Stories and observations gathered from exploring Vancouver’s places and history, then finding inspiration in the forgotten moments, incidents and neighbourhoods and tactics for turning raw materials into craft, and art for the future.
As shared by Dave Olson at Pecha Kucha Nght Vancouver, All-Star edition, Leap Day 2012.
Slides
See Flickr Photoset and SlideShow and/or slidedeck:
Remarks
From Middle Child Reviews: Pecha Kucha Night Vol. 20 All-Stars
Dave Olson was a great closing speaker and echoed many of the points Steven had made in the beginning about Vancouver and how our culture has been and is being shaped. I didn’t really understand what his “job” was, but storyteller is definitely one of them. From his website it looks like he does speaking, writing, and other projects. He lives in Lynn Valley, North Van, which makes it pretty easy to make fun of the other stuff that goes on in the city. You can actually go online to see his presentation slides.
From Vancouver Observer: Could Pecha Kucha’s corporate sponsor please stand up?
And there was much more. I was dying to hear Dave Olson’s talk. I’d heard him at an earlier Pecha Kucha and never forgotten his passion for the creative process, how he inspired people to think out of the box and give themselves over to art, literature, life. I was also very curious about Danielle LaPorte. But I had to go home to make good on a promise to put my son to bed.
To which i replied:
Indeed, ’tis more important to share time with the lil gaffer! Was nice to see you and wish you coulda heard about my old-skool Vancouver heroes.
This time around, i shared Vancouver cultural anecdotes, forgotten nuggets, and the joy of exploration, then shared how i take my observations and turn into craft and art. Also threw in a few things i’d enjoy improving about our beloved city. 6:40 goes by quick!
I think the talk would work great as an hour+ storytime event along with discussion. Would be pleased to share if someone were to put on an event at a theatre. Any ideas out there?
The Province’s Two Bar Stools also missed my schtick in: Finding purpose at PechaKucha Vancouver
Danielle LaPorte, who was just as inspiring as I had predicted, sending urgent waves of purpose into the crowd with her messages; and Dave Olson and Andrew Morrison, who unfortunately I had to miss due to the unanticipated late finish.
As I left the iconic theatre I had a sense of fulfillment rising inside me. A sense that perhaps Vancouver is changing. A sense that greatness lives here. People in our community are making differences, they are creating, and they are sharing. Events like PechaKucha are essential in that they breed possibility and oneness.
Snaps
by @wongers
Pecha Kucha Vancouver ~ All-Star Edition Roster
Happy to be named to the Top 10 roster for Pecha Kucha All-star edition which sold out in 32 hours (over 1200 seats at The Vogue). This is my 3rd time in the unique 20 slides for :20 each format and am preparing all new material to share what inspires me about Vancouver and how i take inspiration into craft. Hope to see you there. If not, Bruce Sharpe is shooting the gig and hopefully Andrew Lavigne is kicking off his new documentary.
Details follow:
Previous Pecha Kucha Night Vancouver re-caps:
Stories from Japan ~ Inspiration in 20 seconds at Pecha Kucha Vancouver
Apparently Pecha Kucha is pronounced anyway you choose – Spiel Recap
Dave Olson – Story Maker/Writer/ Producer (uncleweed.net) speaks at Pecha Kucha – photo by Melissa Gedney
Dave Talks Social Media for Small Business in a Bank Webinar
Under the auspices of my day-job, i shared some handy tips in webinar – promoted by a bank – designed to help small businesses learn to quickly adapt social media tools and web best practices into their marketing, operations and business development plans. It’s devoid of wild stories from foreign lands but my hair is perfect ;-) and i do some Q&A.
Please share with your pals who are trying to prioritize their marketing activities and keep their biz rolling.
And, at the risk of being a sell-out, here are my notes from the gig. Here’s a resource guide too.
Tutorial with Dave Olson, Community Director, HootSuite
In 15 minutes, learn how to:
- Build an effective social media marketing campaign
- Respond to what is being said about your brand and business
- Set up an online page and maintain your online presence
- Use social media to drive traffic to your website and engage prospects
- Distribute your targeted messages using multiple online channels
- Advertise online on a small budget – get the top result spot on search engines
10 Tips to Tune your Online Social Strategy
Aim: Provide practical, tactical tips they can use right away to grow business using social media/web tools.
Slides:
- Social listening – set up persistent real-time search for brand mentions in Twitter – even geo-locate your searches i.e. mentions of “accountant” or “tax” or “bookkeeping” ONLY in Halifax)
- Twitter conversations – be prepared to reply appropriately (draft messages, set policy, know tone and limits, build a team)
- Twitter community – become an expert by building lists of industry influencers, your teams, your brands etc.
