Jesse just made this awesome video essay profiling a Canadian man named Norman and his particular involvement with the American presidential election. I think it’s fabulous, I’m giving it my Foushiest endorsement.

If you like what you see, please go HERE and vote it up. If you don’t have a current.com account you might need to register for one, but it’s painless and easy.

Jesse’s video is currently in the #5 spot, if he moves up they’ll broadcast the video on Current’s network! How exciting! Let’s help him win!

The slow but steady adoption of Twitter into the mainstream continues to fascinate me.  As the microblogging site continues to get  news coverage and more corporate accounts pop up, it’s pretty safe to say that Twitter has enabled companies to engage in  deeper and more personal conversations without being overly imposing. For the companies that do it right, it has become a powerful tool to connect to consumers and promote brands, one tweet at a time.

The problem with Twitter…

I was intrigued to see and Ad for Twitter Moms on one of my recent internet jaunts. As I curiously poked around the site, I quickly realized that this community, (I’m sure the first of many) has popped up in direct response to one of Twitter’s biggest flaws: figuring out who to follow.

Currently Twitter lets you search for contacts you already know who are either on one of your other social networks, or who you can invite via email. Which is fine, but what about the great people out there who you don’t know, the friends you just haven’t met yet?  The majority of people on my list are people that I’ve never met in person but who I’ve discovered to be funny, intelligent and generally all around wonderful. Since the technology industry has some well-established names, I found it easy to build up a base list. For non-tech enthusiasts who just want to meet new friends with similar interests, I can see the current system as being a huge barrier to adoption.

An end-user solution

Twitter Moms fills this void by allowing users to search for other moms based on interests ranging from motherhood to fashion, technology and business. Hosted on Ning, the community already has grown to over 2,300 members. Members gain access to groups, discussions and events. They even have a growing collection of videos that cover everything from humerous youtube videos, to technical tutorials for members who want learn more about web based tools.

I think it astutely addresses the intimidation factor of randomly following someone you don’t know by giving users the opportunity to ease into a new digital relationship, for example by contributing to a group discussion or commenting on  site content. That way, by the time you follow each other on twitter you’ve already established a burgeoning online friendship that lays the foundation for future dialogue.

I think this is a fantastic idea, and I can definitely see similar communities emerging as more and more people start microblogging. I hope Twitter improves their search data base. Write now you can search via terms in people’s bios, but I still don’t think that’s enough. I mean if i search for “technology” I get hundreds of users, but how do I know which ones would be a good choice to follow?

Corporate Application?

I think organizations will see tremendous value by participating in these types of communities. I mean if you market to moms, you should definitely be watching twittermoms.com.  There will be great opportunities to build relationships through sponsorships and marketing. I mean if I marketed stuff to moms, I would probably give away tons of free products to this group: they’re tech savvy, on twitter and like to engage with other moms online. A good product experience can go a long way, and it would provide plenty of opportunities for feedback and improvements.

The Final Word…

I like how social media empowers people by giving them the tools they need to fill in the gaps in their favorite services. Kudos to the founders of Twittermom who recognized a need and then went ahead and addressed it themselves.

This new video has been making some traction on the web. This year’s presidential election has really resulted in some really powerful videos that are touching viewers in an unprecedented way. So do what Halle Barry says and pass this along to five friends. I did.

As an avid reader, I’m always on the look out for that next great book to lose myself in. While many authors have embraced social media and have incorporated blogs and personal websites into their marketing strategy, I had often felt that there was a lot of untapped potential for social media to really captivate potential readers and connect them to new stories. I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon We Tell Stories, an initiative by the UK division of Penguin Books.

The premise is this:

Over six weeks, Penguin enlisted critically acclaimed authors to create stories that are made specifically for the internet to promote these six  Penguin classics.

The 39 Steps

by John Buchan

The Haunted Dolls House

by M R James

Fairy Tales

by Hans Christian Andersen

Thérèse Raquin

by Émile Zola

Hard Times

by Charles Dickens

Tales from the 1001 Nights

The results have been really cool.

