Are you good to the people who follow you?

I know a lot of amazing people.

So many that people I was once called the Kevin Bacon of the tech community.

Ok...I made up the KB part up but if people were to make any connection for me I would like it to be known as the Mother Theresa (of Calcutta...not the other one) of the tech world because, I wash a lot of feet but also go out of my way to do other nice things for people, even if it isn't asked for.

Here is why.

This past Wednesday I attended the monthly Wired Wednesday put on by the nice folks at RedWire and while there I got to chatting with Aran Hamilton.

Ya see, chatting is what I do.

...anyway, Aran is the VP of Strategic Partnerships with the new (and very impressive) startup Zoompass....and over the course of our conversation we started talking about our networks and I offered to help him with any introductions I could because I think his product is cool and want to see it do well. Somewhere in our chatting I blurted out (and I don't remember the exact thing that triggered it anymore)

"What is the point of having a network if you don't use it?"

Spending most of 2008 traveling to every conference or speaking opportunity I could find put me face to face with so many of the smartest and nicest people in the Tech and Entertainment industry, and I consider myself a pretty connected person...but seriously, what good is knowing all these people if I am not helping them?

The goal of this post is not to pat myself on the back but I am going to use "me" as an example and challenge everyone else to do the same because while this may sound odd but in my free time I sit around thinking about who I know and who I could introduce them to.

I do this because it makes me feel good to help people, but also because I usually get repaid in hugs and long kisses. Out of the hundreds or thousands of folks I meet over the course of a month or a year, only a small number of them will actually have a fit into what I am doing work wise...but all can help me in other ways...and I think the best way to get people to help you (if needed) is to help them first with something.

This has nothing to do with Karma or Pay it Forward but just good old fashioned un selfish introductions because there may not actually be a time where you need help from one particular person but if you help them find a job or escape from a bully I bet they will remember and help if called upon.

In the past month I have helped one person land a job. Made intro's and helped secure interviews for two other people and made at least 10 introductions that resulted in real business or a new clients for people.

Does this make me a better person than you? Not really, like I mentioned earlier I am doing it for the warm loving embraces....because I like the way those make me feel but if you have time this week why not take a look at your network and make an unsolicited intro to two people you like and think can work together...and if you don't get a hug out of it let me know and I will send you one.

Because @bethggwaz asked...10 things about Twitter (good and bad)

Yep, a little known fact about me is that I am available just about any time to answer questions on Twitter or by Email and if you ask a really good one I may just highlight you on this here blog...and answer the question of course.

I have a lot of opinions....and some of them are about Twitter.

Mostly I love Twitter and don't know what I would do without it...that being typed there are a few things that irritate me.

But first the great stuff! (and I am not sure I am going to do 10 of each but here we go)

1- Twitter lets me stay in touch with people I care about better than anything else...especially when I am really busy.
2- Twitter is my news feed and keeps me up to date on things as well as celebrity deaths.
3- Twitter is an amazing resource of opinions and idea...as well as a great place to get instant feedback on things.
4- I love Twitter because people think I am funny. (doesn't happen anywhere else)
5- Twitter gives me access to important and otherwise unobtainable folks so I can discuss things with them.
6- I love when people I have never met engage me in a conversation...it is fun!

I could go on and on but I think you get the point...so here are a few quick thoughts on the other side of the coin.

1- People put too much value in their following/follower stats. I follow people based on if they are interesting or pretty. Also personally, I have never asked a single person to follow me because the number of followers you have should mean nothing in the overall picture of how you use twitter.
2- I RT a bit and love when people RT my stuff but at the same time I wish people would create more original content and not just RT 90% of the time. I want to hear your ideas and thoughts so I can get to know you. RT'ing is an important part of Twitter but you have to still let yourself shine through.
3- I wish it was a little more playful and silly sometimes and not just a place to promote your stuff (something I am guilty of sometimes).
4- Auto DM's......nuff said!
5-When porn accounts follow me the pictures they use are so small I cant even enjoy it for a second before I block them :)

So Beth...not sure if this is the list you were expecting but I hope this might start a conversation and the list can grow from there.

I am Michael Knight, I am Michael Knight, I am Michael Knight...

I remember a long time ago watching an A&E Biography on David Hasselhoff (this was when he was still relevant) and him telling a story of before his audition for Knight Rider he drove his car all around the city saying to himself "I am Michael Knight..I am Michael Knight...I am Michael Knight".

This always kinda stuck with me because this was right out of the book "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale but more than that I have always been intrigued by escapism and experiences and an argument could be made that The Hoff was tricking himself to offer himself a new experience.

Now I have never tricked myself into thinking that I own a members only jacket and a talking car but I do let myself escape into video games every now and then and was taken back by reading about the new Tiger Woods 10 game for the Wii because they are taking Escapism and Experience to a whole new level.

Basically you can enter yourself in golf tournaments and play along side (in real time) against all the players playing at the same time.

OK so that isn't that new or different but the thing that caught my eye was that when you do play a weekend tourney you can play the same real time tourney that the real pros are playing that weekend and to add to the experience you will play in the exact same weather and conditions of the actual course.

So if you were playing along with the US Open a few weeks back your screen would have been blanketed in rain and darkness.