- Facebook precense – set up a page to provide: resources; unique calls to action; and conversation – stay active, don’t feed the trolls
- Tracking results – see which channels deliver traffic to web site and which convert into customers with social stats and integrated Google Analytics
- News Alerts – get updates emailed when you brand is mentioned via Google news alerts and social mention – mitigate misinformation, outreach to prospects/media/partners
- Search Engine Optimization – you need: quality inbound links; tuned copywriting; clean code + sitemap
- Google Ads and Search – Organic (free but unpredictable) vs Adwords (paid and semi-unpredictable) – budget and balance is key
- Defining Strategy – decide where you needs are: do you need customers? do you need to provide more customer service channels? do you need to build brand awareness? build a toolkit for your needs looking 6 months out
- Understanding Social media ROI – the pay off is across channels including customer support, lead generation and mitigating PR conundrums
“Hemp Ed” Chronicling the Good Fight ~ Originally in Heads Magazine Tokes on the Porch blog
Note: Originally appeared in (now-defunct) Heads Magazine in “Uncle Weed’s Tokes on the Porch” blog — March 12, 2007 (cached)
Bonus: A podcast i recorded with Ed back in the day: Bacon, Biscuits and Hemp Ed – Choogle on #39
I recently rolled down for a visit to Pe Ell, Washington to see my old amigo Hemp Ed. Pe Ell is dang near the smallest town you’ve seen – a former logging boom town and now a fading enclave of approx 619 folks, a bar, a cafe, a store, a gas station, a post office, a school, one part-time cop.
I’ve worked with Ed on hemp activism and advocacy projects since the mid 90′s when public policy seemed to be trended towards decriminalization of recreational cannabis and legalization of industrial hemp as Hemp Lobby. This venerable website is a bit stale but is now enhanced with Ed’s blogging efforts on Hemp Lobby Chronicles where Ed is blogging up a storm with his candid and thoughtful discourse on public policy, agriculture, energy and the ill-fated “war on drugs.”
Dave & Ed in Oly
Back in the day … We set up an office and library in Olympia Washington and outreached to state legislators, community groups, media and the like with quality materials and polite dialouge.
Notably, in an effort to educate policy-makers, researchers and agriculturalists, Hemplobby created a booklet called “Practical Guide to Cannabis.” Within are excerpts from many research studies, legislative bills, growing guides and various discourse on hemp policy. We distributed this tome physically and electronically around the world.
Ed’s experience working as a logger for a clearcut operator speaks loudly. He is a wild-eyed libertarian and grows and raises much of his own food, watches CSPAN compulsively and loves to talk about wild times in Alaska. I enjoy his rambles even more than his handmade cedar sauna out back.
When I first met Ed, he was touring the country attending events and concerts in the Hemp Education van, a beastly panel van loaded up with hemp samples, sellables and info to share. He also marketed a woven hemp necklace/pendant thing called an Enviro-eye and sources raw hemp materials for all sorts of industries.
Ed was a founding member of the Hemp Industries Association, the industry’s largest trade group, and was involved in many groups supporting industrial hemp but not medicinal or recreational use. But, like me, he is annoyed at the organizations who are looking down their noses at the uncouthness of recreational herbal enthusiasts.
While I, acutely aware of the societal, agricultural and commercial differences are between cannabis’ varied genus, I am also aware of the prejudice and obstruction techniques “the man” uses to bring the momentum to a crawl.
E.g. … Finally, the DEA vs HIA lawsuit was resolved (effectively re-allowing imported hemp food products into the US more readily), but then the comes the $3000 application process to begin the process of inquiring if you can grow hemp. The Vote Hemp folks are seeking to test the effectiveness of the newest red-tape brigade by applying and challenging any negative result. But I can’t see a result for some time indeed. Makes you wanna holler!
While testing the rule of law in laborious court battles (coupled with the drama and diligence required to fundraise to cover expenses) is a noble fight for some, it is not my calling.
Originally appeared in Urban Dig iPhone app as an interactive tour, and also in The Vancouver Observer column “Uncle Weed’s Dossier” as “A Gastown craft beer stumbling tour.” Be responsible and enjoy the route!
Gastown Craft Beer Stumbling Tour
Ready for a Stumble?
Vancouver may be among the most expensive beer drinking cities in the world, but fortunately, there are glorious quality ales available… if you know where to look.
Otherwise you’ll miss out on the erstwhile BC craft brewery renaissance with world-class beers made locally by Howe Sound, R&B, Crannóg, Phillips, and more. Plus, resourceful importers are distributing micro-classics from the United States’ west coast mixed in with European standard-bearers which go beyond the basics. Are you missing out? If so, come along.
Railtown to Gastown
Amongst the steam clock and Gassy Jack statue photo-ops in cobble-stoned Gastown are plenty of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and cafes but many of them serve the same macro-beer swill and flaccid atmosphere found anywhere.
You’ll need to scratch a little deeper to find the places which have substance to go along with the style. Pick the right door and you’ll find beers from Cascadian brewmaster experiments, to west coast micro-classics, to Trappist ales with centuries of tradition.
