On the Web with Kim Vallee » toronto http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com A Guide to Social Media for Bloggers Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:36:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc en hourly 1 The Schedule for PodCamp Toronto 2010 is Out http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/02/the-schedule-for-podcamp-toronto-2010-is-out/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/02/the-schedule-for-podcamp-toronto-2010-is-out/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:30:52 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=2973 podcamp toronto 2010 schedule

You can start planning your agenda for PodCamp Toronto now that the schedule is out. The 2010 edition is huge. They have over 1,000 persons who registered to attend. In the tradition of the unconference, the presenters selected their time spot. I will be presenting this Saturday, February 20th, 2010.

+ First, at 11:15 a.m. at room RCC 361: At Work with Kim Vallee: The Why, What and How of Community Building

+ Then, at 2 p.m. at room RCC 204, I sit on the panel with the well-known Erica Ehm of Yummy Mummy Club where we will discuss The Business of Online Communities for Women. The panel will be moderated by Eden Spodek of Bargainista.

I will continue the self-promotion by inviting you to attend at 10:30 a.m. at room RCC 359, a session presented by my husband, Jerome Paradis. Jerome will share his vision of Semantic Commerce: Understanding what’s in store for the future of e-commerce.

+ PodCamp Toronto 2010 Schedule

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]]> http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/02/the-schedule-for-podcamp-toronto-2010-is-out/feed/ 2 Catch The Business of Online Communities for Women at podcamp Toronto http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/02/in-a-panel-with-erica-ehm-and-eden-spodek-podcamp-toronto/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/02/in-a-panel-with-erica-ehm-and-eden-spodek-podcamp-toronto/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:59:27 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=2957 panel on the business of online communities for women at podcamp toronto 2010

I hope you plan to come to PodCamp Toronto 2010. I already told you about my individual session. To pursuit further the discussion on niche communities, I will sit on a panel with the popular Erica Ehm of Yummy Mummy Club.  We will exchange on the business of online communities for women. A savvy girl on social media will moderate the talk. It is Eden Spodek who is the editor of Barganista.ca and the Digital Strategist at High Road Communications.

I hope to see you there. Discover the other sessions at PodCamp Toronto 2010. And do not forget to register if you wish to attend this free unconference.

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]]> http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/02/in-a-panel-with-erica-ehm-and-eden-spodek-podcamp-toronto/feed/ 4 My Next Speech at PodCamp Toronto 2010 http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/01/my-upcoming-speech-at-podcamp-toronto-2010/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/01/my-upcoming-speech-at-podcamp-toronto-2010/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:21:11 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=2865 my upcoming speech at podcamp toronto 2010

A quick note to tell you that I will be giving a session at the next PodCamp Toronto that will happen on the weekend of February 20 and 21st, 2010.

I started working on adding a community site to the KimVallee.com brand. I analyzed many angles to make sure I get the right ingredients. My session will explore what you need to consider before building your own community site. I will tell you why, what, and how I will expand my blog with my upcoming community site.  I will deliver food for thought, practical tips and a toolkit. I would be honored if you put it on the agenda. The exact time and date will be revealed later.

+ Register to attend PodCamp Toronto 2010

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]]> http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2010/01/my-upcoming-speech-at-podcamp-toronto-2010/feed/ 4 How to Use Twitter to Raise your Personal Brand http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/05/how-to-use-twitter-to-raise-your-personal-brand/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/05/how-to-use-twitter-to-raise-your-personal-brand/#comments Sat, 02 May 2009 22:49:46 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=1517 podcamp toronto 2009 :: twitter is becoming new business card on my circles

Roberto Rocca wrote for the Gazette that the tech-savvy crowd now exchanges Twitter accounts instead of paper cards. Roberto is wondering if Twitter is becoming the new business card. This was certainly the case at PodCamp Toronto last February when many wrote their Twitter account name with the @ sign on their name tag.

I always ask people that I meet for the first time if they are on Twitter. As a Twitter devotee, I try to convert as many people as possible on being active on Twitter. If you are new to Twitter, familiarize yourself with the basic Twitter commands. I wrote this post to help you understand the culture behind Twitter.

Broadcasting to the World

You protect your privacy in Twitter by knowing that what you say can be seen and read by anyone in the World. Your tweets will end up on Google. I will go as far as saying that if you cannot overcome the urge of protecting your tweets, Twitter is not necessary for you. Look at Twitter as your public forum. Therefore, you do not post family photos and other personal life items on Twitter. You leave that for Facebook.

Chose Who To Follow

You do not select who decide to follow you and there is no obligation to follow back. A stranger can like what you are saying but you may not be interested by what they are saying. It is OK. I select my followers based on the goal of my brand and my interests.

Update: Having said that, I follow back lots of people. I follow everyone manually. It may happen that I forgot someone interesting once in a while. But I do not want to automatize the process. I do so because  I wish to have a true conversation with the people I follow.

What To Say in Your Tweets

I believe that your tweets should mix 5 things. It holds true for anyone, even if the Twitter account is a business. Twitter is a place where you can:

  1. get informed about what is a happening very fast. It is great to receive local and international news. By  following the right crowd, you will get news about your industry or your hobbies
  2. listen; learn what people care about, what are their opinions.
  3. share your and other ideas, facts and knowledge. Share things that adds value. Always make sure to give the credits to the source. Retweet a tweet; don’t simply copy
  4. engage in small talks. TV shows, music, sports and food often get good responses.
  5. promote events, a cause, yourself, your blog and even your products. Plus participate in #followfriday and other online Twitter activities

BONUS items:

  • access the knowledge of the crowd: you can ask for help or ask a question on Twitter
  • plan meet ups or other informal get-together meeting with your friends or the Tweeple in your area.

