Archive for category business
Social Media and San Francisco
Posted by Paul Holmes in business, internet, social media on February 24th, 2010
I started thinking about San Francisco, as I was planning to go to WordCamp San Francisco this year (and I organize WordCamp Victoria).
I have also been one of the organizers for Social Media Club Victoria, and SMC has it’s global home in San Francisco.
We already know that San Francisco is the center of the universe for social media, but I had no idea just how much so. Here’s a short list of companies based in that part of the world (you may have heard of a couple of them):
- Facebook (Palo Alto) – Facebook, FriendFeed
- LinkedIn (Mountain View)
- Google (Mountain View) – Buzz, Wave, Blogger, FeedBurner, Google Connect
- Yahoo! (Sunnyvale) – Flickr, Meme
- Digg
- Automattic* – WordPress.com, PollDaddy, IntenseDebate, Gravatar, Akismet
- eBay (San Jose) – StumbleUpon
- Posterous.com
- Ning (Palo Alto)
- Technorati
- Flixster
- Plaxo (Mountain View)
- Photobucket
- Seesmic
* Automattic claims to be from everywhere, but I included them on this list because a large number of their people are based in the San Francisco area.
New York has a few companies that have made an impact in the business – Vimeo, Tumblr, Meetup.com, and Foursquare to name a few.
For science fiction geeks, San Francisco is also the headquarters for both Skynet (Terminator), and Star Fleet Academy (Star Trek).
Which social media companies did I miss? Add to the comments.
What is Social Discovery?
Posted by Paul Holmes in business, internet, social media on February 18th, 2010
What the heck is Social Discovery? I’ve seen the term thrown around here and there, but only in passing.
After a chance meeting with Dan Martell on a rainy afternoon in Las Vegas on January 17th, the light bulb suddenly appeared!
I am convinced “Social Discovery” will become an integrated component for every serious marketing department in the world within the next year.
The term itself is nearly self-explanatory:
- “Social”, as in “Social Media” (yes, “Social” is the new “it” adverb).
- “Discovery”, as in “discovering” where people are, and how they are using social media.
As Dan explains it, every business has a client list – and these days, that means a list of e-mail addresses. As companies roll out their social media campaigns, the most important people they need to connect with are their clients who are using social media.
Dan is very active with a social discovery startup called Flowtown.
You probably haven’t heard of Flowtown, and Dan explains that this is on purpose. They don’t want to garner too much attention while they refine their product. But you will start hearing a hell of a lot more about this company very, very soon.
What Flowtown offers is a complete, automated social discovery product, launched in late October.
Their target market includes small businesses, and has a very low starting price point. They even have a “free demo” version available online right now.
I’m excited about the whole concept of “social discovery.”
Dan and I chatted at length about the possibilities in this sector. Could software make appropriate connections automatically? Can it find new, valuable connections automatically, and keep them tuned into your companies channels (in a useful, non-annoying way)?
Could software check to see which platforms people actually use, and what their interests are there. Perhaps somebody uses Facebook for finding love on lonely Friday nights, and might feel awkward if you suddenly ask them to fan your Facebook business page. Perhaps somebody uses Twitter, but strictly for the purpose of stalking celebrities.
At this point Dan started telling me fascinating things about “Social Lead Scoring” and metrics, and my head was spinning.
Dan lives in San Fransisco now, but he cut his teeth in Canada. In Moncton he started, and later sold, a successful development firm that boasts a pretty impressive list of clients.
I was impressed with Dan Martell, and enjoyed our lunch together. He is very professional, confident, and successful, yet modest, inquisitive and personable. While I was walking with him at the Affiliate Summit conference in Las Vegas at least a half dozen people came up just to say “hello”. While such attention comes to those who are successful, it also confirmed my previous hunch – that he’s a pretty swell guy.
Is Google Buzz the Twitter Killer?
Posted by Paul Holmes in blogging, business, internet, social media on February 16th, 2010
Will Buzz Kill Twitter?