21 Steps

The 21 Steps was inspired by The 39 Steps and uses a Google Maps Mashup to tell the story of a man who finds himself embroiled in a murder. Readers follow his journey around the city as he tries to put the pieces together to figure out what was going on. This was a really cool use of map mashup technology as it gave a unique perspective of the character running all around town.

Slice

Slice by Toby Litt, tells the story of an American girl named Lisa (aka Slice) who moves in to a creepy old house in London with her parents. Strange occurrences lead her to believe the house might be haunted, and she decides to investigate. You can connect with Slice and her parents by reading their respective blogs or following them on twitter. It’s a new take on The Haunted Dolls House.

Read Slice’s blog

A teenage girl, a haunted house, a ghost story for digital natives

Follow Ray and Lynn on Twitter

• “If anything it’ll put my mind to rest. Wish us luck. God bless. xxx”

• “@mbhulo I’ll show Ray Lisa’s journal when we get back. We’re going to look in the hole at the bottom of the garden.”

• “Ray’s back. He’s got the batteries. I told him about the hare and he’s right, I’m overwrought with worry.”

Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales (a tribute to the Hans Christian Andersen Tome) is an interactive choose-you-own-adventure type story where readers get to pick out the elements that shape the plot.

Your Place and Mine

In Your place and mine, authors Nicci Gerrard and Sean French wrote their story in real time. For a one week, they spent an hour each day writing the story in real time. Readers could watch the story unfold, as each sentence was created before their eyes. (A tribute to Therese Raquin by Emile Zola)

Hard Times

Matt Mason’s Hard Times is told via online slide presentation, it’s a wonderfully visual interpretation of Charles Dickens’ book of the same name.

The (former) General

The (Former) General let’s you choose the direction of the story literally - by choosing which way you want to either left or right. This one is an ode to 1001 Nights, the famous Arabian tale.

My Two Cents

I loved going through these stories as it showed the evolution of story telling blended with technology. As we continue to get more digital in our every day lives I am eager to see the direction in which interactivity will shape new content. My thirst for stories is never ending, and while I will always love curling up with a good book, these digital experiments captured my imagination in a new way, by putting a technological spin on an old classic.

I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. I should also add that I found this experiment to be successful as I ordered three of the books off of Amazon.

I had the pleasure of attending a gala dinner in honor of one of Canada’s most generous philanthropists. I met Jim Fleck at the Canadian Arts Summit in Banff a few months ago, and was immediately struck by how down to earth and kind he was, and how much he truly cared about the Arts.

I have to tell you, every time I think that I’M too busy I always think about Jim, the man is a modern day renaissance man. His list of accomplishments is awe-inspiring - and exhausting. Below is only a highlight I would highly recommend reading it, it’s inspiring!

Jim Fleck has been an extraordinary business, government and voluntary sector leader, academic, and philanthropist. He has pioneered so many splendid initiatives that it’s hard to count them all. Imagine, no Power Plant, no Fleck Atrium at the Rotman School of Management, no Music Garden, no Fleck Marquee at Stratford, no Fleck Fellows at the Banff Centre and I could go on and on. He is truly a renaissance man. Indeed, few Canadians have given so much, over so many years, in such bold new ways, to such profoundly beneficial effect. So the time has come to honour our great friend, benefactor and colleague.

The evening had several benificiaries including LOFT Community Services, National Ballet of Canada, Joseph L. Rotman &  Soulpepper Theatre Company. Jim is the Chairman of  Business for the Arts, an organization that is run by my good friend Nichole Anderson. If you’re a young professional who is interested in connecting with others who enjoy the arts, check out Artscene.

Congratulations Jim on your accomplishments!  As someone said last night: The world needs more Jim Flecks. I couldn’t agree more.

Michael Dila forwarded me the link to this article which explored the impact of micro-blogging and the emergence of what author Clive Thompson calls “Digital Intimacy.” I find this subject extremely fascinating particularly in how it’s changing the way we interact with each other.

Redefining Our Social Circle

Wikipedia defines Dunbar’s number as:

The supposed cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable social relationships: the kind of relationships that go with knowing who each person is and how each person relates socially to every other person.^[1] Proponents assert that group sizes larger than this generally require more restricted rules, laws, and enforced policies and regulations to maintain a stable cohesion.

