Chief Vice-President Of Rainbows And Puppies

Back in the heady days of March 2009 I wrote a post on this blog about social media job titles. At the time I was freelancing so was Chief Bottle Washer, but had ambitions to move up to Chief Letter Opener.

What brought this to mind was a job posting I saw today for "Director of Customer Success." What the hell does that mean?

In this non-fad (read: ingrained) social media era, is there a competition to think up the most vague job title going? How does a Director of Social Media, Director of Community Management or -- heavens above! -- Director of Marketing and Communications relate or compare their level of employment with a Director of Customer Success?

When they go to job interviews, how do they get a gauge on salary expectations when there is nothing to relate to? Does a Director of Customer Success earn more than a Director of Community Engagement, for example?

The point I'm trying to make is with all these weird, made-up social media job titles starting to propagate, anyone can call themselves something ... but it doesn't mean anything! There's no yardstick to rate the position or job role against.

Agree? Disagree? I'm open to opinions.

Regards,

John Carson

Chief Vice-President of Rainbows and Puppies

Gamification News

www.gamificationnews.com is for sale too if anyone wants it.

Gamification Guru

What with the success of people becoming mayors of coffee shops and such like, I have been reading that gamification is set to be the Next Big Thing in 2012, so I splashed out another hard-earned $9.99 on the domain name www.gamificationguru.com.

Since I know nothing whatsoever about gamification, I immediately put the domain up for sale ... so if anyone wants it, then please stop "playing around" (ha!) and contact me at johncarson AT gmail DOT COM.

And a happy 2012 to you all!

Is Brampton Media Group Behind RobFord.Ca?

I was amused at the recent reports that someone had snapped up RobFord.ca once it expired. I like to dabble in domains too, so wish I'd thought of it!

Being a little bored tonight, I did some digging and this is what I found.

I couldn't find Fresh Grape Solutions, so went to www.bramptonmail.com and found this:

I then checked out www.bramptonmedia.com and found this:

So, I searched to see what other domains they had registered and found this:

Halifaxmayor.com -- two Canadian mayor-related domains linked to the same company.

What do you think? Let's solve this mystery!

OurDeals.ca

I wanted to get a slice of the booming Canadian daily deals action, so registered the domain OurDeals.ca at the beginning of October. Still working with my development team on the form it will take, but pretty excited about the project.

Someone already expressed an interest last week in buying it before we even launched, but never followed through on my consideration to sell it. Maybe they want to wait and see the final site?

The traffic has already started and I'm not sure why as we haven't promoted it yet. If anyone has linked to or mentioned it, would appreciate a heads-up for a thank you!

Update November 3, 2011

Here's a cool, timely article from Techvibes detailing the Canadian daily deals sector.

Update December 1, 2011

We have decided to sell the domain. Offers welcome!

Klout Really Pisses Me Off

I read Danny Brown's post on Klout, and was very surprised to learn that people who have never even signed up with them still get a profile and Klout "score."

Here is mine: I am a 46. Not sure what that relates to, but it bothers me greatly that I even have a "score." If, as I have heard, companies are now starting to look at Klout "scores" when considering job applicants, then this means someone with a Klout "score" of 47 may get the job ahead of me.

I view this pretty seriously. Klout could therefore be "influencing" prospective employers not to hire me, because my Klout "score" is not up to par, and therefore I am not an "influencer" or well connected.

Over a week ago I e-mailed Klout's "support" and asked to be taken off. Nothing yet. So I asked politely on Twitter. Still nothing.

Maybe, because I am not an official account holder, I am deemed not worthy to get a reply. So, in that case, why do they still bother giving me a profile I never even asked for? It's pretty hypocritical of them.

Klout also call themselves "The Standard for Influence." I'm curious as to whose "standard." Certainly not mine!

But, the fact I have a "profile" up there, makes it look like I am endorsing the "service." (Yes, I know there's a lot of these "" in this post, but I am making the distinction with what I consider a real profile and a fake "profile.")

Anyway, there you go. Klout really pisses me off.

