Social Media Marketing - a refresher

On Thursday, I attended a seminar in Vancouver, put on by the Canadian Public Relations Society Vancouver (CPRS).

The seminar was titled "Social Media - Beyond the Basics" and featured Gillian Muessig, President and Co-founder, SEOmoz. The session was billed as an opportunity to learn about "the world of social media content development and promotion through SEO, social media, and beyond" and also to go "beyond best practice to advanced stats and tips for implementation of social media".

Not really sure that the seminar followed the description that well, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Gillian speak. She had a well-thought out presentation that flowed well, and had a lot of interesting stats, without information overload. Plus it was nice to have a social media refresher and a chance to talk shop with women (because there didn't seem to be many guys there) who work with social media marketing (SMM) everyday. My only negative about the experience was the lack of question period, because I'm sure Gillian would have had some great answers.

Some of my key learnings (both from the presentation & from conversations):

• SMM needs to be a long-term strategy, and shouldn't be the end-all of your marketing plan
• Twitter isn't near as popular as one may think, despite my own trend toward writing emails in 140 characters or less, as conditioned by frequent Tweeting
• Most marketing professionals still don't "get", or even use, Twitter
• Mobile marketing looks like a big trend, maybe here to stay
• Social networking is up 100% for people over 65, while Facebook still targets ads to under 65 . Might be a business opportunity?
  
• Customer engagement is critical
• Use SMM to "listen" to what customers are saying
• Let people know you're listening, and remember to say "thank you"
• Strive to increase "stickiness" - make people want to stay with your business

Photo credit: svilen001

Long days, short sleeps.

I have been tired lately. Absolutely exhausted, yawn in your face while you're talking to me, tired. Not sure if it's the time of year, what with dark mornings and evenings, too much rain, or just a flexible schedule that leads to me staying up all hours of the night and sleeping well past when the man comes home from work in the mornings.

This article from BCLocalNews.com talks about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). According to the article, it affects nearly 50% of adults. Maybe I should move to Mexico?

Okay, probably not going to happen. So I'll try out some of their tips (maybe if I put them in writing, I'll actually make an effort?):
1. Get as much sun as possible - probably not going to happen, given all the rain :(
2. Stick to a sleep schedule - will try to be in bed by 11, awake by 8
3. Eat proteins, avoid sugars - was planning on a sugar detox, so this is good
4. Relax - good time to resume yoga
5. Support immune system - already taking vitamins!

How about you? Do you notice the effects of SAD? Or maybe you feel energized this time of year?
Photo credit: cahdequech

It's that time of year again...

The leaves on the trees are changing colours and there's snow on the top of the mountains. And that can only mean one thing - it's ski movie season! Yay!

As always, remember to buy tickets in advance, because they often sell out. And get there early to get your seat (and sometimes score some free schwag!).

First up this week is "The Way I See It" by Matchstick Productions. This is playing at MY Millenium Place with four showings - two on Friday night (Sept. 24) at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and two more on Saturday night (Sept. 25) again 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $16.50 - come say "Hi" because I'm helping out with this one!

Then on Oct. 2 at MY Millennium Place is "Now You Know" by Sandbox. There are two showings at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and tickets cost $10. Afterwards, head to Garf's for free entrance and a good time. You can also RSVP to their event from Facebook.

TGR's "Light the Wick" is up next on Oct. 8, also at MY Millennium Place. Shows start at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and tickets are $15. I won't be at this one, though, because my friend John Wells will be hosting the showing in Bellingham, WA on Nov. 18. Be sure to check out John's work, rocking his Fat-ypus skis.

For a change of location, head over to Longhorn's on Oct. 14 for a showing of "Revolver" by Poor Boyzon. I couldn't find any info re: cost and showtimes, but I'm sure the website will be updated soon.

And finally, on Oct. 22, head back to MY Millennium Place for another TGR movie - Jeremy Jones' "Deeper". Tickets are $10 and shows are at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

So there you have it, a busy fall schedule of ski movies. Let me know if I've missed any!!
Photo credit: Me!

Friends again?

When I left my last job, one of my colleagues and close friends was away on holiday. So I didn't get a chance to talk to her in person, to let her know my plans. Right after I left, I went to the East Coast for a few weeks, to spend time with family and also to pause, reflect and think about my next step.

While there, I received a Facebook reply from my friend, in response to my invitation to spend time together when I got back to Whistler. Her message was not what I had expected, and she was obviously upset and angry at me. I burst into tears and didn't know what to do.

I finally responded, in a low-key kind of way, and figured the friendship was over. Although we continued to see each other occasionally (such as Monday-night Bachelor viewings!) it just wasn't the same.

Then last week, she messaged me (again on Facebook - why oh why does everyone use Facebook so much?) and I invited her over for dinner. After a yummy bbq salmon meal and a glass of wine, I asked, "Are we friends again?", and she said yes. We chatted a little about what had gone wrong, but not in too much depth.