To help out-of-towners and local alike, I created a tour of the spots I stop by en route from work in Railtown to the Seabus. The fine establishments in this tour range from almost dive-bars to almost gastro-pubs but all share a commitment to featuring (in some cases, exclusively) true craft handles.
All of the places serve food — it’s the law, I think — to keep your belly loaded and soak up all the sudsy goodness. But all the people here are on this route for their bevvies, not nibbles.
Follow the route closely and don’t be tempted by long line-ups and glamorous patios or you’ll be stuck with a disappointing beer served by someone who doesn’t really know what they are serving. The route ends (or starts) with tall cans from the package store swilled at the (almost hidden) waterfront park while watching tugboats and float planes and reflecting on the porters, stouts, hefeweizens, IPAs, and abbey ales consumed on your route and this might be the best part.
Alibi Room
On the edge of Railtown, the food and ambience are good but the 40-plus carefully selected draft and cask beers are even better with an ever-changing and elegantly curated variety of taps and casks with a focus on Cascadian beers – especially IPAs and limited runs.
Hopheads are in heaven here, but my current fave is the malty Bear Republic’s Pete Brown Tribute Ale, or recently, coffee-rich HUB Organic Survival 7 Grain Stout. With so many top-end and strong beers, choosing can be hard. So ask your wise bartender for a “Frat Bat” of 4 tasters.
Check the chalkboard for the casks of the day – with no CO2, these beers are artisan and old-school and remember all the beers here are strong and excellent – be prepared for safe transport so you can really explore the list.
Incendio
One particular Belgian gets this part of the Biercraft location on the map. This location has a few decent choices but go directly for Grimbergen – this Belgian beer will be served in a paired glass with 8 step prep and pour.
They’ve made this remarkable and heavy-duty treat since 1128 in a (waitforit) Premonstratensian monastery with a recipe protected from fires to wars. Note the great coaster collection too.
Six Acres
Quaint, cozy and fortified with a variety of European bottled treats with key locals… if you can grab a rare table. Settle in for a long sampling session and people watching with an R&B Raven Cream Ale in a big bottle or if you’ve never had the König Ludwig or Schneiderweisse hefeweizens from Germany, do so immediately – both are well textured and refreshing.
Since you are here, check a few more Trappist ales of the list with Duvel, Orval, and Chimay along for a few other Belgians but try to resist the urge to walk out with one of the handmade menus crafted from 1930s-era school books.
The Irish Heather
Hearty beers to go with sturdy food in a modern semi-gastro-pub setting. I was a sucker for the old spot because of the rickety chairs but with the Shebeen Whisk(e)y bar and Salty Tongue cafe combined, you have all your essentials including pot pies and shepherd’s pie.
It’s ostensibly an Irish pub, so Guinness or Kilkenny seem like the logical choices. But instead go with local Russel’s Wee Angry Scotch Ale or look for the Howe Sound Rail Ale on tap here – made in Squamish, this nut brown is my go-to session beer.
The Cambie
I like divey but decent, and this landmark is the local equivalent of Star Wars’ Mos Eisley cantina filled with hostel backpackers, dope dealers, fried food and cheap beer – not as crafty as the others but completely devoid of any pretension.
The house Pale and Lager are made by local Russell and is cheap and serviceable but upgrade to the Russel Cream Ale or IPeh instead. The long benches ensure you get to know your neighbours whether you want to or not. Write your name in Sharpie on the table to prove you survived.
The Greedy Pig
I don’t make it here as much as others, but friendly service, comfort food and a few solid tap handles make this a low-key getaway on busy nights. Sit at the bar, eat a grilled cheese sandwich or pickled quail eggs and watch a game in a non-sports bar atmosphere.
I enjoy Okanagan Spring Brewmaster Black Lager here – the best choice from an otherwise rather boring brewery (though I also like their Porter too).
Steamworks
Often packed with tourists but worth crowding in for the six-plus brews which are rotated to work in seasonal ales (and to stay up with demand). The Nirvana Nutbrown and Coal Porter are the front runners for me (the porter rotates with the Heroica Stout).
Skip the patio and head all the way downstairs for a pub-style area with pool tables and fireplaces but if waiting for the SeaBus, grab a seat at the mezzanine level bar, pay cash and keep an eye on the vessel arriving for a quick getaway.
Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar
Located in Waterfront Station with relatively-safe but solid choices – complete with tasting notes – make Rogue ideal for bringing your no-beer-geek pals (if you have any).
Go right for the prize with Crannóg’s Backhand of God Stout which will teach you that God does love you and that’s why she created beer. Order easy quaffing locals like Central City’s Red Racer ESB, Deschutes Mirror Pond or Howe Sound’s Garabaldi Honey Pale Ale for indecisive friends.
