My Name is Kate

That's a lot of blue! Olympic Hodgepodge #1

So, if you live in Vancouver, you may have noticed that there is this sporting event in town that is closing roads, creating line-ups the like of which haven't been seen since Soviet Russia and bringing some of the best musical acts in Canada to town.

I have been meaning to write about a variety of Olympic-related topics, so here you go ... my first Olympic Hodgepodge!

Get in the Olympic Spirit

While I haven't been wearing red everyday, I have followed one of the suggestions in the Paint the Town Red guidebook: hang red and white xmas lights.  I've hung them on the balcony and they seem quite fetching. I do think the people across the street who have hung their multi-coloured xmas lights from December back up are kind of missing the point.  But I only mock them a little, because showing your spirit is a good thing, right?

But don't confine showing your spirit to your physical surroundings! You'll want to dress up your digital digs as well.  I made these patriotic avatars using Team Canada's "It Takes a Nation" app.  

 
 
 

Olympic Gear

Now, if you're looking to dress the part of Olympic fan/fanboy/nerd, you will definitely want to check out the Vancouver 2010 store.  Now, I'm not generally a proponent of rampant consumerism, but, two things here:  1) the Vancouver 2010 store is powered by the very awesome (and homegrown! Go, Vancouver!) e-commerce software and company Elastic Path; and 2) I really like the pins.  

You've probably heard about the 2 hour lines at the official HBC store - well shopping online eliminates those lines! And (AND) Elastic Path has partnered with VANOC to offer local residents free shipping and overnight delivery. Sweet! So if you need that cowbell for your day at the bobsleigh track or the big plush Mukuk for cuddling at home, you can get it delivered NEXT DAY!

When the good folks over at Elastic Path told me about their great shipping deal for Vancouverites (heck, actually all Lower Mainland folks), they also sent over a few sample items. No giant Mukmuk, but they did send pins!  And I want to give a couple away to YOU - whether you live in Vangroovy or not!  Details below. At the end. Keep reading ...

From Olympic Pins to Small Business Branding - Me and Raspberry Kids

As I've mentioned, I recently started my Vancouver 2010 Olympic Pin collection. Well, sometimes exciting things happen when you blog about your weird obsessions. Sue Sinclair, Founder and Chief Executive Mom (on Twitter), of Raspberry Kids reads MNIK and sent me a note: she had some Vancouver 2010 corporate pins from Bell as well as a few others and would I like them for my collection.

Well, I'm sure I don't have to describe the frisson of delight I experienced. (Pins!)

Sue dropped the packet of pins off a day or so later. Gems!

Something else was included in the packet: a cute card (with handwritten note), a couple of discount code cards and a packet of Wild Raspberry tea. I asked Sue about it and she said it's something she includes with all orders. 

I love this kind of branding initiative from small businesses. First, it reinforces the brand consistently in an engaging way - that can be tricky when promoting a brand whose name doesn't explicitly say what it is. And it absolutely speaks to the kind of feeling that Sue is trying to evoke via Raspberry Kids: warm, comforting, personal.

And finally, it's a reminder to businesses that they can actually be human - we go into business with people, with individuals who can make or break a businesses reputation. And this is true whether you employ 10, 1000, or 10,000 people - each of them is a person who carries a direct line to the company and their reputation. Empower employees to keep those lines strong.

When I followed-up with Sue and told her I wanted to share this little example of added-value marketing, she offered to set me up with a discount code for my readers. Who doesn't love a discount code? So now you can get 15% off at Raspberry Kids if you use the code kate15 on checkout.

Announcing My New Workshop in Vancouver - Social Media Springboard

I've been wanting to start a workshop series on digital marketing and social media for a while.  Well, finally, the day has come! Woot!  So I'm thrilled to announce that I'm holding the first one on January 22, 2010.  And I've even more excited that I've been able to partner with the lovely and talented Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit, founder and editor-in-chief of yoyomama.ca and yoyobelly.ca. Annemarie has a wealth of experience as an entrepreneur as well as in email marketing and web strategy - essential components to any social media program.

