Justin Kozuch

What I Learned About Fear

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:55:38 -0400

There’s something to be said about starting over. The new beginning smell, the excitement, the congratulations and well wishes for your success. You may even celebrate with a few friends over a pint.

But, there’s an underside to all of this. When the warm and fuzzies have worn off, you’re left with this gnawing feeling of “what have I done?”. You may even start to think that you’ve made the wrong decision and try to reverse your decision.

It’s OK. Really. You’d be crazy if you *didn’t* feel that way.

When I started Pixel to Product, I didn’t know where it would lead. The truth is, I still don’t know where it’s going to take me. I have no idea where I’d like to go with it, and I’m fine with that. All I know is that I’m proud with the progress I’ve made.

Fear Is A Funny Thing

Fear is one of the great equalizers. It puts things into perspective. It pushes you to work harder, to think more strategically, to identify where you’ve gone wrong and how to correct your path. And it does this constantly, and most of the time, you won’t even notice it.

On some level or another, we’re all scared. I’ll be the first person to admit it:

I’m scared. Scared I can’t do what I’m good at, scared that I’ll screw things up, scared that other people will see that, scared of being seen as incapable.

But none of that matters. Why? Because without that fear, I’m not grounded. I’m not humble, and I’m not humbled when I’m recognized for my achievements by the people I respect and admire. Without that fear, I’m not motivated to be better when I really screw something up.

Fear can be a terrible, wonderful, paralyzing thing. It can beat you down, destroy your confidence, shatter your dreams and leave you wondering what just happened.

But fear can also build you up. It can pick you up, dust you off, and ask you: “What did you learn, and are you prepared to try again?”. Like a good leader, fear encourages personal development, challenges you to push the envelope and is relentless in its desire to see you succeed.

On Being Lost And Finding Your Way

From time to time, I feel lost. I think most people feel that way. I’ve come to learn there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s OK to be indecisive, as long as you have a plan for finding your way.

Looking back on my professional history, it’s been a bit fragmented, as I tried to find something that excites me, something that taps into my passion and ability.

I know what I want to do and where I can add the add most value. I’m excited for what the future holds for me. And that’s a wonderful thing.

Let’s get started.

3 Ways to Rock a Trade Show

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:03:00 -0500

I recently attended a conference and I was surprised at the number of booths I saw that failed to grab my attention, engage me or didn’t provide the tools I would have needed to sign up for a service, product or even a mailing list.

In the age of instant subscription - yes, I’m coining a new buzzword - and the existence of technology that allows you to engage users and find new fans, I often wonder why organizations don’t take advantage of the plethora of free tools that offer these benefits.

As I walked around from booth to booth, I started to think about what I would do if I was an exhibitor at a conference. Of course, this is by no means a complete list. I’m sure if I spent an hour thinking about it, I could come up 10 more ideas. Here are 3 different tactics I came up with that you can employ to rock your next tradeshow appearance:

User Signup

If your company measures success in terms of the number of users (daily active or otherwise), provide visitors to your booth with the ability to sign up for your service. Hopefully, that service already exists on your site, so put it to good use. I’d put good money on getting a decent visitor to new user conversion rate.

Bonus Tip: If email marketing is part of your communications strategy (and it should be), offer booth visitors the ability to sign up for your mailing list. I’m a big fan of Mailchimp and have been a loyal user for a number of years. As it turns out, they have an iPad app that I can use to sign up subscribers to the Pixel to Product mailing list. It’s free, customizable and is a low-tech way to putting your content on the screens of your customers. In turn, they can share this content with friends, colleagues, and their social networks. Put your content to work for you.

Social Media and You

Is your content already being spread through social media? (If not, ask yourself why.) Are people talking about your product or interacting with you through these channels? (Chances are it’s already happening.) Listen to what they say and look at the sentiment. If it’s bad, why? Do you have a strategy in place for prioritizing and engaging with those making these remarks? (You should. If not, here’s a few suggestions for dealing with negative feedback.) If it’s good, thank them and build relationships with them. Keep in mind the path people take to talking about your product: Interest -> Action -> User -> Fan -> Advocate. If there’s mass adoption of your product, even in a small market, highlight the adoption and make it visible to your visitors. As a rule, visual content draws people in. Display the content you (and others) are creating and don’t be show it off!

Bonus Tip: If your brands hashtag is particularly active, use a free tool like VisibleTweets to show others what the conversation online looks like in real-time. You can also use the Twitter search syntax to display mentions of your company, your product and other social objects using one search query.

Foursquare

Create a venue for your booth on Foursquare and encourage people to check in at your booth to win a prize. Add a tip to the venue where your booth is located with a description of your company and bit.ly the link to your company’s website so that you can track how many people clicked on it.