No precise value has been proposed for Dunbar’s number, but a commonly cited approximate figure is 150.

But with the advent of cellphones, blogs, email, text messaging, social networking and more, there are many who claim that number is on the rise. The latest entry into the market is Microblogging, with services like Twitter, Identi.ca and Rejaw and of course, the infamous Facebook Newsfeed to name a few.

Micro blogging has emerged as yet another extension of our online selves. To many, the activity seems pointless. I mean, who cares about the minutiae observations and remarks generated by our ever expanding  networks? It seems like another time-wasting, self-promoting, privacy-violating fad. However, Thompson points out the benefits of these activities and the new areas of opportunity they are creating within our social lives. To others (me included) the aggregation feature allows me to quickly scan a wider group of people and more easily keep up with my online friends.

The rise of these services are an indication that the nature of the way we work and communicate is changing. Particularly, it is impacting our “weak ties,” or the people we connect with outside of our immediate family and close friends. These will be our resources for business development, recruiting, marketing and communications. It is the new and extended corporation.

Transforming the “face of business” into the “faces of business.”

With the rise of free agents & mobile workforces more and more of people are working on their own, often isolated. Microblogging helps us connect to people in an effortless way. Unlike blog posts which tend to be more structured, tweets are spontaneous little glimpses into one’s daily life.  Thompson calls this constant online contact “Ambient Awareness.” Which is similar to hanging out in a room with a friend and you’re both doing different things, but every once in a while you exchange a smile. You don’t have to be aware of every little thing they do, but it’s nice to have them there.

To me, this is a reflection of the changing nature of business models. Microblogging grew in popularity to fill a need, in this case a viable replacement for the daily gestures we used to get from those around us. The way we collaborate and co-create are being redefined and technology is responding to that.

Plugged into the Collective Unconscious

Psychologist Carl Jung described the Collective Unconscious as a reservoir of the experiences of our species. Microblogging in particular has plugged in to this wisdom of crowds by providing the ability of a near-instant response.

Information Exchange: I find my Twitter community to be an invaluable resource, in fact, I don’t remember how I ever did anything without them. From answering questions about every conceivable topic to becoming an extra set of eyes or ears, they always make sure I am in the know, and I am only too happy to return the favor.

Trend Spreading: Things that are cool become really cool, really fast. From new gadgets to new websites, once the buzz starts it seems like everyone is listening.

Ad-Hoc Social Organization: this is one of my favorite twitter phenomenons. Someone tweets about a cool conference or event and before you know it, I’m signing up. I have met so many great people by the spontaneous gatherings that have popped up in Toronto. From the Mozilla Firefox 3 launch party to the seminars at MaRS

Transparency: I find the low commitment of microblogging sites encourage a deeper level of transparency. I like it because it shows a softer side of the people whose blogs I read, including anything from an affection for their children, the joy of a new puppy or even the excitement of starting a new job. There is something nice about sharing the little milestones in our lives together. I recently lost my grandfather and was in a strange city where I didn’t know very many people. It was my twitter friends who offered words of comfort and support through out the day, making me feel less alone. We share both our sorrows and our successes together.

What this means:

Ultimately to me this means the rise of the “in between,” which is the most interesting space of all.  Web 2.0 has fostered conversations in the space between traditional business models and corporate communication channels . Now, these new tools are creating a “digital intimacy” that is delving even deeper, tackling the moments between blog posts and social network activities. The conversation is a little rough around the edges at times, but its true potential lies in the fact that it is still evolving and still very much unfinished.

A couple of weeks ago I chatted with Giovanni Galluci one the awesome people who works on Viewzi,  my  favorite visual search engine. I played around with this one day, and instantly fell in love. I’ve been an unoffical evangelist ever since.

As the amount of information available on the web continues to increase exponentially in both size AND type (Mp3, videos, recipes, books, newspaper articles, etc) it’s only natural that the way we search evolves to compensate. Personally, I know how frustrating it can be to be looking for a specific type of information and have to wade through lists of Google  results in order to get to it.