Victory Lap
Still standing? Keep it going… Find the Wine Thief beer and wine store in front of Steamworks and load up your pockets with tall cans of Tree Brewing’s Thirsty Beaver (which go down quick) or go pro with the Holsten Maibock which is strong and sweet. Then, walk across through the station towards the Seabus and zip out the Heliport exit towards Crab Park.
This mellow, underknow waterfront park makes a nice chill out to start or end the tour with a swill on the dock while watching tugboats toiling and float planes landing and classic railcars alongside commuters and boxcars. Head into your beloved Vancouver back over the lil’ bridge at the north end of Main St. to complete your lap.
Final Burps
Note: I log my beers on Untappd and follow breweries, beerfans and bars via a Twitter list.
Tour: Follow my route in a free iPhone app called Urban Dig which includes a collection curated tours by renegade locals from LA to Vancouver. The tour includes my notes (with some hidden tips) plus photos and map. Be sure to “like” it.
Photos: By authour except Flight at Alibi Room by mezzoblue and Dave in furry hat at The Greedy Pig by Bob Mackin, and the authour at Six Acres.
Talking Social Business and Egyptian Revolution on the TeeVee
For my day-job, i shared some thoughts about the company’s role in the Egyptian revolution on Global TV – along with defraying some nonsensical rumour mongering about a guy in a hoodie buying a hotdog. I’d share more about this but if you really care, you’ll find it elsewhere.
From related video article from Global BC | Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg takes a bite out of Vancouver as speculation swirls (sic):
Meanwhile, rumours abound about what lured the 27-year-old to the Great White North.
Gossip hounds first suggested he could be here to pursue buying social media dashboard HootSuite — a rumour that was shot down in an Oct. 10 tweet by the Vancouver company’s CEO Ryan Holmes: “@facebook iosn’t buying @hottsuite anytime soon.”
Read it on Global News: Global BC | Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg takes a bite out of Vancouver as speculation swirls
NOTE: if the video was embeddable, i’d add it here ;(
Go Cups and Pedicabs ~ Are We Ready to be “World Class” Yet? (from Vancouver Observer)
Originally appeared in Uncle Weed’s Dossier column in Vancouver Observer on Aug. 2nd 2011 under the same title. This spiel compiled a bushel of ideas I’ve wanted to amplify to Vancouver (knowing change comes slow etc. in land of conservative progressive) and banged it out white hot after returning from New Orleans and seeing the remarkable (dearisay) brand they’ve crafted for their city – and dang if they don’t know how to truly let loose and keep it cool. We have our moments in Vancouver but with absurd prices and policies for beer (which is an essay on its way) and neurotic policy shifts, and an abundance of disparity… a few refinements are in order – the question is: are we ready to step up? heh, you tell me.
Go Cups and Pedicabs ~ Are We Ready to be “World Class” Yet?
Like a beautiful but gangly teenager on the first day of high school, in Vancouver we tend towards constant introspection and self-awareness to the point of mental self-abuse when we discuss our city. “Are we are as pretty as Zurich? Are we more fun than Sydney? Do these pants make me look fat?”
We obsess about being “world class” as though that makes us important. World class doesn’t mean “big” – we remain medium-sized (and our topography ensures we will) – as Goldilocks would say, “Just right.” World class means something unique which makes the city stand out. Sure, we have mountains, the ocean and trees. But to go next level, we need to go wide open with new ideas and take some calculated risks.
I’ve just rambled back from New Orleans (podcast) – a city that knows something about its brand and reputation – with a headful of ideas borrowed from working examples to re-fit our city experiment into something truly more livable for the normal folks.
New Orleans: ”Go” cups – simple, put your beer in plastic cup and take it from bar or store to wherever (walking not driving), very civilized. Street music. Not lonely, hunkered buskers, but like the 14 man brass bands holding court on French Quarter corners where the crowd ebbs with high-rollers’ cars and tourists with camera phones mix with locals boogying down. Street-level streetcars (ding ding) with a $3 day-pass to roll on wooden seats down the middle of the road. Also, add a brilliant culinary culture but leave the corruption, rats and humidity.
Austin, Texas: Pedi-cabs – move these cycle rickshaws beyond noisy, drunken weekend novelty status and transform the way we take short up/downtown trips. The licensed drivers make decent cash without emissions and save your sneakers on walks which are too short to bother playing the “where might a cab be?” game.
See also: Hosting art, technology festivals as a civic cash cow a la South by Southwest. Need to loosen up on bars, clubs and meeting centres (seriously, try renting a place) and provide an area for patrons to party (no, GranvilleMall doesn’t count) and you’ll attract conventioneers besides the stuffy ties at the dual Canada Places. Remember that conferences are junkets which requires fun times for attendees.
London: Though gloomy and spendy, I’ll take late night double-decker buses and free museums and galleries. Art saves lives and defines who we are. Make it accessible.
New York: Falafel at 3 a.m. like it’s no big deal. There is more, but this is enough.
