Where Does The Food Network Get Its Diners From?

As a massive foodie, I like to follow chefs and restaurants, attend events such as Soupalicious (parsnip and white chocolate puree with pistachio and sour cherry anyone?) and religiously watch the Food Network and Food Network Canada.

Food, the scene around it and the people who can make it well are really interesting to me.

I was watching Chef Wanted With Anne Burrell last week (the Old Homestead episode) and noticed a very familiar face as one of the diners = none other than Restaurant Impossible's regular contractor, Tom Bury. He wasn't happy with the quality of the steak that one of the contestant chefs had cooked during their job interview to work at the restaurant.

Tom Bury is not happy with his steak!

Of course, it may have just been as simple as one Food Network participant appearing on another Food Network show, but I would have thought there may have been a caption to identify him as such? A lot of those people probably know each other and hang out in the same circles, but it just struck me as odd.

I asked Food Network, Food Network Canada and Tom himself, but no reply to date.

Now I wonder where the diners come from in these shows, and if they are out-of-work actors, real customers who get a free meal for being on the show or simply friends of the Food Network.

I also spotted The Next Food Network Star's Adam Gertler as the dinner party guest of a Chopped contestant (the "leftovers" episode).

Yeah, I know. Too obsessed with food and the shows.

Tales From A Toronto Job Seeker - Part 1

So, I haven't blogged for a while and thought it was time to put fingers to keyboard and get back into it. More for the creative outlet than anything.

I started this blog on November 21, 2006 to document my job search after leaving Beer.com. It was an interesting way for me to keep track of the process, and to also fill in those gaps in the day when not scouring job boards, networking, Linking In and partaking in other top secret stuff that I can't mention here in case the other Toronto Job Seekers read it and leapfrog me into a plum role!

Searching for a job is something that most people will have to do at some time in their life. It can be pretty worrying not to feel that you're actively earning a living, but balancing that is the thought that when on your deathbed, you're not going to say, "I wish I'd spent more time in my office cubicle. Too late now!"

As a firm believer in the work/life balance, it is very important that you work hard for yourself or your employer, but find time to forget that and relax a bit ... otherwise you're never "off" and will burn out very quickly.

The same goes for the daily job search. Spend a few hours a day engaging in that process, but realize it's not a bottomless well of jobs. There are only so many APPLICABLE and RELEVANT jobs you are suited for and have a good chance of getting, so don't spread your net too wide. (The Caps Lock was intentional by the way to show that people are only suited to certain jobs, so don't panic ... and wait to apply for those you really have a passion for and think you'd be good at. Your fake enthusiasm for jobs you don't want will soon show, and then you'll be parting ways with that company pretty soon after. A waste of your time and theirs, and also hurting the person who was qualified for that particular job in the first place.)

My personal aim is to apply for an average of two jobs a day. Sometimes it's none -- sometimes it's four. Depends on the timing of when they are advertised or you hear about them behind the scenes via contacts, friends and family.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of being on LinkedIn. At the very, VERY least, research the company you're applying at -- even if the application form is one of those crappy "import from resume, no formatting, computer reads it first before a human sees it" online hiring tools. That way you can at least show some respect and address your cover letter to the hiring manager personally. The little touches go a long way and might elevate you over the competition.

Talking of respect, it goes both ways. Usually you get an auto-generated response to acknowledge your job application, so at least you know it got there. Sometimes you hear diddly squat. I would like to give a shout out to Shawn Mitchell, Director of Content and Communications at CharityVillage who took the time to send two personal e-mails explaining the delays in the hiring process on their end. That kind of response is very rare, so hats off to him for representing what looks like a great place to work!

This will be an ongoing series, so more to come in Part 2. As always, open to job leads. You can find me on my LinkedIn profile. Thanks!

Back On The Market Again

Unfortunately, after three years at Greenwood College School my job was terminated yesterday, so I am back on the market and looking for my next opportunity.

I'd like to stay in the education sector if possible, but definitely want to stay in the realm of communications.

Any job leads gratefully accepted!

Here is my LinkedIn profile.

A Milestone For Greenscroll

So, very proud to say Greenscroll greened over a million pages last week. Cheers to all our supporters!

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.