Rockin’ On and Off the Radar

Red Marquee FRF 2008

Red Marquee FRF 2008

Yes, yes…I have been woefully neglectful of this little site lately.

I have, though (to make myself feel better) been active other wheres though.  [Read more…]

Small Victories and Social Media

Small VictoriesI’ve read and heard about the power of social media as a service, especially when it comes to brands, as Chris Brogan says, “growing bigger ears” to monitor what people (especially customers) are saying about them. But I’ve never experienced this first hand until this morning. My fifteen minutes of gain. Here’s a small example of how social media helped little, old me.  [Read more…]

Kick Out The Spams

No Spam

I’m really sick of spam.

Not the man-up-Viagra-adult-friend-finder-banker-in-Nairobi-discount-luxury-watches kind of spam. I mean, I hate that, too but I have pretty much eliminated it from my life with a series of good spam filters, junk email rules, and just plain being cautious with my e-mail address. No, the spams I am talking about are the unwitting ones. The ones from the people who don’t think they are doing it. Or worse – just don’t care.  [Read more…]

Japan: Ahead and Behind

Japanese mobile phone

Japanese mobile phone

I have been putting social media strategy in place for Cabana Bar & Grill, a local establishment here in Yokohama.

Since I am trying to attract Japanese and foreign clients, I’ve come to the conclusion that when it comes to social media and branding (and more importantly, mobile media), Japan is both ahead and behind.  [Read more…]

Silver and Gold

Team Canada pose after defeating the U.S. in the women's hockey gold medal game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter OlympicsI watched the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics women’s ice hockey gold medal game this morning.

As a Canadian and a hockey fanatic, of course I was overjoyed that the Canadian women won the gold medal with a convincing and dominating win over their biggest rivals, the U.S. women’s squad. All of the team’s training, effort and resiliency paid off. All of their hard work. Their dedication. Now, finally, they can head to the podium to receive their reward. That reward? Something more important than the medal itself—the pride and thanks of a nation where hockey approaches religion. The satisfaction of knowing that, right now, at that very moment, they are the absolute best in the world at what they do.

But what of the losers of that match? The jubilation of the Olympic gold medal winners stood in stark contrast to the sad and somber faces of the American women, many of whom were distraught, tears streaming down their faces beneath their visors. These silver medalists are still, after all, the cream of the crop. As elite as it can get. And it struck me: nowhere but the Olympics is it more apparent that being second just doesn’t cut it.

In this day and age, if you’re not firing on all cylinders, digging deep and giving it everything you’ve got— you won’t be heading to the podium. You’ll be the “also ran.”

Think about that the next time you get cynical about social media and whether or not you should be using it for your business or brand.

Whisky Undead 2010

Ichiro's Malt at Whisky Live.

Ichiro’s Malt at Whisky Live.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow. I guess that’s really three days, but for me it’s a countdown.  [Read more…]