ICT Social Network

More ideas will generate more capital

Jeff Roach — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:33:34 -0300

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John Pollack

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Telegraph-Journal, Published Wednesday May 27th, 2009

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http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/679971

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Marcel LeBrun, chief executive of Radian6, a New Brunswick company that has become a global leader in social media monitoring, says attracting large companies to the province won’t likely create the human capital necessary for developing a cluster of new innovative businesses. LeBrun says the province just needs the people that are here to bring their innovative ideas to market. ‘I’m a believer that the more good ideas there are the more capital will come.’

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Technology Executive favours attracting entrepreneurs to province, not big companies

New Brunswick needs to stop promoting the province as a place to do business if it wants to encourage new innovative startups, a leading technology executive says.

"If they're setting up here because they can get access to low cost call centre workers than no, it's not going to do anything for the tech sector," LeBrun said of a large technology company hypothetically opening operations here. "If they move their research and development here that would be a different thing, but I don't think that's what's being sold to them at the moment."

He said idea generation is usually kept close to the leadership of a company that won't likely move its headquarters here.

LeBrun will be the keynote speaker at Propel ICT's annual general meeting today in Saint John. His speech to the technology association crowd will focus on how web 2.0, particularly social media, provides new opportunities for businesses and further breaks down geographic borders.

Though the Internet has connected people around the world for about 20 years, LeBrun said in an interview, he will argue in his speech that the more recent popularity of the social web makes virtual proximity more important than physical proximity thereby eliminating geography as a factor for many businesses.

LeBrun said attracting companies to New Brunswick may make sense on an economic development agenda, and acknowledged discouraging the job creation efforts is controversial, but he, like many others involved with Propel ICT, feel the province needs to have a strong focus on entrepreneurship.

LeBrun sees value in inspiring creative home-grown business ideas that can use new Internet tools to compete in a world-wide market.

"It's a global world and we need to build globally minded companies," he said. "When you're in a flat world where geography doesn't matter you can't take your geography and use it as a differentiator."

He wants to see New Brunswick develop a technology cluster that will breed creativity, such as in California's Silicon Valley. Similarly to the popularity of a sport, LeBrun said a successful regional industry will come from people seeing it done and wanting to give it a try.

"If you come to bat enough times you're eventually going to hit something," LeBrun said. "I think the number of times we swing our bat is the key metric we need to be focused on."

Though New Brunswick doesn't have the population or money that Silicon Valley does, he said the province just needs the people that are here to bring their innovative ideas to market.

"I'm a believer that the more good ideas there are the more capital will come," he said.

LeBrun argues consumers don't care where a product or service is from - if it is interesting and stands out enough to generate discussion online it will likely sell.

"If you're a little jewelry company in Fredericton and you've got a product that's remarkable, that people will talk about, there's no reason why you can't really figure out how to grow that business," he said.

Twitter makes appearance at conference

johnsgunn — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0300

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Mary-Ellen Saunders

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Telegraph-Journal, Published Monday April 27th, 2009

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http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/648014

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Jeff Roach twitters on his black berry at the Imagine the Possibilities conference. Photo Cindy Wilson/Telegraph-Journal

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SAINT JOHN - In a pitch-black theatre at Samuel de Champlain, where 100 community and business leaders gathered Saturday to imagine the future of Greater Saint John, small lights flickered from laptops and cell phones as information zipped in and out of the room.

Jeff Roach, executive director of PropeICT, and Shawn Peterson, on behalf of FUSION Saint John, documented the Imagine the Possibilities conference with short, typed messages they distributed on the social networking site, Twitter.

The Saturday conference was an opportunity for community members to come together to imagine ways to make the area a better place. It was also the first time community members have been invited to participate in a Saint John conference via Twitter.

Conference delegates and online bloggers discussed potential projects for Greater Saint John, such as a second oil refinery, a new police and justice complex, and a recreational facility.

Twitter is a social networking site where people post small blogs or messages of 140 characters or less and can read similar posts from people across the world. Members of the site can access the short blogs on their phones or computers and reply to those.