We've designed Social Media Springboard to be a little different than a typical seminar.  

First, we're limiting the numbers - only 10-14 participants in each session.

Second, since this workshop is all about sharing ideas to get you to Step 1 of your social media plan, we will try to ensure that there are no participants who are in direct competition.  So, if you sell solar-powered waffle irons, no other solar-powered waffle iron seller will be enrolled in your session.

Finally, there is pre-homework.  Social media is fun and engaging and interactive - but you only want to spend time doing it if it adds to your bottom line: e.g., growing your market, entering a new market, increasing your customer loyalty or their spend.  So, you do a little guided homework before the workshop, spending some time thinking about your business and how you see social media as part of your business plan.  

At the workshop, we all come together.  Each entrepreneur will give a mini-presentation. Annemarie and I will have done our homework as well and will offer some initial ideas about your online marketing.  Then we spend time brainstorming as a group on how each business could accomplish their immediate goal using social media strategically.

Every workshop participant will walk away with at least half a dozen steps she can implement to start accomplishing her goals. 

Following the workshop, each participant will have an individual hour-long follow-up skills session that she can use to ask specific implementation questions.

Both Annemarie and I know that it can be confusing about knowing where to start in online marketing and social media.  Every entrepreneur has about a b'zillion different ideas for growing their business.  But they aren't always sure where to start. So, we wanted to create a workshop that lets participants really focus and move them from idea to action.

You can get more information about the Social Media Springboard over at LintBucket's site.  The first one is being held in Vancouver - if you're outside of Vancouver and are interested, leave a comment or send me a note.  We're interested in taking this to other cities.

And for my readers (thank you for reading!) there is a discount code - use mynameiskate50 to get a $50 discount off the workshop price of $349.

Oh, I forgot ... Olympic Cocktails!

Part of the impetus for the post about my olympic fever was this great post from Tinkerblue on recently announced Olympic-themed cocktails from local restaurants and bars.

This is the offering from the YEW Restaurant and Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver: Gold Vancouver 2010 made with Victoria Gin, lemon juice, and cane sugar juice and garnished with smoked salmon and cucumber.  They have two others, the Bronze Montreal 1976 and the Silver Calgary 1988, that Tinkerblue details, along with offerings from a couple other bars.

Olympic Fever - I Haz It

With less than 100 days to go til the Olympics officially kick off here in Vancouver and the Torch Relay finally underway, there have been a lot of Olympic-themed campaigns that have started around the Internets and beyond.

The Canadian Olympic Committee launched their "Paint the Town Red" program.  If you need ideas on how you, your organization or your town can Paint the Town Red, you can download their idea booklet (pdf). Some of my favourite suggestions (tongue only occasionally in cheek here):

• Hang strings of red Christmas lights from your porch or balcony (note to self: stock up on red lights - these will go fast at Canadian Tire, I bet)
• Have a ‘wear red to work’ day, with roving facepainters (the idea of roving facepainters scares me - yet, it's the kind of thing I would like to do)
• Bake red cookies and give them out at your community centre, senior centre or sports club
• Create a ritual every time a Canadian athlete wins a medal eg. put another Canadian flag up in the lobby (or eat another red cookie)
• Sign all correspondence in red ink (I feel like there are some weird legal ramifications to this - but if I change my email font to red, you'll know why)
• Free parking for customers in red cars (this one is pretty clever)
• Switch the company logo to red (for celebration days or opening ceremony) [the parenthesis on this were actually in the booklet - I'm trying to imagine the argument between the creatives and the brand police on this one "Oo .. have people change their logo" "OMG - you can't change the LOGO" "Well, what if they did it just for the opening ceremonies?" "Oh, ok then".]

The COC also created this facebook app - PodiumPals - where you can stick your face on different cartoon sports representations and use the pic as a profile app.

Disclosure: the COC's PR firm sent me a "Paint the Town Red" paint can kit as part of the launch of this program.

