel capacities in this general range..."

So, since there seems to be limitations in other networks (social, nervous, etc.), could there be limits to Google's network? Google's algorithms were built on the central assumption that a diverse, independent and decentralized population of people would drive the rankings of the most relevant results would naturally rise to the top. James Surowiecki's Wisdom of Crowds discusses this in better detail.

But, as Jay pondered over Thai food, if there isn't a central classification system and everyone contributes, wouldn't the amount of interpretations after a certain number of varied entries begin to muck-up the system? (He said it much more eloquantly and can probably correct me below)

For instance, he gave the example of our lunch. He said, "If I wanted to put pictures of our lunch up on Flickr, I could tag it 'Red Chopsticks Black Chopsticks' or 'Thai Food' or anything at all. The next person could tag the same lunch as 'Saigon Sister' or 'Saigon's Sister'. Our individual interpretations would be all over the map."

After millions of different interpretations and tags, and seeing that the search engine is just a machine that works on algorithms, wouldn't our results become terribly skewed? Could it be that too many people are using Google?

Really, in the world, there is a subconscious Law of Limits...where some company or some person we were rooting for makes it big, but then we say, "Okay, enough now." Like Microsoft. Or Madonna. Or Google. Or the United States. We don't like monopolies. We don't like glut. We put a cap on the person or company we supported for growth for so long.

So, why then, wouldn't there be an underlying logic that we haven't thought out (or maybe we have and I just couldn't find it on Google) as to why we set limits in this way. Maybe we inherently know that there IS a limit.

What's next?

Steve Rubel and Jeremy Zawodny are both asking what comes next after blogging and podcasting...

Although Steve writes up a great top 10 list of possibilities, I'm hesitant to think too far beyond where we are now. You see, those of us 13.6 million blogs online (including the abandoned ones, the people with multiple blogs and the faux blogs) are, really, still part of the early adopters. (Interesting enough, the Cluetrain still reigns in the 'future of the net' list - I wonder when this 1999 collaboration will become a historical document?)

Since 91% of internet users don't even know what RSS is and 38% of internet users have heard the word blog and have at least a basic knowledge of what it is, but only 7% have a blog, bloggers really only fit into the Innovators/Early Adopters category on the adoption curve.

Perhaps the Innovators are getting restless now because the Tipping Point is in sight. Either way, there is always a future that happens beyond the reaches of our imaginations.

I better start podcasting or I'll be in the *gulp* Early Majority!

The Communist's Daughter

What an amazing place. The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I was coming home. Communist's Daughter on a Wednesday night on Dundas was packed full of real people just kicking back and talking about real things. It's about as authentic as you're going to find anywhere. And it works. They didn't care about having a website or advertising or anything. They just care about the product. And what a product.

The service is great. Astounding. And...my drinks were $4.25 each. Even better. And...I had a delicious Apple & Blue Cheese sandwich. Yum.

I can't really describe the Communist's Daughter other than to say that you would have to experience it yourself to really get it.

Find it here:
Communist's Daughter
1149 Dundas St. West (Dundas & Ossington)
***the sign is tiny and dwarfed by the previous sign...Nazzare? I think it says***
Toronto, ON

It's smashing.

The various edges of the blogosphere

Even in the 13.6 million blogs out there, there are wonderful little communities to visit.
Tonight, I met up with my friend, Erika, the brilliant young producer behind Cinnabar Productions (this is the beautiful poster of her latest production). I met Erika after Rogue had a serious crash (upon my move to Toronto, SARS hit town and the marketing gigs dried up). We were both 'between gigs' and working as temps to pay the rent. Erika was destined for theatrical production and fundraising, I was destined for...well..this. LOL.

Erika and I chatted blogs and I found out that she has been part of the blogosphere for almost a year longer than I have (to my own defense, I started, then stopped several times over the preceding year - I couldn't settle on a name) and has a huge community going. Her blog is called Grey City Manifesto and is a wonderfully written personal account of her struggle with living in Toronto, being a part of the arts scene and living alone. Her community is warm and friendly and comments much more often than my community. (Not that my community isn't warm and friendly...I've just noticed less comments among us)

But that's the thing that amazes me...somehow, in this tangle of 13.6 million blogs, we find other bloggers we gel with...other ideas that make us go AHA. I'm sure Erika will find my blog grotesquely dry and boring, and my writing way too choppy. But, amongst my long list of syndicated blogs, most write in short, factual snippets and refer to loads of other blogs...kind of like commenting, but on one's own blog.

The blogosphere is to a blogroll as the world is to a village. It's huge and finding our communities within it is so comforting. There is no monolithic meme to the blogosphere and that is growing more and more apparent every day.

Once again, from David Weinberger:

"Weblogs are the way we are constructing ourselves in this new public."

Absolutely.

Business phrases to kill

(Really, I thought they already died, but I still see them everywhere):

Best Practices
Added Value
Best in Class
Corporate/Company Brand
White Paper
Target Market

There are more...and I'll add to them, but I welcome your suggestions in the comments below...

Our qualifications in online marketing

Hello? You have how many years of online marketing experience? 10? Really?

That's amazing...since 10 years ago we were all just goofing around and enjoying this new medium AND what was happening online 10 years ago doesn't resemble what is happening today at all. Even 5 years ago the issue was how were we going to show legitimacy of the medium when the porn industry had taken over? And where did you take your degree in online marketing? There wasn't a degree? Well, there still isn't, really. I mean, some universities are starting to offer it as a discipline of a marketing degree, but, really, admit it, you just fumbled your way through learning the various tricks and rhythms just like the rest of us.

This generation of online marketers are pretty much self-taught.

Sure, we may have marketing degrees and/or computer science degrees, and we've all hungrily consumed as many conferences and courses we could over the years (taught by people only a few years ahead of us - some of them a few months). We gained our knowledge by reading Seth Godin and David Weinberger et al. We lived our existences online and observed everything that was going on around us. We participated, exchanged ideas, chatted, blogged, collaborated and learnt.

I loved Bill Sweetman's article in One Degree today entitled, "I Skipped 'E-Marketing School'" Most of us did, Bill. But I think that we have the advantage of not being educated to death on the workings of e-marketing. This means we can think harder and pioneer. We can invent new ways to plough through the clutter. We can be humble enough to be part of the conversation rather than trying to run it.

I was told the other day that I may not have enough online marketing experience. "Honey," I thought to myself, "What the hell kind of experience are you looking for? Good luck finding it, or at least good luck finding REAL experience." Maybe she was referring to my lack of MBA or e-Marketing degree (I have a perfectly good degree in Communications with a minor in Cultural Studies, thank you). Or maybe since I've been only doing online marketing for 6 years in the workforce ('cause banging around during university, designing websites and learning programming languages doesn't count). I dunno. Anyone who came to me saying that they had been in online marketing for 10 years, unless he or she is a total nerd and still working in a middle management role, would make me cringe. If they had an MBA, I may run away, screaming.

