I’m a mobile Luddite. I don’t have an iPhone or Blackberry (although I do like the look of the new Palm Pre) and to be honest I’m not too bothered about having a smart phone at the minute.
Now you might say that for someone that is involved in the online world as I am, not having an iPhone or similar makes me some kind of heathen. And maybe it does.
But here’s the thing.
I’m a people person. I like to know [...]

“You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.” – Ricky Nelson.
It’s been an interesting last 24 hours. Abusive emails, character attacks on Twitter and questions about my ethics. Just another day in the life of.
Time is an interesting commodity.
On the one hand, we love it when time passes quickly so we can see a new movie, or buy a new product, or see a new date. On the other, we complain there’s never enough time in the day.
Online [...]

A-ha! Okay, now that the ABBA/Alan Partridge reference is out of the way (and sorry, I couldn’t resist!), I’d like to ask you a question. Okay, a few questions, I guess.
What do you want to read?
What do you want to know about?
What can I help you with?
How can I help you improve (and, in doing so, continue to improve myself)?
I write about social media. I write about PR. I write about marketing. I write about community, and tools, and people. [...]

I’m not too keen on using this blog as an advertisement. It’s one of the reasons you don’t see any affiliate banners, badges or sponsored posts. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that – it’s just not for me.
Today, I need to change this. But don’t worry – it’s just a one-off, so hope you don’t mind too much.
A little back story. I’m in Canada, having arrived here Christmas 2006. I applied for my residency and it’s been a [...]

A couple of days ago, I wrote about Fake-Twitter and concerns of how it could be misused.
As a (partial) result, the site received an official takedown notice from Twitter and I received some of the most heated and angry comments ever from a post.
That’s cool. People have opinions and sometimes these opinions are strong, and the comment section is where these opinions are allowed to be expressed.
It’s one of the reasons that I have an open comment policy. Some people [...]

…You had as meaningful a conversation offline as you do online?
Or spent the time networking your local community as well as just your online connections?
We’re fed so much information from so many sources.
We’re told that social media is the new connector, that we have opportunities like never before. And it’s true – to a degree.
We do have an immense amount of connections and information at our fingertips to make our lives easier, personally and from a business point of view [...]

One of the things I’ve always said about this blog is that it’s as much yours as it is mine.
Yes, at the end of the day, I write the content and I have the “voice” that has your eyeballs (or not). Yet it wouldn’t be half the blog it may be without your participation. From occasional visitor to regular subscriber, you help me put words to the page.
So now I’d like you to have your voice.
Generally I’ll write about most [...]

Today is Valentine’s Day. Sometimes, as we build our communities and friends online, we forget the intimate one-person community that is our rock and makes us who we are. So today, take the time out and be with the person that is your own personal community. The rest of us online will still be there when you get back.
For all the times I’ve forgotten my rock, I’m sorry. Today is for you.

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Image by magia3e via Flickr

Should I have a blog? It’s one of the questions I’m asked most frequently when I sit down with a new client to discuss their online presence.
They’ve seen other blogs – personal and professional – and they’re wondering if they should be part of the party. The answer isn’t always what they expect.
Are you ready to blog?
Okay, so I cheat and ask another question instead of giving them an immediate answer – but sometimes questions are [...]