And as you could expect, National Olympic Partners are also starting to launch their promotions. Petro-Canada has re-launched their iwilldreambig.ca site.  It now includes a very cool "Longest Wave in the World" - you can take a series of 5 shots with your webcam, mimicking you doing the wave, and then upload them.  The website animates them and joins your pic in a wave across Canada.  It's a neat idea.

As part of the iwilldreambig relaunch, LintBucket Media (my company) worked with Petro-Canada on a blog to promote their Canadian Athlete Family Program (CAFP).  The CAFP takes care of two family members of Canadian Olympic Athletes who are competing at the Vancouver 2010 Games.  Once they arrive in Vancouver, Petro-Canada's CAFP houses them, gives them great swag, gets them tickets to their athlete's competition, transports them to the competition and provides other support during their stay.

Finally, my own personal Olympic fever stems from my recently caught pin obsession.  Olympic pins.  This month is my birthday and Rosemary kicked off my birthday month celebration with these four pins.

Cute, huh?  (Mukmuk, with the foam finger, cracks me up every time I look at him.) And then I entered a pin contest on Twitter from Atos (an awesome "100 days to go" pin - and they are still doing the trivia if YOU want to enter) and then I entered another pin contest from Cold F/X and I read Andrea's 2010VanFan blog obsessively and have been entering her draws. Oh, AND I donated $20.10 to Molson's podium fund to get their pin. It's a sickness.  But I can't stop. This is my pin collection goal.  

So, if you have any Vancouver 2010 Olympic pins that you have kicking around that you don't really want, I know where they can find a good home :)

Two Delightful Things - CupCakeCamp and SeekingSimone

Every once in a while I still miss Toronto and all its *happenings*. Vancouver is delightful, but smaller, so we generally don't have the variety of activities here as there.  In particular, I was recently very jealous of Toronto's CupCakeCamp. Sure .. BarCamp is great and DemoCamp .. also good.  But CupCakeCamp?!?!  Who wouldn't want to attend CupCakeCamp?

Well now, thanks to enterprising cupcake-lovers Stephanie and Victoria, CupCakeCamp YVR is happening! Friday, July 10, 2009.  Tickets just went up "for sale" (they're free, but a donation is encouraged).  You can also follow CupCakeCampYVR on Twitter.

Speaking of cupcakes ... my wife, Rosemary, and her friend Renee (and then a bunch of their friends) have launched a new web series called Seeking Simone.

Seeking Simone is a new lesbian web series about online dating. Follow the adventures of Simone Selkin as she dates her way through gay Toronto!

"What's so great about meeting 'in real life' first anyway? That's how Ava Braun met Hitler and look how that turned out."

Simone Selkin is single and in no way ready to mingle. Her excuses? Well, she's new to Toronto, she's trying to make the most of her big break on CSIS:ForensicSWAT and, if she's honest, she's still getting over her ex, Rebecca, who was a total skank. But back in Vancouver, Simone's best friend Audrey has a plan to get Simone back on the horse. And that plan is "online dating".

Don't fret, hets - Seeking Simone is not just for homos. It's a comedy for anyone who's ever dared to date - and lived to cringe forever over the tale.

Episodes 1 and 2 are ready and watch-able.  And I hear their editor is working furiously on the third.  Below is the trailer, to give you a taste of the show.  I, of course, think it is charming and funny.  But I acknowledge I'm biased.  Still, give it a view - I'll bet you like it too!

Ins and Outs of Social Media Outreach - Welcome CEC Network

I had the delightful opportunity to be a guest speaker at a workshop that Darren Barefoot of Capulet Communications led for the good folks at the CEC Network.  My talk was on blogger relations - both from my perspective as a blogger (how I like to be reached out to whether here on MNIK, OneDegree.ca or Funchico) as well as on how I find and evaluate bloggers for blogger outreach programs for LintBucket's clients.

