My Name is Kate

Vote for Canada's ChangeEverything.ca in the People's Voice Webby

One of my favourite social networks, ChangeEverything.ca, is up for a Webby this year.  Last year, they were an honoree - this year, they made the big time as a nominee and are up against some heavy hitters in the Social Network category: Bebo, Facebook, Flock and Ning.

One reason that I'd like to see them win is that they have demonstrated the real hyper-local power of social networks.  An example from ChangeEverything.ca that I use regularly in my presentations on social media is a story about a woman who wanted her local grocer to carry green (recycled) toilet paper.  His complaint was that it took up valuable shelf space in his small establishment and wouldn't be purchased by anyone.  She put the word out on Change Everything and rallied local troops who committed to buying from that grocer.  He saw that there was a market for the product and started carrying the requested brand.  An amazing win-win for everyone.

Alexandra Samuel and Rob Cottingham of Social Signal, who work with William Azaroff from Vancity  and Kate Dugas, Change Everything's tireless community manager, have shared their thoughts about why a vote for ChangeEverything.ca is a vote for the real power of social networking.

Change Everything's success points to a hunger out there for social networking with substance - online community that goes beyond racking up "friends" or sending "'sup?" messages. That's especially encouraging to those of us who believe in the power of social media as tools for meaningful social change.

If you haven't visited ChangeEverything.ca, I encourage you to do so.  And once you see the amazing conversations and actions that are happening, join me in voting for them in the Webby's People's Voice competition.

Can we talk? Time to get the Age of Conversation!

Last summer, one of the more amazing collaborative online efforts was launched - the Age of Conversation.  It's a book written by 103 bloggers across the globe who shared their insights about social media.  And these bloggers aren't all marketing geeks and social media experts.  They are also t-shirt freaks, harley moms, art enthusiasts, storytellers, philosophers and what not.

And the cool thing is all the proceeds from the book are going to Variety, the Children's Charity.  So, hey, some great thinking on social media AND helping out kids.

This is where you come in.  9 months later, the book is finally on Amazon.  And today is the day we want to rush it up Amazon's charts.  So, go to Amazon and order a copy.  All proceeds, including affiliate revenue from the link, go to Variety.

You can follow the progress of it being rushed up the charts over on Fresh Peel, Chris Wilson's blog.   AOC was originally conceived and organized by Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan.

One reason I'm so excited about this book is that I'm going to be participating in the Age of Conversation 2!  I'll talk a bit more about AOC2, the theme and my sub-theme in a later post.  But I did want to acknowledge all the fantastic writers, bloggers and thought leaders that I'll be partnering with to make AOC2 a success.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what we create!  Now, make sure you get a copy of AOC, the original, today!

Adam Crowe, Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob Carlton, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Bradley Spitzer, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Clay Parker Jones, Chris Brown, Colin McKay, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Cord Silverstein, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Goldstein, Dan Schawbel, Dana VanDen Heuvel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Darryl Patterson, Dave Davison, Dave Origano, David Armano, David Bausola, David Berkowitz, David Brazeal, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Emily Reed, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, G. Kofi Annan, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Graham Hill, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, J.C. Hutchins, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeremy Middleton, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, Joe Talbott, John Herrington, John Jantsch, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Flowers, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kris Hoet, Krishna De, Kristin Gorski, Laura Fitton, Laurence Helene Borei, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Barnes-Johnston, Louise Mangan, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Marcus Brown, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Mark McSpadden, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Hawkins, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Monica Wright, Nathan Gilliatt, Nathan Snell, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul Marobella, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Beeker Northam, Rob Mortimer, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Cribbett, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tiffany Kenyon, Tim Brunelle, Tim Buesing, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Longhurst, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

"Save the Internet" campaign - prevent tiered access to the Internet

I received an email from John Unger today describing the Net Neutrality Bill that is currently being debated in the US Congress Gutting this bill would allow Internet providers to specify which websites would receive priority on their bandwidth.

James Surowiecki in an article in The New Yorker sums the issue up like this:

Until recently, companies that provided Internet access followed a de-facto commoncarriage rule, usually called "network neutrality," which meant that all Web sites got equal treatment. Network neutrality was considered so fundamental to the success of the Net that Michael Powell, when he was chairman of the F.C.C., described it as one of the basic rules of "Internet freedom." In the past few months, though, companies like A.T. & T. and BellSouth have been trying to scuttle it. In the future, Web sites that pay extra to providers could receive what BellSouth recently called "special treatment," and those that don't could end up in the slow lane. One day, BellSouth customers may find that, say, NBC.com loads a lot faster than YouTube.com, and that the sites BellSouth favors just seem to run more smoothly. Tiered access will turn the providers into Internet gatekeepers.