"It's a public conversation," Roach said. "Imagine you are at a trade show and it's full of hundreds of people and they are all talking to each other. Imagine you can listen in on all of those conversations and interject whenever you wanted. It's a very powerful new way to communicate."

Roach and Peterson posted short Tweets which summarized comments as soon as they came out of the speaker's mouths; they posted videos that were played at the conference and took photos with their phones and posted them with short comments.

People read along with the conference while walking down the street with their phones in hand or browsing the Internet. Some of the attendees secretly used their cell phones to post comments on Twitter which sounded like conversations friends whisper to one another at events.

One blogger posted this from inside the conference; "there's a civic conference with a live twitter feed. can't decide if it's dorky or fantastic"¦panelists envisioning sj 50 years from now: my vision? more young families in city centre than in the suburbs."

Roach said there were several people from Moncton following the conference online, who Tweeted their envy of Saint John's unique event.

"Right now Twitter is a major part of our media landscape," Roach said. "If we are trying to get engagement from the community this is one way we have to do it or we are going to leave out a significant part of the population."

'54 Hours' StartUp Weekend Announced

Jeff Roach — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:15:28 -0300

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http://www.54Hours.com

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54 Hours

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Saint John, NB, April 25, 2009 - On May 8th, 9th, and 10th developers, designers and entrepreneurs from around the province will gather together for a community building startup event in uptown Saint John at the Delta Brunswick Hotel. Similar to other startup weekends that have been held in cities across North America, the 54Hours event seeks to take business ideas from concept to launch in just one weekend.

Participants begin by Sharing idea pitches beginning on Friday evening and will then divide into teams to work on bringing the ideas to market by the following Monday morning. “The entire weekend is meant to be a fun way for members of the ICT and business community to interact and network with one another at a deeper level than is generally possible at a traditional industry event,” says Michael Wilcott, an ICT project manager based in Saint John who is one of the organizers. “54 Hours will be a lot of fun, and will hopefully result in the creation of several web-based enterprises that will enrich New Brunswick's ICT environment”.

There is no cost to attend the event and the only requirement is a little skill, a positive attitude and a willingness to roll with the punches. The atmosphere is meant to be fun and the entire process organic. “We’ve adopted the slogan 'No Talk. All Action.' for the event and we are intentionally keeping the agenda loosely defined. We want to the weekend to be like the early days of a startup, where creativity and frenetic energy are the norm and there aren’t a lot of rules”, says Wilcott.

So what happens when the weekend is over? Above all, it is hoped that a strong community bond will form but beyond that, it depends on the group. Some groups work beyond the weekend and continue to build and market their products; some may incorporate as companies and even engage in angel rounds. Issues like ownership and shares are determined by the members of a team over the course of the weekend and 54Hours will not retain any ownership of any company that might be formed over the course of the event.

"We strongly support these grassroots, creative activities that help people visualize what their ideas might look like in the shape of a business." says Jeff Roach of propel ICT. "There are plenty of good ideas but few people give their ideas legs. We are as interested as everyone else to see what might come from this weekend."

To participate in this fun, unique networking event, please visit www.54Hours.com and sign up for this free event!

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Media Contact: Michael Wilcott, (506) 647-3269

Political journalist John Ibbitson to speak at Fullsail Summit

johnsgunn — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:45:01 -0300

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Published 16 April 2009

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http://www.nbsc-cvmnb.ca/nbsc/news_content_display.jsp?news_id=147&id=24&pid=1001

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Political journalist John Ibbitson

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SAINT JOHN – Political journalist John Ibbitson will be the moderator and gala speaker for the New Brunswick Securities Commission’s (NBSC) Fullsail Summit, which takes place in Fredericton on May 11 and 12.

Ibbitson is the Washington correspondent for the Globe and Mail, and at the Summit will provide insight on how America’s business, culture and politics affect Canadians.

“In light of current economic challenges and New Brunswick’s close connection with the United States, Mr. Ibbitson is perfectly positioned to share his unique experience with delegates,” said Rick Hancox, NBSC executive director.

The Fullsail Summit brings together business leaders, government officials, entrepreneurs and industry professionals to look at ways to continue to grow New Brunswick’s equity capital market and entrepreneurship opportunities. Delegates will learn from global experts about strategies on sustaining and growing their businesses during difficult economic times.