Amsterdam: You’ll notice the separated bike lanes after you are run down when you don’t note the signs. As you are falling backwards avoiding the canals as scowling locals pedal by on heavy steel bikes, you’ll say to yourself, “I see, these aren’t sidewalks, these are true bike paths winding along like expressways for cycles.”
The reason bike lanes in Van are getting flack is because something was “taken away” – instead, make bike-only routes separate from the car-ways and everyone will be way happier.
Toronto: Live music clubs with residency bands. Example: The Beauties every Sunday in the low ceilings and loud amps of The Dakota.
Barcelona: Hard to describe Las Ramblas but we need something just like it – a true city pedestrian mall, a walkway, a people’s area for mingling, lounging and even lightweight commerce (lay down a blanket, sell your wares). Simply, we shouldn’t have to close a major traffic route to host downtown get-togethers or to observe each other on lazy afternoons.
Logan, Utah: Free transit. I know it sounds absurd… another Dave (Olsen, that is) researched free transit systems but missed one in the culturally conservative, big truck driving, two-bar university city by the Idaho border.The seat of Cache County boasts free, quality transit – hop on to go frombig box stores to the Mormon temple. I’d settle for a ”SeaBus only” pass.
Brussels: While dignified Brussels manages to beat Vancouver for most underwhelming tourist photo op (Mannekin Pis vs. Gastown ”Steam” Clock), the Belgian capital wins big prizes for character bars tended to by pro beer traditionalists serving on endless patio tables ringing vast squares. While we don’t have the centuries of Trappist ale culture, places like Six Acres show you can craft character and bring it outside on the cobblestones.
Vancouver: Summerlive at Stanley Park was close to perfect. Keep in mind, I’m a veteran of Grateful Dead tours, the legendary WOMAD feasts, and a hundred hippie jam fest weekends and attest this was simply a remarkable three days of music and demonstrative of a renaissance of great bands unseen since the beery 80s days of local hardcore.
Held close to the totempoles where I had my fifth birthday party, it felt like we stopped caring about how the outside looked at us and started living like we want to – we ride bikes, we walk the seawall, we tidy up, we sing along. Thanks to the police for keeping it chill and letting us enjoy picnics, tokes and (possibly) a brown bagged bevvie.
Wet Cement
We come from all over. Trying to find someone second generation from Vancouver amidst refugees from the frozen lands is a task. And we are already remixing ourselves, our city and our culture daily. The concrete isn’t wet yet here, we can still define who we want ourselves to be. And it’s a good time to do it since the city’s brand (as I learned in a city which survived a hurricane, flood, looting, police corruption and chaos) is “that city that burns cop cars.” Nowhere to go but up.
We have visible homeless problems, demoralizing property values and waffling by-laws. These need fixing. But to make my beloved city truly world class, I’ll be happy with a couple of the above for starters.
Photos: All photos by authour except “New Orleans Means Music” by Kris Krug via kk+ via Flickr & authour at Summerlive by brother Dan.
Rockstar Training School – Tips for Managing and Inspiring Interns (from InternMatch)
Written as a day-job project for InternMatch.com and posted on my birthday, Aug. 16, 2011, archived here for the record as this was an epic labour of importance to me. I’ve wanted to create an “former intern club” of some kind to keep an eye on all those i mentor to some degree, but for now, this is my distillation of most of the tactics i use to keep the train chooglin’ forward in the workplace. If you like, tweet or comment on the Internmatch version.
Rockstar Training School – Tips for Managing and Inspiring Interns (from InternMatch)
Guest Post By Dave Olson, Community Marketing Director of HootSuite.com
From start-ups to established enterprises, there’s rarely enough time for all the tasks and new initiatives on your list. Investing time to find quality interns can be an ideal solution… if done correctly. If you aren’t prepared to integrate your helper correctly, you’ll end up micro-managing and draining your time – while also demotivating the once-eager intern.
Over 15 years running marketing and community teams I’ve sponsored dozens of internships and along the way, found future employees, ideal collaborators and even a few friends. I’ve also dealt with under-performers and a few disgruntled slackers who can negatively affect your company culture.
From these experiences, I’ve compiled key nuggets of wisdom to help your company reap quality contributions from an intern who truly enjoys their challenging work experience.
Remember, you can’t spell INTERNET without INTERN.
Hire Like an Employee
Post intern openings the same as paid openings with expected qualifications, application process and defined roles. This shows you are taking the search seriously and not just looking for a warm body to do menial tasks. Remove the mystery and set the expectation and you’ll start off right.
Introduce Loudly
On their first day, introduce them to your team in an email – be sure to include personal interests and previous experience as well as an overview of the sorts of tasks they’ll work on. This helps the intern feel valuable and sends a message to your team to start collaborating right away.