Bonus Tip: If you have the financial means, create a badge that people can unlock when they check into your booth. As a Foursquare user myself, I love unlocking badges and incentives (10% off my next purchase, preferred seating for the mayor, etc). Use the platform to your advantage. Foursquare has a decent venue analytics platform, and allows you to view data such as total checkins, new and unique visitors and social reach (shares to Twitter and Facebook), as well as age breakdown and who your visitors were (and how to get in touch with them).

Over To You

What about you? If you had a booth at a tradeshow, how would you rock it? What would you do? Let me know by way of a comment below.

Things I Learned in 2011

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:03:00 -0500

I learned that hustle is important, but taking a break and spending time with family is more important. Family is everything, and in the end, they are the ones that will stick by you no matter what.

I learned to trust my instincts. Always. If something feels strange, act on it. There’s a certain type of poetic logic behind the saying “Trust your gut”. The voice inside your head is there for a good reason.

I learned that there is a BIG difference between management and leadership. Management is a task, an activity, something that people do because that’s what they’re required to do. Leadership is a quality. It can’t be taught, it can’t be passed down, it’s not genetic. You’re either a leader, or you’re not.

I learned that I’d rather have a few strong advocates than a few hundred or even a few thousand friends. The concept of strength in numbers only applies to the military. I think it’s not about who you know, or what you know, but how strong those bonds are. And more importantly, it’s about how care for those advocates.

I learned that there’s no problem that cannot be solved by taking a few minutes to talk it through. Removing yourself from the equation is often the solution to a tricky problem.

I learned that leaping before looking is not always a bad thing. The great thing about this is that you will inevitably find yourself doing something you absolutely love. And if you don’t, then you’ve taken an important step in figuring what you want to do.

I’ve learned that questioning what you do is an important part of figuring out your career path. On occasion, I’ve questioned if what I’m doing makes me happy. Sometimes it’s yes, sometimes it’s no. Regardless of how I feel about what I do, I’ve realized that if I can help someone, I’m doing the right thing.

I learned that bad days happen to everyone. They’re a part of life. It’s what you do with them, what you learn from them, and how you deal with them that matters the most.

I learned that relationships are like plants. You invest in them, you take care of them, you nurture them and you give them the attention they deserve. Without healthy relationships, you’ll be unhappy, unproductive and be left feeling unsatisfied.

I learned how to learn. Not just from the signals that came from within, but to listen to the signals being emitted from others.

I learned to listen instead of just hearing. Silence is golden and is often rewarded with real understanding.

I learned that there will always be those who will detract you from your goals, that there will always be those who are jealous, or spiteful, or will do everything they can to discredit you. I learned that they don’t matter.

I learned that just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Just because someone else is doing something, doesn’t mean you should. If it doesn’t fit with your business or personal objectives, then you probably shouldn’t do it.

I learned that it’s OK to say no. Sometimes, you need time to focus on what makes you happy. Sometimes, you need to stand your ground. Sometimes, you need to be more vocal about a bad idea. There’s no shame in not being part of the masses.

I learned that it’s OK to be an introvert. Sometimes being that person who stands back and watches the crowd is an important part of understanding the dynamics of professional relationships.

What did you learn in 2011?

Holy wow. Gorgeous time-lapse photography of Toronto. Props to...

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:24:00 -0400

Holy wow. Gorgeous time-lapse photography of Toronto. Props to Ryan Emond for pulling this together. Simply stunning.

Owning Your Success

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:51:00 -0400

Recently, I’ve had a number of meetings with co-workers to get a sense for what I’m doing well, what I can improve and how I can add the most value back to the organization and the clients I work with. These conversations have spawned opportunities to better understand what I bring to the table, and how I can leverage these learned skills for the work I do outside of 9-5. They’ve also helped me understand what it is I do for others, how I can give back to the community, and what steps I need to take to be truly successful.

More recently, I’ve started to think more philosophically about who I am and where I fit in. Having a son certainly fueled this internal discussion. Experiencing personal frustration about seemingly being ignored or shouting in a loud, crowded room only served to further deepen that frustration. I spoke to a friend last week who empathized with my frustration, stating that anyone who lives their life as publicly as I do is bound to feel that way if they can’t attract and maintain the lion’s share of attention. And while my intention is not to attract and maintain a level of attention, it is important to me to be recognized by my peers for my accomplishments. I think it’s safe to say that almost everyone feels this way.

Instead of blaming myself for not getting the attention I had hoped I would get, instead, I’ve done is employed a few tactics to help eliminate the frustration I’ve been feeling as of late. Here’s what has worked for me thus far:

Speak up. If you have an idea that will positively impact the work you do for your clients, tell someone. I’ve recently learned that this tactic has greatly benefited me. It removes me from my comfort zone. It’s easy to do the same tasks, day in and day out. In fact, the majority of the working class does this already. Watch how quickly they become comfortable they get. At some point, they’ll likely become bored, apathetic and eventually lack the motivation to do what they do. If that’s you right now, or if you are heading there, it’s still not too late to make a change. The sooner you speak up, the better you’ll feel, and the more excited about possibilities you’ll be. I promise.