But then again, I'm not in HR. I did, however, get to be on the team that hired our Web Technical Administrator recently. He's flipping brilliant. He makes my head spin. I have no idea how he keeps up with everything that's happening. If I wanted to make a website cook an egg while people surf elsewhere, he'd do it. Somehow he'd do it. He has no degree, he is 24 and has a total of 4 years solid work experience. Before that, he banged around. I knew that. I met him and I jumped up and down. 'Hire him!'

And was I right? Yep. Him and I roll our eyes alot in meetings...mostly because there is alot of yak that we don't care about - professional businessy type stuff. No real solutions, just paperwork to prove we're working towards a solution that may be implemented 2 years too late and half-assed.

Which leads me back to that 'structure' thing. I certainly hope that the business world shifts enough that certain symbols of hierarchy (MBAs, degrees, years of experience, etc.) stop meaning so much to people.

The trap of professionalism

What's even worse than the 'trap of professionalism' Kathy Sierra discusses in her post Avoid Cliches Like the Plague, is the trap of trying to subvert the trap of professionalism.

What's up with this guy? Why is he yelling? Is he happy? Angry? Lost? Hailing a cab? Maybe he's greeting a long, lost friend. I can't tell. But, this is just one of the many brilliant images on a pack of CDs sold to many unsuspecting companies trying to look edgy and/or human...ish. Sorta.

Since the plethora of 'people' images have hit the marketing world, I've grown to disdain any and all images of people in corporate literature. In fact, I'd rather see Mickey Mouse than another fabricated happy/serious/professional/joyous stock shot of a person.

Then, sometimes even worse than stock shots of boisterous (or 'professional' with arms crossed and sassy looking) people are those cheesy shots of employees. There are a couple of problems with using employees in the 'people' shots:

Most of them look extremely uncomfortable in the shots
You can't use all employees, so there will have to be some sort of name draw or contest, which leaves some staff members out of the shots
When staff turnover occurs, you are constantly reminded by the dwindling number of shots you have left on your corporate cd
When the idea comes from the big guys in the corner office, it isn't fun

I'm not saying that all corporate material should be void of people, but there are better ways to approach it. I haven't seen too many examples of it, but I'm sure there are better ways. Perhaps a tongue-in-cheek presentation of people? I don't know. Maybe just skip the people altogether, unless you want to shoot your executive team or the founders or something and put them on the 'ABOUT' part of your website.

I like stuff. I like stuff that means something.

Corporate brochures are really quite meaningless. People may pick them up and read them over, but they are usually so full of corporate-speak and happy people images that they end up souvenirs. Ingesting empty taglines and lines like, "Improve your bottom line through the employment of our exciting product line" leave you feeling undernourished. The problem is that brochures pick the middle road and try to speak to everyone at the same time. They are impersonal. They don't engage people in conversations.

There was a time when corporate brochures were necessary to demonstrate a level of professionalism (there's that dirty word again), but professionalism, itself, is on its way to the dust bin. That is why so many companies try to look hip through their literature, but they are just not getting the point.

And, putting hipper people on a brochure or website screams that they just 'don't get it' to the entire world.

The raccoons are organizing

I know it sounds really paranoid but....

I swear that they are starting to organize. Don't be surprised if you hear of some raccoon attacks in the next few months in Toronto. It's the heat. It's making them crazy, too.

Not my hero

Queen Street W was eager to accept a good burger joint to our end of town. When the initial signs proclaiming 'Hero Certified Burgers Coming Soon' went up at the corner of Queen Street and Tecumseh, the buzz spread fast.

"Did you see that? Hero Burger is opening on Queen!"

"I know, I'm so excited!"

Well, if they don't get their act together, Hero Certified Burgers may not have a long residency on Queen Street W.

Ken and I, after attending the launch of Odd Job Jack (starring the voice of one of my actual heroes, Don McKellar) at The Drake, were famished. Ken suggested we check out the newly opened (two days ago) Hero Certified Burgers.

As we entered the restaurant, the couple leaving muttered, "F&*k this place." Not a good sign. Sure enough, we figured out why in a couple of minutes. We both ordered the 4 oz cheeseburgers with all sorts of extra fixings (mine with sauteed mushrooms). An attractive young hipster was picking up her order and asked about ketchup.

"We ran out this afternoon, but there is some on your burger."

"Could I get a ramekin of it, then?"

"No, we ran out, but we put some on your burger."

She asked a couple more times, with the same answer. Surely, if there was ketchup in the bottle behind the scenes, there has to be a way to serve it up. Flustered, she walked away.

When we received our order, everything was cold, my burger was red (not a good idea these days), and getting replacements took forever and took a good deal of explaining. Meanwhile, every other table in the place had a complaint. Order was wrong. Burger was undercooked. Order never came. Cold fries. Etc. Nobody left satisfied.

We actually felt for the kid behind the counter. He was fielding a great deal of complaints and looked out of sorts. When we finally received a cooked order, the food wasn't so bad. The burgers were good, the toppings were a great bonus, and the fries were amazing (they were those New York Fries kind of fries).

Unfortunately, Hero Certified Burger may not see us or the other patrons again, and people in the hood are tight. I'm blogging the terrible experience and I'm sure the others will spread the word in their own ways.

Here's hoping that a Lick's Burger moves into that spot.

The Secret Stock Option Prayers

Kathy Sierra at the Creating Passionate Users blog discusses open source marketing in a brilliant post. But what stood out the most for me is her recollection of 2000:

And I don't want to get too excited about what that means, but what the hell--I will anyway. I think something important is happening, and it can only be good. Maybe we've finally stopped saying our secret stock option prayers at night ("Please oh please God bring back the bubble and this time I won't piss it away I promise...") and decided to focus on what we have, and what we can do to make things better.

LOL. We are all feeling the return of the wave...but with great humility.

I wanna be Lana...

Read on Chris Houchens' Shotgun Marketing Blog:

One of the local Chambers of Commerce is having a press conference this week to "unveil" their new brand for economic development efforts.
That's interesting.
I'm having a press conference next week to unveil my new personality and what people think about me. Starting next week, I would like to be referred to as Foster.
The two are the same concept. People get the terms "brand" and "logo" confused. A lot.

Check out Toronto's new 'brand'...exactly.

Canada Post announces rate hikes, while my birthday cards take an extra 4 days to arrive

My birthday cards, sent a week and a half ago arrived today. I like having cards on my birthday, but having them after my birthday doesn't make much sense. I've moved on. I can't exactly display them on my mantle. It's a little lame. Besides, I may forget and they'll end up sitting there until a friend says something like, "Those are funny looking Christmas cards."

I would think, though, that snail mail would be getting more efficient and late cards wouldn't be such an issue any more. Theoretically, less people are sending via post and, everything is automated and computers supposedly make things so much more efficient. In fact, my family members sending cards should have been able to drop the card in the mailbox 1-2 days ahead of delivery and I should have received it on time.