Upfront with Terms
My internships are (almost) always non-paid. Opinions throughout the industry differ on this point, but it’s your choice to make. Just ensure you are clear about the terms from the beginning. If you don’t have budget, let them know and explain the types for benefits they’ll receive from their efforts: Internships are valuable learning experiences and a great way to get a foot in the door of competitive industries.
Give them a Title
Sadly “intern” is sometimes used as a synonym for “lackey” – this can be de-motivating and even embarrassing for your diligent helper. Instead, bestow a title upon them which describes their role. These titles can be fun but not condescending. At HootSuite, many Interns work on international outreach so we call them International Community Ambassadors. When you introduce them, use their title to show respect for their efforts.
Specific Tasks
While this seems obvious… Assign your padowans specific tasks with meaning and deadlines. By clearly defining to-dos, you not only keep Interns from spending their days on YouTube, but you give them valuable benchmarks of learning and achievement. We use Basecamp to organize tasks for employees and intern to a granular level.
Reports for Accountability
Each Intern should have a weekly report to fill out (I use Google forms which populate a spreadsheet) and measure some empirical evidence of their work as well as providing space for their ideas and insights and a grade their “happiness level.” This process holds them accountable, shows that their work matters and allows you to get in front of any problems whether for work or personal burn out (especially for international interns far from home).
Farm System
For start-ups, Interns can fill a critical role to get a product out and promoted on a limited budget. For established companies, they can populate a “farm system” for entry-level employees similar to a sports teams’ minor league affiliate. Interns allow you to cultivate a new batch of talent and “taste test” a number of candidates to see how they react in real-life work situations before committing to a contract.
Coffee is your Job
Do I ever ask interns to fetch me coffee? Almost never. This task is a menial “make work” task for them and (honestly) going for a cup of coffee is one of the best parts of your day. Instead, invite your intern out for a chat over a beverage and everyone wins. Also, make sure they are invited for company events, after-work beer sessions and other “team building” activities – it’ll pay off with passion.
Mentor your Padowan
You are receiving free (or cheap) labor and in exchange, you should share you experience, feedback and inside tips and tactics. Go beyond the simple assignments and take the time to explain the “why” beyond the “what” and “how.” Giving this contextual meaning to their tasks will help them emotionally invest in the project. But don’t coddle– they are humans, not puppies, and your real advice will be of more use than unwarranted compliments.
Part of a Legacy
One by one, Interns come and Interns go, but let your newbs know the legacy they are continuing. We tell stories and share photos of past Interns. For example: one intern left a Danish national soccer team jersey as a gift. Now, this is awarded to the Intern who has shown “heart and soul and tenacity” for the week and is handed off by one recipient to the next… Make an intern hall of fame gallery to connect the people to one another and you may find they end up as virtual friends.
Overwhelm (& Support)
From day one, give them a list of tasks. They won’t gravitate or complete all of them but you’ll quickly learn where their skills are. Make sure they know how to get help from others and at what point to come to you for assistance – without bothering you. Schedule :15 catchup sessions to avoid slow downs.
Lackey Work
I promise each new recruit that every task I assign to them is something I’ve done many times before – from stuffing envelopes to assembling desks, the jobs might sound mundane but if they know you’ve done the boring stuff too, they’ll understand it’s all part of the process and culture of a start-up.
Parting Gift
Since your Interns are non-paid, you want to ensure you provide some career assistance when they need it. This starts with a Linkedin recommendation and well-thought-out letter. Plus send a Tweet publicly to thank them and recommend them to other companies and offer yourself as a reference for jobs.
Field Trips
If someone really stepped up, introduce them to industry peers, either by email or by bringing them along to speaking gigs so they can make an impression in person. Tip: Start-up accelerators and incubators with newly funded companies are a great next step for your star Interns seeking work.
Keep in Touch
Remember each intern comes from a unique background and you can (and should) help elevate and fast-track them into the job world. Follow their career with interest once they are gone and invite them back for a coffee or office party.
Global Pecha Kucha Night - Inspire Japan
I was invited to speak at Global Pecha Kucha Day in Vancouver for the worldwide (100 cities or so) “Inspire Japan” event on April 16 2011.
Pecha Kucha Night is a presentation style and a series of lecture events held around the world under license from the originating design firm in Tokyo – in Vancouver by Cause+Affect.
The presentations are exactly 20 slides, switched automatically each :20 seconds. Like speedy lil TED talks with a tendency towards design, architecture, civic planning but speakers include anyone who is doing something interesting really.
I spoke at a Pecha Kucha night in May 2010 at the Vogue Theatre so i knew the pace is hectic and pacing out of your control (notes: Vancouver Observer, Canada Talent, Vancouver is Awesome).
Anyhow, the Inspire Japan day’s speakers were asked to speak more or less on 4 main themes. Here’s the instructions:
“INSPIRE, JAPAN, THE ISSUES, RECOVERY. They could be simply about things that inspire us, or Japan how it has inspired you. Great ideas or solutions that help deal with the issues at hand whether earthquake, tsunami or nuclear – and the road to recovery.”
