What Keeps Jacob Glick Awake at Night?

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We live in a Google world. Google Search. Google Reader. Google Maps. GMail, Google Translate, Google Docs, Blogger. Android. Chrome. Google News. Google seems to reach into every aspect of our online lives.

But will it stay that way? If there is one constant on the Internet, it is the inevitability of change. And that’s not just change in technology. That’s change in how we use it, how we relate to one another, how we see institutions and our expectations of them. What we find useful today we might not find useful tomorrow.

Our next speaker at Third Tuesday Ottawa will be Jacob Glick, Senior Policy Counsel at Google. This role at Google gives him a unique perspective on many of the most important issues that will shape the continuing evolution of the Internet and how Google itself is evolving to maintain its relevance and to live up to its slogan, “Don’t be evil.”

I’m very much looking forward to the discussion that I know Jacob will prompt. It should be a good one.

Register online to attend

If you’re interested in participating, click over to the Third Tuesday Ottawa meetup site and register online to attend.

Acknowledging Third Tuesday’s sponsors

As always, I want to thank the sponsors of Third Tuesday: CNW Group, Rogers Communications, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, Radian6 and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Thanks to these sponsors, we are able to program great speakers in cities across Canada, including Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa.

Happy Third Birthday, Third Tuesday Montreal

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Three years ago, on February 19, 2008, 3e Mardi | Third Tuesday Montreal launched. At the time, I wrote:

3e Mardi / Third Tuesday MontréalFor the past two years, people interested in exploring the potential of social media have gathered at Third Tuesday meetups in Toronto and Ottawa. Last autumn, Third Tuesday Vancouver and Third Tuesday New Brunswick groups joined the discussion.

Tonight, 3e Mardi / Third Tuesday Montréal launches.

The discussion at tonight’s inaugural 3e Mardi / Third Tuesday Montréal will be led by two of Montréal’s social media pioneers, Mitch Joel and Mylene Forget. The topic: “Why you need to care about the new media channels.” A good starting place for a discussion of social media.

Montréal is a bilingual city, bringing together both French and English speaking communities. So, 3e Mardi / Third Tuesday Montréal will be a bilingual event, providing a perfect opportunity to enrich the discussion with insights about how social media is being adopted and used in different languages.

Three years later 3e Mardi | Third Tuesday Montreal has indeed developed into something unique. I’ve attended several of these events over the past three years and I can say that they are a unique reflection of Quebec’s culture and bilingualism.

Congratulations Michelle Sullivan, who launched 3e Mardi | Third Tuesday Montreal and has kept it going and growing. I’ll leave it to Michelle to write a post about the people who keep 3e Mardi | Third Tuesday Montreal alive and well. (Michelle, please leave a comment pointing to your post and I’ll place a link in the text of my main post.)

Happy birthday 3e Mardi | Third Tuesday Montreal. Together with Third Tuesday Toronto, Third Tuesday Ottawa, Third Tuesday Calgary and Third Tuesday Vancouver, you provide a cross-country forum for Canadians interested in social media, online communications, and their impact on our relationships with one another and institutions.

Third Tuesday – maybe on a Tuesday, but rarely on a Third Tuesday

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What’s in a name? Well, if the name of the event is Third Tuesday, it definitely doesn’t mean that the event will be held on the third Tuesday of the month.

Every month in cities across Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Calgary, Third Tuesdays offer participants a chance to meet and hear from thought leaders about the evolution of social media, online community and their impact on our relationships with one another and societal institutions.

Third Tuesday is unique both in its longevity – five years and counting – and the fact that it brings these speakers not just to one city, but to cities across the country. In effect, it has become digital Canada’s national meet up.

But still, after five years, people often ask me why Third Tuesday rarely occurs on a third Tuesday. Well there’s a simple answer.

When we first organized Third Tuesday, we selected the name not because the meetings were intended to be on a third Tuesday (in fact, the first meeting was held on a Monday in Ottawa), but because the term Third Tuesday carried no meaning or association. We didn’t want to be limited to a discussion of any one technology or development. A name like Third Tuesday gave us an opportunity to allow the focus of Third Tuesdays to evolve over time.

We are not partial to any particular technology or line of thought. We follow the evolution of online communications, with an emphasis on how people use them for communication, collaboration, and community building. If anything, our perspective is a combination of anthropology and sociology with technology. It’s not about the latest shiny new object. It’s about what people want to do and how technology is removing the barriers that prevented them from doing it.

So, if you see a Third Tuesday organized in your city and it’s on the second Tuesday or the first Monday for the fourth Wednesday, don’t be surprised. But do consider joining the discussion. No previous knowledge required. Just bring your curiosity and an open mind.

Thanks to Doug Lacombe, the organizer of Third Tuesday Calgary for his retake on the #3TYYC logo that I’ve used in this post.