I actually received something mailed from three blocks away the other day. It was postmarked five days before the delivery. They could have called me and I would have just popped by to pick up that letter up.

So, now Canada Post is announcing a rate increase. Do you think it means that there will be better service?

Minibar - mini hotspot

Lex, from Cheapeats Toronto invited all of her FOC (Friends of Cheapeats) out last night to attend the grand opening of this wee spot on Mutual Street behind the 'so-fashionable-it-hurts' Merchandise Building.

I love places like Minibar. It's owned by the same family that owns the Mutual Street Deli next door. The mother is pushy and colourful. The father is enjoying life, but definitely doesn't wear the pants. The boys love their mama and do her proud. The place looks all fancy and metrosexual, but there is this true 'neighbourhood' feel to the crowd.

Besides, they have a killer rooftop patio and make a mean Gin Martini (cold, no vermouth, twist of lemon...mmmmm). I'll definitely be going back to have mama yell at me again!

Thanks Lex!

Structure or die

I described my recent botched phone interview with my current boss (I had previously asked for a reference, so I thought I'd better explain why they weren't calling her). I described how, as I'm talking to the person on the other end of the line, I realize that I am probably not structured enough for him. I consider my management style (as well as almost my entire living style) 'organic' - meaning that I shift my approach for every new situation.

My boss laughed, "At some point, Tara, you will have to become more structured if you want to move up the ladder."

Maybe that's why I've never liked the idea of being senior management, although moving forward in my career will bring rewards, challenges and more money. I would rather be the most amazing middle manager in the world: smart and inventive, well-read and connected, publishing books and public speaking, inspiring the masses (too far?)...I would much rather be all of that at a lowly station in the corporate cog than to become a senior manager with lots of structure and no time to grow.

Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely ambitious. I want to make truckloads of money. I want gobs of prestige. I want the autonomy and the power to make big decisions affecting huge amounts of people. But, like the greatest leaders the world has ever seen (Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., etc.), I want to lead with passion and guidance rather than with rules and structure.

Maybe I'm fooling myself to think that there is room for that kind of leader today. Maybe passionate hands-off mentor-type leaders are only possible in social movements. (Why didn't I aspire to be an activist, dammit?) I'd like to think that there IS room in today's capitalist, consumer driven economy for unstructured, radically passionate leaders. If not, it means that at some point, I'll have to decide between:

A life of passion and knowledge-building and enjoyment, but struggle if I am inspired to accomplish big big things (usually stifled by senior managers or one's lack of prestige in a community) and never make enough money to retire on; OR
Let the title and structure of being a senior manager (or, heaven help them all if I became a member of the C-suite...or is that when life begins again?) suck the life out of me.

Maybe I'm painting a bleak picture of the two options. Being organically minded, there are many variations in between and around those options. And, there are rarely only a specified number of choices available in life.

My choice would be to move forward in my career while continuing to be less than structured (although, I can fill out reports, spreadsheets and other official documents as well as the next guy). We'll see how far that gets me. ;)

Bought: BLING

I've never actually paid more than $30 for a pair of sunglasses. I didn't see the point. Then, after I went through 4 - $20-30 pairs of cheap sunglasses, it donned on me: maybe I should treat myself to a pair of really nice sunglasses...especially THIS summer.

So, I shopped around a bit and found the yummiest pair of Coach 'Gwen' Glasses (I even like her name - same as the kickass Stefani) for 30% off at a little shop called 'Visible Style' in the P.A.T.H. below Bloor Street. I was especially motivated to buy because the owner had helped me out with some crappy glasses I owned one time for free.

I thought about it, though. Because I bought multiple pairs of crappy sunglasses ($100 worth), I really ended up buying the Gwens for nearly full price. Ken does tell me - buy cheap, buy twice. In my case it was buy cheap, buy quince!

But there is a limit, right? An authentic Louis Vuitton handbag is still made of vinyl, albeit better made than its knock-off cousins. But 40X better? (Given that I can buy a knock-off LV on Canal Street for $30 and the same bag was for sale at the LV store for $1200) At that point, it isn't quality that we are paying for. Its the name.

Could have I just bought another cheap pair of $30 sunglasses and replaced the crappy screws (which are usually the weak link in their construction) for $10 and had a really nice pair of sunglasses that lasted for $40? Sure. But I wouldn't feel like a high roller. I even got the Coach print case. Smokin'.

So, even though I discuss the long-term lack of appeal these high-end brands will have on the consumer, there will always be a market that wants to feel a little special about their purchases from time to time - even if, exponentially, the cost isn't worth it. Hermes won't drop off of the face of the planet because Oprah was burnt by them. Armani suits will always make a certain portion of the population swoon. Dolce & Gabbana will have a long, successful career with the poodle set. Lots of people like to feel special...even if it's only because their wallet cost them more money than they've ever held in it.

Yep. The market for something to believe in IS infinite (gaping void), even if it's totally fleeting and cosmetic.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and prance around Queen Street W with my fancy new shades.

B2B, B2C ... C2C

What Jackie Huba of Creating Customer Evangelists overheard at the WOMMA Measurement Conference:

"Laurent Flores, CRM Metrix: B-to-B and B-to-C models will evolve to a C-to-C (consumer-to-consumer) model."

Brilliant.

easy come. easy go.

That good ole' familiar feeling of dread has come again. You know, that feeling we all had when the 'tech' bubble burst and we knew that everything we were working towards would be a great deal tougher (and it was). And that feeling returned to the pit of our stomaches over the years when sitting in front of interview teams who didn't know what the hell we were talking about, but needed to know whether we could fill out a Client Contact Report or balance budgets.

"Yes, of course," we would gulp, then add, "But that's the easy part. What I can bring to the table is much more significant." And, for a moment, we believed it ourselves. Then we were thanked and dismissed and as we walked away, we knew in our hearts of hearts that everyone in the room thought we were really passionate, but had no idea what to do with us.

One of the reasons I was so pumped last week was because I had just met the most amazing people at a very amazing online agency that looked very much like they were going to become my amazing co-workers. Unfortunately, their San Francisco office didn't think so. All interviews with the Canadian Organic group were fantastic. We talked passionately about the way the web has changed the world...especially the marketing world. We connected well on what our inspirations have been. We got LinkedIn. I dreamed at night about a career where I was surrounded by these brilliant visionaries and could achieve anything.

I just knew a phone interview was risky, but I needed to meet the San Francisco team. I ended up speaking with one person who wasn't interested in talking about the organic nature of the online marketing world and what that means for the future of strategy. My dismissal of client relationship methodology and his subsequent silence left me feeling familiarly empty at the end of the phonecall.

Ah, really, though. I have several headhunters knocking on my door, new job postings are up daily (which I haven't seen in years) and I really like my current workplace and team. Things are good and I still feel positive. This is my turning point. This puzzle piece will find her perfect fit sooner than later...and the right team will recognize that skill sets that don't neatly fit into corporate culture are a positive move, not a risky move.

