CrapHammer

What I'm Learning from Iran

The Iranian election and the subsequent civil action has shown us a picture of the future of civil unrest.  We have seen digital tools being embraced to organize, generate support and to bypass restrictions on state controlled communications.  It has been nothing short of amazing.  And unlike Obama, the financial resources of the Iranian people were close to nil (by comparison).

So what has changed?

• There have been some pretty amazing stats.
• The state department contacted Twitter to request they delay a maintenance outage because of the potential impact on Iranians to self organize.
• YouTube waiving their policies regarding violent and disturbing images to allow Iranians to share what was happening with the rest of the world.
• And the NY Time has written a great article on what we've learned about social media tools from this experience.
• http://iran.twazzup.com/

But none of these are what has changed. 

I am what has changed.  I now follow (via twitter and facebook) a variety of Iranians who are fighting for what they believe in.  I am awakened in the night by the buzz of eerily terse messages about announcements, violence or calls for assistance.

It took a while for it to sink in that I am not connected to a wire service or news bureau.  Rather, there is a single individual out there typing into the digital darkness hoping that his voice will be heard and make a difference. I lie awake waiting for more tweets to come, not knowing for how long each individual will be able to stay online.

There are problems.  It's impossible to tell truth from here-say or outright disinformation.  But this experience I speak of isn't about source validation or credibility.  This is about being connected to someone I don't know, thousands of miles away who is fighting for something I believe in.

I can no longer shake Iran from of my mind.  I find myself researching the history of the region.  I click on links Moussavi is sending out to the world and I am trapped by the flood of photos and videos.  And I'm not alone.

My twitter stream is exploding with retweets from a growing list of sources.  There are disturbing facts, links, calls for assistance and even strange campaigns to show our support.

I am a social being and I am compelled to think of myself as a good person.  And now that I am connected to these people, I lay awake praying for their safety and that one day I will meet one of them or even know their true names. All of which makes me wonder just how powerful that simple choice to follow someone via twitter may be.

I am not a digital utopian who believes the Net will remove all fighting and all wars. But I am a believer in the power of these tools to change how we see the world.  And I'm given hope by what a few have been able to achieve against increasing odds by leveraging these tools.

Now back to my day job - selling products to westerners.

Eat. Sleep. Blog. episode 9.

Lord help us all, we have a Facebook page.  Though I should point out we haven't figured out how to feature any of our videos there yet. ESB #9 is Paul, Gavin and myself talking about a variety of trends and emerging platforms.

Eat, Sleep, Blog #09 from paulmcenany on Vimeo.

Thanks to Gavin for the recap.  I quote.

• The sudden appearance of Friend Connect on blogs such as Armando Alves’ A Source of Inspiration and Paul’s Hee-Haw Marketing (1:46)
• Google needing to accelerate their partner network to catch up with Facebook (2:20)
• Is the future of websites “social” and do these services change what we consider a “destination site”? (4:00)
• Will the benefits of “group sourcing” rather than “crowdsourcing” transform “influence networks”? (6:00)
• What is the power of “where our friends are and where they choose to respond”? (7:30)
• Sean explains the value of services like Gigpark (8:10)
• Recommendation engines and influence segmentation (10:00)
• Where is the point of monetisation and how does aggregate data work for marketers? (12:00)
• Why semantic evaluation will not deliver the answers that marketers want (but think they can extract) (14:00)
• The need for human interpretation of data to extract insight (20:00)
• Will social media, influence networks and reputation engines scale in a useful way? (21:00)
• Can we predict who we trust? (23:30)
• What happens when the Internet REALLY explodes as a network with the mass adoption of technology across the world – and what does this mean for “scale”? (25:30)
• Is the semantic web a survival mechanism for the Internet? (28:00)
• Will the web simply become another form of TV measurement? (30:30)
• We send a shout out to our #1 fan, Mack Collier (33:00)
• A new world of privacy (36:00)
• The uselessness of website T&Cs (40:00)
• The attractions of the Dallas Waffle House (47:00) – yes, it goes downhill quickly!

Wayne knows what many Word of Mouth experts don't

I was asked [for] a LinkedIn answer on how to build Word of Mouth for a new Montessori school (www.montessorinl.ca) that Steve Bannister and his wife  are starting in St John's Newfoundland.  Here is a reprint of my answer.  There's a cool story about an amazing man Wayne buried towards the end...

  A lot of what I recommend can generally be equated to common sense.  This is because I believe that people are social beings and we desire connections, comfort and to feel valued.  The idea being that it takes a community to make an individual.  So if we behave in ways that are socially relevant and bring value to the individual, then I believe word of mouth will prosper.

  At the risk of being flamed by WOMers, I feel it takes anything but an expert on Word of Mouth campaigns to get Word of Mouth.  Rather, it takes a hard fought for awareness and commitment to caring and forging connections.  You need to align your passions with your values and create the most valuable and humane service possible while recognizing and being honest about your limitations and failings. ie: being open to input and conversation.

  I'm adding some links to services that could be very useful but they assume you are starting your centre here in Toronto.  Whether they are working/adopted where you are is a critical factor to be determined. 

  Namely: Gigpark, LinkedIn, Facebook

  Certainly no shocks in the above list.  These services can foster increased activity, but what creates the desire for people to share your service with friends and family?  I'd post some additional questions.

  How do people make recommendations now?
  Who are people in your community listening to today about schooling/education for their kids?
  What makes you stand out in a sea of noise?
  What values are at the centre of what you are doing?  The "What and the "How" are weak cousins to the "Why".

  I'm going to tell you a story about one of the greatest word of mouth examples in the city of Toronto.  A story very few people know about, but those who do will jump up and down in support.  And this individual has most likely never hired a WOM consultant, nor has he focused on WOM.

