Trafcom News

Social media for the big guys

In Trafcom News Podcast 86, you can hear how Fortune 1000 organizations are learning to thrive using social media tools. In this 12-minute podcast, you’ll meet Bob Pearson, president of the Social Media Business Council, which helps large enterprises to share best practices on social media issues. Bob spoke at Third Tuesday Toronto on July 7, 2009. Visit the Trafcom News Podcast blog page to listen to the podcast, or download it, and to read the extensive show notes. (Yes, I’m proud of my show notes, people!)

Upcoming events for communicators

Hey, Toronto! It’s time to come out of hibernation. Sure, your vehicle is coated with a thick deposit of road salt, the windows of your home are frozen shut, and your boots will never dry out. At least we have events coming up where you’ll find smart people and hot topics.  Here is a very incomplete list of places to go:

Podcamp Toronto, February 21-22, 2009
This is the place to get all your podcasting questions answered while you mingle with audio and video geeks, social media mavens and other fun people. Really. Details on the wiki.

Alliance of Independent Practitioners panel (International Association of Business Communicators, Toronto chapter), February 18, 2009
This panel discussion is called “Why organizations hire freelancers” and is designed to help independent communicators get that proverbial foot in the door. Details on the IABC Toronto Web site.

Third Tuesday Toronto, February 17, 2009
As my friend Joe Thornley says: “How does a social media startup not just survive, but continue to grow in the current economic conditions? Carol Leaman, the CEO of AideRSS, the company behind PostRank, will tell us how when she appears at Third Tuesday Toronto on February 17.” Should be a very interesting presentation. Details on the Meetup page.

Halton-Peel Communications Association seminar, February 10, 2009
This evening features  John Watkis speaking on: “How to attract more clients with public speaking.” John is always a delight, and this seminar will be animated and valuable, I’m sure. The HPCA Web site is experiencing problems, but you can get details by contacting Marnie AT communicationartistry  DOT ca. Location is the Burlington Arts Centre, but you must RSVP through Marnie.

Fall is here; time for Third Tuesday Toronto

According to my friend Joe Thornley, Third Tuesday Toronto is back in gear. On September 16 we’ll be hearing from Waterloo-based AideRSS, a company that’s been  generating buzz among bloggers and analysts. Speakers are Ilya Grigorik, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer; Jim Murphy, VP Development; and Melanie Baker, Community Manager.

Joe is a big fan of AideRSS. He says:

AideRSS’ PostRank algorithm provides bloggers and readers with a means to identify the content with which others have become most engaged. This saves readers time, enabling them to filter for only the most engaging content. It also helps content authors to focus on content that their readers want to have.

I’m eager to learn more about  AideRSS at Third Tuesday Toronto. If you are too, take a minute to register. Space is limited, so don't delay. Hope to see you there!

An interview with the Queen of PR Measurement

Katie Paine of KD Paine and Partners, the Queen of PR Measurement, was in Toronto recently for a Third Tuesday meetup and the Roundtable on Social Media Measurement. I was fortunate to get a quick interview with Katie, in which she touched on the value of measurement and how it's often misunderstood in the business world.

You can listen to this 18-minute podcast at the Trafcom News Podcast blog. Please let me know what you think!

Third Tuesday does social media measurement

As Joe Thornley says in his blog post, measurable results in the realm of social media are hard to come by. But guidance is at hand. At the Third Tuesday Toronto meetup on May 20, you can learn from a panel of measurement experts, who’ll tackle this tricky concept: Measurement queen Katie Paine, President of KD Paine and Partners and author of Measuring Public Relationships; Marshall Sponder, the Chair of the Web Analytics Association’s Community and Social Media Committee; and Marcel Lebrun, President of Radian6.

The panelists will be coming to Third Tuesday straight from the Roundtable on Social Media Measurement and Metrics, which Joe has spearheaded.

Visit the meetup page for details. See you there!

ChickAdvisor at Third Tuesday Toronto: The Podcast

This week I recorded the inaugural podcast for Third Tuesday Toronto, a social media meetup. It features a short interview with Ali deBold, co-founder of ChickAdvisor.com, a successful Web 2.0 venture, as well as brief announcements about Podcamp Toronto and  PRin Canada.

You'll find the audio and the show notes at the Trafcom News Podcast blog.  It's only 10 minutes, so listen, eh?

Attention all chicks!

Guys too. Come to Third Tuesday Toronto (held on Wednesday, January 23) to meet ChickAdvisor co-founders Alex and Ali de Bold, who will share a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and experiences of establishing a Web 2.0 site.

Check out Joe Thornley’s ProPR blog for details.

See you Wednesday night!