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Connections Creating Opportunities

Introducing #afrenchdudedownunder - Sylvain Le Roux

I first met Sylvain Le Roux when he was a student in my Social Media Management post-graduate class at Macquarie University in 2012. He told me about his blog afrenchdudedownunder.com so I asked him to appear on Realtweeple and write a guest post about his blog so you could meet him too.

What is afrenchdudedownunder.com ?  It's as simple as it sounds. 

When I received confirmation on my Masters application at Macquarie University, where I was going to be spending a year, I thought; “Sylvain, you are probably going to have the best year of your life - and it’s gonna be in Australia!”. I realized that I had to leave something for future-me to remind me about this experience. Then I figured that social media, blogging and video editing have always interested me, and that I could connect the dots. 

This blog is about my life. But more generally, it is the blog of a 22-year old who in 2011, arrived in Australia alone with his luggage and discovered this amazing country. I believe this blog can help young people jump into wild Australia for the sake of adventure. I talk about many subjects like the backpackers, the job hunting and the first nights out. Then of course, I started meeting awesome people. I could shoot videos and upload them on YouTube. You’ll find other articles about bars, the Australian way of life and many pictures I have taken along the way. 

afrenchdudedownunder.com is my first full experience of cross-media, using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, WordPress, an iPhone and a simple camera. Hopefully you'll like my style of writing and enjoy reading my articles. I tried to make them as entertaining and funny as possible I promise! Enjoy the visit to afrenchdudedownunder.com. You might even find your next idea for a travel destination. 

A special thanks to my friend Benoit Leggieri for the look he gave to my blog.

- Sylvain Le Roux

Global Stories - tell your story then engage your audience

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I first met Jaqui Lane in 2001 when I was Director of Marketing at IBM Australia & New Zealand. Jaqui led the IBM@70 Book initiative which involved chronicling the rich history of IBM in Australia from 1932 to 2002, through the depiction of stories and pictures from the people and groups who knew the company best - loyal customers, prominent business partners and former & current employees. Jaqui was also instrumental in the development of my book, Connection Generation for which I'm eternally grateful. As she launches her next adventure,  "Global Stories", she agreed to guest post on my blog: 

After 20 plus years in corporate publishing and observing the major transformation of publishing, content and media and the challenges this has created for both the media sector and companies, I believe there is a gap in the media landscape - that of delivering quality content (which I call stories) to the potential customer or client on the platform that they chose.

My dear friend Iggy Pintado calls this “ the user chooses” model.

The heart of all of this though, to me, has to be the quality of the content. If the content is not of the highest written quality, with relevant and meaningful themes and delivered  through well-constructed writing, no matter what social media or on-line channel you chose it simply won’t be effective. Not all content is created equal and it’s been detrimental, in my view, that so much focus has been on the social media tools to the exclusion of what story is being shared and to what audience.

So, in typically understated fashion, I have formed GlobalStories with the aim to change the world of corporate communications or as a I describe it story telling, by starting with the story and then working through the best and most effective channels to tell it. As the father of transmedia storytelling, Harry Jenkins has said, “ If it doesn’t spread, its dead.”  To that I’d add, “Make your story great before its too late.”

By creating content that engages and is in ‘narrative synch’ we can drive and maintain engagement across any audience. And, this applies to large and small companies, brands, products, services, family businesses, community organisations and individuals. If you’re not creating a great story that has meaning and relevance no matter what you do it and where you ‘put it’ it simply won’t resonate.

So, tell me your story, or let me know about a story you’d like to tell. To get you started here’s an example.

I was once commissioned to write the story of a highly successful American family business. They had one issue though, Uncle Chuck. Uncle Chuck was the black sheep of the family whose life of crime and numerous jail terms ended up with his death in the electric chair. ‘Don’t come right out and say this’, my client said. So this is what I wrote after considering my audience - the family and their clients; the delivery channel - a closed circulation book; and the overall theme/objective - that the family company was a strong, secure and reputable business:

Uncle Chuck was a charismatic and arresting member of the family who spent a great deal of time involved in government institutions. His varied and long career in a traditional sector of financial services saw him engage with a wide range of the community and his death came as a real shock.

