The Blog Studio

What a whirlwind NXNEi was for The Blog Studio. We dove right last week to join and learn from the digital conversation. NXNE’s panelist speakers really brought the heat and we were totally blown away by these Social Media leaders and their simple yet brilliant insights. Everyone from our idol Ze Frank to Unmarketing’s Scott Stratten were on the scene to direct, challenge and inspire the new direction of social media.

As we mentioned last week, our President Lucia Mancuso and Lead Strategist Mike Dolan were panelists on two widely anticipated and warmly received panels on the politics and authenticity of Social Media. Our The Blog Studio team was out in full attendance to soak in the sights and the sounds…we brought back key points from our friends that we would like to share with you. We were challenged, inspired and totally had our creative energies renewed:

Challenge: Mike Dolan’s panel kicked things off and certainly set the tone for the week. He and fellow panelists had one clear message: Be Informed and Be Real. Too much of the social mediasphere is being inundated with people who have zero qualifications yet massive influence. It’s also problematic that people share and express things online that they would never utter out loud, it’s important to practice the same social graces and manners that one would in the outside world: take your rules of “real world social engagement” and apply them to your social media accounts. That is how you ensure genuine connections online.

It’s also important to screen what you post; for instance there is really no need to check into your own apartment from 4square because it becomes an “overshare” and reduction of quality. Panelist Andrew Lane gave excellent advice, “Give things to people and hope they will share and enjoy them. Create things that are valuable.” It was an excellent panel and it was worthwhile to hear a candid discussion on social media. They really up’ed the ante...these men are ready to exclusively share their online realties with responsible and inspired users.

2) Create: Next up was the scintillating Scott Stratten who started out with “Everything I know I learned at Lee’s Palace.” He’s also a straight shooter and told us that he lives by three basic principles “Know, Like and Trust.” If you hold this as your goal in social media, business and beyond you will have something of value to offer.

Next up was “The Architects of Community” featuring Erica Ehm of the Yummy Mummy Club who spoke on the subject of “human curation.” She built an incredibly successful network for mother’s to share, seek counsel and advise on parenthood. Ehm built something she cared about and found a strong need for in her own life. What’s the lesson here friends? Again, it’s authenticity—it was a unifying thread for all of the panels—build something that you care about, speak honestly, evoke emotion and that will breed success.

3) Inspire: The afternoon featured “Thank You For Being A Friend” where Lucia and fellow industry colleagues discussed gender, politics and their own personal journey. Panelists agreed that setting clear goals, seeking out mentors, and asking questions were elements of success. Bottom line, information is free, it is up to you to go after it regardless of your gender, orientation or goals. These women were powerful and it really spoke to emerging tech gals… it gave us confidence.

To close the interactive section of the conference we were treated to Ze Frank…it’s hard to say in a few sentences the impact this man creates. He made us laugh, he made us cry and ultimately, defied what is thought possible for human and web connectivity. We love him☺

Did any of you head out to NXNEi? We would love to hear your experiences so write to us and comment. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Is your dad or husband a total tech geek? Is he crazy about contraptions and always drooling over the latest devices?  The Blog Studio is here with the Comprehensive Father’s Day Guide for the guy who love gadgets: DADGETS.

1) First on our “dadget” list is the Samsung LED 7000 3D TV: the very cutting edge of television technology.  We got a sneak peak of it a few months back when Samsung held a preview reception, and we were totally blown away.  Regular flat screens are a thing of the past… the Samsung 3-D TV brings a genuine theatre experience into your dad’s life.  What else would be fit for Avatar’s upcoming DVD release?
http://www.samsung.com/ca/

2) Speaking of surreal experiences, how about Apple’s latest tech toy: the iPad?  They might be hard to score, but this device has the cache to truly impress even the most tech savvy pops.  It became available in Canada recently and is buzzing all over the net as the new hot ticket item.
http://www.apple.com

3) If your dad has already beaten you to the iPad punch, that’s ok. We’d like to introduce you to the brand new line of iPad accessories, like iLuv and Gucci’s line.  We’ve read about everything from slick cases, to desk mounts and… they come in a variety of great colours for you to match to your dad’s favourite gadgets.
http://www.mrgadget.com