Take initiative. One of the greatest aspects about working where I do is that I have the tools to own my personal and professional success. I’m fortunate in that I have time on a daily basis to read up on the latest social media marketing insights, tactics being used by other brands to better communicate with their customers, and interesting strategies and ideas to improve our community management practice. Taking the initiative to propose new ideas to improve our practice and deliver value to our clients has played an important role in helping me better understand the digital marketing field. Step up to the plate. Read as much as you can. Be part of the conversation, both internally and externally. Those around you will take notice of this, and sooner than you think, you’ll be that go-to person at your company that co-workers and clients will turn to for advice.

These are but a few of the tactics I’ve employed to own my success.

What are you going to do today, tomorrow, next month, next year to own your success? What tactics have you employed to own your success?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

“Don’t lose faith. Don’t settle. Stay hungry,...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:38:42 -0400

“Don’t lose faith. Don’t settle. Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

Touchstone on Lake Muskoka: A Slice of Heaven

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:18:00 -0400

I’m a big fan of the outdoors. If money was no object, I’d teach outdoor survival courses, live in a tent, and trap or catch my dinner.

So when I was offered an opportunity by Explorers Edge (check them out on Twitter and Facebook) to experience all that Muskoka had to offer, I jumped at the chance. Last weekend, I packed a bag, gathered up the family and headed north to Bracebridge, Ontario.

We arrived late on Friday evening at our final destination, Touchstone on Lake Muskoka. I was greeted by Derek, the night security guard. Derek was one of the nicest resort employees I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and even he knew the exact details of my reservation with the resort. Waiting for me upon my arrival was a welcome package, complete with a topography maps of the various hiking trails, a street map of Bracebridge, and a letter from Explorers Edge welcoming me to the resort. Also included was a $50 gift certificate for Muskoka Outfitters (more on that later), a $50 gift card for Taste (the resort restaurant), and a $25 gift card for Applause, a local toy store.

Our room, known as the Spa room, included a feather top king-size bed, flat panel television and a fireplace. It also included an ensuite kitchenette and iPod stereo docks. Being that we were quite tired from the 4 hours of travel, we crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning we awoke early to plan out our day. Our first stop was Marj’s, a popular all-day breakfast diner in downtown Bracebridge.

After plowing through breakfast, we decided to head down to Muskoka Outfitters to see if there was anything we needed before beginning our trek along one of the many hiking trails in the region. I picked up a sweet Osprey hydration pack (something I’ve always wanted but could never find one I liked). I soon found myself talking to the owner, Peter deMos, an avid cyclist and local resident with an intimate knowledge of the hiking trails. Peter pointed us to the Bracebridge Resource Management Centre, a series of trails just north of town.

(Check out more photos from our hiking trip here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

The trails were well maintained and surprisingly quiet for such nice weather. We took Trail #1 to the Duck Chutes, a rough and bumpy trail that cuts through the backwoods of the BRMC. The Duck Chutes is a fairly large rapid at the edge of the BRMC, and while it will take you some time to get there (about 30 minutes), it’s worth making the hike. If you’ve got young kids who are still of stroller age, I’d recommend avoiding this trail, as it’s not nearly as accessible and might damage your stroller. Also - wear a good pair of shoes. Your feet will thank you, and you’ll need a pair with a good grip and some places are a little bit rocky and treacherous.

With our morning hiking trip completed, we returned back to the resort to rest up. Since we were fortunate enough to have summer-like weather, I decided to explore the surrounding area a little bit more.

Touchstone has this really neat pool situated right on the edge of a cliff, so that if you look down, you can see the lake from the edge of the pool. It’s not as scary as it sounds. And yes, I went swimming. Who would have thought you could go swimming outside in October and not catch a cold?

And of course, what’s a swim without a trip to the jacuzzi? Cannonball!

This is my favorite shot of the resort. With the back half of the establishment facing west, I couldn’t wait for sunset to watch the sun go down beyond the edge of the lake. And sure enough…

… we had a gorgeous sunset.

By the time the sun had set, we had already started dinner. Miraculously, the warm weather stayed after the sun went down, so we decided to eat outside. We both had the butternut squash soup, and it was incredible. For the mains, Elaine had the breaded eggplant, and I had the Certified Black Angus Grilled Striploin with potato escalope au gratin. For dessert, Elaine and I shared a slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap and Pecan Crust with caramel swirl whipped cream. (Who knew you could get a slice of heaven on a plate?)

Overall thoughts

There’s much that can be said about providing a memorable customer experience. In a time where consumers have a choice, going above and beyond the customer experience call of duty is something that few establishments take the time to do. Touchstone on Lake Muskoka is one of those few establishments. While I was a guest at their resort, I felt like a rockstar. What impressed me the most was the meeting I had with the general manager of the hotel, Heidi. She personally came out to say hi to us during dinner, to inquire if everything was to our liking and to let us know that if we needed anything, all we needed to do was ask. I honestly cannot remember the last time this happened at any one of the businesses I frequent on a regular basis.

