By JP, on April 3rd, 2012% First of all, I’m a numbers guy. When I saw a post from Fraser Strategies saying that my former MP had left Twitter, I wanted to crunch the numbers.
The NDP member of parliament for Timmins-James Bay, Charlie Angus, had in fact, left Twitter. I’m not disappointed in Angus, or his advisors, but I am disappointed for the 4,441 (and growing!) of us who followed him on Twitter. Here are a few numbers on what this means.
4,441 : followers on Twitter
54 : people he was following on Twitter
81,957 : population of the Timmins-James Bay riding
246,275.67 : square kilometers in the riding
24 : number of people he visited during a 90 minute town hall meeting
Expanding on some of these numbers, if Angus is to allow his constituents to ask him questions directly, in groups of 24 participants, it would take him roughly 3,415 visits. In 90 minute meetings, working 12 hour days, it would take him roughly 426 days to meet with these constituents.
Now, I commend Angus for joining Twitter and representing his constituents and especially, for the awareness he built through Twitter for the residents in Attawapiskat. However, the irony in his leaving Twitter,I will leave as fodder for the Twitterverse.
Finally, for anyone participating in Twitter, it serves as a reminder that Twitter is not a megaphone on top of a hill, it’s a really big church basement.
By JP, on March 9th, 2012% Most recently I sat in the vast ocean of audience that was listening to a keynote from @JesseHirsh CBC’s national correspondant in technology, thinking to myself what Social Media consists of for the audience.
Jesse mentioned that “Social Media” really began with smoke signals, this dates back to ancient china when soldiers would send smoke signals to alert their countrymen over 750 kilometers away. This was really significant to me. Every time I face clients who are apprehensive about “social media” I’m of the view that this fear is really fear of the unknown. However, this media is already “known” to them, it’s merely an extension of their current communication strategy. The tools have changed but the game is the same.
If you believe in Marshal Mcluhan’s “the medium is the message” then the message may be different, however the goal is the same. The real change is in the tools, much as the evolution from radio, to television to internet, all of these mediums have relied on similar content. The most important thing we can teach is the tools.
Our mission should be to build the confidence in clients that they already have message, and that we can transform that message to fit the new mediums.
Social Media isn’t about followers, or fans, or click-through rates, it’s about building relationships with your network. Once that network is built on trust and value, then you can start looking at the numbers.
Those numbers are the measure of success but can only exist if you understand the reason behind the smoke signals.
By JP, on December 14th, 2011% In this season of holiday cheer, social media brings us a chance to communicate with those far and wide. However, its really important to remember that people are getting overwhelmed with the traditional holiday greetings. Where is the innovation?
The most valued greetings are those you remember, and you remember those that are unique. Your warm picture by a fireplace, or in your back yard. This year I tried something new and sent out Holiday Cards via YouTube private link to friends and family, it was a personalized message wishing them happy holidays and giving them a small annecdote that is relevant to our friendship.
This isn’t earth-shattering, new or really innovative but it does show you care a whole lot more than if you send off a picture of your family photo with the title “Happy Holidays” to your contact list.
I hope you discover some gems these holidays.
By JP, on October 24th, 2011% The most recent Ontario election has left me wondering whether or not the results were impacted by the activities of the candidates on Social Media. With that, I decided to take a look at 3 races where an underdog came up to take the win in a close race. This will hopefully give us an idea as to whether social media may have had a positive influence on voters. Through these 3 races, I’ve tabled the social score of Facebook fans/friends + Twitter Klout score in order to establish which candidate is interacting more effectively with constituents online.
Trinity-Spadina 
It’s easy to see in this case who had the handle on their “handles” with Thomson dominating social media. This landslide was explained by Marchese’s Facebook presence with his high privacy settings on his profile and he had linked his Twitter account to auto-update his Facebook status – classic mistake, no one wants to chat with a robot. Meanwhile, Thomson’s efforts of engaging posts and interactions were impressive. While this didn’t translate to a seat in office, the race was much closer than the anticipated result of Marchese doubling up on Thomson.
Ottawa Centre
 Naidoo held a 12 point lead however was trounced it the polls, similarly, in Klout score. As for Facebook, Naidoo had no updates to his personal profile close to election time and few interactive posts on his Facebook page. Naqvi was not much better on Facebook, with few updates but a much higher response rate on his page. Where Naqvi separated himself was in his use of Twitter, with a true reach of over 1K (175 for Naidoo) his tweets were focused and influential. In this case, again, use of social media was a pre-cursor for an unexpected result.
