Category Archives: personal
Building Something Big in a Small Town
I was born in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. I grew up here. Nearly everyone I know, love and care about either lives here, or did at some point. And I love this place more than anywhere in the universe. It’s important to note that Victoria isn’t a very big city. Compared to many metropolitan areas in North America, and certainly the world, it’s downright tiny. Despite this “small city” upbringing, my whole life has been full of big ideas. Whether it was starting my first business when I was 13 (from the trailer park where I lived with my big sister), running for City Council when I …
Camping…
Social Media Camp is now a done deal. See my wrap-up post here. The short version is that it was fun, and we had lots of great feedback. I can’t wait to do the next one, but want to sleep a little bit first. Just a little though; I don’t slow down much! My next big side-projects… Foodie.ca – Launching November 1st, 2010. WordCamp Victoria 2011 is coming up on January 22nd. Of course, I’ll still be busy with the day to day operations at IdeaZone.ca. We are now celebrating 10 years of website design in Victoria.
Social Media – Top 25
It’s been over 8 months since my last social media top 10 list, so I figured it was time for an update. Last time, my top 10 list was actually a top 18, so I figured I’d just bite the bullet, and make this one a top 25. If you are using social media for business, you are probably best to stick with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (perhaps with a dash of YouTube or Flickr). But if you are a geek like me, you might find a few little gems in this list. 25. Google Buzz So much buzz, yet so little sting. It’s my new FriendFeed, although I don’t …
Dear Twitter: Please Rob My House
OK, not really. Seriously. Please don’t. But I was delighted to be interviewed for a CHEK News story by Kristen Robinson on this exact topic. Watch the video on their official Facebook page. Here’s a couple tips: Don’t put your vacation plans on Twitter or Facebook. Post those vacation photos and videos when you get back, and date them in the description. Think about the potential consequences before you post your location on services like Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp. Think before you post!
My Crappy E-Book – DELIVERED!
Want to get 10,000 followers on Twitter!?! No, I’m not going to charge $0.99 (or 2 for $1.97), as promised, and the first 1,000 people to retweet it will not get a free copy. This advice is free – for everybody: The number of followers you have on Twitter means absolutely nothing. Remember the old analogy: it doesn’t matter how big it is, it matters how you use it. If you engage with others in a spirit of community (you know, helping your neighbours…), you win and your followers win. Twitter is an amazing channel for communication, but there are a few things that make it awkward, or even annoying …
Twestival Victoria
Don’t miss Twestival Victoria, a fantastic event organized by a great group of Twitter folks in Victoria. To participate, you don’t have to love Twitter (or Facebook, or social media). You need only love being a part of a global movement to help the less fortunate children in our world. I’ll be there, and I hope you will be, too! Last time around, Victoria raised the second highest amount of money of any city in Canada! This was due in large part to the heroic efforts of the organizers, but also because of people like you and me who took some time to attend a great event.
How My Cellphone Account Got Hacked – And Yours Can Too!
I arrived home after my family vacation to Disneyland in October. I noticed my cellphone bill was quite large, and assumed it was all the awful roaming charges Rogers (and other Canadian cellphone carriers) charge you when you go the U.S. I grumbled (particularly because we tried so hard not to use our phones when we were there), and forgot about it. I noticed another large invoice on my cellphone in November, and decided to check my bill. I couldn’t find it, so I went on to other things and forgot about it. In December, right before Christmas, I got a call from the cellphone company that my payment to …
Top 10 Social Media
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 …
Dammit LinkedIn, I'm a college dropout!
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? …
The "Other" Paul Holmes
Every once in awhile I get an e-mail for another Paul Holmes. The most famous one is a noted broadcaster from New Zealand. He sounds very interesting, it might be fun to meet him one day. Today I had an e-mail from somebody who wanted to interview this New Zealand Paul Holmes for a book she is working on. Very exciting stuff, indeed, and supporting a very worthy cause too. Here was my response: Sometimes I really wish this other Paul Holmes guy wasn’t so famous. There’s another Paul Holmes in Great Britain (he’s the Member of Parliament for Chesterfield, wherever that is). I’m not a politician or broadcaster. Just …