If you find yourself in the Bracebridge area and you’re looking for a place to call home for a night or three, I’d highly recommend taking a closer look at Touchstone on Lake Muskoka. Gorgeous rooms, phenomenal service, a great restaurant (they’re vegetarian/celiac friendly and their wine list is impressive) and close proximity to some beautiful hiking trails (and one of only three pine barrens in Canada) are just a few of the selling points of this fantastic resort. You can find Touchstone on Twitter and on Facebook, and don’t forget to check out their website at http://touchstoneonlakemuskoka.com/.

The Great Muskoka Giveaway!

In an effort to encourage you to visit the region, I’m giving away some free stuff. I’ve got two $50 Gift Certificates for Muskoka Outfitters, as well as a handful of culinary passports to give away ($200 worth of discounts for local businesses such as Muskoka Breweries)

Tweet the link to this blog post and add the #ExplorersEdge hashtag.
Reblog this post or link to it (leave a comment below letting me know — with a link to the item — so that I can record your entry).
Add a comment below and tell me what you love about Muskoka.

For every one of these actions you perform, you increase your chances of winning.

Get your entries in, and on Monday October 17th, I’ll pick two winners. Good luck!

DISCLOSURE: I have a material connection because I received a gift for consideration in preparing to write this content. As mentioned above, the gifts received were a 2 night stay at the resort, a $50 gift card for the resort restaurant, a $50 gift certificate for Muskoka Outfitters and a $25 gift card for Applause. These gifts were provided as a welcome gift, and were not provided in exchange for this blog post.

Wishing Is Bullshit

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:54:00 -0400

“If wishes were horses / beggars would ride…”

Lately, a number of tweets have been showing up in my stream, primarily along the lines of “I wish someone did this”, or “I wish this existed”. I’d be willing to bet that at any given moment, thousands of tweets with this very sentiment are being posted, and many hundreds of millions of people are thinking the same thing.

I know, I know. Next thing you’re going to say is “Maybe that person doesn’t have the technical know-how to get it done”. That’s a fair response.

I suppose Einstein didn’t have the technical know-how to devise the Theory of Relativity. And maybe the Wright Brothers didn’t have the technical know-how to create an object that can fly. And yet, they figured it out and changed their world and made permanent impacts on society.

If you don’t have the technical know-how to get it done, then get it.

This isn’t exactly rocket science. You don’t need a PhD or an Ivy League education to put your ideas into action. All you need is a desire not to be part of the status quo, a desire not to be part of the group of folks who only talk about their ideas and their wishes.

Put your money where your mouth is, and put your ideas into action, instead of talking about your ideas and wishing someone would take your ideas and profit from them.

So, what are you going to do today?

This… this is why I love my city so much. (Video by my...

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:29:33 -0400

This… this is why I love my city so much.

(Video by my friend @guygal at The Biz Media.)

My Deputation to the Executive Committee, September 20th 2011

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:08:00 -0400

Good evening. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight.

I believe that the 334 deputants before me have already said much of what I wanted to say, so if I may, I’d like to approach this from a different angle.

2 months ago, my wife and I had our first child, and in a few months time, we’ll begin the process of searching for daycare for our son.

My wife and I live a modest existence. We’re not communists, socialists, or left-wing pinkos, although I do ride a bicycle. We’re not taxpayers. We’re not sources of revenue. We’re not gravy.

We’re residents. Citizens. Regular, old-fashioned people. The kind of people that each of you were elected to serve, protect and speak for, without any precondition.

And that’s the genius of government. It serves to provide for and protect those who cannot do so on their own. Similarly, that is your responsibility as our elected officials: to ensure that all residents are taken care of; that they have equal access to all the services they need to ensure a respectable quality of life. That they are listened to, and not just heard. That they’re represented to the bureaucracy, and not vice versa. That they are respected, in accordance to the real definition of the word respect.

What that means is that you don’t cut funding for HIV prevention programs, cut back on affordable housing or childcare spots, scale back TTC service or close libraries. You don’t build a city by tearing it apart or eliminating services. How you choose to build this great city, well, that’s your job.

If I can leave you with a final thought, it is this: Societies are judged by how they treat those who are less fortunate. Likewise, the citizens of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the world will judge you, be it positively or critically, on your decision to keep or cut the vital services found in the city managers report.

Mr Mayor, members of executive, and visiting councillors; how you’re judged in the days, week, months and years to come, falls squarely on your shoulders. The choice you make is yours and yours alone. And while the fruits of your decision will be yours to bear, please understand that the impact of your decision will be far-reaching. The only question is, on which side of our city’s fair history will you fall? On the side that seeks to provide a livable, sustainable environment for all its residents, or the side that seeks to create a toxic atmosphere, where only the fortunate and well-heeled can survive?

How you answer that question will determine the legacy you leave behind, and I urge you to choose your answer carefully.

