2010 Newsmaker of the Year nominess - Dave Teixeira - Dave.ca Communications; Sharon Stead - for husband Doug Stead; and Ernie "Punch" McLean.

We have been nominated for the  “Newsmaker of the Year” award through the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce!

Our work over the last year with SHARE, Wrestling With Hunger, Pink Shirt Day and (fingers crossed) convincing law makers to sanction Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in Vancouver were noted as the reasons for our nomination.

We are very proud of our nomination as it shows we get results for our clients.  In turn, our clients are so happy they want to let others know of our efforts and nominate Dave.ca for awards such as “Newsmaker of the Year”.  For that we thank them.

Last year we earned “Outstanding Small Business of the Year” which was a terrific honour.  We look forward to sharing the stage on January 15, 2010 with all finalists when the winner is announced.

For a complete list of awards and nominees CLICK HERE.

MANY business people have already recognised the power of social media and are poised to exploit it commercially at every opportunity.

One may have a new summer line of swimwear, another a fresh menu from the restaurant kitchen, another has a sudden shipment of Asian artefacts, another is offering Mother’s Day discounts on facials and manicures.

With just a quick Twitter, these businesses can let all their followers know about the deals and get business pumping again.

But businesses that didn’t monitor the various social media out there now – Twitter, SMS, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, blogs – could find themselves in enormous trouble because of the rapid, or viral, way the message is spread.

In fact, some could find themselves out of business within a month, according to David Eldridge, the chief executive of UK-based global marketing and analytics company Alterian.

“Social media has exploded and this means that the information people use to make buying decisions has changed,” he said.

“It’s not just what businesses put out there but also what people say in response.

“Feedback is instantaneous and if that feedback is bad then reputations and credentials can be damaged in minutes.”

Mr Eldridge cited two recent examples of how the use of YouTube brought undone two powerful US organisations.

The most famous was a YouTube video made in jest by two Dominos Pizza staff who performed gross acts in the kitchen while preparing takeaways.

The food never made it to customers, but the video reached millions while Dominos reacted with all the corporate zeal of a stuffed mammoth.

While eventually the pranksters were sacked and faced felony charges, Dominos’ reputation was trashed because of its inertia.

Ignoring a legitimate complaint about damaged baggage brought United Airways undone.

Early last year, musician Dave Carroll stopped off in Chicago on his way to a gig and saw the case containing his $2300 guitar being manhandled by the baggage handlers.

United chose to ignore his claim for $1200 worth of damage, until several months later when he wrote the song United Breaks Guitars and posted it on YouTube.

As one commentator said: “Revenge is a dish best served with country accompaniment.”

“The first thing that businesses have to understand is that they’re not the ones with sole control of their brand, because customers now talk about their experiences to a wider audience,” Mr Eldridge said.

Not only did businesses need to respond quickly to what was being said, but they also needed to be careful about how they responded, he said.

It meant listening to what was being said about them, and what was being said about competitors.

“Fix customers’ services issues, change marketing messages if they don’t resonate,” he said.

It also meant learning to interact with — and not interrupt — customers and clients.

“If you do a search of the world’s top 20 brands, you will see that 25 per cent of the entries are user comments,” Mr Eldridge said.

Further, buyers prefer these comments over the information the businesses put out, he said.

“Fourteen per cent of people trust advertisements, but 90 per cent trust peer recommendations. It’s important to put the brand image out there, but it’s equally important to monitor what’s being said,” Mr Eldridge said.

A funny thing happened when Nathalie Balfour posted an article about her job description on the company blog. Within a few days, the public relations supervisor for Lululemon Athletica in Vancouver received dozens of responses from all sorts of interested parties. “It was so interesting to see how quickly doing that blog turned into a conversation with people within the company and externally,” she says.

Lululemon is embracing social networking in a big way to keep lines of communications open with potential and current employees. With 116 stores throughout North America and Australia, online community manager Carolyn Coles says having the ability to use Twitter, Facebook, blogging and Flickr, among other tools, “helps to keep everyone connected at every level and empowered, and really elevates internal conversation.”

The company goes out of its way to encourage stores to set up their own Twitter and Facebook pages. “It’s amazing for morale and gets everyone really involved because it puts the power of communications in their hands,” says Balfour.

She adds that social networking provides more opportunities for staff to connect with managers to air their views and get direct feedback. Employees can also educate each other online, share ideas and post stories, and help new hires feel like they are part of the family. “Being able to do that really humanizes the company. That’s what makes [social networking] so powerful.”

More and more retailers are realizing that social networking can play an important role in employee recruitment, training and retention. Given that many retail employees are in the 18-24 age bracket, social networking is second nature to them, says Brenda Dumont, national retail recruitment specialist for canadianretail.com, a subsidiary of working.com. “These people have been on Facebook or MySpace since they launched.”

She adds that to date, 65 per cent of retailers in Canada have embraced the practice of online recruiting, and virtual career fairs are also gaining momentum with the tech savvy crowd.