4) For the dad who’s a world traveler and always on the move, the perfect gift is Indigo’s kobo electronic book reader.  The kobo is simple, sleek, and best of all you will be supporting a Canadian brand.  If you would like try it out for yourself, Indigo is offering tutorials and demos at their Bay/Bloor location.
http://www.indigo.com

5) Canon Rebel: Is the dad in your life always juggling the digital camera, his video camera, memory cards, etc.?  Save him the hassle and surprise him with the new Canon Rebel complete with 15 megapixel camera and HD video capabilities.
http://www.canon.ca

6) If your dad is a true “Mad Men” fan, look to a chic vintage inspired accessory like the ‘Yubz’ Retro handset sold on roots.com.  Yubz looks great and will make you feel even better: it’s been clinically proven to reduce 95% of radiation emitting from mobile phones. Not only will you show your dear old dad that you care about his health, but it upgrades sound quality and is definitely conversation piece.
http://canada.roots.com

7) If your dad is in the Tech and Social Media business (like us) and is already hip to these trendy tools you might be able to surprise him with the first ever Videophone Touch AiGuru from Asus: The world’s first Skype-enabled touch screen videophone that allows users to make free video and voice calls over Skype.  This Videophone boasts an internal microphone, conference calling capabilities and Skype voicemail.
http://www.saks.com

Still stumped? Be sure to check out these dedicated “gadget guide” websites and you will be sure to find him something he will really love:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/
http://www.dlink.com/boxeebox
http://www.theflip.com/en-us/

Happy Father’s Day to all of our friends!

All hands on deck! The North By North East festival is descending on Toronto Monday for a full-on Music, Film, and Culture takeover.  What’s more exciting for us geeks this year is an ‘i’—meaning NXNE has gone interactive, just like i its’ big sister festival SXSW (where the interactive portion has actually become larger and more popular than music and film!).

Alongside the massive gathering of bands and fans, there will be 30+ panels featuring industry leaders and design professionals discussing digital technology, creativity and social media trends.

This is especially thrilling for us here The Blog Studio, and we’re beyond excited and honoured to be taking a really active role at NXNE. Our President Lucia Mancuso (@lulula), and our Lead Strategy and Outreach nerd, Mike Dolan (@EvilPRGuy) will be speaking on two panels at the sold out conference.

On Monday June 14th at 2:00 pm, Lucia will share the stage with Amrita Chandra, Guinevere Orvis, April Dunford and moderator Meghan Warby on “Thank You For Being A Friend: tips, traits and tactics of successful women in tech and social media.” These women are Toronto’s leaders in Social Media, Marketing, and Digital Communications. They will unveil and discuss gender, workplace and media strategy. You can also expect to walk away from this panel with usable strategies and ideas you can implement into your own workday right away.

On June 14 at 9:30am, Mike will share the stage for the hotly anticipated “Circle Jerking 101” panel, along with Andrew Lane, Kevin Airgid, Mark Evans, and panel moderator Jamie Woo. Mike Dolan is a man who tells it like it is (for better or for worse, his talk at Toronto Social Media Week stirred up more than a little controversy)—and this panel won’t be any different. These contributors will discuss the pitfalls of social media, and exactly what a client can expect from a great social media campaign. You can arm yourself with the insider straight dope you need to make the right decisions for incorporating social media into your business strategies, and avoid getting ripped off by the sham artists that multiply by the day in this industry. This panel is guaranteed to be entertaining, so this is one you definitely don’t want to miss.

These Digital Discussions will be cutting edge, raw and uncut. We are excited to sink our teeth into the NXNEi’s Social Media fabric, but are concerned that NXNEi could fall into the pit that many people feel has crippled SXSW in recent years.  SXSW started small and expanded exponentially very quickly.  With its rampant growth, depth of information and diversity of the SXSW conference, the festival became so popular it it lost some of the intimacy that ensured you would make personal and business connections that are really the most valuable takeaway from a conference..

Too much of SXSW is now spent waiting in lines, coordinating hangouts and trying to hit the fifteen parties hosted each night. A ‘Swarm‘ badge on Foursquare? That’s the line at the Empanada Truck at 4am. How about a SuperSwarm of 250+ people in one spot! That badge popped up at nearly every gathering at the festival.