This is very cool because the obvious next step, and I am sure they are working on this, would be to play along side the pros to see if you can match them shot by shot with real updates from the actual tourney. Currently they post the scores but if they could actually embed the game play of the pros it would be pretty awesome.

That my friends is the perfect combination of escapism and experience and if game companies can pull if off I think you will hear a lot of people whispering under their breath...I am Tiger Woods, I am Tiger Woods, I am Tiger Woods.

The Future of Social Media.

Here is a presentation about the Future of Social Media that I gave at the Canadian Telecom Summit. Please take a look as this may be the most thoughtful explanation of this whole phenomenon..ever.

or maybe not :)

The Future of Social Media was told in 1975. from saulcolt on Vimeo.

Wanna know a secret?

I am pretty lucky because I get asked to do some pretty cool stuff by some pretty cool people. A few weeks back I was asked to contribute to the Flight Centre Blog (yes, THAT Flight Centre) by sharing some of the secret out of the way places I have seen on my travels for Zoocasa.com and neat places to visit when you are traveling around in other cities.

I think the videos are kinda playful and I hope to keep doing them...so please watch, comment, let me know what you want to see and I will try to make you all proud!

I take the "Howard Stern" approach to Charity but I am making an exception for Lilah.

Before Howard Stern moved his show to Sirius Radio I listened to his show every day for 10+ years so even though I didn't make the move with him to satellite radio I still consider myself a fan and reference the time he and I shared often.

A lot of things Howard talked about his show have stuck with me because if you could get beyond the silliness and "shocking" conversations you would see that his blunt honesty was a pretty accurate explanation of how the real world operates.

So with that lead up I am going to share with you one lesson that always stuck with me from my radio friend "The King of all Media". Many years ago Howard explained his philosophy on asking for people to support causes and Charity. I am paraphrasing here but basically he said that he understands that he has a lot of influence over his listeners and because of that he never wanted to sell them garbage like T-Shirts and take advantage of them.

Now I don't pretend to have the same following as Howard Stern but I do share the ideology and never really ask for anything from you guys and while I personally am very charitable, I feel funny asking you all to do things just cause I ask you to.

Ok...well I do ask you to keep reading this here blog and I do ask you to check out Zoocasa.com (my new company) and I do ask you to tell people I am a good kisser (WOW...I didnt realize how needy I am) but I never ask you to do things on my behalf that cost you money.....and that isnt going to stop now BUT I am going to fill you in on a Charity that I am helping out with and it is something I think is worth a few minutes of your time so you can know a little bit more about.

A family friend of mine has an amazing daughter named Lilah. She is warm and fun just like many 4 and 5 year old children, the only real difference is that Lilah was born with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that attacks the central nervous system and basically makes things not fun.

Lilah's condition was found on her first day of her life completely by chance and she was able to receive immediate treatment that surely played a part in her amazing recovery.

But the story doesn't end there...ya see, Eric and Tammy (Lilah's parents) decided to start a fund to help raise funds for neuroblastoma research. The fund is called (appropriately) Lilah's Fund and it is pretty amazing what they have been able to accomplish.

I am writing about this today because this Sunday (June 7th) there is the annual Sunday in the Park with Lilah event and if you are in the Toronto area and find this interesting I urge you to please check it out. This is a special year because Eric, Tammy and Lilah are hoping to pass the 500k milestone in total money raised since inception a few years back.

So here is the part where I ask you for something.

Please look at the website for Lilah's Fund, read up on what they are doing and if it moves you please help them. If it doesn't connect with you (and I guess that is possible) please take a moment and tell someone else about it because Lilah is an awesome little girl and more people should know her story.

Thank you.

...and now the infamous "You are all horrible people" panel from MESH09!

I was lucky enough to be included on the Word of Mouth Marketing panel at the MESH Conference a few months ago and have been sitting on this video for a while because to be honest I don't like a few of my answers and more importantly I decided to do something very 'High Concept' in this panel that out of context makes me look jerky. But since I talk about being naked a lot here it would be pretty hypocritical for me not to post some videos just because I was trying to do something interesting.

The whole thing is about an hour so I have broken it up into a few smaller videos...and I think it is worth mentioning that while it seems like I am doing most of the talking (because I am a chatty girl), my panel mates, Sean Moffitt, Angie Kramer and Jacquelyn Corbett Cyr make some amazing points and the conversation would not have been as interesting without them...and yes I do call everyone in the audience "horrible people" at the end because noone knew the name of Dean Kamen's iBot Wheelchair (I didn't either) but as you will see (in video #5) that I was kidding and making what I think is an interesting point!

Hope you find the time to watch these as there is a whole university level education in these videos.

MESH 09 Word of Mouth Panel Part One! from saulcolt on Vimeo.

MESH 09 Word of Mouth Panel Part 2 from saulcolt on Vimeo.

MESH 09 Word of Mouth Marketing Panel part 3 from saulcolt on Vimeo.

MESH 09 Word of Mouth Marketing Panel part 4 from saulcolt on Vimeo.

MESH 09 Word of Mouth Marketing Panel part 5 (The Dramatic Conclusion) from saulcolt on Vimeo.