Some have compared it to FriendFeed, some have called it Google’s answer to Facebook, and some are just annoyed and can’t wait to turn it off (in GMail, you can scroll to the bottom and click on “turn off buzz”, by the way).
Others have predicted Google Buzz will annihilate Twitter! They make a compelling argument.
- It’s a sophisticated broadcast notification system, much like Twitter.
- It’s public.
- You can send images (and you don’t need third party applications like TwitPic).
- You can automatically feed Buzz from other services (Blog RSS Feeds, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Digg, etc.).
- Your Google profile is now your Google Buzz profile, and has much more information than a Twitter profile (yet, uglier).
It’s overwhelming like FriendFeed, but this is offset in part by neatly integrating right into GMail (which is certainly the most open tab on my browser). This means you can have a peak, or you can completely ignore it – but it will always be at your fingertips, beckoning you…
And does anyone have any doubt that “Buzz” will very soon be searchable (and from Google, no less)?
Will Buzz kill Twitter? Maybe. Maybe not.
What do you think?
Top 10 Social Media
Posted by Paul Holmes in blogging, business, personal, social media on December 1st, 2009
I have written various articles on social media in the past, and a few people have asked what my favourites are. The following list is not “the best”, nor specifically “the best for application X”, rather my favourites – those I enjoy using or gain specific benefit for using.
10. Ning’s (like Your Canada)
Ning is a really cool product that allows you to launch your own social networks around specific themes. Your Canada is an example of one I launched to add a social component to our popular Your Canada website.
9. FriendFeed
Everyone was getting excited about FriendFeed, the ultimate social media collaborator. It’s a cool tool because it let’s you tie all your social media activities into one stream. It can be a bit overwhelming though, so I find myself using it sparingly these days.
8. YouTube
Anonymity is still the name of the game on YouTube. As a result, you get poorly spelled and otherwise idiotic comments on videos all the time. This is too bad, given that it otherwise is the best place for exposure, and the tools to connect people socially are actually pretty good. The social aspects of video are still developing, and I suspect a number of other sites may take the lead in “social video” while Google focuses YouTube more on commercializing what they have (and doing this primarily by pushing sponsored videos, vs. an advertising model). Some to watch include Vimeo, DailyMotion, 12seconds.tv, Ustream.tv, blip.tv, and about a few dozen others.
7. Flickr
Yahoo! has one product that kicks ass and totally owns it’s vertical, and that is Flickr. Flickr is the best social medium for sharing photos/images. Picasa is Google’s alternative, and it is OK. A few others are Photobucket and Flixya, but they are a long way from successful at this point.
6. Digg
The DiggBar has revolutionized Digg (much to the chagrin of the ol’ skool Diggers). I use it all the time, and am a bit of a Diggaholic now. It’s a great tool for sharing interesting stuff you find on the web. It also has some great integration tools to very easily share “Dugg” stuff on Facebook and Twitter. I use Digg every single day.
5. Instant Messaging
Three years ago this was number one (followed by blogging and online forums). Three years ago, I did 100% of my instant messaging using MSN Messenger. Two years ago, 80% was MSN and 20% was GoogleTalk. Today, 50% is Facebook, 30% is GoogleTalk and 20% is MSN. As always, ICQ and AIM are 0%. Instant messaging is still a great way to get ahold of people in a hurry.
4. Blogging
I love to blog. I have at least 5 blogs I update regularly, and I love posting comments to other people’s blogs (which is what makes it a social medium). I also love WordPress; I am a total convert to the platform. I even organized a WordCamp in Victoria a few weeks ago, which was tonnes of fun.
3. Facebook
I was a Facebook holdout for ages, but have grown to like it. I like it because almost everyone I know is there. The platform itself is annoying sometimes, and frustrating at others, but they have the critical mass, so it remains a tool I continue to use, even if I use it despite itself.
2. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is great for business. At a recent presentation I gave at the University of Victoria to all of their business students, I asked several hundred students how many of them were on Facebook, and almost every hand went up. I then asked how many were on LinkedIn, and about 5 hands went up (I think a few of those hands were faculty, too). This is ashame. LinkedIn is a great tool for business, but also for career building. The guy sitting next to you in class today might be CEO of some big corporation in 10 years. Stay in touch and add them to your network on LinkedIn. I’m not sure if I got through to them or not.
LinkedIn is easy, passive and a great way to introduce people. It’s sort of like a virtual business mixer, but doesn’t require you to smile and dress nicely.
1. Twitter
Even people who love Twitter make fun of it. Twitter is an amazing tool for connecting with people and getting a message out. Through the power of the retweet, your potential network is huge. That conference I organized back in #4 above – I used Twitter as the primary medium through which to promote it, and over 100 local (and international) people showed up. Not too shabby for something people love to make fun of.
Loading ...I’ll review my list every once in awhile as my tastes change. It’ll be interesting to look back in the future and see what has changed.
I can already say that “FriendFeed” used to be much higher up the list, and I expect there is a good chance Google Wave and Foursquare will appear here in the next year or two. The influence of mobile and video (and mobile video) should introduce a few new angles to the equation, too.
A few others that I use that didn’t make the top list are Plaxo (11), Yelp (12), Identi.ca (13), Vimeo (14), Meetup (15), SlideShare (16), MySpace (17), and StumbleUpon (18). I have profiles on a few others, but don’t use them much.
I’m always happy to connect with people I know on any of these networks, see my social media links in the right column to link to my profile, or visit my Contact page.
Dammit LinkedIn, I’m a college dropout!
Posted by Paul Holmes in business, humour, internet, personal, social media on November 20th, 2009
My LinkedIn profile is 85% complete. It has been since I first signed up, and probably will be in 5 years. Why? Because I have not included my education. Here’s my recent correspondence with LinkedIn:
I do not wish to include education in my profile. I am a self-employed college dropout, and it is not relevant.
Yet LinkedIn does not allow an option for “include none”, and insists my profile remains only 85% complete. I find this really annoying, and would appreciate the option to include no education component in my profile.
Is my life incomplete according to LinkedIn because I have been largely educated within the University of Life?
Here is the response:
Dear Paul,
Thank you for contacting LinkedIn Customer Support.
And I want to apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.
Unfortunately, this option cannot be changed at this time, I will sent your information to our research and development team for future consideration.
[...]
We appreciate your commitment to making LinkedIn a stronger community!
It was mostly written in a late night moment of jest, but I do wonder how many others fall into a category like mine. Is Bill Gates on LinkedIn? OK, Bill Gates has been a bit more successful than me, but he’s had a few years headstart.
For those who don’t know me terribly well and aren’t already bored by this post, I’ll fill in some of the mundane details of my life.
As a teenager, I was very interested in computers, and would often stay up very late working on them. I wasn’t interested in games, but communications. One of the first things I did with my new 80286 computer and 1200 baud modem was open my own bulletin board system (BBS), which allowed people to dial my computer up from their computer, using the phone line, and post messages, download files (ironically, usually games), chat (when I was around), and send private messages.
Before the Internet came into popular use, my BBS was a node of FidoNet, a global network that operated across phone lines around the world (my address was 1:340/36).
I also found high school exceptionally boring, so much so that I barely graduated. They’d always enroll me in special classes for smart kids (or smart asses, in my case), but I’m fairly certain I never once applied myself. I had a C- in English 12, due primarily to the fact that classes began at 7:45am, so I missed about a third of them.
After high school I took an operations job with a medical software company and worked my way up the ladder there. I quit after a few years to take Political Science and History in college (I even took an English placement test, which ironically allowed me to skip the first English composition class, despite almost failing English 12). I went for one semester, but was given an opportunity to go back to my previous employer. The offer was for far more than what I might have earned with a PoliSci degree, so I dropped college and went back to work.
