Is Anyone Not Writing a Book?

By Mark Evans in Social Media No Comments Tags: , ,

I’ve written a book.

Unfortunately, it was about investing in tech stocks just as the dot-com boom went bust. Over the past few years, I’ve never been tempted to write another book; just like I’ve never had any interest in running another marathon.

Been there, done that.

That said, if I were going to write another book, it would seem like the trendy thing to do. Everyone within the social media world seems to be doing it, which is odd given the book – at least in the form we’ve known it – is disappearing.

So, what is it about writing a book that has excites so many people? In a wonderful column in the New York Times Magazine, Bill Keller believes that people write books “for reasons that usually have a little to do with money and not as much to do with masochism as you might think.There is real satisfaction in a story deeply told, a case richly argued, a puzzle meticulously untangled.”

Given the long hours and remote chances of financial reward, book writing has to be a labour of love. I think people do it because they’re so enthusiastic about their interests or work that a book seems like the only forum with the capacity to present all their ideas.

I also believe, however, writing a book is also a status symbol that separates the wheat from the chaff, and the writers from the bloggers. It also has to do with stature and street cred, which gives people a better chance to drive speaking gigs and their professional activity, which makes up for the fact books don’t pay (royalties).

I guess in the scheme of things I could re-allocate all the hours I spend writing blogs into writing a book but I’m not sure it would deliver the same amount of satisfaction. Right now, I’m more into sprints than marathons.

When Everyone’s Doing Social Media, Then What?

By Mark Evans in Social Media 1 Comment Tags: , ,

I was listening to the all-sports radio station yesterday when the host mentioned how listeners could get in touch with him via the Web site, e-mail and, of course, Twitter.

The mention of Twitter surprised me because the host has for a long time dissed Twitter because he sees it as a forum where the amateurs muddy the waters with their comments, opinions and news reporting.

Now we’re talking about a guy who has been around for a long time so his attitude about Twitter is not surprising. So the fact he’s not only on Twitter but promoting the fact (probably because the radio station makes him to do it) points to the fact even people who don’t particularly like social media or have much respect for it are doing it.

And that got me thinking about what happens when everyone’s doing social media. What then?

As the marketplace becomes more crowded and increasingly noisy (if there isn’t a cacophony already!), what does it mean about social media’s ability to resonate or be effective? Many companies that were first-movers enjoyed a competitive advantage but that’s eroding as the competition climbs on board.

It’s no longer good enough to be doing social media when everyone else is doing it as well.

The easy, no-brainer answer is do social media better, be more engaged, more conversational and develop great content. But what does that mean?

Does it suggest success in social media is monitoring activity 24/7 so any inquiries or potential opportunities can be jumped on? Does it mean having a dedicated team to create compelling videos, blog posts, tweets, etc.? If so, does that mean whoever invests the most wins?

What do you think?

Is Canada in the Midst of a Startup Renaissance?

By Mark Evans in Venture Capital 3 Comments Tags: , ,

CanadaIf you’re looking for signs that Canada’s startup landscape is healthier than ever, a prime piece of evidence might be the International Startup Festival taking place this week in Montreal.

Putting aside the ambitious name (I would have selected something like the Canadian Startup Festival), the fact it was organized and looks to be well attended suggests there might just be some real traction within the startup community.

For too long, the landscape has been dominated a supply and demand problem – lots of enthusiastic entrepreneurs chasing too little capital. It meant there was a lot of talk but not a lot of walk because without financing, it is difficult to develop an idea and drive growth.

A few key things have changed in the past year or so.

First, I sense entrepreneurs are more sophisticated, experienced and creative about how they start, operate and finance a new business. We’re talking about people who have been in the startup trenches, and now starting to see the benefits of having toiled away, even if their efforts have not been successful.

Second, there has been a surge in the amount of seed and startup capital available. It’s far from a financing tsunami but it’s a solid start. It means (hopefully!) entrepreneurs can get the money they need to take a real shot at building something. It doesn’t have to be millions of dollars, although it would nice it that kind of dough-ray-me were available. Many entrepreneurs can go a long way with $100,000 to $250,000 using a lean and mean approach.

Third, we’re starting to see exits; nothing spectacular but acquisitions nonetheless. The recent hit list includes Pushlife (by Google), Tungle (RIM), PostRank (Google) and Five Mobile (Zynga).

What’s more encouraging is if you scratch beneath the surface, there’s an awful lot of going on. In my consulting business, I’m doing a lot of work with startups and, as important, coming across a lot of startups during my travels. We’re talking about companies with great ideas working away in relative anonymity until the time comes for some of them break out.

All in all, call me optimistic that Canada’s startup community is starting to see some serious traction after too many years of struggling. Before anyone gets too excited, there is a lot more that can be done but at least we’re getting there.

Looking for Blog Post Inspiration?

