Twelpforce?!

I litterally just ran upstairs to type this. So it's fresh....

First, watch that.

Ok

Awesome.

1) First time I've ever seen a twitter address used in a commercial

2) Huge impact to a single market "People with everyday tech questions"
3) Low cost, fueled by knowledgeable people who just like to help. I know, I was one!

There's 5 more commericals exactly like this one, targeted at different groups within the market. Now I guess we wait, and see if it grows. Kinda surprised this is Best Buy though, they normally have crap commercials, that get annoying.

This one will get annoying quick, but atleast it'll be good to be used.

*** Again, how long until we have dynamic commericals? Updated daily?

http://twitter.com/Twelpforce

** 8,000 followers as of the time of posting.

Video killed the internet star!

I did it! Actually, it was more or less done 'for' me, but still, I showed up and I am now a visible face on that videotube thingy thanks to Patti from WhyHire.me. Give it a spin quickly and then come back here for the rest of the rant!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfDNBpzF4pc

ok, so the highlights now.

1) Do I actually sound like that?

2) Why do I hate stairing at the camera?

3) How can I be working on the day after MJ's passing?

"Answers to these questions and more, soon..."

so, 1) I have a real problem with the way I sound on video, but being as logical as I am, I also understand that the voice of Ian Ford (from the perspective of Ian Ford) is much different then my voice from the persepective of you(s)...

** I just saw Amy's Post. She has a way better background then me. ***

2) I was sitting there thinking that professional people are always looking to the left of the camera to the interviewer, but since Patti was behind the camera filming I was at a loss. Hence the wacko "never look at camera, oh no, you did it, look away faster!" flying around!

3) Meh, I'm a bigger Prince fan...

Next post... explaining whyhire.me to you, the reader.

** I suppose I should figure out if anyone actually reads this...

A red and gold envelope

Brilliance struck!
I just had it, one of those sneaky idea's that comes out of nowhere...

What if you were at a cash register in Sears. Scratch that, make it the LCBO. So you're walking through, looking at bottles, "Pasta for dinner tonight, meat sauce. Should I go French? Chilean? oh screw it, I know nothing about wine, and yellowtail is good." You know, typical LCBO.

So you pick out a few bottles, this and that, and stand in line.
There's a few people in front of you. Cashier is taking that person, and she's bought a beautiful bottle of rum. It's got a crystal looking outside, not too fancy, but nice. You glance, price isn't bad. Meh, maybe you'll try it out.

Then the cashier reaches under his desk, and hands her a red envelope with a simple gold ribbon on it. "What's this?" she asks, and the cashier explains that everyone who buys that bottle of rum get's an envelope.

So wait a sec. She get's the red envelope for buying that rum? What's in it?

**This is the part where I get to my point(s)**

This idea came to me when I was crossing 2 needs. The first need is for a company to create a group around their brand. Not just loyalty, but a group. The idea is to use the envelope kinda like a direct mail piece, but since you can direct it completely to customers, the idea is to use the message inside to create a pathway of information. Seth Godin has a TED-Talk on the idea of 'tribes' here: (http://tinyurl.com/p2fzqa)

Maybe on the inside of the envelope it's an invitation to a concert hosted by the company, or depending on the demographic a free ticket to an event at a night club. The bar get's the patrons, the booze company get's the message across, and another invitation to join them on twitter or facebook so that they can hear about the next 'event' or deal in town.

Maybe on this bottle is a sleeve on the back with a card that says "Fill this out, tell us what you think, put it in the mail (postage already paid), and we'll send you a bottle spout to put on your next bottle." You now have all the information needed to start communication.



The second idea works when you look at the story of 'Grey Poupon'. Long version here: (http://tinyurl.com/475qzx)
Short version, there were 2 mustard companies, frenchs and Gold. Yellow mustard, paprika and some other stuff. That was it
Grey Poupon comes along, with a dijon. Better seeds, white wine, more delicate arromatics, and put it in a beautiful clear glass jar. They decide instead of 2$, it'll be 4$. And the roles royce with the ... you get the point.
They took a HUGE market share with that.