Brian Clark from Copyblogger has an exceptional piece on the Net Neutrality issue as well!

What to do?

• MoveOn has detailed information about the bill as well as an online petition you can sign
• Read the letter to the US Senate signed by over 3 dozen Internet companies
• Enter the "Save the Net" viral marketing contest
• Download a blog badge and send an email to providers at Common Cause

Tags: Save the Internet, Net Neutrality

Is it time for BlogHer North?

ElisaC over at Worker Bees Blog posted about the dearth of women speakers at the upcoming Mesh Conference in Toronto:

Billed as Canada's Web 2.0 Conference, Mesh wants to be hip, but sorry, I don't think any confernece that can only find about 6 slots for women in a speaking roster over 50 strong qualifies as anything but old-school, Web 2.0 or not.

Usually tech (read: O'Reilly) conferences trot out the excuse that they're looking for deeply geeky presenters, and while I would argue that deeply geeky women abound, I agree that deeply geeky men are the low-hanging fruit. Of course, I've already established that I believe it's the conference organizer's job to seek out representatives of diverse perspectives, not the other way around, but let that go for the moment.

She makes the point that if this kind of trend continues, BlogHer won't be passe in her lifetime.  I, unfortunately, agree with her.

We've seen this before: misbehaving.net has a SpeakerWatch thread and I wrote about this issue both with the TED conferences and with the Canadian Marketing "Hall of Legends".

So, this isn't a "pick on Mesh" post; they have a super line-up with some great discussions planned and I'm thrilled that it's finally starting to happen here in Canada.  Kudos to the five guys who pulled it together.  Planning any kind of conference is a pain in the butt, and they seem to have pulled it off.

But even with Mesh, there is still a gap.  There are a lot of women bloggers out there who are looking for a community to connect with.  Maybe its tech-tips, maybe its writing techniques, maybe its about design.  How to promote your small business, or run your local political campaign, or update the other parents in your daughter's soccer league.  It's not about prominent, sexy, "newsworthy" speakers.  It's about a community coming together to forge relationships.

How do I know this?  Because of the emails I get.  From the young lesbian designer just finding her way in an agency.  From a writer who wants to make the switch from offline to online writing.  From the museum fundraiser who thinks that she could increase donations by starting a blog.  All passionate articulate women trying to find a voice.  Who have as much to offer as they do to learn.  And who would benefit from seeing their role models, their mentors, women like them on stage talking about their accomplishments.

 

So.  Here's the deal:  Canadian women bloggers (oh heck, eastern US women bloggers too .. you Buffalo Yanks c'mon up!), are you interested in a BlogHer North?  If you are, I will take this on and talk to the good folks at BlogHer to see how we can make this happen.  But I need you to let me know!  How?

1. Email me and let me know you're interested
2. Leave a comment
3. Blog about it and trackback here
4. Tag your post BlogHerNorth

Let's give it a week and see what happens.

And to the great gals of BlogHer - I promise that if we make this happen, I will not do the logo design.

Technorati Tags: BlogHerNorth, BlogHer, conferences, mesh06, women+speakers, women+bloggers, Canadian+bloggers, Web2.0

Update: Mobile Billboards in Toronto

This is a followup to my post last week on my frustration with mobile billboards.  I received a letter from Kyle Rae's office.  It is a letter to Mr. Frank Weinstock who is the Manager, Policy & Business Planning Unit in the Municipal Licensing and Standards Division.  It is also cc'd to Hon. Harinder Takhar, Minister of Transportation.  It reads [with my commentary inserted]:

I have recently received concern from my constituency [me!], in addition to my own discontent, relating to the billboard signs on trucks that circulate around the Downtown area.  I find they are unsightly, cumbersome on our streets and contributors to smog in the City.  These trucks serve no other purpose than to advertise on behalf of third parties. [Amen, Kyle!]

I would like your opinion on what the City can do to regulate these advertising vehicles [there's a little pun here]. I have been noticing these vehicles more so now and would like to put an end to them before they further proliferate.

I have copied the Minister of Transportation because it is my understanding that the Province has legistative authority under the Highway Traffic Act to regulate the use of any highway by any class of vehicle.

Awesome!  I don't know if anything will come out of it but a) I appreciate Mr. Rae's very prompt response and attention to my concern and b) am glad that there are people who like negotiating the bureaucracy of our government.  Just trying to find the links to the different departments in the City was a little tricky.  Also, the Province of Ontario has redesigned a lot of their website (some Ministries retain the old look); quite modern and streamlined.