Below are the resources I discussed in the session:

My Stuff:

• Slides from my presentation
• Link to my pitch policy

Higher Education Links:

• Educational Institutions that Twitter
• Social Media and College Admissions: The First Longitudinal Study
• Wiki of Social Media case studies - you can sort by category, including Gov't/Public Sector for some education examples
• Educational Uses of Second Life
• Collection of articles on Web 2.0 in Higher Education
• Twitter account that tries to follow ONLY higher education institutions on Twitter

Things we discussed in class:

• QR Codes:Wikipedia article on QR Codes and Marketer's Perspective on QR Codes (from OneDegree)
• Town of Banff YouTube Channel; in particular - Dying to Visit Banff video

Photo Credit: CaptPiper

Northern Voice Update - We're Speaking! and Win a Free Ticket!

Just a quick update on Northern Voice 2009 that I blogged about last week. First, Rose and I are speaking! W00t! This is the first time that we've co-presented at a conference. Our topic is "Social Media Mores and the Modern Couple" - the idea for it originated in the same idea pot as this post along with Rosemary saying that "Blogging for Couples" would be a cool topic. It's likely our session is morphing into a panel that will be moderated by the smart and savvy Julie Szabo of Capulet Communications - so stay tuned; I plan on asking all of you for some of your relationship advice about social media.

Oh, for those of you who haven't gotten your tickets yet, well, you may be out of luck. The Saturday of Northern Voice is sold out; there are a still a few tickets left for the Friday. You can also send an email to be put on a waitlist.

BUT if you're a neoLuddite, you might be in luck! Ruth Seeley of No Spin PR is holdinga social media neoLuddite contest for a free ticket to Northern Voice. She's looking for the best (worst?) neoLuddite who wants to start to *get* social media. She has the full deets over on her blog. Contest closes January 31, 2009.

Couple of Upcoming Events Worth Mentioning - Northern Voice and Blogwell

Two events are coming up - one that I wish I was going to and one that I am definitely going to.

The one I wish I were attending is Blogwell put on by Gaspedal and the Blog Council. It's a 1/2 day of case studies from 8 cool companies using blogs and other social media to connect with customers. The 8 companies are Walmart, The Home Depot, Allstate, H&R Block, Mayo Clinic, Sharpie, Procter and Gamble, and the U.S. Coast Guard. It's in Chicago on January 22. I'm a big fan of the Blog Council (disclosure: one of my clients, Petro-Canada, is a member) and the work they do connecting client-side bloggers as well as advocating blogging disclosure standards. And if you can't make it to Chicago on the 22nd (like me :( ), check out the recently posted social media case study from Walmart on their use of social media to connect with their customers or some of the many other case studies posted on their blog.

UPDATE: Discount Code for Blogwell!  For 15% off you can use the code katesentme   (Is it just me, or does everyone smile just a little when your name is used in a discount code?  I think THAT is an important lesson for marketers!  Make it personal!)

The second event is Northern Voice, the must-attend personal blogging and social media conference in Vancouver. NV always sells out so make sure you register ASAP! It's being held out at UBC on Feb 20 and 21 - and the price is definitely right - only $60 for two days. Always informative, lots of fun and a great way to connect w/ other socmed folks in the pacific northwest. Hope to see you there!

Sidenote: this post was published using a new-to-me blogging editor on the Mac, Blogo, from Brainjuice. Am going to try it for a while to see if it can fill the void of Windows Live Writer.

Pssst, buddy, want to win a Fujifilm camera? Get on the F list!

This is one of the reasons I love being a blogger.  Because cool companies give me cool technology to give away to you.

So Fujifilm Canada has created the "F list" - a fun program to get the word out about their digital cameras along with getting visitors to share stories about the Best and Worst gifts they've received and some other holiday themed activities.

Plus they're giving away some Fujifilm digital cameras!

So, there are a few ways to win ...

First, the F list Scavenger Hunt!  The F list team has hidden two Fujifilm S100fs (valued at over $700) in both Vancouver and Toronto.  One of them has been found in Toronto, but neither have been found in Vancouver!  Get on it!  I'm pretty sure I know where location #2 in Vancouver is - see pics below.   Race ya?! 