The whole point here is: The way to make people happy, is to give them something that is more expensive, something to aspire to. To turn their back and reach farther up the mustard ladder! (btw, thanks to Malcolm Gladwell for most of what I just wrote.

Both talks, led me on this little rant.

If you give out red envelopes with gold ribbon, to all your customers, you will create a pull. If you're like me, and like hitting '3 birds with one stone' so to speak, you realize the awesome power of this.

The Digital Revolution - It's over folks!

I have been meaning to write this for a little while now. Something that really grinds my gears...

Folks. The Digital Revolution is over!
There, I said it.

Wikipedia says the digital revolution is the change from analog to digital from 1980 to 2010+. What I say, is that the change has been made; the internet has been created, and I'm not just talking about the world wide web. The internet is the beginning of a connectedness that the world has yet to fully understand.

Imagine for a moment, that computers actually make our lives easier. *Laugh all you want, as that spyware gives you a popup for partypoker again*... but really think for a moment in which your life is enhanced by semi-smart machines. About a year ago I was reading about the LG Auto-house. A computer/house. Your cellphone knew when you were on your way home from work, and turned on your air-conditioning 22minutes before you got home so it would be perfect temperature when you arrived. The garage door opened on it's own! The trash put it's self out. Your TV turns on and flips to the news, and when you walk into the kitchen, the TV in there turns to the same channel.

THIS IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE! This is what we expect! We've expected it since the Jetsons on tv!

The internet is like discovering the wheel. Basic applications are thought of quickly; the buggy now rolls behind the horse. More complex idea's are thought of; what if we use a series of wheels to move larger objects. Eventually we hit gears, and the windmill or watermill can now ground grain. It's still just a wheel, but it's all about how you use it.

The internet is nothing more then a bi-directional transmission of information. Why are we limiting it to the world wide web? In Korea, there's 24/7 Video on Demand on every single cellphone. Anything you want to watch, where ever you are, whenever you want. Now take it a step further. Each cellphone has information on it's user. Each company has information (job title, general age, etc etc). If the video is on demand, are the ads?

Now jump to Ottawa/Ontario. If the internet is Bi-directional, and cable/internet/phone etc is all pretty much one thing by now, why in the hell am I, a 24 year old male seeing tampon ads on TV. What if the ads could be targeted directly to the individuals watching? What if you could press a button on the remote, and you were instantly e-mailed information on the product advertised?

We are overwhelmed with the amount of raw data flying at us, and it will take time to learn to control this information properly, and in ways that help anyone with any background to understand what they are seeing. But seriously, stop sitting on your asses big corps... don't make me start a company that brings the innovation we should be seeing to the general public.

Next post: Why isn't there a global world knowledge database yet?

Infinite Possibilities

Fair Warning... This is not a pleasant read...

Fresh Meet 2009. The speeches that we heard, especially the one from Scott McBride, just fantastic. Scott highlighted the need for fresh, innovative idea's. "The chef is in-charge, but it's up to you to be his right arm" (Don't quote me on that, my memory is no where near good enough to remember his words exactly). But the idea remains the same. Fresh ideas, fresh faces who don't follow the status quo.

One thing about our generation that I think hasn't really been discussed often, is Gen Y never really has had a status quo. The world around us, especially the internet, has prevented anything from really sinking in and becoming a 'status quo'. For our generation the status quo is the flavor of the week. We've never experienced 'the way things are done around here', and in my mind that's the best possible new hire you can have.

An interesting idea was once mentioned to me that opens a few doors. We all know that a child when born is a Tabula Rasa (Latin: Blank Slate). Our experiences shape us, and define who we are. A student who goes to school vs a child on the streets. Both will have extremely different lives based on their experiences. But what if every child born is not only Tabula Rasa, but capable of anything? What if their experiences through out live don't help them to grow, but only confine them within a box of their own making?