“Mr. Ibbitson’s spoken word will likely be as riveting as his polished writing style,” said Hancox. “We are certain he will captivate and motivate Fullsail delegates to challenge their conventional way of thinking.”

Ibbitson is the author of The Polite Revolution, a blueprint for the next Canada. He has also written several plays and works of fiction, as well as The Landing, a Governor General’s Award-winner for Best Children’s Book in 2008.

The Summit will feature two panel discussions. Day 1 panelists include Rahaf Harfoush, member of President Barack Obama’s successful social media campaign, and Tod Maffin, national broadcaster. Day 2 showcases business leaders Curtis Howe of Mariner Inc., and Gene Fowler of FatKat Animation, who will speak about the New Brunswick perspective. Howe and Fowler have both led their New Brunswick-based companies through difficult times, and continue to grow during these current challenges.

Speakers Curtis Howe (left) of Mariner Inc., and Gene Fowler (right) of FatKat Animation

Delegates are encouraged to register early, as seating is limited. To register, or for more information on the Summit, including program details and speaker biographies, visit the NBSC website.

Company will help others make their move online

Rowser — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:11:59 -0300

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Rebecca Penty

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Telegraph-Journal, Published Monday March 30th, 2009

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http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/619089

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Craig Allen at his home with the laptop that he uses for his business. Photo by Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal

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Craig Allen will launch new social networking initiatives for executives who don't have the know-how or time

As more companies hop onto blogs and social networking sites to market their brands, Craig Allen is looking to carve out a niche spot to profit off the trend.

With his new company - launched officially with a site posted to the web Friday - the Saint-John based marketer will help those not tech savvy enough to make their own move online.

He won't be a consultant making cash by delivering lectures extolling the virtues of social marketing sites like Facebook and Twitter, but will work instead to launch new initiatives for executives who don't have the know-how or time to go online.

Allen - who has worked for nearly eight years in marketing, most recently for Saint John's Evolving Solutions - is launching a one-man firm where he will act as a website designer and communications employee.

He envisions spending four to five hours per week for each company on his roster posting messages to Twitter and Facebook, crafting e-newsletters and updating websites and blogs.

While many firms have online profiles, Allen said some executives don't know how to capitalize on that presence.

"People aren't using the tools to their full capacity," Allen said, citing examples from his time working for companies at Evolving Solutions.

"For example, they weren't updating the website, they didn't have a Facebook group, they hadn't heard about Twitter.

"They weren't sending out e-newsletters even though they had the tools to do it," he said.

Facebook allows anyone to create a personal profile or group online and add photos, links and updates for others online to see.

Twitter, in the same vein as Facebook, allows a user to create an individual profile and post status updates - called tweets - publicly, which are viewed by those who follow that user.

For many executives, it's a lack of understanding of the Internet that prevents them from making a move to grow their company's web marketing, Allen said.

"A lot of people are intimidated by the technology even though for a lot of us it isn't that hard to use; you just need a little strategy," he said.

He said some businesspeople find maintaining an online presence for their firm just too time consuming.

A survey released this month by Nielsen Online, a division of New York's The Nielsen Company, said one in every 11 minutes online globally is accounted for by social network and blogging sites.

According to the Nielsen report, Facebook - the world's most popular social network - is visited monthly by three in every 10 people online across the nine markets (Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States) in which Nielsen tracks social networks. And social networks and blogs are growing twice as fast as any of the other four largest sectors online sectors, which include search engines, portals, PC software and email.

Allen, who said he is the only one in the province acting as a one-stop-shop for web marketing, has a handful of clients already, including Opera Bistro, a restaurant in Saint John. The marketer has been creating e-newsletters for the company and hopes to soon launch a Twitter page.

"There's a potential need, and I'm already doing it for a few people, where they actually need someone to do that for them."