We love NXNE’s intimate vibe, and are curious to see if it can retain the ‘warm feeling’ this year. As How Magazine editor Bryn Mooth says, “All this Social Media stuff makes us think we are really connected—facebook and twitter are fine ways to do that—But for my money, making connections in person is what really matters.” While Social Media enables you to reach out to a huge cross section of people , there r is nothing like an old school face to face chat.  So come out and chat with Lucia, Mike and all of their colleagues next week during the industry panels (or the parties, which are just as important)!

We invite all of you to attend our panels as well as email us questions to address during our talks, so please send them in. We will also keep you posted via twitter and our blog on the people, parties and panels.

Plus we’ll be annoucning a huge surprise for every attending NXNEi. So keep your eyes on the blog here and at http://www.nxne.com for this special announcement . You’re going to love it (pinky swear)! Stay tuned!

“I felt a great disturbance in the Force… as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror...”
-Obi Wan Kenobi, “A New Hope”

There has been near hysteria building in the tech community, as well as in the wider world concerning Facebook’s privacy policies, and possible user betrayal. The safety of our facebook “avatars” are being threatened!  Have we sold our secrets and ourselves to an amoral corporation?

Facebook transformed the web, and along with it revolutionized human connectivity, communication and supernova’ed the circulation of ideas, but as the old Star Wars adage tells us “you have paid the highest price for your lack of vision.” Facebook has attracted an unprecedented number of users who automatically agreed to place their identities in Mark Zuckerberg’s outstretched hands.  It started with university students who related to Mark’s youth and admired his forward thinking.  They jumped on a social spaceship, piloted by Zuckerberg, to boldly go where no one had gone before. They also seem to like pretending to be virtual farmers, cultivating a virtual environment.

People are starting to realize that Zuck might be Vader and not Anakin.  As is usually the case with technology, what appears to be empowering, and often is, can also lead to tyranny.  If our technological revolutionaries and friends from Star Wars have taught us anything it is that the line between good and evil can be perilous.

Many of us have already smartened up and altered the way in which we are using facebook. Maybe we’re not using private messages to send our most intimate thoughts or secrets, for fear that they’ll end up public like so many recently have. Some of us are resisting the urge to post amusing, but slightly off-color signatures on friend’s walls, or screening and scrutinizing the photos we post and tag. After all, what will we think of them when we are 50?  Even more concerning, is wondering what our spouses, bosses, decision makers and the general public think of the electronic follies of our youth?  How will anyone be fit to run for public office?

We also have to think about what this means for us historically, in a larger sense, and not just in the facebook bubble. The Library of Congress will be archiving all “tweets” from 2006 onwards, giving us another reason to pause for a second before we hit that send button willy-nilly. We really need to look before we leap (or tweet).  With social media comes social consciousness and social responsibility. The bottom line is that you have to use your head before releasing anything to the web. The power of words can have resounding and far-reaching effects. Then again, maybe your words aren’t yours anymore. They now belong to the government, or Mark Zuckerberg, or the magical elves that run Twitter.

Copycat sites that champion user privacy are beginning to pop up everywhere (ie. Project Diaspora), but are people really abandoning Facebook? If they aren’t leaving now, what will be the new site or feature that creates the tipping point and sends them overboard?? There have been rumours circulating that MySpace is busy creating new privacy settings, to woo back disaffected users that are frustrated with Facebook’s new privacy changes. Is MySpace about to be the new hot thing for the second time?

Considering all of the propaganda, speculation, and reports of facebook’s indifference to personal privacy, people are definitely alarmed.  Maybe it’s time the usually clandestine Zuckerberg addresses the world in an open letter that outlines the implications of having put our trust in him.  We’d like to know what his intentions are, and remind him that our love is turning to fear. He needs to be reminded of the sage advice of Yoda: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Hopefully our leader will lean more towards benevolence than hubris.

More than anything, Zuckerberg must learn that “With great power comes great responsibility”. The lure of darkness is always seductive, and seems to have quick pay-offs, but every major villain from Antonio Montana to the Borg Queen is brought down by Data and the common good.

Indeed, what creates us can also destroy us… but just like Seven of Nine we can defy the superpower collective and take control of our destinies.

Mark, we are hailing you: we’ve opened a channel for communication.  We have come in peace and we are your Facebook civilization. We are waiting for your response.