By Mark Evans in Blogs, Social Media 1 Comment Tags: , ,

IdeasIn writing two blogs and an online column, I create more than 40 items a month. It may not be the volume generated by writers working for big-time blogs such as TechCrunch or GigaOm but it’s, nevertheless, a lot of content.

The challenge is coming up with ideas for blog posts that provide some kind of value and insight. At times, it can be a struggle when the creative juices aren’t flowing. At other times, it can be easy when the ideas just come rumbling down the pipe.

There are a variety of techniques I use to trawl for and generate ideas for blog posts. What I’m seeking is sparks, tidbits or food for thought.

1. Twitter: I don’t follow a lot of people (about 350) but I try to focus on people who tweet about things I find interesting and relevant to my professional world. I try not to spend too much time on Twitter because it’s a productivity-killer but I scan my stream on a fairly regular basis looking for ideas. I often “favorite” tweets that have the potential to become blog posts.

2. Newspapers: Yes, it’s old school but newspapers are an efficient way to scan through a lot of information. I’m mostly focused on the business section but often find good material in the news, life or entertainment sections. I use the “rip and read” technique by ripping out interesting stories to look at later.

3. Conversations: In talking with other people, you’re tapping into a new world of potential ideas, even if they aren’t involved in the Web and social media. When I’m having lunch with someone, for example, I’m often taking mental notes about potential blog posts. In an ideal world, I’d attend more conferences because that’s when the ideas for blogs can come in waves.

4. Reading: I consume a lot of content – both off-line and online – with different goals. Sometimes, it’s for information, sometimes it’s search related to a client, and sometimes, it’s just for ideas. Sometimes, I’ll read a good blog post, and then provide my own take (while, of course, providing credit and a link to the original blog).

5. Clients: When I’m working with clients, it pretty common for blog post ideas to pop up that have to do with different issues being tackled. The trick is writing a blog post without referring to what a client is doing so they tend to be about high-level issues or trends that are relevant to many companies.

What techniques or approaches do you use to come up with blog post ideas?

The High, High Hopes for Google+

By Mark Evans in Google 1 Comment Tags: ,

So it’s been a little more than a week since Google+ launched, and the enthusiasm has been palpable. Google bubbles there will be 10 million Google+ users by tomorrow, which will no doubt see many cases of Moët and Chandon champagne popped at the GooglePlex.

Some of it has to do with the fact the digitrati loves new and shiny things – and there’s been a dearth of cool and compelling social media services arguably since Twitter launched – apologies to all your Foursquare fansboys/girls.

But I think there is another key factor driving Google+ that have little to do with Google+’s features or functionality.

As much as many people (700 million and counting) have joined Facebook, there is a growing concern about Facebook’s dominance and bold ambitions to inflict its social graph across the entire Web. People use Facebook but they’re afraid of it because of its dominance.

So, in many respects, the optimism about Google+ have everything to do with the high hopes that it can become a big enough player to keep Facebook honest.

This is not to suggest Google’s ambitious are any less aggressive than Facebook’s but there needs to be another social networking player to keep Facebook in check, otherwise Facebook will rule the roost and do what it wants because there would be no other options.

So as Google (and its boosters) trumpet the fact millions of people are joining Google+, keep in mind there are other factors at all that have everything to do with Facebook.

Links:
- Tommy Walker talks about why Google+ doesn’t stand a chance against Facebook.

How to Compete With Big-Time Tech Blogs

By Mark Evans in Blogs 4 Comments Tags: , ,

In a word: don’t.

Going head to head with major tech blogs such as Mashable, TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb and GigaOm is a fools’ game. They have too many people at their beck and call, they pump out way to much content, and they’re far more connected.

In other words, trying to compete against them as a go-to resource is madness.

So how can us regular bloggers be topical, timely and relevant to people looking for insight and information? Here’s a few tips:

1. Don’t jump on the bandwagon. When news breaks (e.g. the launch of Google+), you know there’s going to be a tsunami of blog and traditional media coverage as everyone decides to provide some kind of opinion. Rather than joining the fray, stay away.

2. Take a deep breath, wait a few hours or perhaps a few days, and then write a post that benefits from having time to think. This lets you provide new or different perspective that has a better chance of standing out from the crowd.

A good example is a post I did on HootSuite’s surpassing two million users. Rather than writing about this benchmark, I took a different approach with a post suggesting HootSuite was Canada’s biggest online success story. Even though the post appeared a day after the news broke, it attracted a lot of attention.

3. Write against the grain. When everyone is blogging about Google+, it might more sense to focus on another topic that is getting less attention.

4. Be true to the things that interest you as opposed to chasing the news. If you’re focused on a particular topic, stay focused rather than shifting gears. This lets you do what you do best and, as important, meet the needs of your readers.

5. Be happy, don’t worry. Don’t worry if you’re not blogging about the new, shiny thing capturing all the attention. There’s so much happening that it’s okay to say “pass” until a story that really interests you comes along.

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