An ode to kijiji and my fair city of Hamilton:

My BBQ Apron Will Never Know Happiness

Kijiji, tonight was the night. I bought a bbq and deck table from you, and it was good.
Some young bucks helped me move the items and it was good.
Then promptly someone stole the items in plain sight.

Gosh darnit, this city is amazing!
It giveth.
It taketh away.

Now I have no bbq, no coin and nothing but my kijiji/hamilton story to tell.
Have I been “kijiji-ed”? Will Hamilton redeem itself?

Until next time…

Most people strive all their lives for a work/life balance that is perfect, and I truly do envy those who have found it.

I have been working about 15 years trying to find my perfect niche, perfect career, and perfect place in life, but it has come at somewhat of a cost. With 5 month old twins, and a 3 year old son, it’s easy to see how my life could be a little crazy.

Here are some things that I’ve neglected because of my career:

1. My health
2. My sleep
3. Time with my family
4. A closer relationship with my wife
5. Time with friends

However, there have been some rewards. The quest for my career has brought me:

1. The feeling that I’m doing the right thing. I see so many people still trying to find themselves much later into their lives
2. Ability to make my own hours (yeah, right! In theory)
3. A career where I am constantly learning, sharing, and collaborating
4. I’m a geek, and I have a geeky job – I like that
5. Flexibility with regards to where I work
6. I get to buy cool tech stuff
7. I sometimes get to watch movies while I work
8. I get to work with some amazing people (yeah, that means you kitestring!)
9. Happiness, honest to goodness happiness

I think it will take time, but I’ll slowly chip away at those things I’m neglecting, and some day I’ll only have one list. Any recommendations would be welcome!

It happened. I don’t know when it happened, but it did. Customer Service, as we knew it, died.

Maybe it’s just me. Could be just me. You tell me. What happened to it? Where did it go? Is there a new way doing business? Is the customer now a problem instead of the driving force she once was? I remember what customer service use to be like. I remember walking into a store and getting a genuine “Hello. How are you today?”. When I asked where something was I was taken directly too it and not shoved aside while being told “Sorry. Not my department.” I remember when the question “Did you find everything you were looking for?” wasn’t followed by a look of “Oh god. I hope he says yes so I don’t have to work any harder.” I remember. I. Remember.

Last weekend, my friend Jesseline and I decided we wanted to see Alice in Wonderland. Not just Alice in Wonderland, but Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Silver City in Burlington was the best option for us, so we went early and bought tickets for the 10:20 show, 6.5 hours in advice. We assumed arriving at 9:00, 1.5 hours before the show, that we would get us some sweet seats. WRONG!

We walked in the theatre and stood in a line for about 10 min. I decided to make sure this was the correct line so I ask the the Silver City “Team Player” if we were in fact in the right line. To my horror, we were not. The line for the show that began in 1.5 hours, started outside. OUTSIDE!!!??? It was cold. I was wearing a spring jacket, in hopes it would give winter a big old hint, and I had no desire to wait in a line circling the theatre. I asked the “Player” what if I just wait inside? She told me that “there was a good chance I wouldn’t get a seat.” “But I have a ticket,” I replied. “A ticket doesn’t guarantee you a seat.” she stated.

I bought a ticket. How could this ticket not hold a seat for me. Any seat?

So into the outside line we went.

After about 30 min we finally were let into the theatre. We found some seats very close to the front (my neck still kinda hurts), and got comfy. Another young “Player” headed to the  front of the screen. He hollered to the crowd, “Make sure you have your tickets. If you don’t have your ticket and you leave the theatre you won’t be let back in. This is your final warning.”

Final Warning? I didn’t get a first waring. Plus, who uses the word “warning”. This isn’t basketball camp. I didn’t light-up a smoke in my seat. I wasn’t speeding. Warning? Really?

We sat through the show and once over, like always, I had to “go” really bad! So I hit the bathroom. The next part is a little too gruesome to describe, but the PG version goes like this; Wet. Gross. Wet. Gross.Wet, wet, wet. Gross, gross, gross.

I decided to hold it.

When it comes to horrible Customer service, I’m not one to hold my tongue. If service stinks, someone is going to know about it. Luckily for Famous Players though, once a late movie is out, everyone seems to hit the road faster than I can say “you stink”. I looked around the theatre for 30 min, and for 30 min I found no one. No one to share my disapproval with.