Francois Gossieaux brings the Hyper-Social Organization to Third Tuesday

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This month’s Third Tuesday will interest anyone who wants to understand the impact of social media on businesses and how the most successful ones are adapting to it. Our February Third Tuesday speaker is Francois Gossieaux, co-author of The Hyper-Social Organization.

“In the beginning, business and commerce were social exchanges – if you sold poor products, people would bad-mouth you and shun your operation, forcing you out of business or pushing you to improve your offering,” writes Gossieaux. While we lost that element of personal contact and accountability through the era of mass media and mass marketing, it is being returned to us in the era of social media. Gossieaux argues persuasively that businesses must themselves become hyper-social in order to survive and thrive in this new era.

Together with his co-author, Ed Moran, Gossieaux has conducted annual Tribalization of Business surveys, examining the impact of social media on organizations and how they are adapting to it. The Hyper-Social Organization draws on this data to map a course that business can follow in the era of social media.

I’ve seen Francois present the Tribalization of Business Study data at Society for New Communications Research symposiums and I can tell you that he’s a smart, articulate presenter who gives everyone in his audience something to think about and act upon.

Best Marketing and Advertising Book 2010

Yes, it’s an award winner. The Hyper-Social Organization received the National “Best Book 2010” Award from USA Book News in the category Business: Marketing and Advertising.

It’s also received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Here’s a sample:

Tribes Rule the Hyper-Social Organization

Hyper-Social Organizations

The Hyper-Social Organization in a Book

Want to attend Third Tuesday with Francois Gossieaux?

You can register online to attend Third Tuesday in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Thanks to our sponsors

Third Tuesday brings great speakers to major cities across Canada. This month, Francois Gossieaux will speak at third Tuesdays in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. This would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, who underwrite the cost of visiting each of those cities. Thank you to CNW Group, Rogers Communications, Radian6, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. You help to make Third Tuesday Digital Canada’s national meet up.

Content Rules in Calgary: The Taxi Interview

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If this is Thursday morning, it must be Calgary. And we must be on our way to Vancouver.

C.C. Chapman has how done three of his four Third Tuesday Content Rules events – in Montreal, Toronto and Calgary. One more to come tonight in Vancouver.

In the taxi on our way to the Calgary Airport for our flight to Vancouver, C.C. talked with me about his impressions of Canada and the people he’s been meeting.

Nice words about Canada by one heck of a nice guy.

Help make sure Content Rules in Canada this week

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If you create content – a blog, video, a podcast, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed – any kind of online content, the new book Content Rules will give you insight and practical advice you can use to make your content even better, even more engaging for your audience.

C.C. Chapman, co-author with Ann Handley of Content Rules, is arriving in Canada this morning to speak at Third Tuesday social media meetups across the country. He’ll be talking in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver about how to make great content that builds and serves your community.

As C.C. works his way across the country in the middle of a Canadian winter, I think it would be a great welcoming gesture if we could …

make Content Rules the number one book on the Canadian business bestseller lists this week.

You can help make this happen. Here’s what you can do:

Get the Book

Between now and Friday, get a copy of Content Rules. If enough of us buy the book this week, I think we can push Content Rules to the top of the business best seller list.

I bought my copy as an eBook from Kobo. Instant satisfaction! If you are a fan of traditional hard copy books, you can get Content Rules from Chapters.

Spread the word

Link to this post in a Tweet or a Facebook status update

Leave a comment on this post telling us when and where you bought your copy of the book. Tweet that too.

Tweet or post a Facebook status update quoting your favourite passage from the book

Use the Hashtag

The hashtag for the book is #ContentRules.

I’ll set up a feed for the hashtag #ContentRules and capture your tweets for C.C. and Ann to read (I’m sure they’ll want to thank you) and for a wrap up post following the week.

With your help, we can make sure that Content Rules in Canada this week.

C.C. Chapman Sells Out

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One week from today C.C. Chapman arrives in Canada for his cross-country Third Tuesday Content Rules tour. And already the Third Tuesday Toronto, Third Tuesday Calgary and  Third Tuesday Vancouver events are sold out. Clearly, C.C. is a hot ticket. People are interested in hearing what he has to say and meeting him in person.

If you’re lucky enough to live in Montreal, there are still some open places to hear and meet C.C. at Third Tuesday Montreal. So, you still have a chance to register to attend.

Meeting C.C. Chapman is better by the book

If you are planning to attend Third Tuesday with C.C., I encourage you to get Content Rules and start reading it before the event. You can find it at a bookstore near you or online in hard copy at Chapters or as an eBook at Kobo. C.C. will be signing copies at the event. So be sure to bring your copy with you.

Our sponsors make the third Tuesday community possible

C.C.’s Third Tuesday cross-Canada tour is shaping up to be one of our most successful events yet.

We live in a big country and the cost of staging something like this is considerable. Third Tuesday is organized by volunteers and we could not afford  to bring great speakers like C.C. across Canada without the support of our sponsors: CNW group, Rogers Communications, Radian6, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Thank you to our sponsors. You make third Tuesday possible.