Social networking helps retailers in three ways, according to Cary Schuler, CEO of cfactor Inc. in Saskatoon, a provider of web-based social networking and workforce solutions. “First it can be used to attract new talent. Second, it ensures that new people coming on board feel socialized within the first few months of joining the company. Third, it can help employees advance their careers by allowing them to contribute ideas and get noticed.”

Cfactor and a number of specialists in the social networking field are saying retailers are becoming a rapidly growing part of their business. “It’s about speaking the language of youth,” says Neil Grunberg, vice-president of sales and marketing for Vortex Connect, a developer of text messaging applications for managing workforces. “Typically employees go to where they’re offered the greatest flexibility in the way they can communicate, and the amount of hours they work and when.”

Retailers have also started to use online surveys to engage their workforce and collect feedback, says Daniel Debow, co-CEO and co-founder of Rypple in Toronto. “They find it is a good way to get honest, direct answers that they never had before, and that’s helpful in bringing employees into the improvement cycle.”

Jason Perlman, marketing director for Jean Machine, says that social networking has become a big part of its recruitment and retention picture. “We have a very social, very active and very motivated workforce,” he explains. “Retention is definitely tough, so retailers need to create a comfortable group environment that they enjoy being part of. That’s why it’s important to offer tools that fit within their lifestyle and they are already very active in using in their daily lives.”

What social networking brings to the mix is a sense of community that goes beyond staff parties, he adds. “A lot of our stores use Facebook to communicate with each other. There is also tons of teamwork being done through instant messaging. It’s all about embracing existing technology and using it to create your own culture.”

Social networking is also a way for employees to be seen as unique individuals in a company’s eyes, Balfour says. “In this day and age, a person isn’t just a resume anymore. Each time they use a blog or post something on Facebook, they leave a footprint and establish a connection with us… It’s fascinating. Some say it’s the way of the future. But we know it’s going on right now.”

I have been working for almost a year with politicians and MMA organizations to make this a reality.  I believe that before the end of the year the City of Vancouver will allow MMA and that within the next two year the Province of British Columbia – upon seeing the tax revenue which can be gained – will take over this sanctioning.

FYI – I take a nice shot at Coldplay around the 10 minute mark – just because that is funny to me.

Here is the edited 30 minute segment with phone calls.

I will have a Dave TV episode up in the coming days on the issue of MMA in Vancouver so stay tuned.

Note – I said UFC 100 will do “800,000 to 900,000 pay-per-view buys” – not sure what I was thinking.  I am guessing the show will do 1.2 million.

Until then, here is the edited 30 minute segment with phone calls.

The plan at this time is to have two teams of twelve runners start in St. Johns and Victoria on April 12th. Each participant will attempt to run 3,339 miles in 143 days, matching Terry’s daily mileage, meeting in Thunder Bay on Labour Day weekend.

There will be a one hour casting special to air in April in CBC primetime where the participants will be introduced, the stakes will be set for the run and Terry’s enduring and building legacy will be highlighted. This will be followed by a feature that would appear weekly on the National or CBC News Sunday that would provide an update on the runners and their fundraising efforts. There would also be a one hour (or more) special on Labour Day.

Here is more from the email.

Teaming Up With Corporate Canada

Living up to the example set by our founder allows the Foundation to be outside the box of traditional fundraising models.  Typical events such as this require sponsors to underwrite the costs – this is not possible with this exciting proposal because Terry Fox himself did not accept sponsorship of his Run, nor does any event bearing his name to this day.

Finding “no strings attached” funding can be a challenge but it is nowhere near as monumental as the one Terry faced every morning as he rose to run 42 kilometres in the snow, sleet, rain or heat.  We know that Canadian companies exist out there who believe that financial contributions to a philanthropic organization do not have to be tied to contracts, quid pro quos and fanfare.  This is an opportunity for your firm to support an event that will reach all corners of our country.

How Can Your Company Help?

The Terry Fox Foundation is well known for its lean approach to event planning resulting in annual expenditures of $20 million in Terry Fox research grants and awards across the country. To put it succinctly, Terry Fox volunteers are not permitted to use funds raised through the event to cover expenses. Goods and services, beyond the promotional materials provided by the Foundation, must be secured in advance or covered by third parties.

Our approach to supporting this event would be no different. CBC is bearing the burden of the production and programming costs of the show with TFF taking responsibility for securing support for the logistical needs of the event. The Foundation is currently in discussions with a number of companies regarding in-kind donations of goods and services and/or reduced rates. However, it is clear that financial contributions will have to be obtained to cover some significant items.

In our discussions with the producer, the following significant cost elements were identified as needing our prompt attention. They include:

* Food & Water: an average of $70 per person based on 12 runners and 6 support crew per team. For participants running a marathon a day, the nutritional content of the food will have to be taken into consideration. Depending on the type of accommodation and transportation used, refrigerated trucks may have to accompany the participants. Water consumption will be significant, with an estimated 3 L of water per runner per day.