Companies across the province are hopping on the Twitter train

Rowser — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:53:06 -0400

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Rebecca Penty

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Telegraph-Journal, Published Tuesday March 3rd, 2009

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http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/journal/article/589857

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The Twitter home page, photo by: KâtÈ LeBlanc/Telegraph-Journal

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When Heather MacLean wanted to send out messages on behalf of NB Power on potential service problems arising from Monday's winter storm, she went to Twitter.

The media relations manager posted three messages to the social networking site, attaching a link to a page on the public utility's website with tips on handling a power outage.

The move is representative of a communications strategy a growing number of companies are adopting as more consumers and business partners head to the web.

"We're looking at different ways of communicating with our customers and certainly social media is one that is growing with great bounds and leaps and we thought we would try a pilot with Twitter just to see how that goes," MacLean said.

She joined Twitter last October to get a feel for the site and began making more frequent posts recently. "I was doing more listening that I was speaking," MacLean said.

NB Power has joined the ranks of a plethora of companies that use the site to send out messages and keep tabs on potential business partners and industry trends.

Twitter, which works somewhat like Facebook, allows a user to create an individual profile and post status updates - called Tweets - publicly, which can be easily viewed by those who follow that user.

TweetDeck is a function that lets users split their main message feed into topic- or group-specific columns, allowing a broader overview of Tweets.

Jon Reid, the CEO and director of e-business for Moncton-based web technology company Spheric Technologies Inc., said his firm has actually landed deals through site interactions.

"As a company, we like to share insight into the technologies we specialize in," Reid said.

He answered a technical question a Boston-based marketing company he had been following for months posted on its profile and company staff then started following his profile and posts, which resulted in a contract.

"It's led to, for one, a programming deal and just some interaction on our blogs," Reid said.

The executive organized Moncton's first Twestival - a meeting planned entirely on Twitter - earlier this month to raise money for Water, a non-profit organization that aims to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

Beyond industry interactions, Reid said Twitter allows those looking for work to find niche companies to watch; Spheric has a couple of high school students eager to work in the information communications technology sector following the company's posts.

Traditional firms looking to market have begun hopping onto the Twitter train.

On Twitterholic.com, a website that tracks the top Twitter users online based on the number of followers, posts and friends, CNN is No.2 behind U.S. President Barack Obama, who had 346,422 followers as of Monday afternoon.

Other top 10 users include Britney Spears, The New York Times, Al Gore and Lance Armstrong. Airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL), JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) and Southwest Airlines CO. (NYSE:LUV) have Twitter accounts, as do retailers like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ;AAPL) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).

Louis-Philippe Gauthier, an Internet marketing consultant based in Moncton, senior consultant and instructor of the Electronic Commerce Centre at the University of New Brunswick and the president of the board of directors of the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick inc., said Twitter has nearly become mainstream.

"Some would say the death of Twitter is the day all the marketers start using it," Gauthier said, adding that firms with traditionally less web presence are "pushing out" information of interest to clients to the Twitter network.

In his own posts, Gauthier has had responses within minutes from companies he has mentioned. When he pointed to TSheets, a firm that allows time tracking with its TSheets Touch software for Apple's iPhone, a company representative thanked him immediately for his post.

"We're moving slowly towards the real-time web, the live web," Gauthier said, calling Twitter a "stream" that allows feedback in real time on a lot of subjects.

2009 KIRA AWARD CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Rowser — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:31:41 -0400

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KIRA Awards

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http://www.kiraawards.com/

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The 11th annual KIRA awards are now accepting nominations

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New Brunswick companies and individuals within the Knowledge Industry are invited to nominate individuals or organizations for KIRA 2009. KIRA is a province-wide event with awards in seven categories. We encourage companies to self nominate or have someone else nominate for you or your company.

Nominations close on Friday, March 31st, 2009.

Please visit http://www.kiraawards.com for more detailed information.

KIRA is an annual celebration recognizing the successes and innovations of individuals and companies within New Brunswick's Knowledge Industry. At the 2008 KIRA Gala, the outstanding achievements of companies and individuals within the knowledge industry across the province will be honoured.

Nomination Process

STEP 1 Name of company or individual being nominated; contact for nominated company along with address, phone number, web address, e-mail, or other pertinent contact information. Include name of person or company completing nomination (if different from company or individual being nominated).

