It's still a mad, mad world

It’s Sunday night and after a weekend of work, errands and relaxation, there’s no better way to wind down the week than watching an episode of Mad Men.

Earlier this week, I had the honour of being asked to provide quote for my friend Elissa Freeman’s article for Ragan’s PR Daily, “Lessons from Peggy Olson’s ‘lean-in’ moments”.

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Blogger relations: PR dinosaurs need to retire or get with the program

I wasn’t planning to write another blog post about blogger relations so soon and then this showed up in my inbox this morning.

 
It pretty much sums up why it’s critical for PR people to stay current, build relationships with bloggers and do their research.

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Announcing TO Social Media PR Events Wiki

Okay, so shoot me. Tonight’s post may be a bit off topic but on Blogger’s 10th anniversary and the eve of the season opener of Third Tuesday Toronto, it seemed only fitting that I give something back to a community that has done so much for me.

Lot’s of people in communications, marketing and PR whether they be part of the local fishbowl or not, have asked me to keep them informed about local events. This may surprise some of you who know me but I don’t go to them all. I don’t even know about some of them and as much as I’d like to have the time to keep you all in the know, I’m just not that scalable. ;-)

So, I’ve started a Toronto Social Media PR Events wiki (feel free to suggest a better name). I hope you’ll help keep it up-to-date with local events and/or events of interest to the local community.

If you’re looking for something more, Say Yeah maintains a more comprehensive event calendar.

Bargainista shape up for 2009 contest

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably been thinking of new goals for 2009. Maybe you call them resolutions, maybe you don’t.

One of my goals – and I have many – is to lose some of the weight I’ve gained back since the Nutrisystem Challenge last year. Fortunately, NutriSystem has kindly offered to give me another month of food. Now, if I would only get up the nerve to place my order.

What I really need to do is kick up my activity level.

Enough about me. I want to hear about you. What are you doing to help stay in shape this year?

Leave me a comment, photo or video clip, provided I have permission to use it on the blog.

What’s in it for you?
I have a women’s 2-pc. workout outfit from Vata Brazil. It’s supposed to be one-size-fits-all and claims to be made with fabric they call “10x stretch”. I think it’s probably for women sized 6-10 or 12. The pants sell for $89.99. I don’t have a price for the top but I think it’s between $30-$40. I’ve included pictures except the top I’m giving away is white.

Entries are due by Sunday, Jan. 25, 11:59 p.m. EST. (Open to Canadian residents only.)

Michael Allison will be picking the winning entry and here’s why:

We met in person when he was in Toronto last summer and we’ve stayed in touch. Last month he asked me if I’d like to run a contest with outfits donated by his (now former) client Vata Brazil.

He did an excellent job on the blogger outreach side of things. Why? He did his research. He didn’t schmooze me in any way and most of all, he built a relationship with me. When he had a client who he thought might interest me, he got in touch and tailored his approach.

Unfortunately, Michael lost his job due to downsizing since he was one of the new guys. If you’re in Vancouver looking to hire a sharp guy with a background in communications with a solid understanding of social media, Michael’s your man.

Sharing from PodCamp Montreal

I attended PodCamp Montreal – a free unconference – where people from all over gathered to meet, learn and share information about podcasting and other forms of social media.

One of the rules of PodCamp is presentations are shared online. Many of the sessions were streamed live on Ustream.tv.

Check out the slide show from the session Connie Crosby and I gave about our new podcast…

Creating a Podcast: Community Divas Live!

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: podcasts podcasting)

I was also part of a panel discussion with Kim Vallée, Michelle Sullivan, Rayanne Langdon and Isolde Legare, called “Managing the PR Beast: Building Relationships with PR Practitioners While Maintaining Credibility with Your Audience”. Simon Roy created an audio archive of our panel. He archived 10 presentations in all.

Enjoy!