How Deep Is Social Media Love?

Today's post is by Rob Jones, blogger and social media marketer at BuildDirect.  In reaction to author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell's assertion that social networks are 'a mile-wide, but an inch deep', and ultimately disposable, Rob's post is about the robust nature of social media, if the approach is right ...

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Respected author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell recently stated to a Vancouver  audience that social media is not a platform for social change, nor is it a revolutionary means of generating lasting networks. This is because, according to him, social networks are easy to build and therefore easy to dismantle, too.  To punctuate his statements, Gladwell asserted that just because one has 3000 friends on Facebook, it doesn't mean that one has 3000 friends.

This last point is curious.  I mean, of course 3000 Facebook friends don't equal 3000 actual friends.   Maybe it was just meant to be a punchline for his speech.  But, I think  that the act of making a statement like that as some kind of revelation to an audience points to a flaw in thinking about what social networks and social media as a tool actually are.

The fact is social networks are not easy to build, if they're done right.  I think that there are ways and means to build up numbers, without too much effort.  Auto-follows, auto DMS, follow-churning, impersonally tweeting RSS feeds, and plain old following/friending everyone in sight just for the sake of it, are all (unfortunately) common practices.  But, that's where Gladwell and I agree; numbers do not equal connections. It takes time to foster connections.  It takes honesty.  It takes work.

Here's another place where Gladwell and I agree; solid, hard-won trust is where it's at.  But, his dismissal of social media to me on this score is extremely perplexing.  Because it is solid, hard-won connections that the savvy social media enthusiast, marketer, proponent, whatever, is after, and what so many actually achieve.  Just as traditional networking is a long-view strategy, so is social media networking and networks.

The means of making connections,whether via Twitter or by Rolodex , is entirely secondary if the intent isn't right. The communication abilities, intentions, goals are still down to those people who hold them.  It's still down to one person talking to another, expecting some kind of interaction on equal ground.  Without that, it doesn't matter which means that person chooses to attempt to build up a network.  It will fail, whether you're a President, or a mommy blogger.

To the person who's in it for the long-term, looking to create dialogue as opposed to bolstering an ego, or broadcasting a controlled, non-interactive and impersonal message, then this is the key to a robust network.  I believe that's the kind of network that will have the deep roots that Gladwell is talking about.  And when it is coming from a place of honesty and authenticity, and from someone who intentionally offers useful content and cooperation, any hint of anonymity is banished.

And that's when "friends" can become friends - or at least allies working toward the common good in business, politics, quality of life, and all-around success however that is determined by the people involved.

Read more about Malcolm Gladwell's 'Devil's Advocate' position on social media on Kirk LePointe's mediamanager.com.  LePointe of course is a local voice in Vancouver, and on a national scale too when it comes to the relationships between traditional and emerging  media.

For more information right from the source, visit Malcolm Gladwell's blog.

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Rob is based in Vancouver, and blogs an awful lot.  You can follow Rob at @BuildDirect, and read the BuildDirect blog, and the BuildDirect Green Blog

Today I Witnessed Grace

Today's post is very somber. You've been warned upfront. However it holds an important message.

This morning I attended a funeral for a very special young man. Chris Friesen was the son of my good friend Randy Friesen, Marketing Director of BCIT. I didn't know Chris, but I feel I do now and I really believe the world is worse off without him.

Chris was 17 years old; an amazingly dedicated, hardworking, disciplined student and athlete. He was the captain of his lacrosse team, leader, friend, brother and son. He had a tremendous amount of passion and was working towards a very clear goal of embracing the college life. He had the most beautiful contagious smile and a good heart. There were over 1500 people in attendance this morning to pay tribute, celebrate his life, and grieve together.

His dad Randy, mom Ingrid and brother Max showed amazing grace throughout the service. There were video montages and his Aunt Cathy (Randy's sister) played beautiful music in tribute. When Randy spoke with Max and Ingrid at his side, he offered their gratitude for the support and love they have experienced this week. Their entire focus has been on celebrating all the good memories and cherishing the time they had with Chris.  It was incredibly moving, emotional and inspirational.