Very Unfortunate Random Ad Placements

I was on a video website today and noticed these two very random ad placements under a list of advertisers. Poor lady!

Does @raymitheminx Owe Me $100?

Hi Raymi,

Took me a few days, but here we go ...

On Monday, I took offence to your use of the word "retard" -- having a family member with developmental disabilities -- so expressed surprise that "Canada's most famous blogger" still uses words like that.

Your reply, after the "get over it" comment:

That sounded like a generous offer. So, I reached out and found this guy.

As you can see, (1) He's Canadian, (2) He's been blogging since August 1999, and (3) Your use of the word "famous" is very subjective. I had never heard of you until your "retard" tweet, but one person pointed the other guy out to me, so therefore -- to me, technically -- he was more "famous" than you.

If you feel so inclined, please donate the $100 you mentioned to Good Foot Delivery. They are a Toronto-based non-profit courier service that employ people with developmental disabilities.

If not, no hard feelings ... I gave it my best shot.

Thank you,

John.

Don't You Talk About The #@!&# ROI Of My Mother That Way!

So, the new social media phrase du jour is, "The #@!&# ROI of your mother!" thanks to wine expert and marketer, Gary Vaynerchuck. Apparently, this was a retort to some guy in the audience repeatedly asking about the ROI of social media, or something. I don't know the full details.

My sense of humour is fantastic. Yes, it is. But I thought this reply was a bit over the top. I understand Gary's style is abrasive, he calls it as it is, and he's very successful. I admire all that. But to me, addressing a member of the audience in a way that's worded to imply a slur on his mother, seems a bit sound-bitey.

Anyway, I'd like to have a coffee, beer -- or wine -- with Gary one day and get to know the persona.

Salesforce.com Buys Radian6

The social media fishbowl is buzzing today with the news that Salesforce.com bought Radian6 for a large chunk of change. It's a shame that a Canadian suitor didn't step in, but it's nice to see a company north of the border do very well in this space. Hats off to the team, well done.

Reminds me of the time way back in 2008 when I put CEO Marcel LeBrun to the test. A pretty speedy reply considering he was speaking at a Third Tuesday Toronto event that night. Kudos!

You Will Fail, Loser!

A large percentage of tweets/blog posts are of the kind, "5 Reasons Why Your Blog Will Fail," or "10 Mistakes In Your Sales Pitch," etc. Pretty disheartening, right?

I always check who the author is of such finality. My blog is not the most-read prose in the world, but it's nice to think that some people have got good advice from it, or learned something. I make a few bucks off Google ads, big deal. It's not updated every day, granted, but I'm trying to rectify that. It makes me happy to write it.

Have I failed? F**k no!

I don't believe any blog really "fails."I don't aspire to be a Chris Brogan or Danny Brown, both doing great work in their respective areas of choosing ... I aspire to write what I want, when I want and take it as it comes. No pressure.

Sometimes the less advice you read, the better you get.

I'm A Twelebrity, Tweet Me Outta Here!

I saw a very horrible word used the other day: twelebrity. Twitter + "celebrity" I am assuming. It sounds like a kid talking. Horrible.

And Three Months Later

So, Mark Evans guilted me into writing a new blog post today. Three months is a long time to let it slide, so here we are. This blog is not dead; I just like to think that quality is always better than quantity ... but do plan to be more frequent now. I love writing, and this is a great outlet for my thoughts and inspiration.

One thing I'd like to bring up is whether we are in another Web 2.0 bubble that is about to go pop. I don't use Foursquare (preferring Facebook Places) or Quora (preferring Google, my own research and friends' advice) but know that people seem to love those services ... and of course ... financial analysts and anyone else out there who value them in the $billions.

But, I always say something's only worth what someone else pays for it, so tend not to read too much into "Twitter is worth this," or "Facebook is worth that," etc. It's just all stocks, bonds, paper, investments, VC cash, angel funds and so on.

