Next month I’m speaking at CM1, Canada’s Community Manager Conference. I was a panelist at the last one and this round I’ll be speaking about ‘Influencing the Influencers’. I’ve travelled the world and worked with some of the worlds biggest brands and done heaps of work as an as ‘influencer’. It’s been really neat watching the roles of ‘influencer’ and ‘Community Manager’ evolve over the last five years. When I started at MuchMusic/MTV as a ‘Social Media Coordinator’, the role ‘Community Manager’ was almost unheard of. Now, it’s a job you’ll find at almost every agency and client-side brand.
I’ll be sharing my experience and tips for brands and bloggers when it comes to working together. I was recently on CBC in a segment about this very topic (scroll down to March 22, episode).
Follow the conversation for tickets and speaker up dates on Twitter here and take a peek at the other speakers here. I’ll see if I can contest some tickets for you guys to come!
Wednesday this week kicks off NXNE! I absolutely love this festival. Think SXSW more Canadian. I’ve been attending and doing giveaways for NXNEi since 2010 (photos below). I spoke on two panels last year about the Psychology of Narcissism and on Social Giveaways.
This year, the Interactive festival runs June 12-14, is curated by FITC and two lucky people, will win a pass to attend. You’ll get to experience the intersection of media, technology and culture with the world’s best visionaries and leaders. It’s not hard to win. Tweet this button and you’re in. I’ll pick a winner at two on Tuesday, as in tomorrow, June 11th.
NXNE, in partnership with FITC, brings you the freshest in interactive social content, as well as the tools and creators behind it to keep you and your campaigns top notch. With over 80 presentations, NXNEi bridges the gap between creators of all kinds and interactivity.
NXNEi TiCKET GIVEAWAY:
I’m giving two lucky people the chance to win a pass to see me and 150+ other digital aficionados speak. NXNE Interactive 2012 pass is valued at $349. Contest is open to anyone but does not include travel to Toronto. That one is all you!
Send one tweet with a link to the session you’re most excited for with hashtag #pickmecasie and the twitter handle @NXNEi for your chance to win. I’ll put your entry Tweets into a Storify and post them so you can see what the popular ones are.
If you really, actually, like, seriously would like to hear me speak, or you don’t want to read schedule, click Tweet button for surprise text written by someone who is not typing this right now.
Learned a bunch the last few days at FITC but what really stuck with me was the very last session I went to by Jason Theodor about creativity and how to create more, better different. I have some great notes from the conference I’ll be formulating into a piece an article TAXI. Feeling inspired!
Read this article “Marketing is dead” by Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide. I’ve been a Saatchi fan for as ling as I can remember. Passion for advertising and design started very young. Anyhoo, here’s an excerpt, read the whole thing on The Drum UK here. I reckon you’ll enjoy it.
“We don’t just live in a VUCA world – a volatile, uncertain, ambiguous and complex world – we live in a super VUCA world. We live in a vibrant world where our kids are connecting to each other and to brands across the world with no money involved. To us this is a world that’s gone crazy.
“Strategy is dead. Who really knows that is going to happen anymore in this super VUCA world? The more time and money you spend devising strategies the more time you are giving you rivals to start eating your lunch.
“Management is dead. To win today you need a culture and an environment where the unreasonable power of creativity thrives. Ideas are today’s currency not strategy. Martin Luther King did not say ‘I have a vision statement’ did he? He had a dream. You have to make sure you have dreams and your brand also needs a dream.”
In other news, posted a bunch of bearded babes to my Pinterest board yesterday. If you’re into that, you’ll be REALLY into it. Enjoy the day!
I love the little animals Telus uses in their commercial so when I was in Mexico a few months back. I saw one and for $20 you could hold it. I was like OME LET ME HAVE IT. Yeah, well…
Safe to say, he didn’t like me much. I just found this on my phone today and uploaded it to Viddy. Enjoy haha. It’s awkward. Be happy I shortened it!