The Friesen family offered this:

"Chris’ amazing energy and passion were combined with his desire to be perfect and when he could not achieve perfection, he would be mad at himself.  The good thing about that is it drove him to always be better.  On March 25th, Chris was not planning to leave us, but rather was mad at himself about a minor incident with the family car.  We don’t know all his thoughts at that moment, but he made a decision he could not reverse.  He was cared for in the loving arms of his Mother and Father followed by the tremendous efforts of the rescue personnel and hospital staff for which we will be eternally thankful.
Chris, we will use your passion to fuel us. 
Chris, we will use your pursuit of perfection to feed us.
Chris, we will never forget you.  Never.
The family urges everyone, but young people especially, to understand that all problems have solutions.  There is never a problem too big.  If you can’t talk to your parents, please talk to your friends, teachers, relatives and God is also there 24-7!  Simply take a moment before any action.  You are all loved.  Chris loved all of you."

No person should ever feel that any problem is too big. Reach out. There is ALWAYS someone to talk to and nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. Please talk to your kids and share this message.

You can hear and view the full story at christianfriesen.com

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(This post is a week old because I wanted to give the family an opportunity to read it before I posted it.  The service was last Thursday, April 1, 2010)

Big Change Is a Comin!!

Well things in the Real Estate industry were never boring before...BUT NOW - Good drama brewing!

We've got CMHC making changes to your qualifications for mortgage insurance coming as of April 19, 2010 where you used to be loaned to up to 95% of the purchase, you'll now have to qualify on 90%.  (Means less purchase power) Add to that the sudden rate increases.  If you can lock in today - DO IT!

Add to that the HST coming as of July 1st of this year.  Now true you'll only pay HST on new development BUT you're also paying on services now - and guess what?  As a Realtor I'm providing a service and so yes on top of my commission you will be paying HST.  No one is really quite sure how exactly it's all going to play out, but if you write a deal that completes before July 1st, you're in the clear.  You may even be in the clear if the bulk of the deal is done before then but completes after the dead line and there may be a division of how much provincial tax vs federal tax you'll pay.  It's all very complicated. Everyone in the industry have been left with very vague guidelines.  

The really exciting news is the Competition Bureau has taken the Canadian Real Estate Association to Tribunal on charges that we as an industry are a monopoly because of our trademarked MLS system. The new Commissioner seems hell bent on making a name for herself at our industry's expense and making quite ignorant accusations which suggests to me, she doesn't even understand what a Realtor does.

Let me lay it out for you:  You as a consumer has every right to sell your own home.  (Right there I think the case is lost) However, if you want your listing to show up on the MLS (which is Realtor owned/ operated /paid for and controlled through Board data sharing) then you must work with a Realtor as is only right and fair. What's being suggested is that we open up MLS for everyone to freely use.  As it stands, you as the consumer have access to most of our MLS data through our realtor.ca website.  And the Canadian MLS system is the system most envied because all of the Boards across Canada share their information whereas in the American model they each operate independently.  There are something like 900 different boards - imagine trying to sort through it all!  (listen to interesting podcast with Bill Good from CKNW on the subject here: http://www.reincanada.com/Video/TabId/74/VideoId/115/Competition-Bureau-Chall...

Point is  - you've had the luxury of shopping for your properties online with the most accurate data at our expense.  We wanted you to have that because that's the most effective marketing tool we have to bring buyers to our listings.  So essentially we're being scrutinized because our system is so effective.

Here's where I think we're going:  Imagine customizing the different services you would like from a Realtor from a simple upload a listing to the MLS, to marketing properties in different ways (Ie professional photography, floor plans, staging) to negotiating offers and different levels in between. What's really interesting is I think you'll finally understand all the work that Realtors do in earning their commissions.

My partner Ken Hunter and I will be looking closely at possible new business models as we move forward.  Any questions or feedback you have about all the big changes coming up, please leave your comments.  We're very interested in what you have to say!

Thanks,

Teri

Posted via email from tlchome's posterous

Laptop sticker space goes for $2,500 a pop

If you think online ads are the only way to make money on your computer, Cameron Herold has a deal for you.

A $2,500 deal to be exact, which is the price he charges companies for sticker space on the lid of his Mac-Book Pro.

The former chief operating officer of Vancouver-based 1-800-GOT-JUNK, who helped that company grow from $2 million to $120 million in six years, got the idea after realizing he and his MacBook were being projected onto giant screens in huge conference rooms during speaking engagements three to five times a month.

He put the idea out and five companies snapped up the opportunity to put their logo stickers on his laptop. Another spot Herold reserved for Kiva, the online micro-lending non-profit organization that he supports.

"I approached their CEO and asked if they would like a spot and he loved it," Herold said.

When his laptop sold out, Herold sold a single space on his iPhone to another company.