As a side note, there is a new Toronto City bylaw dealing with Temporary Signs [link is pdf], including A-boards, ground-mounted signs and "mobile" signs.  Alas, these are not regulations dealing with signs on trucks, but those signs with the movable letters, like this one, but with wheels [from Ryan's Church Sign site; also, his blog].

Followup on Katrina & Rita Relief ... Two Niche Causes

On September 1st, I participated in the blogosphere's "Blogging for Relief" for Katrina victims.  Just over a month later, we're starting to fully appreciate the effort it will take to rebuild people's lives.  Niche causes and like-group-helping-like-group are starting to emerge ... to take care of their own, so to speak.  Two of these are near and dear to my heart.

First, as a creampuff, I know the difficulty of getting quality clothing that fits on a good day when the mall is open, fully stocked and not under multiple feet of water.  This is a lot harder for us plus-size gals when we're living in shelters and the local goodwill only has size 6 t-shirts and leggings.  The SWAN project in the states has set up a program through Friend Ships to get plus-size clothing to people who need it.  This program involves you shipping stuff somewhere, often difficult for us in far-away places like Canada.  A great woman-owned plus-size shop in California called Making It Big has made it dead-easy to donate a care package.  You give 'em some money and they do the rest -- coordinating efforts with SWAN and the Red Cross.

The second relief effort is by First Book, an organization dedicated to getting children from low-income families reading and owning books. They are organizing publishers in the states who are donating books.  Again, the issue is shipping.  So, for every 50 cents, they will send 1 book.  If you belong to Book Crossing (a whole 'nuther reason I love the Internet and a whole 'nuther post), First Book has set up a special page to donate and then track the books.

Are Mobile Billboards Really Necessary?

I'm a marketer.  And I like marketing.  I like clever advertising.  I like new products.  As Daniel in Microserfs says, "Slap a 'NEW' label on something and I will buy it."

As marketers, we need to be responsible.  And we need to be smart.  We need to reach our audiences when they want to have a conversation with us.  When they are ready and when they ask for information.  We don't need to inundate our schools with advertising.  We don't need video billboards on our highways.  And we certainly don't need large trucks driving around already congested city streets in the middle of summer during smog alerts clogging up lanes and lungs just to advertise the latest Dior fashion or the upcoming blockbuster movie.

These trucks have been bugging me for some time now.  Seriously, is there not a better, more effective and less harmful spend of advertising dollars [via MovieMarketingMadness]?

So, in an attempt to take my own advice, I contacted my Toronto City Councilor, Kyle Rae, to see what can be done about these mobile billboards.  I received a very prompt response from Michael, Kyle Rae's Executive Assistant.  He writes [posted with permission]:

Kate,

Thanks for the note.  We have investigated regulating or prohibiting these types of signs in the past and have run up against jurisdictional issues.

We only have the authority to regulate signage, not to prohibit them.  The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that signs are a legitimate form of _expression and as such, are protected by the Charter.

To further complicate matters, it is the Province of Ontario that licenses vehicles, not the City.  Our legal department advises that a regulation that expressly or effectively prohibits vehicles displaying mobile signs would be found to be outside of our authority (if enacted by the City of Toronto) or unconstitutional (if enacted by the Province).

However, we haven't had a look at this issue for a couple of years and we have had a change in government at Queen's Park since our last look at this.  So, I will ask our City staff for an update on this issue and let you know what they have to say.

Michael Robertson

EA to Kyle Rae

City Councillor

Wow!  I can't believe it is so convoluted to try and get a handle on (what seems to me) a very straightfoward solution.  Bureaucracy at its finest!  This really seems to be another example of corporate interests outweighing human interests.  When I receive further information, I will post.

Related:

The Toronto Public Space Committee links to a campaign against Mobile Billboards.  This campaign uses boycotts of the advertisers as their major tactic.  A good start, but I'd really like to see this thing go further.  I await further info from Kyle Rae's office.

First things first ... Remembering 9/11

I came across this on Friday via one of my feeds (I can't remember which one to give credit to).  It's a group in the US who wants 9/11 to become a national day of service.  From their website:

One Day's Pay: We're the national nonprofit working to establish 9/11 as a National Day of Voluntary Service, Charity and Compassion. This 9/11, take time out of your day to help a friend in need, give blood, donate to a charity, volunteer your time, or just be kind to others. That's all you need to do to participate.