I REALLY want to see someone create a start-up, make it huge, sell it four years later for $2 billion and say, "OK, that's it, made my money, I'm off to sail my yacht around the world, good luck everyone, bye!"

What keeps them going? I assume when you make a million, then you want to make 10 million. Got that? OK -- let's try for a billion. At that point the money is kinda meaningless, it's more of a challenge to see how far you can go. Where will Google end up? Maybe they will have their own Internet one day.

I read around 80 good, solid blogs every day. It's useful to know what is happening in the social media world, for me and other people I help from time to time. I use my Twitter feed like an instant news feed. I don't care who/how many people follow me ... I get value from reading other people's tweets. I'm an information junkie with a knack for finding out certain information behind certain things. It's not hard: research and cross-referencing information is key.

Remember, as a journalist, don't trust one source alone!

Here's To A Great 2011!

I thought it was time to update my blog; can't seem to find the time these days, so taking advantage of my Christmas time off. I get two weeks, which is one advantage of working at a school!

My main prediction for 2011 is that the term "social media" will not appear in so many job titles as the last two years. Anyone who hires a communications or PR guy/gal these days should take it as a given that an element of social media will be involved in the overall strategy -- so why feel the need to mention it? Of course, as every VP of Social Media Guruness out there knows, it's just a tool to be used, not bet the farm on. Right?

Geo-location apps -- something I haven't really been exploring too much up to now -- will really start to hit the mainstream next year. I am not just talking about Foursquare or Facebook Places ... more niche services that will know where you are, what you like and offer goods and services (maybe with a bit of Groupon thrown in for good measure) as you wander about in your daily life.

Actually, me and a friend were having lunch yesterday and discussing ideas around this for a start-up, so might be interesting to get something going in 2011. Greenscroll has been a great learning experience in how to get something off the ground. That is a non-profit, so it's time to maybe start something that will earn a little $$$ as the next step on my Internet journey.

I also have plans to write a second book. It will be a collection of short stories, with a surprising twist. I will definitely self-publish it myself on Lulu, having such a positive experience of using that service for Beer and Bagels for Breakfast after the rights reverted back to me last year. If Lulu had been around in 1999 when that book was first published, I would have definitely done it myself then.

So, here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Give GoodFoot Delivery A Chance

On Thursday, my friend Jon Gauthier invited me to the Gala Party and Fundraiser for his year-old start-up, GoodFoot Delivery. It was an impressive turnout of around 100 people taking part in bidding on cool items, buying tickets for a 50/50 draw and silent auction. The event raised around $23,000.

From the website: "GoodFoot provides a personalized point-to-point delivery service on foot or via public transit as well as employment opportunities to people with developmental disabilities."

It gives people -- who may have faced some challenges in life -- the chance to earn a respectable living, and for that I wholly support it. There are too many lazy asses out there who feel the world owes them a living, and the GoodFoot team are putting them to shame.

You can read more about their story in the Toronto Star.

So, please consider GoodFoot next time you have a package that needs sending ... they really deliver!

Pigeons Don't Break News

Back in medieval times, my ancestors would win battles, write a note about the victory, strap it to the leg of a carrier pigeon and thereby let their cousins miles away know the news.

Please note: the pigeon DID NOT break the news; the person did.

Bring that forward to today; Twitter does not break news. People do!

So, I agreed with Mark Evans at last night's event -- the "Future Of Media" roundtable hosted by Digital Journal -- when he alluded to the fact that we should all get off the "Twitter is better than sliced bread" bandwagon, and see it for what it is: a tool for communication.

The panel consisted of Elmer Sotto, Head of Growth for Facebook Canada; Anjali Kapoor, Managing Editor of the Globe and Mail Digital; David Skok, Senior Producer of Online Content for Global News; Kunal Gupta, CEO of Polar Mobile; and Mark Evans, a digital marketing and social media strategist.

The moderator did a good job of keeping the conversation going, but I would have liked to have heard more about the participants' predictions of where things are going, rather than what they have all done so far. It was about the future, after all.