It is important that you create a balance on your tweets. At the end of the day, the secret is to have interesting stories, add value with your insights and participate in other conversations.

+ Follow me on Twitter
+ Add me as a Facebook friend

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]]> http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/05/how-to-use-twitter-to-raise-your-personal-brand/feed/ 4 The Importance of Having an Adviser for Your Blog http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/04/the-importance-of-having-an-advisor-for-your-blog/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/04/the-importance-of-having-an-advisor-for-your-blog/#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:02:25 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=1432 Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy and Harry Wakefield of MoCo Loco at IDS 09 with Kim Vallee

Yesterday I had an excellent meeting with my mentor to review my blog priorities. This is something I encourage you to do if you are serious about blogging.

Find someone you trust. The ideal candidate is an active blogger but someone with hands-on experience in social media can be a suitable candidate. Never forget in your discussions where you wish to bring your brand. Your actions should lead to your ultimate goal.

Bloggers are solicited from everywhere. We receive suggestions from readers and people we meet. It is easy to be tempted to imitate best practices you hear about without putting them in context with your entire blog experience. We analyze what is going on our niche. Therefore, it is easy to get distracted.

Plus the blogosphere is changing with the popularity of Web 2.0. We have to adapt our marketing and our blog to the new reality. For instance, I often receive more feedback for a post on Twitter and on Facebook than the number of comments on the post.

There is a lot to take into account in setting the priorities for your blog. It goes from what your brand stands for up to the importance of unique editorial content and how you will monetize your blog. You have to reevaluate these issues several times a year; I say every season. You also gain a second opinion on what you achieved so far. Did you meet your objectives? If no, why and what solutions are available to you.

I have the feeling that good mentors find you instead of the other way around. Until you find a mentor, have good talks with bloggers sharing similar challenges than you. I met Eden of Bargainista last Saturday for a coffee that extended until lunch. We exchanged on some of our challenges and experiences.

I am lucky to have a wonderful blog mentor that is a perfect fit for me. I hope you will find a suitable fit for yours.

IMAGE:
+ Two amazing bloggers that I admire: Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy and Harry Wakefield of MoCo Loco. I met them after their panel session at IDS 09. We did a tour of the main exhibit attractions, then talked over Champagne at the Veuve Clicquot VIP and Media Lounge together. Harry is my mentor.

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]]> http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/04/the-importance-of-having-an-advisor-for-your-blog/feed/ 5 Updated Look at Women and Social Media Presentation: Women blogs – Part 2 of 3 http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/03/update-look-at-women-and-social-media-presentation-part-2-of-4/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/03/update-look-at-women-and-social-media-presentation-part-2-of-4/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:10:29 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=935 Now that you are up to date on the latest social media statistics, I explored the universe of women and mom blogging. I explained what differentiates this crowd from other blog circles. I also talked about the specificity of the women blogs versus the mom blogs.

Continue with part 3 about monetarizing a blog.

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]]> http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/03/update-look-at-women-and-social-media-presentation-part-2-of-4/feed/ 1 Updated Look at Women and Social Media Presentation: Statistics – part 1 of 3 http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/03/updated-look-at-women-and-social-media-presentation-part-1-of-4/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/03/updated-look-at-women-and-social-media-presentation-part-1-of-4/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:50:24 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=922 I talked about the universe of women blogging and social media two weekends ago at PodCamp Toronto 2009. I split my recorded session in four 3 parts (March 10th, 2009 update: the last part was the question period but the sound is not great for the participant questions, so I decided to not publish it).

In the first part, I highlighted key statistics about women Internet usage.  Learn why and how women use social media. These statistics will help any blogger grasp the extent of the women and mom social media universe.

Continue with part 2

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]]> http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/03/updated-look-at-women-and-social-media-presentation-part-1-of-4/feed/ 1 Presenting at PodCamp Toronto 2009 http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/02/presenting-at-podcamp-toronto-2009/ http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/2009/02/presenting-at-podcamp-toronto-2009/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:17:40 +0000 Kim Vallee http://ontheweb.kimvallee.com/?p=654 I am returning to Podcamp Toronto. I attended one day last year since it was the same weekend as the Interior Design Show. Luckily this year, the IDS 09 will be 2 weeks later.

podcamp toronto 2009

Podcamp Toronto is a FREE unconference for those interested in all things regarding podcasting, blogging and new media. Amateurs, pros, newbies and veterans are all welcome! The unconference is happening February 21 and 22, 2009.

I will also present a session. This is a follow-up to the PodCamp session I gave last autumn in Montreal. A lot has happened since then. We will have a chat on the current state of the women and mom blogging and marketing universe. Here is my session brief:

Updated Look at Women and Social Media by Kim Vallee — A look at the latest metrics and what is happening in the world of women and mom marketing and blogging. See how blogging and social media enhance the life and the daily activities of modern women. I will share great initiatives but I also want to hear about yours.

The session schedule is not done yet. I will keep you posted. There are plenty of topics covered by amazing podcasters and bloggers. It is a great networking and learning experience. Register online to assist at PodCamp Toronto 2009.

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