Second, the Best Gift/Worst Gift photo contests.  Have you had an awesome gift?  What about a less than awesome (some might say, craptastic) gift?  Here's your chance to share your joy or, uh, your un-joy.  You can win a Fujifilm S2000HD (valued at $300) for submitting a photo and getting your friends to vote.  There are winners each week.  Weekly contests end on Saturdays.  Get the deets at the links below.

Enter the Best Gift contest  Enter the Worst Gift contest

Third, instant win! Yeah, I know. Sneaky, eh?  Here's the secret link.  Shhh.  It's just between you and me.  The link takes you to a page where you register for the F list.  Copy the secret code on the page.  You then paste it into a box on the reg page.  It should tell you if you've won or not.  The instant win is for a Fujifilm J100.

Finally .. and you've waited long enough ... you can win a Fujifilm S2000HD from me!  All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favourite Christmas carol.  I'll give you one entry into my draw. 

If you're really keen ... upload a video somewhere of you singing your favourite Christmas carol (just a line or two, not the whole thing; and if you're camera shy, hide behind a poinsettia).  Work the word "Fujifilm" or "digital camera" in there too.  Then come back here and post the link.  I'll give you 10 entries into my random draw.

You have to leave a comment and/or a video link by NOON PST on Dec 23rd.  I'll do a random draw sometime after that.  I'll post the winner here by Christmas eve.

Winner Update: Well, exploiting your children (and a little extra effort) goes a long way.  DaniGirl's name was pulled out of the jar last night.  Congrats to her!  And many thanks to all of you for playing and to Fujifilm Canada for the prize.  I learned about a number of new holiday songs.  I hope you did too.  In fact, I even made a playlist (many thanks to @digitaljoy who told be about awesome Grooveshark!)  It's below.  It, amazingly, has every song that was mentioned.  I am particularly delighted by the Italian Christmas Donkey song.

Disclaimers: Eligibility - if you read my blog, you're eligible.  If you live outside of Canada and happen to win, we'll figure out how to get you the prize.  By entering you agree to the following: My decision is final.  If my childhood friend Binky happens to win the draw, you can't complain.  You agree that neither I nor Fujifilm are responsible if your comment doesn't get posted or if your video disappears or for any other computer glitch associated with this contest.  You also acknowledge that if you win, you will not receive the camera in time for the holidays so you won't plan on giving it to someone.  Also, if you do win, you agree that I can post your name  here.  And finally, you agree that if you DON'T win and you decide to FREAK OUT about it, Santa WILL put you on the Naughty List.  Permanently.

So, that's it! Try 'em all to win!  But mainly mine b/c I think it will be AWESOME to see a bunch of videos from my friends singing their favourite Christmas carol!!

By the way, aside from all this camera-y goodness, there's actually a bunch of great content over on the F list site.  They have a gift finder (and no, it doesn't recommend JUST Fujifilm cameras).  They also have an F list expert blog where they share cool gift ideas and other gift-related tidbits.  They profile some very cool stores in Toronto and Vancouver as well as the weekly best and worst gift winners.  Plus, they are pretty witty over at the F list.  I leave you with these gems from the post, The Costly Crime of Bad Gifting:

• 8 in 10 people receive gifts that they don't want
• 17% of those people return their gifts just because they don't like them
• the top 2 groups of bad gift givers are parents and spouses
• 38% of bad gift recipients hide their bad gifts
• 31% of surveyed people admitted to re-gifting
• 65% of gifts men give women are returned, never used, or stored in some obscure random location never to be seen again.
• 60% of re-gifters are women
• European research suggests that we give the worst presents to the people we love the most mistakenly believing our tastes are theirs.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Disclosure (for folks who think that product bloggers have hidden agendas): I am not being paid to post about this.  I happen to know the folks who are working with Fujifilm on this promo and they said "Hey, want to give away a camera on your blog?" and I said "Yes.  Yes I do!"