Anjali Kapoor commented [and please correct me if wrong, AK] that if a journalism grad comes equipped with the ability to use multimedia platforms, analytics skills and a knowledge of Google Maps, they have more chance of getting work. I ask: what about the ability to actually get the facts right, have decent grammar skills and know how to spell? Again, we should not lose sight of the fact that all these shiny new channels, mediums and outlets are just convenient ways of imparting the news to a target audience.

At one of the process is a human being, and at the other end of the process is another human being. It's simple. The media of today -- and the future -- still needs to be trained in finding out what is going on, where, why, when and with who. Not trying to be first to squash all that into 140 characters or less just to "be first."

Like someone else said last night (David Skok, I think): "Bill Cosby has died five times already on Twitter."

The media of the future will have increasing opportunities to reach their audience in various and fantastic (read: unimaginable right now) ways. They will break the news, not the tools they use.

Side note: Some of my friends I think you should connect with for their smarts: JP Fozo, Jon Gauthier and Karim Kanji.

Selling Some Domain Names

I am selling some generic domain names that are great for banks, insurance companies, brokers and other financial institutions. They should provide some good SEO, PPC options and should help the potential buyer get better exposure via search engines. They are:

http://www.stockbrokingcompany.com/
http://www.stockbrokingcompanies.com/
http://www.brokingcompany.com/
http://www.brokingcompanies.com/

Contact me at johncarson AT gmail DOT com if interested in buying them. Thanks!

Greenscroll On Global Footprints TV Show

Quoted In Marketnews

I got some quotes in marketnews ... hope it's good advice!

On A Personal Note

It's been a busy few weeks for me.

On the day job front, we launched our first-ever online Annual Report 2008-2009 at the school; 15 days from start to finish. I was the project manager, and had the support of an excellent team of people.

On a personal note, Karim Kanji was also kind enough to ask me "5 Questions ..." for his Techvibes blog. (Met him at PodCamp Toronto 2010, nice guy.)

And, to round off on the start-up front, Mashable finally featured Greenscroll. That's great exposure for us! (Candice Batista also interviewed some Greenscroll team members for her new upcoming TV show.)

Beer And Bagels For Breakfast 2010

For various periods between 1989-1994 I lived on a kibbutz in Israel; spent a total of two years there, loved it, had the best time of my life.

So good, in fact, that in 1997 I founded Kibbutz Volunteer to help other young travellers experience what I did. I also wrote a book called Beer and Bagels for Breakfast that was published in 1999.

Even though it was well received in the kibbutz volunteer community, I felt it wasn't promoted sufficiently by my publisher. C'est la vie.

Well, I got some good news a few weeks ago -- the rights had reverted back to me, and with the advances in self-publishing since 1999, I was able to now produce my own quality copy via Lulu and sell and promote it myself.

Check it out. It's not Shakespeare ... but everyone has a book in them, and this is mine!

PodCamp 2010 = Very Cool

I just got back from PodCamp Toronto 2010; made a ton of new contacts, met some old friends and generally had a good time.

Some cool, smart people of note whose presentations I watched, or just hung out with in the halls:

Donna Marie Antoniadis, Karim Kanji, Treena Grevatt, Evelyn Hannon, Jodi Echakowitz.

And, on the Greenscroll front, reconnected with Zell Artan, a very connected lady that we'll be partnering with on an exciting project. More to come on that soon ...

My Very Detailed Post On Why Europcar Customer Service Is Terrible, And Why You Should Rent Cars With A Company That Gives A Damn About Its Brand

On December 21 I headed off on a Christmas trip to Scotland with my in-laws and sister-in-law; my wife was on a separate flight. To cut a long story short, because of the bad weather, delays, lost baggage and a flight diversion from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, we eventually got off the bus at Aberdeen Airport 24 hours later. Frazzled, tired and totally spent.

Last item on the momentous trip: collect a car from Europcar. So, the desk is short staffed, and I get a long story about an employee not turning up for work. Europcar, first mistake. That is not my problem, and I do not want to know what goes on behind the scenes at your company. You have my money, please give me a smile and provide the car. Thank you.