Here are the slides to peruse at your leisure. Next time you buy me a beer, perhaps i’ll spiel the 20 second annotations to go along with each static montage.
The event was streamed online to coincide with the other events. Watching the Twitter stream to see events roll on and off was pretty neat while riding the SeaBus over – especially from far-flung cities i’ve visited from Osnabrueck to Okayama.
Video of PKN Vancouver + Inspire Japan – Note: i am the 4th speaker.
I was on the roster with 3 others speakers (fewer than a usual PKN).
MICHAEL GREEN • MCFARLANE | GREEN | BIGGAR ARCHITECTURE
LINUS LAM • ARCHITECTURE FOR HUMANITY VANCOUVER
TODD MACALLEN • MOLO DESIGN STUDIO
{ME} DAVE OLSON • STORY MAKER / WRITER / PRODUCER
This was a joy for me to produce from my time spent in Japan what seems like a lifetime ago. I dug deep into my personal archive to find some neat artifacts for my deck and discovered a variety of lost memories and forgotten incidents tucked away in boxes and files.
The event raised money for Architecture for Humanity to build a school in Japan which is great to be a part of, but truthfully (and selfishly) this was a chance for me to release some emotion by flashingback about how traipsing around Japan changed my life in many ways.
I don’t really talk about that time as much as other sojourns and, since the earthquake and resultant chaos, i wanted to express something-somehow with some sort of storymaking. This was a perfect chance so i dug deep.
My pal Daniel Robles gave me a hand building the deck and a load of my pals rolled down to the Cascade Room on Main to lend support and inspiration. See also Naoya Makino’s photoset.
Thanks to @richerd @theeholder @julienemery @donovanpee @kempedmonds @cyn_k @jorobot @kenzoyasauce etc. for support at #pknvan #inspirejapan
Pecha Kucha continues to raise money by marketing an e-book of the poster art from the various Inspire Japan events around the world. Some top-end designers contributed work so bound to be enjoyable for your virtual coffee table.
Thanks to Steven, Jane, and Becki for the invite. Sign me up anytime.
Talking Social Media, #TNMH and Olympics on News 1130
Leading up to the 1 year anniversary of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, i appeared in a short segment on a Vancouver radio station News 1130 for an Olympic flashback series to examine the legacies of the Games.
I discussed social media as a whole and covering the Games through the True North Media House project – plus the impending With Glowing Hearts movie premiere. In the short clip, I included brief anecdotes about reliving the fun, documenting and storytelling, and how social media can provide depth and breadth to provide more attention to more stories beyond the “official” IOC/VANOC story.
Grab the Dave talks Olympics and Social Media on News 1130 audio clip (here for archival purposes)
See An Olympic anniversary on the News1130 Midday Show for the article and audio clips, ergo:
- VP of Tourism Vancouver Paul Vallee speaks live with News1130 anchors Rob Freeman and Erin Loxam
- 24 Hours’ Bob Mackin speaks live with News1130 anchors Rob Freeman and Erin Loxam
- John Mills with the Richmond Oval speaking live on News1130 with anchors Rob Freeman and Erin Loxam
- Vancouver blogger Dave Olson speaks with News1130 about the role of social media during the 2010 Games
- Keith Bennett, the president and CEO of Whistler Sports Legacies, talks to News1130 about the Sliding Centre
- The CEO of “Own the Podium” Alex Bauman speaks with News1130′s Erin Loxam and Rob Freeman
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – This week, we’re marking the one year anniversary of the day the OlympicCauldron was lit.
After years and years of planning and excitement, the massive two-week sporting event didn’t disappoint. But what kind of legacy did it leave behind?
This week on the News1130 Midday Show we’re looking at the Olympic legacy. Did the Games bring in the much-talked-about the economic boost?
This afternoon, we’ll talk to Own the Podium CEO Alex Baumann. Listen to the live interview at 1 p.m.
Artifacts and Anecdotes from #SMunplugged 2011
Sometimes speaking for the day-job and spieling for the personal self cross over a wee bit despite my efforts to separate. For Social Media Unplugged, i was ending the day for a sold-out theatre of keeners who’d digested a massive variety of information from ROI to NPOs.
As such, i laid down a mix of practical social media campaign tips contextualized through my pro activities as well as some historical discourse to articulate the importance of storytelling, earnest participation and driving the bus. Included fanzines, CB radios, telegrams, hockey, king tut and more.
Here’s the bits and pieces which i gathered up from Social Media Marketing Unplugged …. (organized by Jonathan Chow who generously provided a kind honorarium for my efforts).
Hash: #smunplugged
The blurb
When used strategically, social media tools are a powerful asset for bringing attention to your campaign, event for initiative – But you must first create a sustainable plan and choose the right tools which allow you to quickly spread messages, spark conversations and track results.