  Wayne runs a laundromat.  My google maps search leads me to estimate that there are potentially more than 1900 dry cleaners in the city of Toronto.  So how do you make one outfit stand out?

  Historically, I have always chosen my laundromat by location.  Then when a piece of clothing gets ruined or improperly cleaned, I often select the next best candidate that is slightly less convenient to where I live/work/travel.  This continues infinitum as I never run out of laundromats. 

  Only this all changed when I bought my first Hugo Boss suit and a couple of $200 dress shirts. I suddenly realized that it's one thing for an $80 shirt to get improperly pressed and glossy, but I didn't want this to happen with my much more expensive items.  So I walked into the agency where I was working and asked if anyone knew of a decent laundromat in the area.  I use the word "decent" here because in my brain I had no idea that excellence could occur in the realm of the sweaty, disinterested dry cleaning world I have witnessed every week of my adult life. (I believe an analogy with education could be made here.  ;-)

  I was accosted by a good friend at the agency who literally shook me until I agreed to save my soul and visit Wayne at King West Village Cleaners (1000 King West, 416-596-0559).  I thought it a bit strange that my friend knew the guy's name let alone that he was so emphatic and excited about me visiting him. This makes me chuckle because I now find myself doing the shaking and empathic gestures when asked about dry cleaners.

  It should be noted that I now live over 10 miles away from this laundromat.  I no longer work nearby, I don't have a car and I rarely travel to that end of town anymore.  I'm an East-ender and he is far on the west end.  (For my NY readers, this is like my living and working in SoHo but visiting an laundromat in the high 40's.)

  But every two weeks I rent my Zipcar and "fly" across town to meet Wayne.  And every two weeks he greets me by name, discusses any issues I have and personally picks out the shirts to be hand finished.

  And every two weeks I watch in amazement as someone else walks in before or after me and receives a level of service I've never witnessed elsewhere.  On my last visit, I watched as a woman bashfully handed Wayne the most destroyed pair of jeans on the planet and explained that they were her "special jeans".  She was in front of me and he apologized once to me and then turned his full attention to her.  It took close to 5 minutes for her to explain which rips were not to be repaired, how she wanted other things done.  This pair of jeans must have been 10 years old and he treated it with extreme care, listened to every point and ensured he understood what to do.  He treated this horrible pair of jeans as she intended - as her most prized possession.

  The last time I was in the shop, I asked Wayne what he does.  I wanted to know how he creates something so unusual in a space so crowded.  He told me a very simple thing.  "I just treat every piece of clothing as if it is mine."  I think there is more to it than that.  He acts with respect and integrity.  He fully shows up every day and as a result, his entire staff follow his lead to a level of service I am privileged to receive.

  He told me they were just selected by NOW magazine as the best dry cleaner in the city.  Rightfully so. 

(reprinted from my LinkedIn Response)

Image Source: pbo31

Mental Illness Expose

I'm back.  Thanks to everyone for checking in on me. 

Just catching up on my blog reading and stumbled across this disturbing but masterfully shot expose by photographer Jenn Ackerman on Mental Illness in America's prisons.

Trapped: Mental Illness in America's Prisons from Jenn Ackerman on Vimeo.

Many thanks to vaughan over at mindhacks for this find.  I Llove mindhacks as it covers breakthroughs and items of interest regarding the human mind.

Words worth hearing

[Embedded video above]

Thanks to Katie.

The Mo'

Hopefully you donated to support the cause!

And here is the payoff.  Oy.  Click for full size, if you dare.  ;)

Sadly, this is all my light brown hair genes can produce in 2 weeks.  But I still find it horrifying.

It's not your father's mustache

I've heard a lot of grumbling from the feminine side of the fence about this whole Mo'vember thing.  How it is a ripoff of the Pink thing.  Or that it robs a certain person of her birthday fame.  But ya gotta admit, it's the program with the payoff.

Movember

Where men all over the world come up with bizarre strategies to grow mustaches (so they don't look like morons while doing it.)  And then on November 30'th they unveil these mustaches publicly, all in the fight to raise money and awareness around prostate cancer.

I love that it's sponsored by Playboy.  It's not your father's magazine any more.  And neither is it his mustache. 

Sponsor Me!

So please donate to our Movember mustache growing blogger team.  And check back on November 30'th because I will be unveiling my horrible and patchy mustache attempt.

To sponsor my Mo (moustache) and fight against prostate cancer please go to http://www.movember.com/us/donate, enter my registration number which is 172521

Teenage affluenza is spreading fast.

I think I should just put "this blog brought to you by Get Shouty" as my new header or something.  This video gets major kudos.  Wonderful way to package and present this message in a world filled with "do something" videos.

www.30hourfamine.org

The Kaiser calls...

As head of the imperial overseas Canadian unarmed forces still loyal to the Kaiser, I urge each and every reader to support the Kaiser in this critical effort to overcome the evil northern planning forces.

(embedded video above)

Join us in upholding the funky and amazing Boney M.  Or I will visit each of your offices in my traditional lack-of-garb and do what any strong Canadian force will do.  Um.  Protect you?

Touch me, big boy!

I want to help the Age of Conversation initiative raise more than $15k for charity.

It's an amazing book.  It's pertinent to our industry.  And all the proceeds go to a wonderful charity. So what to do?

Enter Marcus who has launched the ides of march, an idea business.  He'll take on any challenge and you only pay for what you believe his idea is worth.  And if you don't pay for it, he posts it to the public on his blog. 

So I emailed Marcus.  And asked.  "What can I do to promote the AOC book and break the $15k mark for charity."

And his response was simple, but brilliant.  "Put naked girls in it."

So here we go.

Click the image above for a full size, downloadable version.

And visit Lulu!  She's waiting!  ;)