So I guess we're friends again, although I still feel the sting of what was said and how I felt. But apologies have been made, and it's either move ahead or move on. I think I'll choose to move ahead, with the same friend, and maybe a slightly different friendship.

Photo credit: Mattox

The little blog that... could?

I've never really known what to write on this little blog of mine. For a while, I thought that I could be an online marketing guru, and share my vast array of knowledge on the subject. That didn't last long. Then, I toyed with the ideas of talking about skiing, or Whistler, my new hometown, but soon ran out of steam. Now it seems that this blog is just here so that I can play around with colours and fonts and gadgets, so that I can better help other people start their own blogs.

So I guess I've been writing, with no clear idea why, or for whom. I feel reflective today, maybe because my man has gone home to Montreal for the weekend, to spend time with his family. And it's just me and O, the dog, both of us curled up inside the house, not quite used to the change in season yet.

Perhaps this blog has been a reflection of my life for the past few years. I've moved clear across the country, and decided to make my home in this curious little resort town. I've struggled to find my place here, and feel that I'm on the cusp of something, but what it is, I'm not sure. And where it will lead, I have no idea.

Photo credit: chappy14

Bears, bears everywhere

Last month, when I was visiting friends and family out East, I stopped by a friend's 30th birthday at a cabin in the woods. On my way out, I waved goodbye and one of the guys wished me a safe drive and told me to watch out for bears. Right, because the East coast is just teeming with bears.

In Whistler, on the other hand, bears aren't just something you see on the National Geographic channel. This year alone, I've seen more bears than I have fingers and toes. Everywhere from the Whistler village to golf courses to a teenage bear running full tilt across the highway. I even had to cut a dog walk short when I started out the driveway and realized there was a bear rooting around in my neighbour's garage.

I'm a big fan of taking the dog for hikes in the woods, but I'm a bit freaked out about bears, seeing how O has never seen one yet. I could make it easy on myself and put his bear bell on his collar, but that would be too easy. So instead, I yell out strange noises every few metres. I'm sure the dog thinks I'm going crazy.

You know, it makes me sad when I read things in the paper about bears having to be put down because of negative interactions with people. So many times I have seen cars pulled over on the side of the road, with eager tourists taking photos of bears who are walking around in people's front yards. I was even at a restaurant in the village once when a bear walked right past the window, which should have been cool enough. But no, one (not so) smart guy decided he should bring his young children outside and walk around in the bushes trying to get a closer view of the bear!

I know they are cute and look so cudley, but all of this human interaction can't be good. So please, next time you see one, please just drive on, unless you are really far away and have a good zoom on your camera.

A night of movies under the stars

Last week, I finally saw my first outdoor movie (not counting numerous double features at the drive-in theatre - yes, we still have those in my home town out East). I went with friends to Lunafliks in Whistler at Lost Lake. The first film of the summer was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was really great, even though I knew nothing about it beforehand and didn't expect so much violence.

So although the movie was really good and I had a fun time, a few things I'll bear in mind for next time:

Photo: Ian McLaughlan on Flickr

• The website says the BBQ starts at 8:30 p.m., but the movie doesn't start until sundown. We got there after 9 and they were already out of hot dogs. So if you want grilled meat, come early. And to all you vacationers from the US (like the girl from Arizona I talked to the next day), BBQ in Canada usually does not mean the huge, elaborate feast of pulled pork sandwiches with side salads that you are thinking of. It's just hot dogs. Maybe a hamburger if you're really lucky.
  
• When it gets dark, the mosquitoes come out, so be prepared. Although there will probably be enough people around you who are spraying bug repellent every five minutes that you may be okay. You may also taste bug spray in your mouth for the next dew days.
• When it gets dark, it also gets cold. Bring some layers of clothing and two blankets - one to lie on and one to snuggle under. Optional: a date to snuggle under the blankets with.
• The washrooms close early. Stash some toilet paper in your bag, and when you're squatting in the woods, be sure to make lots of noise to scare the bears away. Just joking. Sort of.
  
• Bring a pillow. I made fun of my friend who brought one until I discovered that the movie was in Swedish, with subtitles at the very bottom of the screen. Since the only language that I understand fluently is English, I spent the entire movie trying to prop up my head with my very stinky sneakers.
  
• And finally, at the end of the night, when the movie is over and you're sleepy and ready for bed (no, you can't just pass out by the lake), it will be dark. Very dark. And the light of your cell phone will not be sufficient to keep you on the path and out of the ditch. So bring a flashlight or headlamp.

There you have it, my suggestions for a comfortable outdoor movie adventure. The next Lunafliks showing is on Wednesday, July 21st with a double feature of Pirate Radio and The Runaways. Have fun!