Until then, though, I'm just going to keep plugging away at what I'm doing and keep holding faith with my Cluetrain Manifesto at my hip and my fingers on the keys.

(Damn.)

Beverly Hills Sportswear = Blog?

Niall Kennedy and Steve Rubel bring it to the world's attention that Marble Hills Sportswear in Beverly Hills has applied to patent the word, blog. What?! I certainly hope this application is thrown out. Is this a money grab?

Sigh. If Trump can patent 'You're Fired', anything is possible.

Microsoft has a smart marketing manager...in XBox

No wonder that machine has taken over the world (especially for the youth and 28-34 male market). John Porcaro is a Cluetrain Manifesto follower. It's like a cult, you know. There are 'insiders' and 'outsiders' and those that read it feel very strongly about it.

Here is what John had to say in his post 'The Corporate Blog Tipping Point':

It all comes down to one thing: the most important thing is having a
conversation with customers.
How can you take the "best" blogging has to offer and use it on a corporate website? I don't think you need to publish blogs. What you should do is:

See The Cluetrain Manifesto. Markets are conversations.
Post information on your company or product website that is:
A) relevant, B) current, and C) written in a human voice. If there's a reason for
customers to come to your site, they'll come.
Offer a way to ask for and collect feedback.

Although I DO think that RSS and ATOM are going to change the way the world receives information, I think John is bang-on about everything else.

Seth Godin on Logos

I love it when Seth speaks out on these things. He is almost always right. Besides, he always voices what I feel strongly about.

Happy Birthday to us July 15 Cancerians!

Happy Birthday to Jennifer Merio, Duarte DaSilva and, well, me!

It's a good day for a birthday!

Here is our birthday horoscopes:

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (July 15). You attract and experience more precious moments this year, perhaps because you better understand what is precious to you. Finances pick up right away. Friends on the rise help you climb, too, in August. Singles: A hobby leads to a love connection in September. Couples find adventure in November. Love signs are Gemini and Aries. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 6, 40, 28 and 14. (Washington Post)

Sizzle Pop!

Okay, I already discussed something going on here in the net nation...actually ad nauseam...but truly, I've never felt like a hotter ticket than in July of 2005 (also my birthday month, so it's good luck all around).

I have head hunters calling me left-right-and centre. They are begging me (usually the other way around) at networking events. They are tripping over themselves to court me. They are emailing me, visiting my blog (hello there, welcome!) and finding me in other people's blog comments.

I have to admit, I knew something was brewing, but I didn't realize that I would be in such a hot position right now. I'm sure everyone else in my industry is feeling like a princess as well. We are hot hot hot!

But here's the thing about head hunters...I don't feel too flattered. They are out for the deal. I am dog meat when they don't have the demand - I experienced this first-hand for the past 5 years. So, you don't want to return my call for the past 5 years but you need me to call you back asap today? Ha. I'm pretty busy. What If I put your request on file and call you when something comes up.

Don't get me wrong, though. I want to grow my career and there are rockin' HHs out there that can help me out. These people believed in me, met with me, encouraged me, coached me, etc. when the market sucked. They will be the ones getting the big-arsed fee for the placement - which is growing exponentially right now.

This time I don't think we'll see the bubble burst. There are some real results to be mined here. Online marketing and the industry has reached that critical mass, which makes it part of the fabric of our everyday lives. Those slightly kooky pontificators who seemed too geeky to be cool and too cool to be geeky, who spent the last 5 years finding work in areas of reasonable facsimile of their passions and their training are back for good this time.

Maybe I'm just feeling bigger than life right now and tomorrow my own proverbial bubble will burst, but right now in this time, in this space I'm loving the rebirth of the Cluetrain Manifesto's mantra. I'm loving that we were all right and everyone else didn't have a clue (although I had many dark days of doubt over the past 5 years).

But now we must go forth underpromising and overdelivering so that we can maintain the momentum. Sure, we feel hot and powerful right now, but we can't lose our heads. We don't know everything. We are not 'experts'. We are just passionate about this medium that ebbs and flows and brings people closer together. We know how to converse online right now, but we can't lose site of that. We'll take the jobs where they let us blog during business hours and interact with other blogs throughout the day. And whatever new, amazing medium comes along to solipsize blogs, we'll get involved with that, too.

But we will never claim we are better (although we are allowed these brief moments of smugness because we are human) or smarter or more right (I know, I already did - oops).

This goes back to why I love online people. We'll always be a little too nice, a little too accessible, a little too acommodating. We interact everyday with thousands of others online and are constantly humbled by the plethora of talent and ideas out there. If we aren't, we are dumbasses. We know that. With all of this information available, we can't be certain about anything anymore. Even the crap I'm spewing today belongs to everyone I've geeked out with online and offline for the past 13 years...and it changes...and someone will come along and tell me I'm an asshole and he'll be right.

Yep. We're cooking with fuel. It feels like da bomb. We are being recognized for our worth (finally). But, hey, let's not forget to find this extremely flippin' hilarious. 'Cause it is.

Online geeks...welcome to the rest of your lives.

I (heart) those crazy online types

Last night, AIMS threw a shindig entitled 'Summer Sizzla' at DNA Lounge in Toronto. I generally like networking events and attend many, but have found many of them quite clique-y and subdued. Marketing networking events are the worst. Marketing people (minus the vendors, bless their hearts) are all about the clique. I usually end up feeling like a big wanker at these events, trying to edge my way into conversations, but receiving cold receptions.

Not online and online marketing people. I had a tough time keeping up with the amount of people I was meeting (and bonding with) last night. Dave Forde, the GM of AIMS, is a big part of the reason this organization throws amazing parties. Dave isn't afraid to push boundaries, make his party-goers do silly things (like the limbo and salsa dancing - have you ever observed a group of geeks getting their groove on? It's brilliant) and he's right into it himself. Even when nobody else was dancing, Dave was cutting a rug on the dancefloor, totally electrifying the mood of the party.

I had the chance to geek out with at least 20 people, thoroughly enjoying every bit of our conversation. This market is exploding again. I haven't seen anything like it since 1999, and even then, we were skeptical and uncertain. Everyone is so excited, from the programmers to the marketing geeks (like me) to the small business owners to the recruiters (like a pack of wolves, they hunted the room with their business cards, insisting, "Send me your resume TOMORROW. I have several positions you may be interested in" - I've never felt like such a hot commodity).

I want to shout out to a few amazing people I totally gelled with at the event:

Kevin Freeburn of Korax Inc. (this guy is brilliant AND cultured - I'm hosting everything with him from now on)
Daniel Gagnon of DJiNN Software Inc. (another brilliant guy & super cute and single for my girlfriends that read this blog)
Lina Demedeiros of LMD Insurance & Wealth Management Inc. (hot tamale and authentic, honest and warm person who you WANT to buy group insurance from...or go dancing with!)

I met oodles of others, but these three were 'click' (not clique) moments.