-- Now apply this to a student vs experienced worker.

In an organization of people who have worked together for a while, they peak. There is a point in which they cease to grow. They work so well together, anticipating each others next move that there are no significant inputs of new ideas or energy into the team.

Students, with no experience have no choice but to reach out to their imagination. The schooling we have gives us set guidelines(or rules) as to how things are done. But outside of those guidelines we have no experience to draw upon. So we imagine! We say things like "Exactly how difficult would it be to dress up 350 people, drop them into a city, and cause a 'Thomas Crown'-esque scene with the bowler hats on that citys public transit. We imagine 'how cool would it be if...' and then we do it.

But our imagination draws upon what we already know. We know many things... Reading, writing, basic social skills. Maybe some of us have experience in pro-hockey, or studying a part of history, or a background in another part of the world. Whatever we have, it's the box that's been created around us, but it's not fully complete. We have the ability to say 'Hey, wait a sec... Why wouldn't we do it this way...?'

Sadly, without a good manager who's willing to hear new idea's, and a student who's willing to speak up, there is no chance that either the student, or the business will grow to it's full potential.

Value in Networking... we've all heard it before!

Today I learned the power of networking.
It's been pushed into my brain over and over again, thousands of times by my father, my teachers in college, and anyone else in the business world, but what they don't tell you, is that it's actually one of those things that's going to take time out of your week. I mean some people do this stuff for a living!

But today was special. I was going through my E-mail contacts and pushing them through linkedIn, blogsearch, etc etc, just to see who would pop up (Mainly from my class), and my old Law teacher popped into my head. That woman changed my belief in teachers at college, and really gave me a good lesson in getting through school, but more importantly, she ended our last conversation with "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call". And until now, those were great cliche words.

But today, I looked at a friend of mine who's interested in a good summer job. The man has a resume that shows extreme dedication, intelligence, and an ability to go out there above and beyond the rest in his field. He's a published author for Pete's sake! The guy can reference HIMSELF! And I realized that there's a potential benefit to both parties should I introduce them.

Today, I learned to believe in networking.

Tomorrow's question: Hard copy, or digi-copy of my contacts...

My facination with learning

First blog...
Kinda scared...
Just keep typing... thoughts flow, it takes time.

I have an obsession with Ted.com. I call it an obsession, because really, almost every video I watch from there literally blows my mind. Richard Branson was arrested while working with the Sex Pistols. There's a Harvard professor who literally brought me to tears with his story about depression, and the radical measures it took to save him. Right now, I'm hooked on Sir Ken Robinson, who in 20 minutes summarized a view I have had about the education system since high school ended. Blows my mind. Every time.

I also have an obsession with comma's, but, I'm trying, hard, to fix that.

A thought occurred to me a little while ago, with something that I once joked about with my dad. I think he said something like, "The best way to get something done is to get 2 people yelling at each other." *SHOCK* What crazy advice! How could 2 people yelling at each other, something we view to be 'childish' and unprofessional, be sound advice?
Well,...I have an 'adversary' in my class. This student and I have worked quite a few times on many different projects, and I only use the word 'adversary' because I can't find the other word I need. We get a lot of work done, A LOT! And we do great work, sometimes even work that we sit back and go 'WoW' to. But we get a lot of this work done, and big milestones completed when we're disagreeing.

And we disagree a lot.

But a lot of my good thoughts come from bouncing them off this student like a sounding board. I have a cloudy idea in my head, we wrestle with the idea for a little bit and something creative, unique, and valuable comes out of this argument. And this brings me to my original point (which I failed to mention up there I think...), I'm scared to go into a workforce that is so rigid, and bound by rules, regulations and procedure that I won't be allowed to have a sound board.

Stay tuned,
Maybe this blog thing will catch on?