"I sit in front of all these business people doing speaking events all over the world," he said. "The companies want to be in front of those audiences," he said. "They like the uniqueness of this opportunity."

Most recently, Herold spoke at a Young Presidents' Organization global leadership conference in Barcelona, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Entrepreneurial Masters Program in Boston and at a TEDx (Technology, Entertainment Design) conference in Edmonton.

At each stop, Herold's MacBook sported stickers carrying the logos of Kiva and the five companies that are paying $2,500 a year for their little piece of laptop real estate.

With his laptop and iPhone space sold out, Herold is adding another mobile device: He'll soon be carrying a new Apple iPad, courtesy of a company that is giving it to him in exchange for having its logo on the device.

"They were all sold out within a week," he said. "I will only sell five spots on my laptop; I guaranteed there would only be five spots.

"I wanted it to be a little bit more of an exclusive club."

The companies all paid in cash for the service, except for the iPhone advertiser, Cutco, which gave Herold, who loves to cook, $2,500 worth of high-end knives for his kitchen.

Putting the brand in front of audiences prompts questions, Herold said. And both Herold and the advertising companies have been building a buzz about laptop ads on social media sites such as Twitter and in their blogs.

"I was sitting the other day in the Air Canada business lounge and a guy asked me about one of the brands. I told him all about it," he said.

Along with Kiva and Cutco, the brands you'll see on Herold's laptop include Grasshopper, a virtual phone system for entrepreneurs; Media Temple Web hosting; Outsourcing Things Done; Hire Better Solutions and Maverick Business Adventures.

gshaw@vancouversun.com

Read Gillian Shaw's blog at www.vancouversun.com/digitallife

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

via vancouversun.com

Love it!

Posted via web from tlchome's posterous

Inaugural Social Media Meetup!

Last night was our very first Frawer Valley Social Media Meetup! We had a blast and Kemp Edmonds was our very first guest presenter! Kemp is a Social Media Evangelist who believes strongly in how social media can enhance your life and business.  He also teaches Social Media at BCIT!  We had fabulous feedback and everyone walked away with some great knowledge! 

 Kemp is offering a Social Media course at BCIT this spring and if you're interested in learning more please check out it out: http://j.mp/MDIA1045

The goal of our meetups are two fold!

1: Social Media is such a hot topic and although there are tons of opportunities in Vancouver, there is very little learning in the Fraser Valley, so we wanted to make sure that you have the opportunity to access some of the Social Media gurus!

2: Always looking to build my network, these meetups will serve as another way to cement our business relationships in the Valley, in a very fun, social and valuable way!

We'll be hosting our meetups once a month - likely on the second Thursday of every month.  We'll also be open to suggestions and we'll likely try out a few venues before we settle somewhere that works for everyone. If you can think of somewhere that you think would be good, please let me know!

Something to consider - we'd prefer to have wireless internet for computer powered presentations. I'd also like to evolve into streaming live video and/or perhaps live blog; better photography (no offense to my adorable husband who took last nights pics - thanks honey!) If you'd like to volunteer, please let me know!

Thanks again to everyone who came out last night!  Make sure to check the meetup site (link above) for pictures and feedback and to anyone who wants to join us next time, be sure to sign up so you can receive updates about future events!

Want To Get Your Hands On Some Cold Hard Cash????

Well it sucks that we're going to lose an hour of sleep with daylight savings around the corner so who wouldn't love a little extra cash??? Check out our new spring promotion!!

 Please help support the growth of our business and we'll happily pay cash!

Cheers!
Teri

You have GOT to see this Gorgeous Acreage South Langley!

This is my partner Ken Hunter's fabulous listing in South Langley, Otter/Cambell Valley area.  (BC)


Fabulous Stunning South Langley Acreage!!

Private rural living in peaceful setting with sweeping views! Vast 7 bedroom, 6 bathrooms and oversized rec plus family room. Flowing layout and separate wings. Absolutely gorgeous hard wood floors; a chef's kitchen with gas range and stainless steel appliances and granite counters of course. Master has its own gas fireplace, spa like ensuite and own private deck with french doors. You must see to fully appreciate all the details. Girls room is like own suite - teenager's dream! Room for the equestrian!

(24230 26th Ave, Langley.)




View website for details! www.kenwhunter.com or www.tlchome.ca Call Ken Hunter/ Teri Conrad 604.530.0231 Royal LePage Wolstencroft

Equestrian friendly too!