Total Cost Estimate: $370,000

* Transportation: Use of campaign buses (includes gas, driver, insurance, customized interior) and/or Recreation Vehicles and mini-vans.

Total Cost Estimate: $360,000

* Media Coordinator: One full-time employee or the use of a PR company. Activities would include launch parties, media kits and a promotional outreach with Terry Fox Foundation supporters in the school system, companies and communities.

Total Cost Estimate: $150-200,000

Your assistance in securing the above support would be greatly appreciated.

I would very much appreciate your consideration of the above and would welcome your comments. Please feel free to contact the Foundation at terryfox09@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Darrell Fox
National Director
The Terry Fox Foundation

This can’t be good. Just a few months after restricting its U.K.-based text-messaging number due to cost issues, Twitter has done the same for Canada.

The microblogging service has cut outbound SMS messages for the folks up north, citing "unexpected changes in our billing." Costs had been doubling for a few months.

This explains why I have not been receiving updates from John Cleese, Shaq, ECCW Pro-Wrestling, etc. and why folks have not commented back on my witty tweets.

HEY TWITTER! Just let Facebook buy you and be done with it. Don’t go broke like the dotcoms in the early part of this decade. Trust me, that sucks.

Below is the Letter to the Editor I sent off:

The headline of your piece “Residents oppose temporary shelter” on the front page of your Wednesday edition is inaccurate and misleading.

In short, your headline should have read “Residents support temporary shelter” with a supplemental line, “Other municipalities in the Tri-Cities should take PoCo’s lead and move forward on similar programs – quickly”.

Here is the actual news piece, which is not too bad – just the headline (the only piece some people will read) is wrong:

As the season’s first snow began to fall on the city’s higher elevations Monday night, Port Coquitlam city council approved third reading for the proposed temporary, cold weather emergency shelter at Trinity United Church on Prairie Avenue.

The shelter was unopposed by council, but concerns expressed by some residents [sic.] drew the ire of councillors and the mayor.

Coun. Michael Wright tried to acknowledge concerns.

“They’re aware council can giveth and council can taketh away,” he said.

And Coun. Mike Forrest said it would be “a good idea to hold a meeting after this season,” to address concerns.

“Police are actually in favour of this,” he said, before chiding a submission that claimed the shelter had a high proportion of incidents during its 2006-2007 operations.

But in two e-mails to council, Carl Severson [a resident of Coquitlam, 5kms from the proposed temporary shelter site] wrote that the two reported incidents constituted a 1.4-per-cent incident ratio that could be extrapolated into “almost 11 incidents over 60 operational nights” between both Trinity United Church and the Foursquare Church’s emergency shelters for the homeless.

“It’s an interesting use of math to extrapolate numbers,” Forrest said in response. “That’s good for them; it shows statistics can be twisted any way.”

Severson’s submission also noted that a report on the church’s own website indicates the shelter was open 11 nights last winter and that there were two reported incidents.

“Apparently, one was drug related and the other violence related,” he wrote.

But Trinity United Church’s program liaison, Joyce Lissimore, told council the drug-related incident resulted in the removal of a person who violated the shelter’s no-drug-use policy.

The other incident, she said, involved an argument over bacon that was served at the shelter.

Lissimore said the five calls she received about the shelter’s 2006-2007 operation were from neighbours and congregation members who were concerned that the facility did not appear to be open during some cold nights.

Ultimately, Lissimore said, “We had no impact on the neighbourhood or the church.”

According to Coun. Mike Bowen, the key words to Trinity United’s proposal were “temporary” and “extreme.”

Doreen Carter, who identified herself as homeless, said, “All we want is a warm, safe, dry place to put our heads at night.”

Nevertheless, Frank Roberts, who noted he owns buildings at 2228 and 2232 Prairie Ave., said his tenants do not want the shelter in the area.

“I don’t think this is the right way to go,” he said. “Not in a residential area.”

Under the proposal, the 20-bed shelter would only open on nights when the local health department determines the weather poses a health risk to the homeless, notably during temperatures below -4 C.

It was open last winter under council’s approval, and is not part of a Tri-Cities-wide attempt to find permanent shelters.

Mayor Scott Young called the temporary shelter “a humanitarian issue.”

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Coun. Darrell Penner said.

“I’m sure most of us wouldn’t leave our animals out in cold and wet weather,” Young added.

Hopefully the Now will do a better job of put accurate headlines on their front pages as opposed to shocking, tabloid style drivel.

Really cool things come in threes like triplets, three wheel bikes and disasters so this should be fine.

Here is the complete review from CKNW:

The 2010 Winter Olympics will have not one, not two, but three official mascots…and a marmot friend named Muk-Muk.

Each of the critters has a west coast feel.

Miga the sea bear is a combination of an orca whale and the Kermode spirit bear.

Quatchi’s a sasquatch and Sumi is a mythical thunderbird spirit who loves to snowboard.

Their side-kick is a marmot named Muk-Muk.

About 800 school kids have been bused in to Surrey to be the first outsiders to meet the mascots.