STEP 2 Identify the Award Category for which the company / individual is being nominated
(All submissions should be a maximum of two pages.)

STEP 3 Describe activities that support the nomination. Appendices may be attached; however, the pertinent information must be provided in the two-page submission. Six copies of any appendices must be provided.

In preparation for the multimedia component of the awards evening as well as the program, please provide:
a) The company logo in digital format
b) A brief description of the company and its activities.

Please submit nominations to info@ent-fredericton.ca

First Global Charity Event Organized on Twitter Comes to Moncton

lrousseau — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:36:49 -0400

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Jon Reid

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Spheric Technologies Inc

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What: Twestival, Moncton
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 12
Where: The City Grill, 130 Westmorland St., Moncton
Tickets: $5
Info: http://www.amiando.com/twestivalmoncton.html or www.twestival.com
Contact: http:www.twitter.com/twestivalmnctn

MONCTON, NB – Moncton joins more than 100 cities around the world in hosting Twestival, the first-ever international charity event organized through the popular social networking site, Twitter, at 7:30 p.m. on
Thursday, February 12 at The City Grill.

Twestival will feature music, snacks and a cash bar. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization that aims to bring clean, safe drinking water to more than 1 billion people in developing nations who need it. "In Canada, I think we often take our abundant fresh water for granted," said Jon Reid, lead organizer of Moncton's Twestival.

Instigated from a conversation on Twitter, Twestival was created to bring together local Twitter communities to socialize offline and raise money for a charitable cause. All Twestival events are organized by volunteers and 100% of the proceeds will be used for building wells and other water
delivery projects, which can cost from $4000 to $12,000. More information on Charity: Water can be found at www.charitywater.org.

Local events will be held simultaneously on February 12 in cities in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Communities from around the globe will be able to send video messages to each other and participate online.

"This event, while for a great cause, will also demonstrate that social media can be a catalyst for social action," said Reid, director at Spheric Technologies Inc. "Twitter has had an amazing effect on my
personal and business network. I would love everyone in my local community to experience the same."

Spheric Technologies Inc., a web technology company headquartered in Moncton, has engaged in other compassionate capitalist efforts including creating a pro bono website for the Boys & Girls Club of Moncton and investing $5,000 on Kiva.org to support small businesses in developing
countries.

Last year, Spheric received the Corporate Social Responsibility Award from BDC in recognition of the company's charitable endeavors. More information on Spheric can be found at www.spheric.ca.

Blog: http://moncton.twestival.com

Live Earth: http://mashable.com/2009/02/01/twestival-unstoppable-liveearth-joins-twitter-fundraiser">http://mashable.com/2009/02/01/twestival-unstoppable-liveearth-joins-twitter-fundraiser

Presentation: http://vizedu.com/2009/02/twestival-the-power-of-twitter

‘Unconference to Bring Techies and Hobbyists Together’

lrousseau — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:39:21 -0400

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PodCamp Halifax

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http://podcamphalifax.ca/2008/12/11/press-release-unconference-to-bring-techies-and-hobbyists-together/

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December 11, 2008

HALIFAX, NS - When online video entrepreneur Craig Moore volunteered to help organize something called a ‘Podcamp’ in Halifax, he never could have anticipated the excitement that would be sparked.

“When we started, we thought we would gather 30 or 40 of our friends together to chat about podcasting and blogs,” said Moore. “When we finally announced that we were doing it, we immediately had replies from people who had booked their flight that day from Toronto.”

Already popular throughout North America and Europe, a Podcamp uses an ‘unconference’ format to facilitate discussions about blogs, wikis, YouTube, Facebook and other collaborative online tools. Craig’s idea transformed from a simple fireside chat to a community town hall filling up a public library with discussion about everything from how to un-friend people on Facebook to legal issues caused by Social Media.

“We’re already attracting people from all walks of life,” said Ryan Deschamps, a librarian, blogger and champion for social media in Halifax. After joining the podcamp discussion, he connected the event with the Halifax Public Libraries, securing the Alderney Gate Library as a venue. “The online world has a much larger reach than just techies. So many different types of people are online, all contributing to its community.”