An Open Letter To My Son

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:45:11 -0400

Dear Sam:

By the time you read this, a number of years will have passed and you may not ever know or fully understand what happened. You may not learn about it in school, and it’s unlikely that you and your friends will talk about it. Regardless of what may happen, this time in our city’s history is an important one.

Less than a year before you were born, we elected a new mayor, Rob Ford. Our previous mayor, David Miller decided it was time to leave politics and spend time with his family. Many Torontonians were sad to see him leave, as he had done many good things for our city; improving transit, supporting literacy, and creating a more open and transparent government for it’s citizens, among other things.

Sadly, a number of Torontonians elected a new mayor who ran on a campaign of “respecting taxpayers”. He made some outlandish promises during his campaign, promises that appealed to a large group of residents. We questioned the viability of his promises, how we would keep these promises, but were met with vague answers, catchphrases and soundbites. We later learned that our new mayor had a very different vision for what Toronto should be. This vision was anything but respectful. And while I will spare you the details of his vision for Toronto, rest assured that there are politicians, organizations and activists who still love this city, and they are working hard to ensure that we continue to build this city, instead of standing idly by and watching it crumble.

Like you, I was born here and over the years, I developed a love for what Toronto had to offer. Toronto is home to many parks, museums, art galleries and important historical landmarks. From Koreatown to the Danforth, from the Don Valley to the Waterfront, we live in a city that has something for everyone. We have a good transit system, a decent bike lane infrastructure and bustling public spaces. But we’re not perfect, and there are flaws in what we do and how we do it. I want you to know that we’re working with each other and with our government on ridding these flaws and make our city better for future generations.

But then something happened. Suddenly, we found ourselves with a leader who decided that these aspects of our city just weren’t important anymore. Our plans to improve transit were abruptly stopped. Bike lanes were scheduled to be removed. Citizens who had ideas and suggestions and solutions, were being ignored insulted and sometimes, shut out. Various groups were singled out and effectively told they didn’t matter, that they weren’t important. That their voices wouldn’t be heard.

Sam, I fear for this city. I fear for what this city will look like when you grow up to be a young man. Will every public space that I know today still exist? Will we have an effective public transit system? Will we have bike lanes for those who choose to use environmentally-friendly methods of transportation? Will we be able to stroll along along the waterfront, visit an art gallery, be awed and inspired at our local museums? Will you be able to do all those things when you get older, get married and have children? I hope that this will be the case, but these days, I am not so sure.

Yet, with all these fears, I still have hope. I have hope that our elected leaders, those who still want to build a great city, will continue to work hard and fight for our future. I believe they will continue to work with progressive, forward-thinking organizations, activists and residents to save our city and retain qualities of our city that came from a bygone era of common sense and logic, reasoned debate and reasoned decision.

I know that I must be painting a pretty bleak picture of what our city is today, and to a degree, it is. But if I leave you with anything today, it would be this:

Don’t give up hope. You will have many opportunities in your life to speak up about the things that will inevitably bother you, to speak out against injustices against you and others and to make your voice heard. Use those opportunities to your advantage. Engage with others, whether they agree with you or not. Find ways to build a better city, and look to find solutions that are accessible and feasible, keeping in mind that not everyone will see it your way.

When you’re old enough, you will have the opportunity to choose who represents you. There are many people even today who are fighting for something so basic and so necessary, and many have died so that others may have that choice. You may have a number of choices for who you would like to represent you, and you may be confused or unsure, or may even decide not to make a choice. Instead of feeling like you don’t know how to choose or even if you should, instead ask of these candidates the hard questions. Challenge their thinking with fact-based evidence. Don’t accept what is popular in favour of what makes sense.

Until this day comes, know that we are fighting hard to continue building a great city; a city we can all be proud of. Know that we haven’t given up hope just yet, that we should just resign ourselves to the inevitable and stop fighting for what we believe is morally right, socially just and true to the spirit of our city.

I hope that you will, one day, be proud of our efforts and continue to fight for what you believe is right, just and true.

Love,

Dad.

Why I love Google+

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:59:00 -0400

One of Twitter’s greatest strengths is the brevity of the content being shared. Sometimes, 140 characters is all you really need to share an idea, an experience, an insight or an opinion. But given how quickly content flies by, I started to find that it became increasingly difficult to find the crunchy content and watch the replies. I was drowning in a sea of “read this post” or “check out my book” or “What are you doing tonight?” messages between friends.

The other problem I have with Twitter is that you can’t see the how other people are reacting to the content. Unless you follow them, you can’t see their replies. Having that lack of context, the whole conversation is becoming a bit of a drawback for me.

Enter Google+.

I’ve been using Google’s social ~~network~~ platform for the past 2 months now, and I’m quickly falling in love with it. (View my Google+ profile here.)