Thus, because of the lack of staff, there is no one to meet us in the rental car park to show us where our car is. My father-in-law and I hunt around in the dark, scraping the snow off cars so we can spot the licence plate and identify our car. Twenty minutes later of stumbling around and ... there it is! No ice scraper or defroster provided -- why would we need that in a Scottish winter, Europcar? Silly me! I wait another 20 minutes for the heater to melt the ice off the windscreen, collect the rest of my family and off we jolly well go.

For the next few days, I realize that the car is not safe = it does not grip the road, we slide around the country lanes and the windscreen washer does not work properly. Time to take it back and request a safer car. Off we trot back to Aberdeen Airport.

Now, I am not silly. I have rented cars before and I KNOW that you have to return it with a full tank of fuel. I ask the lady at the counter: “So, do you need me to fill up the tank?” Reply: “No, that’s not necessary.”

I check a second time; they have my credit card and I do not want to be dinged once I get back to Canada. “Are you sure that I shouldn’t fill it before I exchange it?” Reply: “No, it should be OK.”

Last check. “Are you sure that I don’t have to fill it before I return it?” Reply: “No, it’s OK.”

Three times. Great. I’m covered. They feel bad, and in the spirit of good customer service, Europcar is writing off the half tank of fuel for my trouble. The world is good again.

At the end of the trip, I return the second car -- with a full tank of fuel -- and head home.

You know what’s coming, dear reader. Credit card bill comes in. What’s that extra charge I spy? Oh, it’s 48 pounds (around $82.) FOR FUEL! FOR HALF A TANK?

So, I phone the Europcar customer service department, and are told that the extortionate rate is part fuel cost, and part fees for making an employee go to the trouble of filling up the tank. There is a fuel station exactly 60 seconds’ drive from Aberdeen Airport. There is no justification for bumping up the cost of the fuel in the first place, and then overcharging me for a Europcar employee to drive one minute up the road to fill up.

So, I get an e-mail reply on January 14 from Europcar to my complaint. Read this part: Some of our branches have private refuelling facilities and, unfortunately, Petrol Company’s [note to Europcar, please make sure your customer service reps can spell, looks more professional] charge relatively more to fill small storage tanks. Alternatively, where we do not have private refuelling facilities, an agent of ours has to take the vehicle to be refilled at the nearest filling station [which is one minute away, what a chore]. In both instances, and in order for us to cover our staffing, administrative and investment costs [what investment costs?], a refuelling service fee is added to the cost of the fuel itself, and forms part of the refuelling charge.

Regarding the weather and the Snow conditions [snow doesn’t have a capital ‘s’ last time I checked, Europcar], we advise that the driver should take care when driving in such conditions and adhere to weather warnings and road conditions. [Gee, thanks for the condescending advice, Europcar! I’ve only bloody been driving for 23 years in all conditions! I’ll make sure to slow down when I have my family in the car around the wintry Scottish lanes!!]

Guess what? I am not happy with that response, so I send an e-mail back on January 17 asking for the contact details of Europcar’s head office so I can pursue the matter further. No reply.

Time to track down a real human and try my luck. The lucky winner is Karin Weibel, listed on the website as Europcar International – Corporate Communications. Surely she understands about making sure the company’s brand is protected, might help out a customer who is very frustrated with the service he’s getting ... at least, gulp, REPLY to the e-mail I send her on January 18? Nope. Tumbleweeds blowing in the wind.

So, in the meantime, I’m trying to get some help via social media channels; maybe someone from Europcar is listening to their customers there?

Here’s my first request via Twitter. Second request. Third request.

So, it’s now January 26, exactly 12 days after this sorry saga started. Obviously I am resigned to not getting a reply -- let alone $82 -- back that I feel is an unjust charge on their behalf. This is not about the money; it’s about a very large company that, after five attempts to get some sort of reply, is still silent.

Well, Europcar, I hope that $82 gets you some satisfaction. As much as writing this very public blog post got me.