And on the note of status

I must say that everyone on my LinkedIn Community is pretty darned impressive. You should check them out. (you'll have to join LinkedIn, though)

Better than me: the hierarchies that bind

Just when I was thinking hard about hierarchies, I open up my aggregator this morning to see Hugh Macleod discussing them himself. Brilliant. I don't have to muse on it alone (love the whole blogosphere for that...it's so darn validating).

I started thinking about this yesterday (again, I think about it alot, actually. Being lower on the totem pole means you encounter hierarchical barriers often.) after I signed up for the LinkedIn thing. Will people be able to let down old-fashioned social barriers in this new, online networking community? And how are these bonds formed? What is trust? I trust the opinions of Hugh Macleod and Seth Godin, both I've enjoyed contact and conversations with, but why? I don't know much about how they live, who they vote for, what some of their other interests are.

It's about status building, really. If Seth Godin is listed in my LinkedIn network, I must be somebody, too, right?

My hope is that the future of the net will break down some of those barriers. Eradicate the exclusivity of expertise, make everyone accessible, open us to meeting anyone who is a real person. A contact is a contact.

My mother once said to me, "If you are on a date with a guy who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, he is not a nice guy." My mom is smart. I've taken that lesson with me throughout whichever status I've been.

Here is my reasoning:

Treating someone differentially perpetuates the hierarchies.
Hierarchies are disempowering.
When people are disempowered, they tend to dislike you.
Those people could save your ass one day.
If they dislike you, you're screwed. You can never take it back.

But we shouldn't just break down hierarchies because we expect someone to help us out someday. It's just irrational to posture someone higher than another. We are all human beings with our own stories. And status judgment is totally subjective. I may admire certain people's careers or philosophies over other ones, but that doesn't mean that those in less exhalted positions haven't accomplished amazing things.

But then again...like I prefaced in the beginning...this probably bothers me more because I struggle with those hierarchies. I wonder what my perspective would be from the top?

Logo trends? How about ad trends?

Here are some I've noticed:

Non-movies made out to look like movie posters

- Paramount Theater's 9.95 special (yes, it is related to movies, but it's not)
- Toronto Blue Jays 'Blue Jays Vision'
Reality 'Home Makeover' Television

- Direct Energy (couple takes off blindfold, nothing's changed, oh, that's central air!)
- The Brick (Makeover expert changes television & boyfriend)
Sexual References - I know these have always been around, but these are very goofy

- Virgin Mobile ("Now I can have it both ways" etc.)
- Vex Coolers ("I like to watch my girlfriend have Vex" etc.)

Have you seen other 'trends'? (2004 saw superheroes, nerdy retro, etc.)

David Weinberger on Blogs

Two quotes, both from his Library of Congress presentation I downloaded at Audible.com:

"Weblogs are the way we are constructing ourselves in this new public."

and

"We're writing ourselves into existence on the web one entry at a time."

The not-so-newness of new

Here's an offline story.

I bought a new suit a couple of weeks ago from the Gap and wore it for the first time today.

It's hot today. It's scorching type of melting on the pavement grumpy ass drink 10-gallons of bottled water hot today. So, even in the air conditioned office, I was heating up a bit. Not sweating hot. But definitely heating up.

I start to smell something awful and realize that it's coming from me. B.O. Me? Never! (really, I can list a mile of faults, but my body odour is usually quite pleasant)

I rip off the jacket of this new Gap suit and do the sniff test. Then I test myself without the jacket.

I bought a B.O. jacket.

I used to work in women's clothing retail. We had to throw away racks of perfectly good new clothing every year that was ruined by someone trying it on with body odour. You can't dry clean some of those smells out.

Sometimes, however, you can't tell when you buy an item. The scent isn't too strong. The item in question has to heat up to start releasing the odours. This jacket was one of those items.

So, I returned to the Gap where I bought it, but they didn't have any replacement jackets left (not even in the entire city). They offered me a credit, but I quite like the suit. I ended up taking the jacket to the drycleaners where the woman at the counter said she knew 'just the trick'. The Gap manager was lovely about everything and it, clearly, wasn't their fault. I should have done the 'sniff test' when I bought the jacket. She assured me that if the drycleaning doesn't get rid of the odor, Gap would give me a credit for the entire suit.

So, the problem may be solved, but I thought about something I haven't thought about for a while. 'New' clothing isn't really that new. In fact, many bodies have usually tried on the same items I'm purchasing. I love second hand clothing, but I always get it dry-cleaned right away. Why am I not doing that with my new purchases? And then, I started lamenting about sandals. I don't even want to go there.

The truth is that in this 'mass market', we get what we pay for (although sometimes we get much less) . If I want a summer suit that doesn't cost me my entire paycheque, I have to buy clothes tried on by dozens of others (without knowing their grooming habits), that's been sewn together and constructed by women and children slaves in third-world countries. Then I stomp into the Gap at the first sniff of the evidence.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I do know that I may be cured from being a shop-a-holic after this experience and my subsequent revelations. Maybe I'll learn how to sew.

Linked in. Revved up. Turned on.

I was having a delightful conversation with Chris at Organic Inc. when he looked at me all puzzled:

"You aren't LinkedIn?" he asked, obviously disgusted by my lack of savvy.

I admitted that I HAD received a couple of invitations and I HAD heard of the network, but after Friendster and Classmates and Meetup blah blah blah...I was just bored of the whole 'let's sign up to another network that I'll never ever use and that will send me reminders that tell me that I never ever use it'. The people who had previously sent me the invitation were great friends, but having years of history with online meetups and coming away feeling blah about them, I couldn't catch their enthusiasm.

But all of a sudden, this important VP guy, obviously well hooked up already, is telling me that I am crazy to NOT join LinkedIn. So, he sent me an invitation and I joined.

It's a pretty great network thusfar. They make it uber simple for someone to invite others. They import all of the email addresses you've sent to in the past 6 months from Outlook and ask you to choose who you want to LinkIn(to). Click here, click there - next thing you know, you're sending a 'come join me' message to 100 people. I haven't even BEGAN to search for those already in the network who I know.

All day, I've checked back to see how many people have LinkedIn(to) me. I have 25 and counting. I feel quite popular. My 'host', Chris, has 160. Ken Shafer has 115. These guys are true connectors. Apparently, other than boosting my ego, there are all sorts of other functions, so I look forward to playing around and getting to see how I can use it better.

All in all, though, there is a lesson here. Three things have to be in place for ideas to 'stick':

A good message (great new network - good for business)
A good delivery (you haven't signed up? are you nuts? kind of enthusiasm)
The messenger (someone you respect or trust)

I wonder what Marshall McLuhan would say. Anyone?

Back to the future

There are some really smart people in marketing. The trouble is, though, they don't really 'get' what's happening in marketing. They still cling desperately to old skool techniques and the centralization of 'corporate communication material'.

You know, they start with those brochures that all looked the same (maybe with different colour panels for different areas or different stock photos of smiling business people throughout). Then the business cards match. And the ads match. Then they come to me and say, "We need the website to be 'in line' with the brand" which really means they want it to match. And that's 'branding', which equals the basis of 'marketing'.