Famous Player is a big boy. Not an overweight brunette in checkered pants holding a hamburger. But one of the big players. You know. Right up there with it’s big box sisters, Chapters and Costco. Little me, you know the one spending $50 for 2 tickets and a peanut, has become the least of their worries apparently. After all, who am I? Just one person, who could after all, just go somewhere else.

Not true.

I wasn’t the only person unhappy that day. My friends watching with me: Not happy. 200 people standing in line outside: Not happy. The possible 14oo people reading my tweets after my Customer Service experience: Not happy. You reading this blog post: Not Happy.

For a consumer, bad customer service isn’t that great. And everywhere you go it just seems to be getting worse. For a business owner though, not so bad. As Customer Service deteriorates it becomes less of a norm. This gives you the opportunity to stand out. People are used to being treated like a big pain in the butt.

A bad experience = a bad brand interaction.

I don’t think Customer Service is completely dead. I think it just doesn’t show it’s face as much anymore. Provide your client with a positive customer brand experience and you’ll be surprised how happy that will make them. Stand out and treat your client like gold. It’s easier to keep a client then find a new one.

I doubt anyone from Famous Players is reading, but if they are, hear me now; You stink.

*Famous Players was absorbed by Cineplex a few years back.- Thanks Keith for letting us know. : )

We’ll soon find out!

When I was in school I once ordered a pair of fuchsia suede boots to my parents house off ebay. And no, this was not in 1989, it was in 2003. My parents were aghast! “How can you buy shoes without even trying them on, from a stranger in California?!” they asked. I pretended that their worries were unfounded, but quickly noticed that my suede booties were falling apart after two or three wears. I cursed the Californian who sold me these defected booties and scoured the internet for justice, but alas, my emails were left unanswered and my cries unheard.

Now, what would have happened if I had the phone number and home address of the person who sold me these booties? Well, I probably would call first and then march on over and ask for a refund or new pair of shoes.

In comes kijiji! This time, I’m in it for a bbq and table (with an umbrella!) for my apartment’s back deck. The post claims everything is in good working order and was only used for one year previously. The posting reminds me that “BBQ SEASON IS UPON (ME)”, and on the phone, poster *Bob (name changed), seemed friendly, concise and a little concerned that I wasn’t going to follow through on the deal. Here is what the goods look like:

It’s all a little awkward, calling up someone you don’t know to set up a pay up and hand off deal. I’m going tonight, and I’ll let you know how it goes.

kitestring is proud to be working with the HPO – Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, this year on their marketing campaign. A lot of work went into the theming of this season and after many a brainstorm and creative session with the great people of the HPO we decided upon “Music lives here”.

The HPO was founded in 1949, so music not only lives here, but it has been part of Hamilton for over 60 years. I have lived in this city for just over 5 of those years and I hadn’t even heard of the HPO. I finally attended my first show this year and I was shocked. How could something this amazing live in this city and me, Mr.-Know-It-All not know about it? I have been to a few more shows since and I must say, I had no idea what I was missing.

Awareness will be a play a big part in this years campaign. Building on what has been done in the past, showcasing it to a dedicated audience that has been attending the orchestra for years, and introducing it to a new audience that has not yet experienced the HPO. We used photography of real Hamiltonians and quoted their thoughts on the Orchestra.

Hamilton is full of talent and treasures. Sometimes we don’t think of this city as one that houses such talent and that Toronto is our only option for entertainment. Art lives here. Theatre lives here. And now more than ever, Music lives here.

The 2010-11 season is going to be a great one. Make sure you check it out!

Using Social Media is easy, but it’s the “media” part that sends us into a tale spin. Many people fear change, shy away from technology and hide from the unknown. So I’m throwing away the media. Bye media. Bye.

What’s left? That’s right, “Social”.

Being social is easy. We do it everyday. On the phone, in the grocery store, at a party and at work. The same rules that apply to being social in the real world apply to the online one. Whether you use twitter, Facebook, a blog or Linkedin the same rules apply. And lucky for us, we learned all these rules in kindergarten.