The Texas start-up is looking to fill that need by providing “views” or “filters” that can dramatically change the type of results as well as how they are presented.

But seeing is believing so let’s take a generic term say, Britney Spears, and see how what we can do with Viewzi. I’m only going to showcase a small sample of some Viewzi’s views, they have so many great ones, that it’s definitely worth exploring on your own.

After typing in the search word, I am taken to the “View Mix Page” that let’s me pick the view that will yield them most relevant results to me.

Now watch how the results change based on the view that I pick. Note that I can seamlessly shift between views without having to re-enter the search word.

Celebrity Photo View:

This view scans celebrity sites like JustJared.com and shows you a selection of photographs.

Web Screen Shot View

This view let’s you scroll through images of websites that contain your search word, in the same way that you would browse album covers in iTunes.

Album view

let’s you visually see all of album covers in one place.There is a link that pops up when you hover your mouse over a cover giving you the option to buy it. It also provides a list of related artists, in case you’re in the mood to discover new music.

Mp3 view

This lets yor search specifically for Mp3 files, and you can play them right from the search results page. Very handy if you’re trying to find a particular song.

x3 Video View:

Searches YouTube, Vimeo and Blinxx to get any videos tagged with the search term.

The 3d picture tagcloud

This view is one my favorites, it searches photo sites and let’s you visually see photos that relate to your tag term. You can move the cloud around and add or edit additional tags to your search. Sexy!

All of that data versatility in one place. Viewzi has an impressive list of views that also tackle recipes, weather, books and movies.

I like it because it makes search fun, interactive and visual. It’s a lot more interesting then just a list.

Try it out, and let me know what you think.

Ok, finally got in to Chicago and can hope to get back on a regular posting schedule! Please bear with me as I settle into the new place, I’ll post pics up soon!

A few weeks ago I was doing some research on online reputation management. I always like to be in the know of what’s happening in the industry. Sometimes I feel that people recycle the same old case studies in presentations and since everything moves so fast I’m always looking for the next success or failure story.

I have heard a lot about online shoe retailer Zappos, in the last few months. They’ve been described as a company who has truly mastered the art of the digital conversation:

• They have a blog.

• They have an amusing Youtube channel called: Zappos TV. Their video on ‘why do ppl work at zappos‘ is a fun way to impress potential employees.
• Their CEO is also on twitter and is accessible to everyone for answering questions and participating in dialog.
• They have an awesome free shipping policy.

However, it was this particular story that moved me from a brand admirer to a brand advocate. I’d never been to this blog before, but it was one of the first Google results that came up with I searched for Zappos. It’s one woman’s experience with the company as she dealt with a traumatic experience in her life:

Because of various circumstances - lost label, my mom being hospitalized and me being away, the shoes were never sent back. There’s a time limit on the return of 15 days. Remember this. When you do a return to them, they pay the shipping, but you have to get the shoes to UPS yourself. Remember this, also.

When I came home this last time, I had an email from Zappos asking about the shoes, since they hadn’t received them. I was just back and not ready to deal with that, so I replied that my mom had died but that I’d send the shoes as soon as I could. They emailed back that they had arranged with UPS to pick up the shoes, so I wouldn’t have to take the time to do it myself. I was so touched. That’s going against corporate policy.

Yesterday, when I came home from town, a florist delivery man was just leaving. It was a beautiful arrangement in a basket with white lilies and roses and carnations. Big and lush and fragrant. I opened the card, and it was from Zappos. I burst into tears. I’m a sucker for kindness, and if that isn’t one of the nicest things I’ve ever had happen to me, I don’t know what is. So…

IF YOU BUY SHOES ONLINE, GET THEM FROM ZAPPOS.

With hearts like theirs, you know they’re good to do business with.

Honestly, when I read that story, I felt a tug in my heart. What a kind and compassionate gesture towards a human being in pain. A simple act from a stranger is now sending ripples of positive energy right back to the company. I think as the world gets more competitive, we need to start rewarding those organizations that make the extra effort to remind us that buried somewhere deep in corporate policies and bureaucracy the kindness of a real live person can still shine through.