These are smart, young, dynamic marketing people, but they've spent their marketing careers offline and in boardrooms participating in 'thinktanks'. I think that online marketers have the unique advantage of being involved everyday in that conversation that happens with people. Whether we are reading blogs or getting involved in chatrooms or measuring activity rise in direct conjunction with our community outreach methods, we are always interacting with the market.

I was having a conversation this afternoon with a fellow e-nerd and we realized that another advantage we have is that we are always acting as consumers at the same time we are acting as marketers. We cannot separate the two. We are consumers, consumer advocates and consumer manipulators. We struggle with our positions in the universe of evil marketing techniques. This inner-conflict makes us more empathetic to consumers, which makes us work harder at connecting and creating bonds of trust...then working hard at keeping that trust intact.

Even though I'm passionate about this stuff, I'm not always so good at explaining it succinctly. For a marketer, I'm really bad at selling marketing [read Seth Godin's Marketing Has a Marketing Problem...it's hilarious].

In the end, I can give them the tools, tell them the compelling story, excite them, educate them and impassion them in any way that I can, but, ultimately, they have to read that one book or see that one speaker that 'clicks' for them. Truly, though, if everyone in the world 'got it', life wouldn't be as interesting as it is. Or would it just be interesting in a different way?

How empathetic are you?

Take the test here.

I scored just slightly above average. I think that's good news. I probably lost points because I am a 'list maker'. I have to be, though. Otherwise, I would lose my mind.

Wrist bands for your website

Now, here is a great idea for online marketing...but it could only be used virally and by an organization people give a sh*t about. Check out my new 'wrist band' at the top right hand corner of this page.

The organization makes this really easy. In their Get Involved section of the website, they give you the code to paste into your template and tell you exactly where to paste it. Although most bloggers are pretty savvy, this will help spread the word further.

The Live8 group has been very smart when it comes to online marketing. They have, actually, been pretty smart when it comes to the whole deal. Free concerts. Great cause. Amazing online coverage. They've started a great deal of discussion. Even the apathetic can't avoid getting involved. It's just that easy. Plug in your name and postal code here and hit send. Bang. They've pre-programmed all of the hard work for you. Wherever you live, your local and federal politicians will receive an email from you. I didn't even have to read what I was sending. They don't ask us cheap-o's for our money, either. They ask for our photos (appealing to our egos as well as our pocketbooks).

It makes me want to send money. They are hyper-organized and have great goals. And they have found a way to start a conversation and keep it going effectively.

I believe this time, we may even see some real change.

Gizoogle Your Wazoogle

Speaking of Snoop Dogg, you have to check out this crazy tool:

http://www.gizoogle.com/

Just enter your website (or the company you work for, which is even funnier) and the tool translates it into Tizzle talk (Dogg lingo). Well worth a couple of wasted hours.

McBling

Everyone's heard the news that McDonald's is looking to either Tommy Hilfiger, Russell Simmons or P. Diddy to design a new uniform for their employees.

I actually think this is a good idea. We all know that employees are a very important part of a brand - they interact directly with the customer and, in the case of McDonald's, many of them work at McDonald's in their teens before going onto become influencers in the community in their adulthood.

As far as buzz goes, the decision has caused a tidal wave of discussion online. Will it sell more burgers? Maybe. I don't know. I think that all of us have a certain 'comfort level' with McDonald's, but the problem we have with going there is that the image of it is so bad. New uniforms for the employees doesn't change the fact that my Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese is terribly greasy and gives me heartburn, but it may, at least temporarily, stop hiding the fact that I still go there to chow on the McValue Menu a couple of times per month. (Oops, out of the closet)

I don't think hip, new uniforms is where they should stop, though. Their employment package needs to be desirable as well. A commenter on the Fast Company post suggested automating the unskilled labour so that employees could become more like customer service specialists (my interpretation) than an assembly line. Instilling pride and fun into their work will spread outwards to the public: guaranteed.

In Toronto, we have this amazing indy burger chain called Lick's. Their employees, whether they are or not, truly appear like they are having a good time. It baffles me. They sing silly songs, have 'code words' for items that they yell from cash register to line cook (I've figured out that Onion Rings are 'Ring a Ding Ding'), goof around with one another, and have fun with the customers. I pay the same for a burger meal there as I would a sit-down restaurant and the experience is amazing. My 12-year old son adores Lick's and is easily bribed into anything with the promise of a visit. From what I hear, they offer their employees great wages and benefits, have morale boosting sessions and get-togethers, give bonuses for their enthusiasm and treat them with respect and dignity. I guess that's what they are singing about.

But the thing about Lick's as with many great indy burger places (you probably have one in your city that always has an enormous cue) is that they don't seek mass market saturation. They are generally pretty satisfied with their immediate geography. They focus on good, steady, longterm but not millions of dollars of profit.

McDonald's can never be an indy burger joint, but it can learn from the success of these localized businesses. Number one: customer experience is crucial. How do you ensure great customer experience? Great staff. How do you obtain and retain great staff? Treat them great. Allow them input into their uniforms, their jobs (not just a suggestion box, either, give them the opportunity to suggest improvements and implement them when they are good), pay them fairly, offer other benefits, treat them with dignity, allow them to be human, etc. Happy employees will create great customer experiences.

And, for the record, I vote for P. Diddy on the uniform design. Hilfiger is too starchy & preppy. Russell Simmons' Phat Farm is pretty hip, but a little too sporty. P. Diddy...now that man knows how to 'bring on da bling'. I'd actually like to see Snoop Dogg get a shot at it, too. Then they could add special 'code' to their orders, "McSizzle my Fridizzle, Dawg!"

Recommended: Free Webinars from Microsoft

This afternoon, I participated in a free online presentation at Microsoft Live Meeting, offered as part of their promotional Leadership Forum this summer. Presenting today was Keith Ferrazzi, who wrote Never Eat Alone, a great book with the central thesis, "If you want to achieve success, you can't do it alone. Other people have to invest in your success for it to happen." (or something like that)

I've had many issues with webcasting before: either the technology is lacking or incompatible with my system or just plain difficult to use, but this was a cakewalk. The presentation, itself, was very informative and a great way to spend my lunchbreak (was I eating alone if I was part of a webcast?). Besides, it's free. I like free.

I was excited to see that coming up on July 26th (noon eastern time) in the Leadership Forum are my favourite Steves, discussing Freakonomics. Although I read the book, listened to it on my iPod and syndicate their blog, I just can't get enough of them, so I signed up happily.

There were over 400 people participating in the online seminar and loads of questions. It was great to think that those 400 people came from all corners of the world to sit virtually in this 'room' with me. I could watch the questions and ask my own, interact through audience surveys and even opt to chat with other participants (although I just listened).

