New Media

I was one of the social media nerds hanging out at Netsquared Camp in Vancouver over the weekend. The un-conference was targeted at non-profit people looking to learn more about how to promote social change with Web 2.0 (and some old-skool) tools. I must say, I felt like I was in my element. And I was more than pleased to see old friends and make new ones at the event. So many smart, enterprising nerds (and a few prospective nerds).

Here’s an excerpt from my writeup at my communications strategy and copywriting blog: Continue Reading »

From The Propagandist magazine, here are some stories about issues you’d think we’d all agree on by now. I mean, why would anyone in the world be against these things?

• Elections that are actually democratic
• Women’s rights
• Fighting – not negotiating with – terrorists
• Stopping psychopathic weirdos from getting their hands on nuclear bombs

Sadly, these things are considered “controversial” – even worth fighting over -  in some circles.

Confusion to our enemies!

It’s been a wild, weird week and it’s not even half over. A regulator that’s supposed to prevent the sale of blood diamonds in Zimbabwe does exactly the opposite. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is up for a Taliban Award. And The Propagandist reveals its master plan for destroying the enemy.

• Zimbabwe’s Blood Diamonds For Sale
• War Criminal Julian Assange
• The Propagandist Manifesto

Ever thought about starting up a business and selling it two years later for $20 million? Here’s how you might get started.

From an article I wrote for SFU Business on BC entrepreneurs who presented their big ideas at a New Ventures BC seminar series:

One key theme of this year’s seminars was planning to succeed. When you put together your business plan, according to seminar presenters, don’t be skimpy with the details.

“Many companies can describe where they want to be in five years, but less can describe what they’re going to do to achieve this in the next year and a half,” says Rocketbuilders’ Thomas. “To plan well before you go to market, you have to have good market research.”

So what do you focus on? First, “how big is the marketplace?” Thomas says. “Is it growing? What are the trends? How do you divide it into segments?”

Understanding the customer pain that your product will solve is also key. And get a handle on how people normally buy your kind of product.

What about capital? How do you get investors to show you the money?

First of all, maybe you don’t need pesky investors getting their hooks into you after all. “Bootstrap,” says Vancouver-based angel investor Dr. Basil Peters. Dr. Peters was an Adjunct Professor of Engineering Sciences at SFU from 1985 to 2000. “The most spectacular start-up business models started with no capital. Most companies today really don’t need very much capital.”

“Plenty of Fish got started in an apartment,” he points out. “MetroLyrics (the online lyrics database founded by SFU Business EMBA graduate Alan Juristovski and undergraduate Milun Tesovic) started with no capital and is probably worth tens of millions of dollars. The world has changed. You’ve got resources even if you’ve got no money.”

The Propagandist continues to unleash a barrage of fiery rhetoric upon the enemy. How much longer can they withstand the blistering assault?

• Liberalism’s Long Walk
• What You Don’t See At Gay Pride Parades
• Why Ground Zero Still Matters to America

A little while longer, anyway.