In other news, Peacock Parade has a bunch of dresses on sale today, TFC Ticket contest is still on here, and the TripOn contest is still on too. I’m at FITC again causing trouble.
Do you know it? Viddy. It’s a video app that integrates with FB timeline and the super short videos (00:15s) are perfect for sharing mini moments. I used to be the #1 Canadian user of 12Seconds TV back before it was bought by AOL. RIP 12seconds :( I love the fun of raw, unedited mini vids that post right to Twitter/FB.
There’s all kinds of ‘Instagram‘ style filters you can add to jazz up your Viddy-OHs. I hung out with some of the team and Evan from Viddy at CES in Vegas earlier this year. Thanks Evan for sending some Viddy goodies. Wearing Viddy shirt at FITC today. Let’s see if anyone notices
Stopped by the Community 54 space in Parkdale the other day (Queen west of Dufferin). It was opened a couple months ago and features a wide mix of vintage & new clothes with a pile of old school artifacts you might find at granddad’s garage sale. I picked up a sweet & long vintage dress for summer. Wore it to Canadian Club Whisky tour.
The Official:
Community 54 is your neighborhood lifestyle boutique inspiring nostalgia through creativity. From classic arcade games and vintage street wear, to indie clothing brands and contemporary art, our space is a destination for curators of unique collectibles. It’s a place where culture mavens and social connectors interact with local artists and designers. First established in the Lower East Side of Manhattan by partners Daymon Green and Jason Jacobs, Community 54’s two locations are a manifestation of years of sharing ideas and a common entrepreneurial drive. (Toronto Partners are Trung Hoang & Joel Reilly)
Shop Style:
My Photo on the Shop Wall:
In other news, The Condo Store is giving away 2 pairs of Toronto FC Tickets courtesy of TriTickets. ENTER HERE ON FACEBOOK. If you win, take me! I freaking LOVE the TFC. Been twice and the fans are freaking CRAY. I posted a few vids & photos from past TFC games etc here.
Last year one of the hot young players sent me a personal message Go win those TICKETS.
On that note, I’m outta here & off to the ladies networking lunch for FITC!
It’s hard to deny the fact that we might be facing snow today. Actually, it IS fact and there is nothing I can do about it. Title is a quote by Mark Twain which I’m sure you knew already. When ever someone complains about the weather, this quote runs through my head until I can’t hear them anymore. There’s no point in complaining! I reckon it’s my last chance to don my favourite winter wear and go to bed early (aka hibernate).
The sky looks grey and gloomy. I’m brewing up a sage tea to gargle with for the sore throat I woke up with. I managed to avoid getting sick all winter but alas, I am a mere mortal and it got me. Here’s Mum’s sage tea remedy for sore throat and thyme bath for colds.
THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!
Found these old photos of Mum & Dad. Where exactly is this one with the CN tower. I think it’s right near my place?
Turned my living room into a DIY studio and made a few accessories.
My BFF Keri Blog came back to town yesterday. I’M SO GLAD SHE’S BACK. We watched the show Rogers did on me last month. I can’t wait to show you once I get it online.
I’m at FITC (Future. Innovation. Technology. Creativity.) this week from Mon-Wed. The conference features over 70 renowned digital creators from around the globe sharing knowledge of the best and brightest in the digital space. It’s my second year as a Digital Corespondent for TAXI, one of the worlds leading creative agencies. See last year’s writeup on designtaxi.com and this blog.
Planning to put on my glasses & nerdy disguise to soak up as much info as I can. It’s going to be a couple quiet days while I get my voice back and kick this cold. I stayed in all weekend with a movie marathon trying to recharge my batteries but it seems my body is telling me to chill out. I guess it’s a good thing summer isn’t quite here yet.
I've been documenting my life and adventures on the internet since 2005. I live in Toronto and love travel, vintage, and good wifi. I grew up in Canada and my family is from New Zealand. Read more ...