A quick pointer before you start. Research your audience and understand what they want to know about, care about and want to hear.

Please leave a comment below about your story or one you'd like to tell.

Guest Blog: Jaqui Lane - Global Stories http://globalstories.com.au/ 

Connecting with the Aussie Heartland

Connecting with the Aussie Heartland


About 18 months ago, my friend Doug Garske came up with the concept for a TV show directly aimed at profiling regional Australia. He saw a hole in the market where the regional TV networks were relying on metropolitan TV for their programming more and more and where companies, organisations, and Government were looking for new and innovative ways to connect with and engage customers in regional and rural Australia.

That became “Heartland Australia” - a cross platform magazine, branded, entertainment concept with TV at the core. Heartland celebrates life in regional Australia by looking at the people who live there, what they do, who they work for, their families and their communities. It celebrates the people, the businesses, the companies, the environment - everything that makes living in regional Australia special - and the life blood of Australia.

But TV is not just about TV anymore. You can't go to market with just a TV show. it needs to transgress a multitude of platforms that deliver the show to eyeballs and in turn, eyeballs to companies trying to maximise their promotional dollar. HeartIand is designed to maximise the show's content through contextual engagement including social media variants, catch-up TV, interactive forums, blogs, video snippets for viewing on mobiles, even radio and other traditional media.

Initially, there was various levels of enthusiasm for the project. Then one day all the planets aligned when the Southern Cross TEN regional TV network agreed to air the show! 

To continue the momentum for Heartland, Doug is looking for companies to support the show. In return, they will highlight the sponsor and show what they are doing in regional Australia to help, provide employment, private and government services, housing, tourism, building, etc.  It is a subtle endorsement - not a commercial smack in the head.

Doug asks for one more favour. Being a new concept, he needs support. He wants to share this great concept with the world as people need to hear about the characters, the people, the small to large businesses, the car dealers, the shop owners, the Government Departments and the local councils - to effectively connect regional Australia with the world. If you know someone or a business who should be on the show, contact Doug directly through his email: doug@atomicmarketing.com.au

 Finally, it would be greatly appreciated if you could share the #AussieHeartland story with your friends, connections, followers and networks.

Can a blog post save a life?

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On Friday, 24th February 2012, my friend Oscar Trimboli asked me to retweet this plea on Twitter to my network. I did so and asked him if there was anything else I could do to help his cause. He agreed to this guest post to put some context to his request. 

What do you look forward to in your life?

Getting married, the birth of your child, seeing your children graduating, seeing your children getting married, running a marathon or climbing a mountain or simply enjoying a meal with your family.

What do you get excited about every day? Imagine the possibilities.

Do you remember when your parents and grandparents said you can fly to the moon, become a prime minister, win a Nobel Prize or become an Olympic champion?

Remember what your parents and friends said to you - anything is possible

I believe the same, I am optimistic that anything is possible and I believe that this blog post can save a life.

Imagine a world where today means there is no tomorrow.

Imagine a world where you need to make arrangements for the family you love for a future that might not include you.

Imagine if your doctor said the only thing that can save your life is a bone marrow donor because all the leukaemia treatments for the last 5 years have been exhausted.

As an optimist and a passionate believer in the power of technology, I believe a blog can save a life.

Not just one life but many - this is a belief I share with YOU.

YOU have the power to save a life and more importantly change the life of a father, a husband, his children and his parent’s so he can live to see his dreams and see the dreams of his family come to life, everyday.

So information is power and here is how you become powerful – this is where you prove that a blog post can save a life.

Visit The Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry fill in the form and donate some blood to see the power you hold to save a life.

- Oscar Trimboli

What to ask a NASA Astrophysicist? Questions Please...