Between this experience and watching the news pouring in from the London Bloggers on what's happening across the ocean, I'm reminded that the internet has connected each an every one of us closer than we ever imagined was possible. Sure, we aren't physically any closer, but we interact in the same spaces intellectually, emotionally and, sometimes, even spiritually daily.

Amazing. I recommend signing up for the Freakonomics webcast and welcome any comments on how people see the internet affecting their daily lives and connections.

New Contributor at OneDegree.ca...me!

I am thrilled to announce that Ken Schafer of OneDegree.ca has invited me on board to contribute regularly to his fabulous online marketing blog! The original intention was for me to be an ocassional contributor, but once Ken recognized my enthusiasm (read: couldn't stop the Tara Train), he said, 'What the hey! You're in!'

Excellent. I'm in great company as a contributor. Other contributors include:

Mitch Joel, Twist Image
Amanda Maltby, Ipsos Reid
Bill Sweetman, Kalixo
June MacDonald, In Context (also an AIMS board member)
Paula Skaper, Kinetix
and more...

My first article, which is more of a 'hello I'm here' is here.

Newsflash to Terrorists: Bombings good for pubs

Duarte DaSilva, my fellow blogger and friend from Modern Laundry, sent me this brilliant quote regarding the mood in London this a.m.:

My boss sent me this quote which I think sums up the spirit of the English people nicely:
"I tell you what, if this is an "Islamic" terrorist attack, they're doing a piss-poor job. The pubs are all packed out, people sipping their pints happily, all a tad pissed off, but basically fine with it. Nice one, Al Qaeda - you profess to be from a teetotal religion, and you've given the pub trade a massive mid-week boost.

Thanks Duarte!

Another link to London

Search Engine Watch has a list of newssites:

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050707-070146

Bombings in London

Here are some links to get news right at the scene:

London Bloggers: http://londonbloggers.iamcal.com/map.php
Buzz Machine: http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2005_07_07.html#010008 (loads of links)
London Metroblogger (entering the tube at the time of the explosions): http://london.metblogs.com/archives/2005/07/whats_going_on.phtml
Guardian Unlimited (some eyewitness accounts): http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/
Times Online http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
Shot by Both Sides (musing on reasons behind it): http://www.stalinism.com/shot-by-both-sides/
Perfect (photos): http://www.perfect.co.uk/2005/07/london-terror-attacks
Europhobia (minute by minute updates): http://europhobia.blogspot.com/
Yorkshire Ranter: http://yorkshire-ranter.blogspot.com/
BBC (blogging the bombings): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4659511.stm

"Nice" is not a compliment

...it never really was.

You don't want to have someone describe you as nice, because it implies that there are no out-standingly fabulous characteristics you possess that can describe you instead. It's the kiss of death in relationships ("She's nice"="I have no desire for her whatsoever"), it's the glass ceiling in corporate ladder climbing ("Nice guys finish last") and it's the big sign of the sucker in the middle of your forehead ("You're too nice!").

I'm a kind and good person, but I've never been accused of being nice. Aggressive, bossy, opinionated, arrogant, passionate, b*&ch, egotistical, princess and pushy, but never nice. And it's a good thing, too, because it looks like 'nice' is on it's way out as a social norm.

The Tyranny of Niceness: Unmasking the Need for Approval by Dr. Evelyn Sommers is creeping across the 'buzz' radars of many these days. Not even on the shelves yet, reviews of the book and interviews with the author (previously not too well-known) are popping up everywhere.

Judith Timson, journalist for The Globe & Mail writes:

(Sommers) argues that we are sacrificing our authenticity on the altar of niceness...
...Being nice in the extreme results in loss of control, loss of authenticity and, perhaps most sadly losing a sense of what our real needs and desires and feelings are...
...When you stop agreeing with people just because you want to be nice, she says, you gain something far more valuable: the freedom to agree "because you have weighed the options and believe in that agreement." You are also freer to take risks, to be more yourself at work...

So, there you go. I'm not a b*tch, I'm authentic. I'm not pushy, I'm a risk taker. The problem isn't me, it's that everybody else is being too nice. I suppose reading this book is akin to taking one of those assertiveness courses. I can't wait to get my copy.

Don't worry, though, it won't be the impetus to be 'less nice', it will just be my justification.

[Thanks Sharon at work for pointing the Globe review out to me!]

Value

Joseph Jaffe of Jaffe Juice and "Life After the 30 Second Spot" wrote the following this morning:

...underneath it all, is a a stern lesson to all the marketers and advertising practitioners out there who fall victim to continous discounts, sales and undercutting the competition: consumers will pay a premium for value - especially with there is an experience which comes along for the ride...

Regarding the recent $351,100 bid on eBay for lunch with Warren Buffet.

He's so right. Additionally, real value and experiences mean something different to everyone. Consumers aren't targets anymore, we are 'moving, breathing, living, ever-changing human beings'.

Lunch with Warren Buffet is worth $351,100 to one individual, who found out about the auction through what? The media? Cruising around eBay? A blogger or an RSS feed? A coworker? A chatroom? Via email? However he or she found out, something in that moment excited that individual enough that they would pay the size of an average mortgage to sit down for one meal with their hero/nemesis/etc. (Although I am discounting the fact that the money goes to charity)

We live in an interesting world today. It seems bigger yet smaller. Virtual yet more real than ever. I was reading a text on the 'birth of the mass market' the other day, which was only really around 150 years ago. Information, today, travels faster than ever with the internet, but our attention to information has changed drastically. What is the definition of the next market? It seems to be centered on individual experience, yet, we have expanded the definition of mass to global to something beyond that. Globalism isn't at all what economists predicted. The mass is unpredictable and operates much more diversely than ever. Information is being controlled and distributed by the 'masses', and the consumption of that information is, quite often, chosen by the individual.

Yikes. Marketing has a great deal to re-think in this brave, new world.

Ikea: Swedish for Common Sense?

I bought my son a loft bed and a desk the other day from Ikea. They were being delivered this morning while I was at work, which was exactly my plan. Tad (son) and Ken (partner) would be saddled with the task of putting the furniture together. Twenty frustrated phonecalls later, I told them to just leave it. I will have to look at it when I get home. So much for my master plan.

It's not that Ikea furniture is difficult to build. On the contrary, it is quite simple. Ikea furniture is, however, famous for not quite fitting exactly as the floor model looks. This is especially frustrating when it comes to fitting their metal furniture together. In their particle board and wood-like furniture, one can always retrofit the pieces easily with a drill and a hammer. But if a screw hole is one iota off in one of their metal pieces, the night will end in tears and an angry phonecall to Ikea.

I bought two metal pieces. Tad & Ken are having problems with both. Yikes.

I think most people find creative ways to finish their Ikea pieces, so I'm not certain if everyone is as outspoken as I am. I had a girlfriend who ended up duct taping a metal cabinet together. She didn't care at that point, she just wanted to move on with her life.

