On the Web with Kim Vallee

HOW to use, SOCIAL MEDIA | July 29, 2009

Reviewing Hellmann’s Eat Real, Eat Local Social Media Initiatives

I happened to fall on Hellmann’s Real Food Movement Web site this morning. Hellmann is using social media (blog, Twitter and Facebook Connect) to raise awareness about the need of eating local food. Using a higher social motive to raise the profile of a brand is nothing new. What is new is how brands tap [...]

HOW to use, SOCIAL MEDIA | June 29, 2009

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IDEO’s Innovative Ideas on the Future of Journalism

Newspapers are endangered species. Like many industries, it must adapt to its time. Although it is easier to read a print media, the hyperlinks, the velocity of the news and the multimedia power of the Internet clearly highlighted the weakness of the print media. Look at how this article I read on the San Francisco [...]

MARKETING, SOCIAL MEDIA | June 17, 2009

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Why Businesses Should Embrace Social Media

I am a proponent of social media. I believe it empowers everyone to get a voice. If you are good at what you are doing, participating in social media enables you to build a strong personal brand. Social media is not only for people. It provides great opportunities for businesses, when done right. Social media allows [...]

SOCIAL MEDIA, TOOLS | June 2, 2009

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The City of San Francisco fully Embraces Social Media with Twitter

San Francisco is known as a city with a diverse pool of Web 2.0 professionals. So maybe it is not surprising that the City of San Francisco launched a Twitter application where anyone can send direct messages (DM) to report a problem or send a request to the city’s customer service hotline. Twitter became one more [...]

SOCIAL MEDIA | May 22, 2009

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Measuring Your Social Media Influence is Key | Webcom 2009 Wrap-Up

Let’s look at what I see as the key elements of the latest Webcom, which happened May 13, 2009 in Montreal. Several subjects were covered. Privacy, identity, authenticity and transparency in social media have occupied a part of the debate. Except for one session that I left in the middle, all presenters did an excellent [...]

SOCIAL MEDIA | January 25, 2009

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Create Your Own Art with BeFunky

I tried a cool online tool that enables us to transform any picture of us into a funky piece of art. BeFunky let you create an avatar or a art print. BeFunky was founded by engineers and cartoonists with a unique desire to integrate art and technology. It is fun and pretty easy to use. The [...]

SOCIAL MEDIA | January 10, 2009

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Building a Canadian Playlist for Barack Obama

I present you another Web initiative for the inauguration of Barack Obama: a Canadian playlist. CBC Radio 2 invites Canadians to choose 49 songs from North of the 49th parallel that defines Canada to the new President. The nominations is now closed. From Monday, January 12, 2009 to Friday, January 16 at 11 p.m. ET, the [...]

SOCIAL MEDIA | January 9, 2009

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Join The Barack Obama Wave

The campaign of Barack Obama was an example on how politicians can use the Web to get support. Bloggers and the voters spread the word. The innovation in social media initiatives continue with Join the Wave. This was a somptaneaous idea from a cool Montreal company called Pixman Nomadic Media. Pixman takes advantage of the momentum [...]