I have shared this story with all of my friends, and was moved enough to blog about it, I hope you’ll spread the word too. I also know the next time I want a pair of shoes, I will be going to Zappos.

I just wanted to share this funny photograph that was taken by Brady Sewall in California who emailed me saying he had spotted this in a local coffee shop and wanted to pass it along. Thanks so much Brady!

I was on CBC’s Arts & Culture show Q a a few weeks ago talking about technology and its impact on youth. It took me a while to figure out how to splice the hour long podcast into the easy listening piece for your enjoyment. And, I’ve been told I’ve gone over my bandwidth in terms of uploading images for the month, so until I get it resolved, it’s going to be ugly text posts. Sad, I know, but we all face these challenges in life and we just have keep going and persevere.

Apparently, according to Professor Mark Bauerlein technology is making Gen Y dumber, and he’s not holding any punches when it comes to saying so. Here’s the description of his book “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30.):

For decades, concern has been brewing about the dumbed-down popular culture available to young people and the impact it has on their futures. At the dawn of the digital age, many believed they saw a hopeful answer: The Internet, e-mail, blogs, and interactive and hyper-realistic video games promised to yield a generation of sharper, more aware, and intellectually sophisticated children. The terms “information superhighway” and “knowledge economy” entered the lexicon, and we assumed that teens would use their knowledge and understanding of technology to set themselves apart as the vanguards of this new digital era.

That was the promise. But the enlightenment didn’t happen. The technology that was supposed to make young adults more astute, diversify their tastes, and improve their verbal skills has had the opposite effect. According to recent reports, most young people in the United States do not read literature, visit museums, or vote. They cannot explain basic scientific methods, recount basic American history, name their local political representatives, or locate Iraq or Israel on a map. The Dumbest Generation is a startling examination of the intellectual life of young adults and a timely warning of its consequences for American culture and democracy.

Drawing upon exhaustive research, personal anecdotes, and historical and social analysis, Mark Bauerline presents an uncompromisingly realistic portrait of the young American mind at this critical juncture, and lays out a compelling vision of how we might address its deficiencies.

In short my arguments:

1) Technology is a neutral tool

Blaming technology for a generation’s ignorance makes no sense. Technology is not by itself inherently good or evil. It all depends on the intent of the person using it. Someone could go online, surf only celebrity gossip sites, watch endless videos of skateboarding accidents on YouTube, bully their classmates online and then call it a day. In comparison, another person could go online, read interesting opinions from thought leaders all over the world, catch up on news events, engage in lively debates and strengthen friendships. It’s the same internet people, and blaming it is pretty illogical.

2) Blanket statements don’t make friends

Now, I’m not arguing that our generation faces immense challenges. In an era of education budget cuts and an evolving technological landscape, there are some of us (a third in fact) that are struggling. That being said, to blanket an entire generation with one derogatory term is not only an insult, but it’s small minded and petty. It’s like calling all boomers sellouts or all Gen Xers disaffected. Gen Y is the largest demographic since the baby boomers, and the world’s first global generation. We’re complex.

3) That evil rock and roll

Every generation seems to think those coming after it are crazy, lost and stupid. It’s natural. Sure maybe the majority of kids aren’t going to museum but which Boomers did that when they were 16? Furthermore, the web has created a platform for unprecedented levels of collaboration and creativity. Social networking platforms are being leveraged to mobilize youth around issues such as climate change or the US presidential elections.

What do you think?

There are some interesting points on both sides, and you can listen to the interview here:

RahafHarfoush-TheFoushReportsAreWeTheDumbestGeneration759.mp3.

My Two Cents

Personally, while I welcome all viewpoints, I found it a little hard to take him seriously when he kept referring to “social networking” as thought it was a cult that eats babies and worships the devil. Clearly he had never actually been on Facebook or MySpace and had simply made a bunch of assumptions based on technology he didn’t really understand. Which is a shame.

So Mark, if you read this and want a tour of MY web, let me know. I’d be more then happy to show you the interesting people, great debates and creative sites that I visit.

Update: When I posted this on twitter I forgot the link! LOL. I’m hoping that the ability to laugh at ourselves is a sign of maturity and intelligence otherwise, we’re all in trouble.