January 20, 2010
Design starts on the Chamber and Agri-Trade sites tomorrow. I'm anxious to see where they get to on the first go-round. Really looking foward to putting together a team of testers for the soft launch. Maybe Friday afternoon, I'll ask Exware when we'll be able to get down to work.
Did a presentation on social media to a Mastermind group of entrepreneurs Monday night. It was fun - a genuine skeptic, a couple semi-skeptics and some inquisitive, but non-commitals. In the end, I probably could have had four new clients. As soon as I'm caught up on my other projects, I'm going to put together a schedule for a seminar series; the first session will give a large group an opportunity to decide if they want to delve further.
The subsequent sessions will explain social media tools in detail and teach people how to develop content and manage their social media assets. A separate session will focus on creating an effective and manageable strategy. Of course, after I review my materials again, I may choose to change some of this up, but this appears to be the direction that business people want to go.
Gathering some momentum on the Thea Neumann site. The jazz songstress expects to release Lady and the Tramps, her Sandro Dominelli-produced debut album in May. She's in production on the photos now and we'll likely take our cues from there for the visual look of the site.
January 11, 2010
It's been a good week, small gains on a variety of projects and no great setbacks. I'm getting more excited about the Chamber/Agri-Trade web presence upgrades as we get further into the process and start to prepare to allocate and create content. I'm confident we'll be pleased with the functionality and control we'll have and how we'll be able to incorporate the sites into our marketing efforts. Pleased the Chamber has shown the confidence in making this much-needed improvement.
On the home front, had friends over on the weekend for a relaxing dinner and great gabfest. I had hoped to get out on the skis, but that's going to have to wait.
Getting excited about Will coming home. He's been in Los Angeles with the Frank since July, gigging and living a dream he and Denver have had since they were sixteen. Going over to help Michelle get them moved into a new place this weekend.
Working on the CMF web site, slowly but surely, but liking what I'm seeing so far. Like to get it online this weekend. Friday, a group of CMF volunteers will be at the Westerner, erecting a warmup tent for the Olympic Torch Relay. We're pleased that we get to keep the tent - it will come in handy at the festival in August. Speaking of torch, check out Crystal's new TORCH page - in support of her new CD of ten torch tunes, recorded with Sandro Dominelli in Edmonton last fall.
Have a great week and come on back for more.
January 4, 2010
Today I prepare for the last day of my Christmas vacation and it's been an excellent break. I wrapped up things at work on December 18 and headed off to Spruce Grove to attend Leroy's Christmas dinner, with he and all his buds. It was a great time, good food, and watching the enthusiasm as the residents sang Christmas carols, made for a great opener to the season. We stayed that night at the Best Western in Stony Plain. Big city hotels can learn a bunch from this location: fabulous room, nicely appointed (complete with dressing gown, slippers); a general store that sells wine by the bottle and real food you can prep in your room; a fridge for MY stuff, not trying to sell me stale, overpriced stuff. And a huge continental breakfast room with something other than carbs for breakfast. This hotel gets five stars from me.
The next day, we travelled to Prince George, pulling in just as a huge hangar at the airport went up in flames. From the highway, it looked like a plane had crashed. Thank goodness that wasn't the case, although one person did die in the inferno. We had a nice relaxing visit with Dan and Sylvia, Max and Laurie, Dawson and Natalie and ate fabulous food courtesy of Sylvia's kitchen. On the 22nd, we made our way west to Burns Lake. We spent Christmas with Dad and Kay and Mike and Lauren (who joined us in Prince, from Lethbridge). I grew up in Burns Lake, spending 1950-1969 in the house on 8th Avenue, where Dad & Kay still live.
We had a delicious Christmas dinner at Betty and Cliff's, the best turkey ever and a great party with the family and friends. Boxing Day, it was back on the road to Prince George and a quick overnight with Dan and Sylvia. We enjoyed a visit with Erin and Tim, who were in town from Cleveland for the holiday. The next day, we punched out early and made the run on slick highways back to Red Deer, arriving home safely at 5:30 p.m. We saw four moose and two wolves, all from a safe distance. (I think my car repels wildlife. They seem to scatter when i come along, instead of waiting until the last moment and jumping out in front of me.)
Since the 28th, I've been finishing off projects, working around the house, reviewing my SMMU materials. I completed the exam and am now a certified Social Media Specialist, even though I feel like I'm just scratching the surface. We'll be putting Desiree's social media strategy together today and tomorrow, completing al her profiles and searching for some relationships to develop. After all, social media is all about developing new relationships.
On the way to Prince George on Boxing Day, we stopped for a coffee in Vanderhoof. I snapped this photo of a man named Mark, who stays active and pitches in by gathering returnables. This is Mark's rig, an inspiration to anyone who wonders what's out there and needs doing.
We'll finish our break with Avatar 3D at noon tomorrow, then wrap up any loose ends, hit the hay early and wake up to whatever 2010 sends our way. One way or another, this new year will be a 10.