What brings me back every day isn’t just the features (they’re in a limited field trial, so the features, while well thought-out, aren’t numerous), but the content and the ensuing conversation. I’ve spent a fair amount of time over the past few months carefully watching my stream and finding interesting people to follow. The end result is a cleaner stream of content, organized by topic (social media, community management, tech news, etc). Of course, there are a number of other aspects of Google+ that bring me back, but at the end of the day, it’s the content.

I’m simply not seeing the kind of engagement on Twitter that I get on Google+. I’ve been experimenting with micro-blog posts on Google+ for the past few days, and although it’s still early days, I’m seeing much more engagement in terms of +1’s, comments or even shares; more so than I would on Twitter. Twitter has the bigger audience for obvious reasons (3258 followers versus 668 on Google+). Even with 5 times the audience, I’m seeing way less engagement. I have a few theories on why this might be, but I think I’ll save those for a later blog post. I’m going to continue this experiment over the next few weeks and write a blog post with my findings.

And what about you?

Are you seeing a difference in how the content you share is being disseminated and shared on Twitter versus Google+?

Reviving the blog...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:05:00 -0400

A week ago, I started my new job at OSL Marketing as their community manager. In an effort to develop an audience and build credibility, I’m reviving this blog to share my experiences as a community manager, what I’ve learned along the way, and insights into social media and online marketing.

I believe that being an effective writer is an important quality for someone who is responsible for being the online voice of a company. (Lisa Barone wrote a fantastic post about the 8 traits that make community manager; I’d highly recommend checking it out.)

So dear reader, I’d like to hear from you.

What would you like to see written here? What are you interested in learning more about? What topics excite you?

Throw me a comment below and let me know what’s on your mind. I’d love to hear from you.

New Beginnings

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:49:00 -0400

Sometimes you just know when you’re on to something big.

Since I began my job search over a month ago, I had the opportunity to meet with numerous agency owners, startup founders and industry professionals to talk about how I can help them bring their marketing efforts to the next level. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that these past few weeks were incredibly rewarding. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for helping me out during my search, and I appreciate all the introductions, emails and forwarded job posts; you’re all amazing.

With that said, it is with a great deal of excitement I make this announcement: Beginning next week, I will be joining the team at OSL Marketing as a Community Manager.

I’m looking forward to this next chapter in my career, and I’m equally excited to have this opportunity to put my social media, community management and marketing skills to use for OSL’s clients, as well as the chance to work with some smart and talented people.

I don’t know what’s in store for me yet, but I’m quite sure that I’m in for a ride that I won’t soon forget.

I hope you’ll join me as I blog, tweet, Facebook and Google Plus my way through this new beginning.

By way of my friend @sthursby. Spread it far and wide.

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:05:28 -0400

By way of my friend @sthursby. Spread it far and wide.

On A Journey: Finding A New Job

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:13:00 -0400

Many years ago, a rabbi once told me “Nothing happens by chance alone. Everything that happens, does so for a reason.”

Inspired by my friend DJ Waldow’s job search, I have been contemplating where I fit in, the skills I’ve developed, my experiences over the past few years, and how it all relates to who and where I am today and what I bring to the table.

Working on the Pixel to Product research study was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever had the opportunity to be part of. I had the chance to meet hundreds of industry professionals across Canada; to speak with designers, strategists and social media marketers from all walks of life; to connect with thinkers, thought-leaders, and talented entrepreneurs. I was fortunate enough to have won the very first Mesh Prize, an accomplishment that I will always hold dear.

And while I have a little bit of work left before the research study is complete, I know that I must now begin to look forward into the future. Towards new opportunities. Towards making a difference. Not just for myself, but for others.

For the past 4 years, I’ve immersed myself into social media and have learned a great deal about this marketing channel. For the past 3 years, with the help of talented folks like DJ and others, I’ve come to learn a great deal about email marketing. I’ve also started down the path of understanding the role community management plays in informing and engaging users, as well as improving a product or service by way of gathering and synthesizing feedback (among other things!). I believe in helping people and the power of relationships; this is what drives me and motivates me, and is the root cause for undertaking this journey I’ve embarked on.

With these skills, I’m ready for something new. I’m ready to take things to the next level.

Next Stop: Community Manager

The next phase of my life takes into account all of those things I mentioned above. I’m looking for a community management role, be it for a startup or an established organization. The specifics of that role aren’t clear to me, but will take advantage of the skills I have acquired thus far in social media, digital, and marketing, as well as provide me with the opportunity to improve those skills and learn new ones.

It is my hope that I can leverage the connections and personal relationships I’ve created over the past few years to help find this job.

Can you help?

Simply put, I want to do cool things. I want to help people. I want to give back to the community that helped me get my start. I’m keen to leverage the skills I’ve acquired in helping a company succeed in their email marketing, social media and community management endeavours.

You may have an opening right now or in the near future, know of someone who has an opening, or simply want to connect. You may not fit into any of these categories. And that’s fine, too.

To give you a better sense of my skills, I’ve embedded my resume below:

Download a copy of my resume here.