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Recently, my colleague, James White sent me an invitation to meet Charlie Pellerin, NASA's former Director of Astrophysics and world-leading authority on building high performance. Charlie is in Australia in early March to run one-day workshops in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra for the UXC Consulting team on how to drive peak performance of leaders and teams at all levels in an organisation. So as part of his visit to our shores, I'm meeting Charlie for breakfast!
 
The only astrophysicists I know are Albert Einstein and that guy from "The Big Bang Theory" TV show. So seeing as I've never met one in person, I need your help.
 
I'm going out to you - the audience - for suggestions on questions I should be asking him. Please leave a comment below if you have any suggestions!
 
By the way, if you know someone who'd be interested in attending one of Charlie's 4-D Workshops, here's a link to register: https://uxcconsulting.worldsecuresystems.com/home/Landing/4D/seminar

Connecting Social Communities FTW - Personal Case Study and 10 Tips

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In December last year, my daughter Rachel asked for my help to win a Bride of the Year Facebook contest that required entrants to have their particular picture LIKED on the contest page. As a connector who often gets asked what possible benefit there is in having so many Facebook friends (currently 4,500), Twitter followers (currently 36,000) and Linkedin connections (currently 26,000), I took on the challenge to apply my marketing experience to prove that if utilised effectively, you can derive a benefit from connecting a social community - for the win (FTW).

As you can see from the picture, Rachel won the contest. Her winning picture generated 1,657 likes, taking out the grand prize of an all expenses paid trip to Australia's Hamilton Island for two. She won as a result of a carefully managed marketing campaign that connected individuals in various social communities to take an action that resulted in her win. This isn't the story of the campaign - a good cook doesn't reveal his full recipe. It does provide some tips as to how to connect social communities to achieve a desired result which I hope you find useful!

1. Understand the RULES and OUTCOMES.

The contest rules as defined by MMG Photo + Cinema were very clear: Eligible brides were asked to post a photo on their Facebook contest page. Whoever got more recorded "likes" than all other entrants legitimately by midnight 31st December 2011 would be the winner. The marketing challenge was to get more likes on Rachel's picture than all other 45+ competitive contestant brides in 4 short weeks in December, ensuring her picture was in a winning position a few hours before the contest close time. 

The RULES were very clear. The OUTCOME was simple: She had to win.    
 

2. Consult the PRACTITIONERS (People in the KNOW, not necessarily the "experts)

As much as you think you might know about social media and communities (myself included), I asked for the advice of some the smartest people who plan, play and experiment in social media. I'm not talking about the people who talk the theory. I'm referring to the people who practice what they preach - daily. I got some great advice and support from Mahei Foliaki, Michael Todd, Keith Keller and Annalisa Holmes. These folks are in the social game every day and provided reality checks that I was grateful to be able to cash. 

3. Marshall your COMMUNITY.

The people who want to assist you directly are usually those close to you - family and good friends - so start compiling that list first. Next are people you relate to regularly - work colleagues and good acquaintances - they may not 'know' you well but they may be willing to take an easy action such as liking a Facebook photo due to your connection. Thirdly, there are interest groups who you have some connection with - school, church, university, clubs, etc - again, if the request is simple and easy, they're likely to support.  

Finally, always apply network theory by asking every simple person to SHARE the request with their own connections at the same time you ask them to take an action. If the action is simple, they'll be more willing to ask their friends to maximise the reach of the request. 

4. Make task easy - LIKE in 2 clicks

The easier the better. The request sent to various individuals and groups was to LIKE Rachel's posted competition picture. The first step was to click on a link to the photo and once there, to click LIKE on her photo - easy as. To make it easier, the request was usually done on Facebook, the platform they were already on. I found it harder to post as links on other social platforms like Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin as they had to switch what they were doing. However, it didn't stop us posting there too!  