Rule One: Listen

Mrs. Miller was my kindergarten teacher. She was about 12 feet tall, if I remember correctly, and she had it out for me. I was basically a mouth with legs. My report card that year came with a note that read “Chris could talk the leg off a chair.” Being a very visual person, I imagined myself doing just that and found it quit amusing! One thing Mrs. Miller did teach me though was to listen. It was ok to talk at the appropriate moments, but when someone was speaking, she urged me to take it all in.

When being social on the interwebs, the same applies. Listen to what others are saying. If you listen more than you talk, you will make friends and have more fuel to add to the conversation later. Being part of the conversation is key and what better way to take part than to actually “hear” what someone is saying.

Rule Two: Share

Remember wanting to play with something some other kid had? Remember when he won’t give it to you? Remember punching him him in the ear? No? Well I do. Jeremy Sampson was not happy that day.

Sharing information is one way to make friends online. You know things I want to know. Tell me! It will build trust and make you a resource to others.

Rule Three: Be Yourself

While many of the other boys where digging in the indoor sandbox or playing with the blocks, I was over at the “house” area. This was a section of the classroom that looked just like a tiny house, made just for people my size. Many times I would put on an apron, sit in the rocking chair with two giant pencils and pretend to knit a scarf. Mrs. Miller asked me once why I I liked to do this. I told her that I wanted to be just like my Grandma when I grew up ( I adored my Grandmother). She then grabbed her Polaroid, took a pic and gave it to me to take home to my Grandma Gilda. That made me happy. It was ok to be me.

It’s imperative that your personality shine through online. When you are your true self you come off as transparent and honest. You have nothing to hide. You also attract the people that will like you for who you are. These people will be the ones that will want to work with you and who you will want to work with. Working with the right people is key to a successful business and a happy you.

Rule Four: Come Prepared

The first day of school was always the best day of the year for me. This was the day I had everything before I started to lose things. My mother would take me to Zellers a few weeks before and we would shop for new pencils and paper and gym shoes and rulers and an art smock and lots of other fun stuff. Because of my wonderful mother I came to school ready to learn, play and have fun.

It’s not the time to start creating your brand the minute you hit Social Media. That’s the time to showcase it. Before you start your adventures online, you should be prepared. Start a policy. Have a plan of action. Know who you are.

Rule Five: Play Nice

I was at Tony Perano’s birthday party. His Mother came into the living room and stood before about 12 hungry and excited 6 year old boys. In her very strong Italian accent she stated, “No pushing. No shoving. No fighting.” All i remember from that day were those words and the cake. I’m a sucker for an ice cream cake.

Picking fights, causing conflict and making enemies is one way to ruin your brand while using Social Media. I’m not saying you need to roll over and pee on the floor the minute someone confronts you. You can still stand your ground. But if someone is antagonizing you, it’s ok to walk away and not reply. Plus if you do decide to get into that tiff, everyone around you will see that fight happen and you will look like a digital crap disturber to all the on-lookers. Be the nice guy. Don’t punch. Don’t shove. Don’t fight.

When you look at Social Media in terms of just being social, I think everything becomes clearer. Act the way you do at a regular social event and you’ll be just fine. One last thing we all learned in kindergarten that applies to Social Media: Not everyone needs to know when you have to use the little boys room.

RECESS!!!

If you want to see more pictures of the event you can find them on our facebook fanpage here.

Yesterday kitestring hosted Snow Ball – a social media social at the Staircase Theatre in Hamilton. It was a fun filled morning of learning about social media, enjoying each others company and eating some scones.

The “kitestring players’ started the Social with a short skit titled “Lemonade Stand”, a story about building your brand using online communications. It’s the story of three lemonade stand business owners, Cindy, Kevin and Teddy.

Cindy from Lemonade Inc. has decided not to implement social media into their business, sticking to what she thinks are tried and true modes of business development.

Kevin, owner of The Best Lemonade in the World knows that he should get involved in social media. So, he comes up with his own plan to implement social media as part of his business, shouting information about his business whenever and wherever he chooses at whoever happens to be online. He plans how often he will check his social networking accounts and even what he plans to broadcast, sometimes days in advance.

Theodore, Teddy for short, from Squeezed Lemonade, also knows that social media is valuable for his business. He uses his vision, mission and values to decide how he will engage the communities that best fit his business’ culture.

Regardless of whether they knew it or not, each of these three companies are part of a new market place. We pretended that balloons were social media interactions, and that everyone in the audience was the world’s online audience.