If you have an opening right now, why not schedule a meeting? I’d love to get together with you over coffee to talk about your needs and where there may be a fit with your organization. If you don’t currently have an opening at your organization, but know someone that is looking for someone with my skill set, drop me an email. I’d love to meet with them and talk.

Curious to learn what others think about my professional talents? Check out my LinkedIn profile.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I’d be grateful if you shared this post, my resume, or my LinkedIn profile with your network. Click the Tweet button, share it on LinkedIn, Facebook or Google Plus.

Let’s do this!

- Justin

An Open Letter To The Community (And An Apology)

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:28:00 -0400

Earlier this week, and to the surprise of many entrepreneurs, Sprouter announced their closure. What followed was a veritable flood of questions: “Why?”, “What can I/we do to help?”, “What happens next?” and so on. What also followed was a tremendous — and well-deserved — outpouring of support for Sprouter and their staff, most notably the founder Sarah Prevette, and Sprouter’s community manager, Erin Bury, who, over the past few years, has become something of a darling in the local startup community.

Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, there’s a seedy side to this announcement. Not on their behalf, but seedy on the behalf of some within the community. And while I will admit to have participated in this behaviour, it is not my intent to call out the behaviour of others. If there are those that wish to do so, that’s their prerogative. I will not be a willing participant in that behaviour, unless there’s an opportunity to understand why they feel the way they do. What I would like to do is explain what I was thinking when I made the comment I made earlier this week. After much soul-searching, I feel this is the right thing to do.

The comment I made was in response to a tweet posted in reference to how, in the writer’s opinion, Sprouter’s closure was directly related to their inability to generate revenue and attract new financing. I cannot speak to that as I am not privy to all the details, and more importantly, this is not the purpose of this blog post. I believe that Sarah will come out with more details if and when she is comfortable, as is her right.

To Sarah and Erin: I humbly apologize for the endorsement of that message. It was inappropriate, callous and not befitting of someone who seeks to earn the trust, respect and admiration of his peers. It was a poorly-timed statement on my behalf, and simply put, I should have known better. My actions didn’t contribute anything positive to the overall discussion, and I regret my choice of words. It is my sincere hope that you can accept my apology.

The reason for my comment was not intended to rub salt in the wound, but was made to highlight the importance of having a revenue model. The language I used to reinforce that importance was poorly chosen, and should have been more clearly thought through before posting it. The fact that I didn’t think it through disturbs me the most. I am ashamed of my actions, and I realize now that this is one of my many flaws, flaws that I intend to rid myself of.

I have long had the utmost respect for the accomplishment of both Erin and Sarah, as well as those who were involved in Sprouter’s growth. The technology industry is a male-heavy one, and being male myself, I’ve oft seen how women are treated in this industry by their male counterparts, and frankly, I believe we can do better. In fact, it is our responsibility as human beings to do so. It’s tough to run a business, and with the economy the way it is, those challenges are compounded even further. I believe that Erin and Sarah, as well as those who were involved in building Sprouter should be commended for their hard work and their efforts in further bringing together our community, supporting entrepreneurs and creating content of value.

Sprouter’s departure from the startup community is an unfortunate one. Their closure has negatively impacted their staff who relied on its existence as a source of income and a means to ensure the quality of life they’ve grown accustomed to. There are now four people — four hard-working, talented and fantastic people — who have now found themselves without a job, and that’s never a pleasant situation. Their closure has impacted the support mechanisms their users greatly relied on for the past three years. Their closure has impacted the local startup community as well. I attended a number of Sprouter events over the years (including the ones back when they were called Wired Wednesday), and I had the opportunity to meet many talented entrepreneurs and build relationships with people who I call friends today. This aspect of their closure will affect our community the most. And while there are other similar gatherings that occur in the city (DemoCamp and StartupDrinks to name a few), the notable absence of the monthly SproutUps will surely leave a visible gap in the options available to our city’s entrepreneurs. These undeniable facts are the most distressing, and it was the realization of these facts that influenced my actions.

However unfortunate as this incident is (and it’s an unfortunate one, no doubt), there is a positive side. There now exists an opportunity to have a healthy discourse around how we can better support one another to ensure that someone else doesn’t fall victim to an un-needed and unnecessary closure. There’s an opportunity to have a healthy discussion around what happened with Sprouter and what we’ve learned from their closure. I am not the right person to lead such a discussion, but I would be a willing participant, and it is my hope that either Sarah or Erin would be willing participants as well.

I wish Sarah and Erin and the entire Sprouter staff all the best in their future endeavours. I am quite sure that they will go on to do great things. Make no mistake: we haven’t seen or heard the last from them yet. And that is the most reassuring fact of all.

What I Wish More People Knew About Me

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:04:59 -0400

Recently, I came across an interesting blog post by Amber Naslund, where she shared some aspects of who she is (read “What I Wish More People Knew About Me”). This blog post inspired a number of other bloggers to write their own similar posts. Now that I have a few moments to reflect on who I am, here’s a few things I wish more people knew about me.