Northumberland-Quinte West
In conclusion, the results have shown that the social media presences of these underdogs had a tangible impact on the end result of the elections. It is safe to assume that social media in general has a positive impact on ridings but may be further influential for city centre ridings. For me, what has been proven here, is that the impact of social media must be measured by political campaigns in order to properly gauge their polls.
Time will tell whether the winners of the election can properly use these tools in order to keep listening to their voters, or at least make the voters feel like they are 
 This 10 point lead for Rinaldi disappeared quickly on election night as he was supplanted by teacher and beef farmer Rob Milligan. Rinaldi was non-existent on Facebook but did have a small presence on Twitter with a true reach of 148. His handle was the unassuming @VoteLouRinaldi and he rarely had tweets of any relevance, other than when he congratulated his competitor @RobMilliganPC. While Milligan’s usage of Twitter was not impressive either, his Facebook presence was tangible with updates and a significant amount of followers. While this riding did not prove the same result, however it did show us that this rural riding (and potentially others like it) may be less likely to be influenced by social media.
By JP, on June 25th, 2011% “Respect is not given, it is earned.”
The same is true for social capital. For brands, it is becoming increasingly difficult to convert visitors to followers. Gone are the days of associating with a Facebook page simply because of a given affinity. The value has to be identified quickly and delivered upon constantly.
Facebook page’s, Twitter accounts and Websites, they all garner attention based on content. This much I made as clear as possible in my last presentation at PSEWeb. The real important thing here is that each page, after converting a follower, has a finite amount of what some call Social Capital. In a nutshell, how long you are willing to tolerate items you don’t care about until you Unlike, or Unfollow.
Each post you create factors into your social capital, everytime someone sees your name, you either increase or decrease in their mind. A brand, a politician or a friend, your brain becomes conditioned to either ignore or pay further attention to that brand.
Your social capital should be guarded fiercely, every post should be strategic and vetted. It’s hard to believe that many big brands aren’t customizing their posts, their websites or tweets. Even on a personal level, thinking of who will actually want to read your content will drive you to be relevant, interesting and timely. When you hit these three components you’re in the #baconzone.
Viva la baconzone.
By JP, on May 12th, 2011% Just yesterday, Rains Media delivered this presentation along with @MatthewMelnyk to the Ontario Association of College & University Security Administrators (OACUSA).
Check it out if you are at all interested in Campus Security, Emergency Communications and social media investigative tools.
-JP
By JP, on March 27th, 2011% With the government of Canada announcing a May 2nd election, it prompts me to think that there will certainly be a new type of campaign this April.
Politicians will rely heavily on social media support from their most loyal partisans and use all resources at their disposal to sway the undecided. Already, I’ve seen Ignatief and the liberals reserve the headline ad of facebook with a 30 second spot from Michael.
I will be closely following the evolution as well as the new initiatives that will certainly emerge. I doubt it will be enough to simply have a page and create a discussion. The winners will have to innovate, persuade and deliver.
Carpe diem.
By JP, on February 27th, 2011% Why you should get Twitter.
Let your news come to you: Twitter brings the information you want directly to you. No waiting until 6pm for the daily news, or waiting for the journalist to have the IT guys update the website. Twitter’s trending topics can quickly show you what everyone around the virtual water cooler is talking about, right now. Never before has communication on world shaping events (think Haiti earthquakes etc.) happend so instantaneously. The stories are happening right now, go to one application and hear from all the sources. You can create topical lists in order to keep track of certain contacts or follow a search term (similar to Google Alerts, but on demand).
Connect with industry leaders: whether work, play, interest or hobby; odds are Twitter has your industry leader. Whether that is Justin Bieber ( ~8M followers), Biz Stone (~1.5M followers), or Martha Stewart ( ~2M followers) they all hold something of value to specific audiences. You get direct access to their sought after ideas and have the ability to add to their conversation. Most of all, you create friendships, well, at the very least, acquaintances. To some luddites this can be scary, but don’t worry; unless you have a “please rob me sign” you’re safe. Just check out UnMarketing`s Scott Stratten and you’ll understand.
