Social Media Excellence in a Small Town

My teenage daughters are both volleyball players. As their biggest fan and supporter I have the privilege of travelling to cities and towns near and far to cheer them on, some are big cities and some are small towns, remote small towns. Some towns have limited cellular coverage and I really have no expectations when I travel when it comes to connectivity. I like to post updates on my social media channels during tournaments when connectivity permits. It has been my experience that most folks in smaller communities do not understand social or my desire to constantly connect.

I recently attended Les Jeux de l’Acadie in Edmundston NB to cheer for my youngest daughter and her team from Truro NS. It is about a three hour drive from where I live to Edmundston and I was pleasantly surprised to have coverage the entire journey there. Because I was early for the first game I thought it would be nice if I could find a wireless connection and clear out a few email. I pulled off the highway in to McDonald’s and checked in using Foursquare, the following was pushed to Twitter:

I was sure that they would have wi-fi and I was right. I was able to get through a lot of work that would have had to wait 5 hours. What I did not expect was a response to this post:

I was immediately impressed that a small local Edmundston cafe was monitoring/searching for references inside social media to interact and help grow their small business. This was just the beginning! I responded with a request for directions as I was from out of town and now had their address. The Blue Lotus Café, which was unknown to me just 5 minutes prior, was now on the top of my list of interesting places to visit.

Fast forward a day to my visit to this little oasis and my social media experience continues. When I check in on Foursquare I receive a free muffin. The staff were fantastic, friendly with lots of smiles –  it was obvious they enjoyed being there. The food was incredible so the Blue Lotus Café lived up to the original tweet with ease!

It is always encouraging to see a small local business succeed, it is even more encouraging to see a small local business using social media to help them succeed. Congratulations to everyone at the Blue Lotus Café for contributing to my positive experience, I will be sure to stop in again my next time I am travelling through northern New Brunswick and I hope everyone else does too!

The Whirlwind that is My Life…

A lot can change in only six months. As we near the end of May 2011 I am caught reflecting where I am and where I was just a short time ago, so let’s flashback six months and reminisce.

In November 2010 I was working in Ottawa for a large Canadian subsidiary of an even larger multibillion dollar US based global company. My role was called an Office Solutions Executive, but all that really means is I was tasked with supporting a sales team to deliver defined revenue targets with in a specific product group. I had been in the role for 17 months and perceived that it was time to make a change.

An opportunity had presented itself the month previous and I decided to take the gamble – relocate to Halifax to work as a Sales Coach for an upstart social media monitoring company. The role was exciting not because I knew all about social media (I didn’t) but because I felt that my efforts would be noticed and my contributions would be valuable. I moved and started afresh on December 1^st. My time in Ottawa was short but I made many great friends and I am keeping in touch with social media.

My new employer was just about everything my old employer was not. We were small, nimble and every day we faced new challenges that had no defined process to handle. We were in growth mode and saw our sales group grow from 14 to more than 45 by the end of March when it was announced that we were being purchased by a large US based multibillion dollar global company. We would retain our own brand and operate as a separate business unit but it was clear that things would change, for better or worse.

After another month it was time for yet another change. I accepted the role of Manager, Corporate Sales for our office in Saint John effective May 1^st. I had moved only 5 months earlier and was once again packing all of my belongings for relocation.

Three cities in three provinces in six months. I am not sure that it is a record but if it is I am thinking I don’t want to break it! As I write this post I still need to schedule my power hook-up for June 1^st and get proof of insurance for my place before I get the keys.

I have always said that life is short, enjoy every moment! I know that in everything I do I look for ways to maximize my experience. With every passing day I learn and hopefully pass on some of the knowledge I have. Above all else I embrace the challenges and opportunities in front of me and I have fun.

If the past is a predictor of the future I cannot even begin to guess what the next six months will be like, but I can guarantee it will be an exciting adventure. The best part of this adventure is that I happen to have the best seat in the house for it!

Time to fasten my seat belt, the ride is about to begin…

My Adventure to TreeGo

There is a commercial on television these days that describes two personality types, “I’m in” and “I’m out”. I never really thought about which type I am until this past Wednesday when I chaperoned my youngest daughter’s school trip to TreeGo in Moncton.

For those unaware, TreeGo is an outdoor adventure that can really test your balance, your trust in the safety equipment and any fear of heights you may have.

I do not ever recall having issues with any of these before, but as a 43 year old male that has not been as physically active as he should be the past couple of years I started out slowly. The course starts out with you only ten feet off the ground walking on a 5/8 inch wide cable. As the course progresses the challenges get more difficult and are higher off the ground.

My “I’m in” epiphany occurred when I was 80 feet (or more) off the ground bouncing on the middle of a cable, forty feet from the nearest tree (platform). The fact that there was at least three feet of up/down bounce at this point only made the experience that much more exciting!

Don’t misunderstand me, there were times when I thought “what was I thinking?” For instance, when I was crossing a twenty foot stage between trees on log swings things did not go smoothly. I somehow managed to get my left foot on one swing and my right foot on the next swing, and then lost focus to have my feet go in opposite directions. Despite the howls of laughter from the teenagers I was chaperoning I survived in one piece.

TreeGo was a great adrenaline rush and more fun than I ever expected! If you ever have an opportunity check it out, you will not be disappointed.