Oh, and by the way, it took me an hour to compose this, so you owe me $100 for my PR services.

Update: February 5, 2010
Still no response, so mailed a copy of this post to the CEO.

Update: April 3, 2010
I found the e-mail address of Mark Cotterill, UK Managing Director, so just sent an e-mail, and a link to this blog post, inviting him to explain how he plans to repair his company's customer service.

Update: April 8, 2010
Dawn Sharpe, Quality and Client Liaison Manager, Europcar UK Group, e-mailed me with an apology and an offer to refund my money for the fuel.

So, I'm obviously happy with that result ... but a bit disappointed it took three months and a blog post to get a response. Is this a social media customer service case study? You decide.

Some Nice Coverage In Yonge Street

Many thanks to Shawn Micallef and Edward Keenan for taking the time to chat to Greenscroll for some nice coverage in their new weekly blog, Yonge Street.

Happy 2010! And Please Get Back To People, People

Well, it's been about a month since I last posted, so time to get back into the groove. I was in Scotland over Christmas, and doing some Greenscroll stuff. We bought our first 12 RECs which was exciting, as it means we have officially greened some of our supporters' websites, so it's great to be off and running.

I read some bloggers' predictions for what will be hot in 2010, and most say mobile or location-based apps. Can't say I disagree, but one thing I think we'll see more of is self-professed social media "experts" finally disappearing as potential clients realize that they can't produce one case study of work they've actually done. Great! Let's call some people out, and make them put up or shut up.

On that note, my eyes were opened at various times in 2009 by the amount of people who profess to be in social media ... actually run companies on that claim ... and yet can't be bothered to answer e-mails, respond and follow up as promised behind the scenes. How effing social is that?! I'm holding back here, but will be keeping an eye on them for the future.

Rogers On Demand Online Beta Is A Little Frustrating, Unless You Like Muppets

[Just to make it easier for the social media trackers out there in PR Land, here's the tags first: rogers on demand online beta, thornley fallis, dave fleet, joe thornley.]

OK, so I was very kindly offered a sneak peek of the above said service, but due to my time constraints, only just got to try it. So it's more of a late peek, but I really appreciate the gesture!

The things I liked about it were: easy to select and pick an episode of a show to watch; good quality video, even in full screen; the cool "dim the lights / raise the lights" option (nice touch, it's the little things) and the fact this service is now online, which makes it very convenient.

One VERY annoying thing that drove me crazy (and it is beta, may be a glitch) but when I tried to drag the slider (fast forward) in an episode of Survivorman, it kept taking me to an ad featuring the very lovely Teri Hatcher, but that was balanced out by Miss Piggy. I tried a few times, but it kept happening! Help! Is it me or the service, guys?!

Did The Toronto Maple Leafs Use Selective Social Media?

OK, attention-grabbing headline aside, did the interactive department of the Toronto Maple Leafs select a well-known social media specialist for VIP treatment?

In a nutshell: Dave Fleet posted a blog entry about tweeting his upcoming visit to a Leafs' game. Jonathan Sinden [of the Leafs' interactive department and official Twitter account manager] picked up on that and invited Dave to a behind-the-scenes tour: "For the TB game Tues, let me know when u arrive, and if u have time, i can show u some behind the scenes stuff."

Good for Dave!

But, I wondered if Dave's status had any bearing on the special VIP treatment he was offered? Would Joe Smith from Oakville with two followers get offered the same privilege?

So, I asked Jonathan. He replied: "Hi John, We already have. Its not about following. It's about opportunity and timing. just works out sometimes. js"

I'm not sure if that means they have offered others some special treatment, maybe so. Anyway, curious if others have seen examples of selective social media out there?

[And just for the record -- in case you're wondering the purpose of this post -- I'm not a hockey fan, no sour grapes ... but if you're reading this TFC, give me a shout any time!]

Thought For The Day

A good social media consultant won't be your consultant for long.

Chap-Hop History

Oh Well

Well, gave it a go. Might try again tomorrow.