Be up to the second:Twitter can send notifications to your mobile device the second your most sacred source updates (for me, TSN’s Bob McKenzie). This doesn’t have to be activated, but it sure helps you when you’re waiting to hear something (hockey’s trade deadline). This is a wonderful tool if you are at any major events or conferences. Using a search term or a Twittter #hashtag you can find other members of the conference and get their opinions on the subject quickly (great for speakers or event managers). After all, if Charlie Sheen can get one million followers in just over 24 hours, why can’t you #win as well and find some of your own followers.
Build your brand: one of the more selfish reasons, you can build yourself up and show off some of that hidden knowledge you have. If you love to talk about something, there are people on twitter who do too – and they’re easy to find with the search term feature. There is someone in the world that probably does the same things as you do, and earning the respect of your peers can be quite rewarding. Even if you have a question, your community can help you find the answer.
Chances are you know someone who doesn’t value Twitter yet (or that’s you?), send them this post and help out this lost soul If you convert anyone, tweet @jplaurentian and I’d love to follow them.
By JP, on January 19th, 2011%  Dispersing information to other managers where pertinent. In any large organization, social media usually involves many moving parts – even more so in HigherEd, where many silos exist throughout the organization. Enabling the various content managers throughout the organizations to be cohesive and further to that, create a sense of community (online) can be challenging.
Here are some strategies from around the social realm to help you.
1 – Initiative: It sounds fundamental to say, but working together instead of passing the buck can be crucial to prospects finding the right answer. Allowing prospects to “ask a question once” can allow each content manager to learn a little more of each department as well as “show off” your helpfulness.
2 - Accountability: Participating in social media can be fluidic with staff changes and is sometimes something that is left to the wayside. Creating a sense of accountability, by promotion for “sanctioned” channels or enabling regularly updated channels to be featured on the web will allow you to bring value added to active participants in social media. Think of it as backing up a New Year’s resolution.
3 – Collaboration: As Vanilla Ice says “Stop. Collaborate and Listen“. Whether it’s a friendly inter-departmental re-tweet (the best kind of RT) or an integrated content schedule, working together can avoid mixed messaging as well as provide timely updates to a wide range of screens.
4 - Communication: This is something that can break down barriers and conquer the continual learning curve within social. The group also provides a venue for exchange of ideas, success stories and of course, horror stories. Tufts University, is an example of this in Highed. Coupling this in person working group, with an online presence for quick hits, is a great way to create a sense of community.
By JP, on December 14th, 2010% The recent emergencies in Canadian Universities and Colleges have received a lot of attention within their local spheres. In the last two weeks, the University of Western Ontario, Georgian College and now more recently York University and Acadia University, have all been shut down to due unforeseen emergencies. 
In the cases of Western, Georgian and Acadia, the campuses were closed due to extreme weather conditions. For York University, a fire in the central heating building shut down their Keele campus.
These shut downs were primarily announced via community e-mails, web news items and finally social media updates. The latter, is my point of interest.
All post-secondary institutions have some sort of Emergency Management plan, like this one from the University of Windsor, for example. Within these policies, processes are outlined to respond to emergencies. However, very few of them touch on communicating the messages to stakeholders past e-mail or web updates.
With students quickly consuming any messages provided, they will continue to look for instant access to information and they are turning to social media for answers. Are we ready for them?
In the most recent example, Western updated their 11,000+ Facebook community instantly on their official page and was able to address the issue head on. They received 55 likes and only 8 comments on a post updated at 5:14am announcing the school’s closure. Their feedback from students was largely positive and their community was informed before their morning coffee.
In other cases, infrequent updates can lead to unrest among students, confusion and many questions pilling up on official pages. With extra time on their hands and a topic in mind, students can get creative and having your institution on the right end of the joke can be crucial. In a most recent case, a shutdown became fodder for Twitter’s #1 trending topic in Toronto.
South of the border, our American counterparts have experienced this already. In September, Jessica Krywosa of http://doteduguru.com/ wrote about the #utshooter experience of the University of Texas at Austin. The University was able to quickly respond to an emergency and left many schools asking the question “Does your Campus Security Have a Place in Social Media?”.
In social media we always talk about providing value and being transparent, but in these cases being prepared and providing instant information to stakeholders is critical. Is your institution or company ready to respond to emergencies through social media?
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