5. Ask nicely ... and personally.

I sent a direct Facebook message to many of my Facebook connections as did Rachel. I messaged around 20 connections at a time and sometimes a few more, using their first names in every case. I preferred Facebook messages as it was more personal and direct. Those who chose to opt-out by leaving the message conversation made it easier to send follow-ups to later and prevent potential accusations of spamming. The message was simple and included a direct link:

I hope this short message finds you well. I need a small favour. My beautiful daughter Rachel is getting married next year. She is in a Facebook contest to win a holiday on Australia's Hamilton island for her honeymoon in a contest that ends on 31st December 2011. Can I please ask for your support to "LIKE" her photo via the link below and SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS. She promises to post photos of her trip if she wins!  http://t.co/eeXivJxf Cheers and happy holidays, Iggy Pintado 

I was ably supported by the communities of supporters like Tessa Gutierez, Mark Simmering and 124 others who shared my message as a Facebook post. 

6. Monitor performance along the way.

I monitored Rachel's progress daily from day one and hourly in the last 24 hours. When the LIKE rate started to slow down, I would send a mix of follow-up messages and interest group posts to get it moving again. As the contest was open to people in other countries, I sent messages to connections in their time zones to maximise their views of the messages. Also, it was important to avoid holiday dates like Christmas and Boxing Day as there was minimal social activity during these times.

In doing so, Rachel jumped from 31st place in the first week of the contest to 9th place by the start of the third week. She was in the top 5 with a week to go and hit the lead two days before the contest end time. 

7. Get ready for plot twists.

The contest organisers were also clear that they could change the rules along the way. With two weeks to go, they culled the number of contestants to the top 10. In another twist, they allowed 35+ brides who didn't make the final cut to allocate their LIKES to anyone in the top 10. Fortunately, Rachel was always pleasant and friendly with all the contestants throughout. It helped that she LIKED all the other contestants pictures and added them as friends on Facebook prior to their elimination. The plan now called for a closer monitoring of LIKE allocations by the other contestants and the real possibility of having to get more LIKES than planned.

8. Keep an eye on the competition (but don't let it obsess you)

Due to the plot twist, closer monitoring of the final 10 competitors was required. In week three, I started a simple spreadsheet recording LIKES every few hours by finalists PLUS allocations from the other 35+ brides. By tracking performance, you could assess what tactics they were using via comments left on their posts.  

9. Stay awake until the very end.

The contest deadline was midnight on 31st December 2011, New Years Eve. Although there was little one could do if there were any massive LIKES or LIKE allocations made in the last few hours, there were some tactics planned as contingencies just in case. It's a little like watching final bidding on an eBay item - you must watch until the very end. 

10. Say THANK YOU.

The day after she won the contest (New Years Day), I personally messaged all the people I knew who LIKED her photo. I posted my thanks on all my social platforms to maximise the message. I re-posted her thank you picture at the top of this post. So many people were grateful for the thanks and delighted by the part they played in being part of the success. 

So again, I'd like to thank EVERY ONE of the 1,657 people who took the time to be part of Rachel's success and for validating that you can connect social communities for benefit.

Follow My Lead - Guest Post by Carol Quinn

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I met Carol Quinn on Twitter two years ago. She is a cross-platform strategic planner and author of the book 

Follow My Lead . 

She is the former SVP of Marketing/Creative Director for entertainment advertising agency Air Creative Group  and co-founder of Angel Entertainment, a new media group involved in content creation for television, gaming, and publishing. As an advertising executive and creative director, Carol created television, radio, print and online campaigns for CBS Television, Paramount Television, Warner Bros. Online, Radio Disney, Disney Channel and has worked with numerous new media digital startups. 

She graciously agreed to guest blog about what she's learned about leadership here. 

You’d think that by the title of my book, I know something about leadership.  But if you read it, you’ll quickly see that the story is a process of becoming a leader—not of my dogs or in my professional life or even in my family - but of myself.

To become my own leader, I first had to fully understand who I was, and what I was capable of. This may seem like an easy task, but in my case, I’d spent a good deal of my personal life trying hard to fit in with situations or relationships that didn’t dovetail with my nature. Like assigning an artistic task to a computer scientist or a job that requires fine motor skills to a guy who wields a sledgehammer for a living, I consistently placed myself in conflict.