Experienced community marketer Dave Olson will share practical tactics gathered from years of grassroots promotion in diverse industries, including tips for real-time monitoring plus implementing emerging mobile and geo-location technologies into your plan.
Slide Deck
Note: was front-paged at Slideshare.net in the “How-to & DIY” section.
Word of the People
Social Media Unplugged - Lead on Krystal Gabriel
Last, but certainly not least was Dave Olson, Community Director of HootSuite (@daveohoots). By the time he got on stage the conference was running late and we were all on our 9th hour but his humour and ability to engage the audience brought us all back of life, it was awesome. He enlightened us with the lessons he learned from building a HootSuite community of over 1 million users, these lessons were…
1. Begin with listening
2. Participation is Everything – track and monitor everything and be everywhere – where ever people are talking about or asking questions about what you are doing, be there, always and measure everything.
3. Community Manager as a Party House? Keep people on course, guide them where you want them to go, and be the driver of an exciting bus.
4. It’s all about the story – the tools may have changed but people will still engage in an interesting story.
5. Interestingness – you have to have it.
6. Go Where the people are – go talk to the people, hang out with them on their terms, play their game.
7. Speak their language.
8. Build a posse.
9. Close the loop – bring them back to the main group, back to the community.
10. Let robots do the work.
3 myths debunked at Social Media Marketing Unplugged – @kcclaveria
The best was clearly saved for last. [...] The bulk of Dave’s presentation was about creating a sustainable plan for your engagement strategy. He also touched on the various listening and monitoring tools that businesses can use. He encouraged businesses to listen, participate, and to “go where the people are”. Also, businesses should measure everything – number of retweets, mentions, etc.
Social Media Unplugged – @SRCunningham602
Though I by no means wish to discount the presentations by the other presenters, the last presenter of the day was Dave Olson (@daveohoots), Community Director of Hootsuite, and he managed to re charge a crowd that I received quite a lot of information already.
The Social Media Marketing Conference – @joshrimer
And closing us off was Dave Olson who talked about his social media tips which included making sure you’re listening as opposed to just writing/sharing, being an active participant, keeping things interesting, the importance of using hashtags, writing/speaking in your target audience’s language, building a posse, letting the robots do the work (ie. RSS), and measuring everything.
Social Media Unplugged Conference: What You Missed – @Webcopyplus
Highlights:
- Social media concept is not new — CB radios could be compared to Chat Roulette, scrapbooks to Tumblr, telegrams to Twitter, etc.
- Listen — set up your dashboard to monitor all conversations about your company, learn what people are saying and how they are talking about your company and use their language to communicate with them
- Participate — reach out to critics, respond, monitor all mentions
- Ensure your story is compelling and interesting and give people the tools to share your story
- Go to where the people are and invite them to you, don’t just broadcast randomly
- Close the loop — when people create content about you, share it!
- MEASURE EVERYTHING!
Social Media Marketing Unplugged – LINNEA CARMEN’S THOUGHTS AND DISCOVERIES
New connections are made everyday, and these connections are facilitated so easily with all of the tools provided on the internet. In my eyes, the most useful tool to organize all of these valuable connections is Hootsuite, which was praised about by the beloved speaker, Dave Olson. (Gotta love the owl!)
Props to Jamil Rhajiak for snaps in tough light
Via Twitter
++
KetanJogia Jan 31, 1:46am via Web @daveohoots Thanks Dave for your awsome talk on Saturday. You were definitely inspirational.
KatieRaeH Jan 30, 11:21pm via HootSuite @DaveHoots great presentation at #smunplugged You should be a comedian, seriously! Too funny!
jason_baker Jan 30, 9:34am via HootSuite @KashifPasta @nenshi In otherwards, don’t just grow a community. Foster it! As @daveohoots says, become the bus driver!
DianneChow Jan 29, 11:34pm via HootSuite Working on @sm_unplugged notes. I remember all the jokes but none of the facts. Elijah (Suzuki) & Dave Olson #Hootsuite pee-in-pants funny!
JessGrey Jan 29, 6:47pm via TweetDeck Best storyteller of the day was @daveohoots, but definitely learned a bit from everyone. #smunplugged
KrystalGabriel Jan 29, 5:49pm via Twitter for iPhone #smunplugged build a posse, close the loop, multiple touch points is key! @daveohoots
JillBenedict Jan 29, 5:41pm via Twitter for iPhone @DaveHoots provides metaphor of the day – community manager is like a bus driver #smunplugged
Video
Leading up to the event, James from Hello Vancity shot a impromptu video interview with me sharing thoughts about social media, Vancouver and storytelling.
A Video Interview with Dave Olson of HootSuite
Tribe
Ukraine, Canada and Spain representing. Mike Abasov (@mike abasov) and Daniel Robles (@drobles) thanks lads.