It's a great idea.  Their site cross-lists some Canadian resources (e.g. Goodwill, under "Give away property")  Help to channel energy into a postive result.

Grassroots Effort: Blogging for Katrina Relief

[Updated with phishing warning ...]

Blogging for Relief Day.

The blogosphere is reaching out today and blogging about Katrina, its victims and ways to help.  The American Red Cross has pulled together an amazing resource for websites and blogs to post banners encouraging donation.  This banner is being hosted via this program (their site is pretty overwhelmed, so it may take a bit to load).

Instapundit is tracking Katrina blogging links with the support of Truth Laid Bear.

FEMA has posted a list of charities.  Check with your company to see if it has a matching donation program.  Unfortunately, you'll also need to watch out for phishers (Wikipedia entry on phishing) ... Frank Barnako (of the MarketWatch Internet Daily) reports on FBI investigations of fraud in the guise of charitable relief:

Web sites with names such as katrinahelp.com and katrinarelief.com have been created. They refer visitors to another Web site that purports to solicit funds. There is no way, however, to know who is getting the money. A survey by MasterCard International found that after last year's tsunami in South Asia, 170 scam sites appeared soliciting money for supposed relief efforts.

Another angle on the wake of Katrina ... S. Frederick Starr writes in the NY Times (reg required) about the devastating losses of architecture and heritage in New Orleans, including his own Lombard Plantation, but offers hope and faith in the resiliance of the people of New Orleans:

Now the Lombard Plantation is under water. If it survives at all, it will need massive rehabilitation. Just as likely, it will go the way of Miss Marie's house and of hundreds of other pieces of the region's heritage.

But I do not intend to give up easily. Why? Because I am absolutely convinced that New Orleanians will not allow their city to become a ghost town. And I intend to be part of the renewal that springs from this determination.

[ ... ]

The culture of New Orleans has long since factored disasters and general uncertainty into its economic and philosophical outlook. An early-19th-century cholera epidemic killed one out of five New Orleanians, the equivalent of 100,000 today. Even the gravediggers died, forcing people to pile bodies at the cemetery gates. The first owner of the Lombard Plantation was among those who succumbed. But his wife and family stayed on, and some of their descendants, both white and black, are still in New Orleans today, perhaps perched on their rooftop awaiting rescue or huddling gratefully with friends out in Lafayette or Breaux Bridge.

I expect they, too, will return, and that life in New Orleans will go on, with all its precariousness and sense of fragility and, yes, with all its relish for the moment. That relish, by the way, which arose from the constant awareness of precisely such disasters as we are experiencing today, accounts for much of what gives the people of that city their reckless abandon, their devil-may-care attitude, and their zest for life. Rebuilding after Katrina will be just the next in a long series of events in which that spirit has been manifested.

Amen.

Technorati Tags: flood aid and hurricane katrina

Only 2% of Women Think They're Beautiful

Dove recently completed a study, "Dove Global Study: The Truth About Beauty" [PDF]. They interviewed 3,000 women globally and only 2% of them consider themselves beautiful.

Only 2%.

That breaks my heart.

Dove has a new TV commercial running, in conjunction with the launch of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and as part of their "Campaign for Real Beauty". The ad is wonderful ... you can see it online. If you send it to a friend, they will donate $.25 cents to their fund.

The diversity of human beauty has been strained through a sieve of culture, status, power and money and what has emerged is a narrow sliver of the full panorama of human visual splendor. Beauty is diverse and the human eye thrills to new pleasures and fresh sources of inspiration. Ethereal weightlessness and Nordic features are not its only incarnation.

... Let the discussions and debates begin and let us reclaim and rejoice in authentic, diverse human beauty once again.

I don't use Dove and I don't know that I would start, but this campaign puts them well on the way to becoming a Lovemark, in my mind. So don't (necessarily) go out and buy Dove; instead, today (and tomorrow and the next day) tell a woman (or 2) in your life that she is beautiful.

What women in this study tell us is that a sense of legitimacy and respect is wrapped up with beauty in today?s world. Whether this sentiment dismays or delights us, it poses a serious challenge. And it is this in the first instance: For the idea of beauty to become truly democratic and inclusive, then beauty itself must be revitalized to reflect women in their beauty as they really are rather than as portrayed in the current fictions that dominate our visual culture.

With such fictions removed, the many hours of anguish, spent in self criticism, or in the attempt to reshape themselves so that they do in some ways resemble the ideal, have a chance to be freed up and find expression in the many other desires and ambitions that women hold.