In 2000, I made a strategic exit from that company to start my own web company, and have been doing that ever since.
Let me be clear: I am not anti-education. Far from it, I am an enthusiastic supporter! I am often invited as a guest speaker for business students, and often work with people in my community to support the local University. I have a tonne of respect for anybody with an MBA, a Masters Degree, or a Doctorate – they clearly have a hell of a lot more patience than me!
So when people ask about my alma mater, life experience is my response.
WordCamp Victoria 2009 – Domain Name Acquisition
Posted by Paul Holmes in business, internet on November 15th, 2009
I gave a presentation at WordCamp Victoria 2009 on Domain Name Acquisition. I rambled a bit, but people seemed to find it useful. If you love .BIZ domain names, I apologize in advance (I don’t).
Thanks to Robin Heppell for recording and sending the video!
One major correction, SEDO doesn’t have 100,000 domain names for sale, they have 11.5 million. Whoops, sorry SEDO!
Here are some of the websites I refer to in the video:
Our Canadian Web Hosting and domain name registration company, dotcanuck Web Services.
Pick up an expired .CA domain name at our BulkDomain.ca website.
ICANN is the agency that essentially runs the Internet, at least controlling the assignment of all the names and numbers.
Remember: Registrants pay registrars to put their domain names in the registry.
As mentioned, SEDO has domain name auctions and sales.
SnapNames is another expired domain name and auction website.
CircleID is a fabulous domain industry resource; some very prominent contributors from within the industry, more often from the “registrar” side.
Sphinn is a “digg-style” site for Internet marketing that has a lot of current and informative information on domain names, mostly from the “domainer” point of view (people who register multiple domain names, most often for the purpose of reselling them later, are commonly called “domainers”).
AURP Conference 2009
Posted by Paul Holmes in business, social media on October 20th, 2009
I am delighted to be speaking at the AURP Conference in Vancouver tomorrow, on the topic of using Social Media in the promotion of technology parks.
I was actually a bit surprised that social media wasn’t being embraced more by technology parks around the world, especially given their propensity for “technology.” More importantly, social media is an excellent opportunity to further some of the underlying goals these parks strive for:
- Creating a technology center of excellence
- Developing a hub of innovation
- Connecting people with ideas
What better way to “connect” people than using social media?
As just one example, in researching for the discussion, I discovered that only 11 technology parks in the world have Facebook fan pages — and most of those are quite underutilized. I do hope some of the ideas I have prepared will encourage the participants to take a fresh look at what social media can do for them, and more importantly for the companies that reside in their respective parks around the world.
For those who are interested, these are the slides I am using for my presentation:
The Prodigy Group
Posted by Paul Holmes in business on August 17th, 2009
The Prodigy Group is a fantastic group of young entrepreneurs in Victoria, British Columbia with over 200 members.
This video is from the last mingle, held on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at the Canoe Brewpub.
Become a fan of The Prodigy Group on Facebook.
In addition to monthly mingles, the Prodigy Group also has a mentorship program, coordinates communication connections and holds special events.
The following people were featured in the video. Great folks, all of them!
- Bre Storey, Neverblue
- Rahim Khudabux, Maximum Furniture
- Chantelle Tearoe, Buzzirk Mobile
- David Vinnels, Prodigy Group Chair
- Lorrie Carlson, First Impressions
- Mike Williams, CoastalClicks.com
- Mike Kalinka, Investors Group
- Ranko Telebak, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
- Shawn Steele, Prospect Lake Golf Course
- Amanda Waye, Copeland Communications
Social Media Interview with Michael Allison
Posted by Paul Holmes in business, internet, social media on August 12th, 2009
I had the pleasure of lunch today with my old friend and social media connoisseur, Michael Allison.
Michael had the idea of interviewing me for his blog, and I thought that sounded like a great idea, so I interviewed him as well. Mostly for my own practice, but also because Michael has a wealth of knowledge on the subject.
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