“Libraries have always been about sharing ideas. Books are one way to do that, community events like podcamps are another,” said Deschamps who alongside Jon McGinley and Ben Boudreau from Revolve forms the planning committee. “We’re very excited to help host the very first one in the Atlantic Provinces.”

The free-of-charge event will take place at 9:00 a.m., January 25 at the Alderney Gate Library. In typical social media style, the presentations will be available through podcast, online video and Twitter updates. Speaking opportunities and registration details can be found on the Podcamp Halifax website http://podcamphalifax.ca).

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Media Contacts

Ryan Deschamps, E-Learning Manager

Halifax Public Libraries

(t) 490-5823 (e) deschary@halifax.ca

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We would like to encourage New Brunswickers to attend PodCamp Halifax coming Jan. 25th. There will be presentations that are geared towards New Brunswickers. A few of these talks include:

Grassroots Community Building Through Social Media
by Lisa Rousseau, Organizer of Third Tuesday NB and Jeff Roach, Executive Director, Propel ICT

Bypassing distance and agendas: building community from the bottom up in New Brunswick. How we brought NB cities together as a combined community through social media. We started with Third Tuesday NB, now through twitter and other venues, we're bringing people and ideas together which could help NB become more sustainable.

The State of Social Media in Atlantic Canada
by Giles Crouch at MediaBadger

An overview of the Social Media "market" in Atlantic Canada; an in depth look at who's using Social Media, growth of blogs, key bloggers/Twitterers, growing use by citizens, demographics and psychographics and a discussion of how we all think Social Media might impact our region.

Twitter secret cracked by Radian6

lrousseau — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:16:03 -0400

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Kyle Mullin

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Daily Gleaner, Published Thursday December 18th, 2008

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http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/rss/article/515402

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SHHHHH: chris ramsey, vice-president of business development with radian6, shows the dashboard of a website explaining the Twitter secret.

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Radian6 has discovered something that may be more powerful than a $50-million marketing budget.

Chris Ramsey, the local IT firm's vice-president of business development, said it has found a way for corporations to use social-networking sites to spread messages and get instant feedback online.

"On social networks, any one customer can have a voice that's louder and more powerful than a $50-million marketing budget," he said.

Corporations should use social networks such as Twitter - an online community linked by short, informal blogging - to get noticed and to better understand and address those customers' needs, he said.

Radian6. analyzes the traffic on social networking sites to help public-relations and advertising professionals better communicate with their customers.

David Alston, the company's vice-president of marketing, crafted the idea during a recent side project.

The experiment was designed to address what he thought was one of Twitter's biggest flaws - users can supposedly only type 140 characters in the social network's messaging services.

"That's quite limiting when you think about it," said Ramsey. "If you actually want to say something, you can maybe get a sentence out in such a limited space, and that's it."

However, after toying with the service, Alston realized that a standard twitter message could contain up to 920 characters.

Rather than posting or broadcasting the discovery, he tried using less conventional means to get the word out.

Alston began sending other users a cryptic message, which read "I know the twitter secret, message me if you want to find out."

He said within seconds people began replying franticly, looking to find out what the secret was.

"In response to that, we would tell them the story of how we discovered it, but we'd say don't spoil this by posting it somewhere, just pass the message along," he said.

It soon became a viral chain letter, and within three hours of kicking off the experiment, Alston found that the phrase 'Twitter secret,' was the most mentioned word on the site that day, with more than 700 messages that had sprouted from the first one he sent.

Alston said it acted like a near-instant poll, showing what improvements users wanted on the site.

He said if companies are creative, they can do exactly the same thing to connect with their customers quickly and easily.

"People are chatting about everything under the sun on these networks," Alston said.

"It's an easy way for you to be listening and engage in the conversation with customers. Then you can know how to serve them better, rather than just pitching them something."

He said the idea could rewrite the book for online marketing.

"Now you can completely track how word of mouth spreads and evolves as it's happening. Through a network like Twitter, that word of mouth can spread like a virus.

"It's important for any brand to figure that out, so when they try to broadcast marketing messages in the future, they can understand the psychology of what customers connect with."