Why? The simple answer is, I like a challenge. The more complex answer has to do with my personal beliefs about perfecting myself, striving to be better, kinder, wiser, and more creative. My theory was that conflict created the right condition for me to grow stronger.

It turns out, I was very wrong about this theory of mine.  As I trained my two Rhodesian Ridgebacks in dog agility, it was immediately apparent to me that dogs succeed in tasks when they are happy, and rewarded - and when the tasks suit their nature and physical capabilities. As my trainer once said, “You can’t ask a small dog with short legs to take a high jump. He’ll just get frustrated.”

And you can’t ask a hot-headed, emotional person to behave analytically nor can you demand that a shy person become loud and bubbly.  We are who we are.

Understanding my own limitations was liberating; I finally let go of an unhappy love relationship, and discovered a new appreciation of my leadership skills, and an ability to find - and embrace - happiness. It sounds simple, but believe me, it wasn’t.

If you’d like to read the book hardcopy or via Kindle, you can order it on Amazon ... and here’s the video/trailer on YouTube for those of you who are more visual :)

And one last burning question: Have any of you struggled with facing the facts about your own nature and talents? Leave a comment below.

Tweet-Ups live on at #NewcastleCoffee Mornings

I attended my last tweet-up coffee morning in late 2010 because frankly, I thought no one attended them anymore. 

Tweet-ups or coffee mornings are face-to- face social gatherings of people on twitter usually within a close geographical area so they can meet each other in person. When I found out that the coffee mornings in the city of Newcastle, Australia were still on I decided to test my view that these gatherings had become "tweet-beens" (couldn't resist). Although I live a good two hours by car, I decided to make the drive on the morning of Christmas Eve 2011 to the Coffee on Crown venue.

I arrived at 730am and met Gordon Whitehead and Brendan Brooks to start. Then the others arrived, including local twitter legends Craig "Mediahunter" Wilson and Lindy Asimus. I also met some new tweeps that I hadn't connected with before. As more people rolled in, one of the attendees brought out a guitar, and there was music amongst the chatting and revelry. The short video captures 30 seconds of what went on for the 90 minutes I was there.

So why are Newcastle Coffee mornings still functional where others have failed? Three insights I got in the short time I was there:

1. Value - people attend because they get value from chatting, sharing and catching up with others in the community with no agendas.
2. Commitment - they agree to meet before work (730am) on a Friday. They have a community of around 50 people and a core of 10 who commit to attend regularly.
3. Communal Interest - they are a community that are genuinely interested in social media, business and the group.

I'd like to thank the Newcastle Coffee crew for their hospitality. If you happen to be near Newcastle on a Friday morning, check out the hashtag #newcastlecoffee on twitter for details.

Meet "United Breaks Guitars" legend Dave Carroll on #RealTweeple


I had the distinct pleasure of meeting social innovator and musician Dave Carroll at an IT industry event in Melbourne recently. Dave's claim to fame - apart from being a great musician - is for a famous incident in 2009 involving United Airlines and his Guitar. I took a photo with him and he graciously decided to appear on my Realtweeple series, a set of 30 second videos on my ConnectGen Youtube channel introducing Twitter people I've met in person to my network.

In summary, the story is that United Airlines breaks his guitar on a routine flight, he gets zero customer service attention, he counters by recording and posting a protest song on Youtube called "United Breaks Guitars", gets over 10 million views and estimates say that United's share price dropped and lost millions in revenue as a result of the adverse publicity.

Hearing him tell the story LIVE was very impactful. It's a reminder to all businesses that a single voice in an increasingly connected world can make a difference. For me, it was a compelling reminder to LISTEN intently online and be PREPARED to respond appropriately.

How are you listening and preparing online? Comments appreciated.

Au Revoir to One of My Favourite #RealTweeple - Kristin Rohan

Fond farewell to Kristin Rohan who departs for California this week. She leaves us from her stay in Sydney with some great chats, times and insights.

As I've said before, if people are like flowers, it was a pleasure walking in her garden, even for a short while.

We will stay connected thanks to the social web but for now - au revoir, Kristin and all the very best to you and family!