Next Third Tuesday Ottawa: Canada's National Capital Commission Web 2.0 Initiatives

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“Reticence is often conquered by a win, and the best way to provide a win is via a pilot project.”

Daniel Feeny, Director of Digital Communications, National Capital Commission

Here’s an interesting situation: A government agency is responsible to make decisions that affect a specific community. However, the agency’s mandate is to serve the interests of the entire population (many of whom don’t care about what it does). Moreover, the agency’s governing Directors are appointed, not elected.

How does this agency fulfill its broad mandate while being open and engaging both the directly affected community and broader constituency in what it does?

That’s the challenge that confronts Canada’s Canada’s National Capital Commission (NCC).

A textbook case study

I was one of those people who thought that the NCC made decisions in private meetings behind closed doors. So, imagine my surprise when I saw a tweet telling me that the NCC would be Webcasting a public meeting of the NCC Directors. Not only was the decision-making process open for me to witness, but I could watch it directly from my desktop without the need to attend the actual meeting. A commonplace in this age, but totally outside of my expectations for the NCC.

But it went further than that. One of the agenda items was a presentation by staff of the NCC’s Web 2.0 Strategy. So I watched. And as Daniel Feeny presented the Commission’s Web 2.0 strategy, I learned that the NCC had been integrating social media into its communications through a series of small pilot projects. They learned from each pilot, refining their approach and applying the lessons to the next pilot. A textbook example of an organization learning how to use social media – incrementally, iteratively, intelligently.

So I’m delighted that Daniel Feeny, the NCC’s Director of Digital Communications, Outreach and Youth Programs, agreed to be the speaker at the next Third Tuesday Ottawa Social Media Meetup.  Daniel will discuss what the NCC learned from its pilot approach, what he would tell other organizations exploring social media and what he sees in the future for the NCC and social media.

If you’d like to attend, you can register at the Third Tuesday Ottawa Meetup site.

Thanks to Third Tuesday’s Sponsors

Finally, as always, I want to thank the Third Tuesday sponsors – CNW Group,Rogers Communications, Radian6 and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Their sponsorship for Third Tuesday makes it possible for us to bring great speakers not only to Toronto, but to Third Tuesdays across the country. Thank you CNW, Rogers, Radian6 and Fairmont for helping us to build a vibrant community of social media practitioners.

Students will receive a refund of their ticket price

We want students to be able to experience the best social media case studies and practices. So Thornley Fallis will refund the ticket price to any student who presents a valid student card to the registration desk at the event.

I hope to see you there.

Content Rules with C.C. Chapman at Third Tuesday

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Here’s some news that I hope you’ll like: C.C. Chapman, co-author with Ann Handley, of Content Rules, is making a cross country tour of Third Tuesdays in January. C.C. will be at Third Tuesday Montreal on January 17, Third Tuesday Toronto on January 18, Third Tuesday Calgary on January 19 and Third Tuesday Vancouver on January 20.

What’s Content Rules all about? In C.C.’s words:

Content Rules: How to Create the Right Kind of Stuff That Engages (Not Bores) Your Customers

Your brand is a publisher now. That’s a frightening notion, perhaps, but it’s also a tremendous opportunity. Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other online platforms are giving organizations like yours an unprecedented opportunity to engage directly with your customers. So instead of creating awareness about your company or your brand solely the old-school way (through annoying people with advertising, or bugging them with direct mail, or interrupting them with whatever), you now have a rich and awesome alternative.

Now, thanks to the advent of the Internet and the rise of Web-based tools and technologies, you can create the kind

of web content, blog posts, videos, webinars, and web sites that will attract customers to you, rather than you chasing after them. What’s more, you can entice your customers to share those stories with each other, all across the web.

Produce good stuff, and your customers will come to you. Produce great stuff, and your customers will share your story for you: Content is king! Content rules!

Read the book. Meet the author

And here’s some more good news. When I told the folks at Kobo that we’d be having C.C. as our first speaker of the New Year, they made a point of ensuring that we can buy Content Rules as an ebook from Kobo. I love Kobo because, unlike Amazon, the books are available in the open ePub format and I can read them in the reader of my choice. So, if you’re planning to attend, hop over to Kobo and buy Content Rules as an eBook. Or, if you still love the feel of bound paper, you can order a physical of Content Rules from Chapters. Either way, reading the book before you meet C.C. will add to your experience.

Thank you to our Sponsors

Finally, as always, I want to thank the Third Tuesday sponsors – CNW Group, Rogers Communications, Radian6 and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Their sponsorship for Third Tuesday makes it possible for us to bring great speakers like C.C. not only to Toronto, but to Third Tuesdays across the country. Thank you CNW, Rogers, Radian6 and Fairmont for helping us to build a vibrant community of social media practitioners.