It was a great exercise to show how building relationships, being transparent and becoming part of the conversation is a good way to get social media to work for you.

We also had an amazing presentation by Tricia Mumby of Mabel’s Labels on how social media is working for their company.

We learned about the different social media outlets from Brandon, and Jenn and I talked about building your brand using social media. Oh! And Cameron helped us all loosen up by playing a few fun ice breaker games.

The day ended with an old fashioned Tea Social, jam packed with cupcakes, cookies, tiny sandwiches and scones. Deeeeeelish!

Thank you everyone who attended! We had a blast and you made the day so fun!

I also what to thank these great sponsors!

Marta Hewson has been working with kitestring since day one. Her photography is fun and fresh and not only is she super talented, working with her on any project is a pleasure and a half. You can find Marta on twitter at @martahewson

Thank you so much Cameron Tulloch. Whenever kitestring needs some strategic, fun training exercise for an event he is our go to guy. Follow Cameron on twitter @CamTulloch

Florea is the super adorable new flower shop on James South, owned and styled by two young and hip sisters. Meg loves to visit to start the weekend!

Caroline Peer, from Fastsigns, makes all of our artwork look amazing through print. She provided all the signage for the event. Thank you Caroline we love working with you. Follow Caroline on twitter @FASTSIGNS_677

Hello everyone! Here at kitestring we are so excited!!!! Tomrrow is Snow Ball – a social media social. We have been working hard to put together an amazing…well…I’m gonna call it show. We have some fun stuff planned, along with cupcakes, scones, candy and more. I hope you have a ticket! There are a few tickets left, so if you need one click here.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Chris

Wow! I love Olympics! I do. I really do. I watch it all: Ski Jumping, Figure Skating, Biathaloning, and Hockey..ing. And I`m no expert, but tell me, was there something up with those closing ceremonies?

I loves myself a good “Poo Poo on us” joke more than anyone, but as our nations gift shop exploded with the largest, mish mashed, snow globe I’ve ever seen, was the world laughing with us, or at us?

Hardy har har, they took every Canadian stereotype, filled them with Helium and tied them to a string. Even Mlle. O’Hara didn’t escape the Helium treatment…. Oh, wait. I’m being told that was her, aux naturale. Sorry.

As I watched on with some hipster friends of mine, they pondered aloud what it means to be truly Canadian. Diversity, Multiculturalism, Aboriginal land claim disputes all came up. One’s profound words were, “Isn’t the essence of being truly Canadian wondering what it means to be truly Canadian?”

That’s deep. But not nearly as deep as Mr. Shatner’s scotch glass must have been before he came up from the underworld to talk about intimacy in a canoe. It’s a strange brew to be both proud and embarrassed, all at once.

I have a philosophy I live by: Poo Poo on yourself first, and it’s much harder for people to Poo Poo on you.

What is “Poo Poo”? Basically, if you have a problem, issue, wardrobe malfunction or even a zit, in my opinion, it’s better to let everyone know about it. Bring it up, address the issue, move on. This way, your friends or acquaintances can’t have a discussion about it later without remembering that you brought it to their attention first.

Now I use this method daily, and for me it works. But how does this apply to your business?

Many companies have issues and problems they would like to hide. Sweep under the rug.  But in a time where brand transparency is demanded from you it is better to bring that issue out into the open. Yes, there are certain things you don’t need to tell your clients, customers and partners. But if you think this issues is going to be discussed by them, it is better to start the conversation first. Shed some light on it. Own it.

Many believe we are the owners of our brand. “It’s my logo, my company, my way of doing things. I own my brand.” This thinking couldn’t be farther from the truth. People experiencing your brand are the true owners. You have the means to shape your brand anyway you like, manage it on your own terms, but when the day is done, it’s not yours.

There are many ways to “Poo Poo” on your company, but one of the most effective ways is through a blog. If you start a discussion where your audience is able to comment and partake, it gives you more control. You can comment back. Be part of the discussion.

“Poo Poo” is a harsh term I know. I only use it because I’ve been calling it that since I was 15 and started high school. Believe me, it worked like a charm for 5 years. But next time , when your company is going through some sort of issue, try it. It will build trust, respect and most importantly brand transparency.

BTW I have a zit.