Sigh, if Ikea cared a little more (I found their sales staff ruder and ruder over the years - also younger and younger), those pieces may fit like a breeze every time. I really don't want to have someone wait at our house all day for the Ikea delivery truck to come by and replace the faulty piece. I don't have time enough in my life. But, being my son's loft bed, I certainly don't want to screw around with duct tape.

Hopefully, when I get home, I'll discover that the boys didn't put their full problem-solving skills to the test (which is quite often the case) and that the final stages of construction are a breeze. I have, over the years, become a bit of an 'expert' on the assembling of Ikea furniture. I have put together at least 25 Billy Bookcases of various sizes and colours and can pop together a drawer with rails in mere minutes (I was disheartened to see that they've replaced the nice metal rails with plastic, though).

I was thinking, though, Ikea is one of those rites of passage. The goal of 'not shopping at Ikea' is sought by many young up and comers. I noticed that Ikea was trying to address this with their new "Spot the Ikea" ads. But I don't think this will do it. It's going to take Ikea getting involved in that market conversation I've discussed many times over. It's going to take training staff to give a damn about the customers. It's going to increase quality checks so that people like me aren't hammering and cursing and hoping for that day when I can buy beyond Ikea hell and have fully assembled furniture delivered to me by people in little booties (to protect my floors).

Ikea can remain transitional furniture forever, though. It's 'positioned' for that in the market. It fills that niche well. But by being that, there is always going to be a bit of a shame involved with buying at Ikea. "I'm a professional, dammit! Why am I back here again?!" That position will not work if decent competitors come along, either. Ikea could be in for a rude awakening.

The 'common sense' thing for Ikea would be to engage in a conversation with the community of their customers and potential customers. Find out that every stinkin' metal piece so-and-so has bought was difficult to assemble and he/she felt resentment towards Ikea for it. If Ikea wants to keep customers past the 'student' phase (and I think it does) and build a better name for itself, it will have to respond to these issues.

New Contributor: Miss Rogue

After emailing Ken Schafer to take partial credit for Rick Mercer's new blog, we discussed the possibility of me being a regular contributor to One Degree. I, of course, was delighted and accepted right away.

So, until Ken finds my opinions too controversial, I endeavour to contribute at least one entry per week. I hope to engage his loyal readers in lively debate and discussion in regards to the world of online marketing.

Here is a little background on myself. I have my own blog, HorsePigCow, where I muse wildly about all things digital marketing and, ocassionally, discuss personal matters. I first got online in 1993, when I bought my first 9.6 baud modem (I enthusiastically upgraded to 14.4 six months later) and started learning everything I could about the internet. I was excited about this new medium and told anyone who would listen that the 'world wide web' was going to change the world. Nobody believed me.

In 1995, I went to university to take computer science, but discovered at the end of my first year that I hated programming and much preferred my communications and marketing courses. I did continue to work online with my little bit of programming experience, and designed web pages for campus clubs for pitchers of beer and invites to the cool parties (I was once paid $20, which I promptly spent on pitchers of beer). I graduated in 1999 with a BA in Communications and a huge hangover.

Since then, I've built my career in marketing with a strong online underpinning. Each job I've held was awarded because of my passion and experience with the web. I started my own marketing consultancy (Rogue Strategies) in 2002, specializing in guerilla and online strategy. Today, I work as Online Marketing Manager at the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPAO).

My entire marketing philosophy derives from the main thesis of The Cluetrain Manifesto: "Markets are conversations". Online does not only behave differently than offline, but I also believe that it is changing our offline world. Consumers have more of a voice than ever, so 'Positioning' (Trout & Reis, 1981) isn't controlled by corporations any longer. The market has the voice. Consumers aren't targets like they once were, they are active participants in their own buying decisions and they are listening to other consumers.

This is the power of online and this is why the 'world wide web' changed the world. And...this is why marketers that say that blogging is a trend won't know what hit them in the years to come.

This is why I am delighted to speak to the broader audience that Ken has built in the online marketing community. I look forward to exchanging stories and ideas and using this medium to explore new, exciting possibilities for those of us in marketing who want to engage in the conversation rather than merely applying tired marketing principals to the dynamic net world.

Thanks Ken!

Tara "Miss Rogue" Hunt

Live 8

Dear Friend,

Today, I became part of an unprecedented global call to action to end poverty: Make Poverty History

Right now, there is active campaigning in over 50 countries around the three core demands: More and Better Aid, Make Trade Fair, and Cancel the Debt. In Canada, we're also campaigning to End Child Poverty in Canada.

You've just got to be a part of this campaign.

Go to http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/ and sign on to the campaign yourself.

There is no time to lose. It doesn't matter who or where you are, your voice is critical to the success of this campaign. This is a rare chance to join me and thousands of others across the planet to once and for all make poverty history.

What are you waiting for? Join me and click in!

Tara Hunt

What you can do right now:

Sign on to the campaign

Tell Paul Martin to commit to a timeline for 0.7%
Click others into action - forward this message to your networks

"If everyone who wants to see an end to poverty, hunger and suffering speaks out, then the noise will be deafening. Politicians will have to listen."- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Answers to the Canada Quiz

Queen Elizabeth II
C Constitutional monarchy
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
B Peace, order and good government
The Order of Canada
John A. Macdonald
Mackenzie King
Conscription
Pierre Trudeau
1982
Lester B. Pearson
1910s
Free trade
The Persons Case/Edwards versus Attorney General of Canada
Bonus: Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Henrietta Muir Edwards
Saskatchewan; Tommy Douglas

Oh Canada

Happy Canada Day!

How well do YOU know Canada?

Here's a little quiz to test your Canuck knowledge:

Who is Canada’s Head of State?
The Government of Canada is best described as:
a A representative republic
b A co-operative association
c Constitutional monarchy
d People’s Democracy
What part of the Constitution legally protects the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians?
Which of the following slogans is best associated with Canada’s Constitution
a Liberty, equality, fraternity
b Peace, order and good government
c Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
What is the highest honour that Canada gives its citizens for outstanding achievements and service to their country or humanity at large?
Name the Scottish immigrant, skilled lawyer and Father of Confederation who became Canada’s first prime minister.
Which Canadian prime minister sought the advice of his dead mother and dog?
National referendums are nothing new in Canada. In 1942, a national plebiscite sparked a fierce debate over military service and national unity. What was this plebiscite about?
Which prime minister, when invoking the War Measures Act, famously declared: “Just watch me ”?
In which year was the Canadian Constitution patriated?
What Canadian won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to peacefully resolve the Suez Crisis and then went on to become prime minister?
In what decade of the 20th century were Canadian women first given the right to vote in federal elections?
The 1988 federal election was fought over which contentious issue?
In 1929, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council overturned the Supreme Court of Canada and determined that women could hold office as senators. What was the name of this landmark decision **Bonus** Score yourself an extra point if you can name one of the “famous five” women involved in this case?
Which province was the first to introduce medicare **Bonus** Score yourself an extra point if you can name the political leader who led the campaign for medicare.

(answers tomorrow...or you can leave them in the comments below)

7/29/2005