I’m a father. I have two gorgeous children; a 5 year old daughter, and a newborn son. They mean the world to me, and although I became a father at a very young age (I had my daughter when I was in my mid-20’s), I don’t regret it at all. They are my singular personalities, and they’ve changed my life and my outlook on parenthood in a way that can’t be described or experienced in any other way.

I’m a husband. I met my wife in 2007 after a company Christmas party. We shared a cab together on that cold December evening, and had a frank discussion about the joys of grocery shopping and Britney Spears. How we ended up having such a discussion is still a mystery to me, but one thing was certain. I wanted to get to know her better, and living in the same neighbourhood as her helped ensure that. Soon, we were (clandestinely) walking home together from work. After many months, I finally worked up the courage to ask her to join me for dinner one evening, and the rest as they say is history. We were married in the summer of 2009, and in December 2010, we learned she was pregnant with our son, Sam. I am just as much in love with my wife today as I have ever been, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.

I need to be in control. I know this sounds bad, but I like to know everything before jumping into something. I don’t know what this stems from, but this is just the way I’ve always been. I’ve started to loosen up a bit and be more willing to delegate. I’m learning to be more trusting and reliant on others, instead of shouldering all the responsibility.

I question everything. I think this makes people uncomfortable, because it gives people the perception that I do it to be controversial. I think questioning what others do isn’t a bad thing; exploration is often a necessary activity in order to truly understand something. What I have learned is that it comes down to how you phrase those questions. The way I’ve delivered those questions in the past has gotten me into a bit of trouble. Do I regret it? No. Would I change the delivery? Sure. I think that’s all part of one’s personal and professional development.

I’m an introvert, and incredibly shy. You wouldn’t know it, but I live in fear of public speaking, meeting new people and offline conversations. When I do attend industry events, I’m the guy that hides in a corner, doesn’t speak to people I don’t know, or makes small talk when I finally do approach someone I’ve never met. It’s a debilitating fear and I sometimes think that it’s holding me back from being more successful. Recently, I’ve started to come out of my shell, and am becoming more comfortable in new situations, but I also know that I have a long way to go before I feel truly comfortable outside of my element.

I had a rotten childhood. Phew. Now it’s out in the open. And while I will spare you the gory details, it was this experience that forever shaped how I’ve lived my life. I am happy with the way most aspects of my life turned out. While there are a few things I would change (doesn’t everyone feel this way at some point or another?), I’m proud of my accomplishments, of what I’ve done with it, and where I want to go next. I’ve learned to not let that part of my life define me. What happened to me should never, ever happen to anyone, child or otherwise, and I will not allow those experiences prevent me from being as amazing as I can be. So there.

I’m all about relationships. I love to help people. I’ll do what I can to help anyone, anywhere get something done, and often, I don’t mind if the favour is never returned. I don’t help people because I want them to do something for me (although I’m always appreciative of it); I do it because I genuinely care about the well-being and success of others. What I do care about though, is having that kindness mistaken for a weakness. It’s happened before, and it will likely happen again. And I’m fine with that; I’ve accepted that this is how some people operate, and if need be, I’ll cut them out of my life. Until then, I’m willing to do what I can to help someone out, if and when they need it.

I love reading about history. I know, I know. It’s incredibly nerdy. When I was in high school, I took history classes every semester. I was particularly obsessed with Ancient Egypt. Pyramids, hieroglyphics, deities, the whole nine yards. While I still like reading about that part of our history, I’ve become something of an avid reader of military history, specifically World War 2. If it has to do with the European Theatre of Operations, I’ll read about it, or watch movies about it. The best World War 2 movie ever made? “The Longest Day”. The best book ever written about this period in history? “History of the Second World War” by B.H. Liddell Hart. It’s a 700+ page behemoth, but a great read nonetheless.

A few other things that don’t belong in a specific category: I like my peanut butter crunchy. I don’t like jam. If I could spend the rest of my life anywhere and money was no object, it would be outside, preferably camping, hiking or teaching others how to survive outdoors. I travelled around Israel and it was the best 3 weeks of my life. I drank coffee with Bedouins, rode a camel through the desert, spent time with soldiers on a military base, and climbed Masada at 5 in the morning to watch the sun rise over the Negev. I love dogs, am allergic to cats and would like to have goldfish. I still talk to my best friend from high school. I like to watch storms roll in, and I love the smell of a campfire. I ride a bicycle, but would love to own a motorcycle. I say what I mean, I mean what I say, and I think things through before speaking.

And that’s me.

What do you wish more people knew about you?

A four-month long, highly detailed, first-hand perspective...

Sun, 15 May 2011 14:08:13 -0400

A four-month long, highly detailed, first-hand perspective documenting rush-hour subway etiquette toward a pregnant woman in New York City.

Have a mission. Question everything. Never sell out.

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 21:06:47 -0400

Have a mission. Question everything. Never sell out.