Thanks to my friend Dave Oakes who sent this around (who I hope to see in Ottawa in May). The subject line from his email was one word: Wrong.

This is the Rainbow Disconnection.

I am excited to annouce that I will be interviewing Kyle MacDonald of One Red Paper Clip fame shortly in support of the CMA's "From Mass to Grass" Word of Mouth Marketing Conference. I am putting out the word to The Client Side community to send in your questions for Kyle for an upcoming podcast.

Three simple ways to participate:
1. Call 1 206 666 2242 and leave an audio comment that I will play on the show
2. Email a question to: mlseaton AT gmail DOT com
3. Leave a comment on this post.

Kyle and I look forward to answering your questions.

Episode # 12 of The Client Side podcast is now posted. Check out the interviews with C.C. Chapman and Jay Moonah recorded last week at the AIMS Geek Dinner.

As always call 1 206 666 2242 with comments or questions.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the iconic LIFE magazine is folding (for the 3rd time).

The unit of New York media conglomerate Time Warner Inc. said it will keep the Life brand going on the internet, where it will start a Web site with photos from its image collection, and by publishing books. The company cited the "decline in the newspaper business" and the poor advertising outlook as factors in its decision. ..... 15 editorial workers and 27 in Time's business department will be laid off.

Last issue is on April 20.

This episode features an interview with C.C. Chapman and Jay Moonah at a Geek Dinner the night before the AIMS event on Second Life.

In the News and Adjust the Pitch segments will return soon.

Comment line is always open, call 1 206 666 2242 and share your thoughts or ask a question.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Intro Music.
• 01:40 My favorite qutoes - Winston Churchill.
• 04:00 Audio comment from June MacDonald on editing podcasts.
• 08:06 Audio comment from Bryan Person clarifying "harvesting" email addresses on MySpace and Social Media Burnout.
• 15:38 Audio comment/question from Mitch Joel from beautiful Montreal on the state of email and the impact of RSS subscriptions.
• 19:05 Interview with C.C. Chapman where he talks about Crayon, the state of digital marketing and his presentation at the AIMS Second Life event.
• 28:00 Interview with Jay Moonah and his thoughts on Podcamp Toronto and insights on Second Life from his AIMS presentation.
• 34:12 Outro Music (Full Song), "Song of Sixpence" by Four and Twenty Blackbirds.

Comments? Call 1 206 666 2242 and join in.

Podsafe Music:
Intro Music – Remember by Black Lab
Transition music - Forever by Derek Chafin

Download Episode # 12 - Interviews with C.C. Chapman and Jay Moonah edition

We have all seen bad presentations. Worse are the mediocre ones that manage to bore us to tears - and they are, unfortunately, not in short supply. In most cases, the presenters are smart people who know their subject matter. So, what is the problem? Well, as with most things, it is all in the details.

Presentations are more art than science. While it is typically uncommon to have an art form follow a specific formula, it kind of works with presentations in terms of the elements that help deliver something meaningful and memorable. And, the elements contained in great presentations apply across all spectrums including public speaking, boardroom settings or a one-to-one sales pitch.

I don't know about you, but I have yet to recall anything from a presentation where words on slides were the prevailing feature. However, I fondly remember (in detail) great stories and storytellers. These are the folks that use images over words and engage with an honest and compelling approach to the subject at hand. The ones who manage to energize, motivate and educate in a way that is conducive to their cause and yours. Many of these individuals are not naturals. Far from it. I know this because I have asked them. The secrect they have in common is that they have learned from others, applied and practiced the craft with the focused mindset of doing better.

I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two in speaking to a wide range of audiences over the years. The most important learning was to strive to use each speaking engagement as an opportunity to do better. It's kind of like tennis in that you have to play to improve.

My mission today is to simply share a few tips that I have found useful. It is not comprehensive, just top of mind points that I hope will help:
- Speak from the heart and from experience.
- Know your audience and their needs - get a good understanding of what they expect from your presentation.
- Craft a story then tell it, don't read it. Reading your slides is quite silly when you think about it. You could have just sent the deck (certainly you can use notes, I am talking literally about reading slides - happens all the time and is always awful)
- Don't ever forget that content is king.
- Use a central point or key message that everything else hinges on. Think thesis point as in essay writing.
- At the end, what is your call-to-action? What are you asking your audience to do as a result of your presentation?
- Use less words on slides - in fact if you can get away with using none and conveying your thoughts/points with image then do so. A picture is worth ....
- Humor should be used at your own risk. If you are not a comedian, leave the jokes to the pros.
- Nerves are natural. Don't worry if you are nervous, everybody is nervous when they present.
- Learn the art of the pause when you speak. It is your friend.
- Practice, practice, practice. Winston Churchill prescribed that for every one minute of public speaking he prepared for one full hour. Churchill is famously quoted as saying "I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks". When you are under prepared it is at your own peril.
- Record yourself - either video or audio. As painful as it may be to watch/listen it will help you see what others see.
- Do it with passion. If you don't believe in it, then how could you possibly make others believe?
- Always remember that your audience wants you to succeed. Be positive and exude positive energy. SMILE.
- Leave time for questions.

If you would like to add more to the list, drop me a comment. Also, let me know if you are interested in some great resources on this subject - I'd be happy to share other items I have found useful. A couple that spring to mind are the guys over at Inside PR did a couple of podcasts discussing this very subject and Presentation Zen is always a gem of a resource.

Have you checked out Stumbleupon yet? In an age of RSS where all the stuff we could ever want comes to us, it is a very cool little distraction to be taken somewhere unexpected.

The Canadian Marketing Association offers an outstanding roster of professional certificate courses across a variety of areas in marketing. I am happy to report that I have been asked to take on the duties of teaching the CMA E-Marketing Certificate Course starting in the fall of 2007 and I am really looking forward to the opportunity.

Ken Schafer of One Degree and TuCows has been the course instructor since it all began a few years ago. Ken is stepping down after this semester and is leaving me with some pretty big shoes to fill.

I have been sitting in on the classes over the first few sessions to get a first-hand feel for the material and am very impressed by the students and level of questions being asked. Smart bunch of people there who seem passionate about the space.

One thing that I find interesting is that, even though everyone is compelled to learn and has heard about blogs, podcasts, RSS and other pieces of social media, many have yet to check out these new forms of media and communications for themselves. In other words, they have yet to experience the experience.

The wealth of information on these topics (or any for that matter) are abundant. My suggestion (as I relay to other audiences as well) is that there is no better way to learn than diving in yourself. Start reading blogs, listening to podcasts, setting up your RSS feeds. Be a purposeful lurker, observer and experimenter.

Shape your mind and form your opinions from the inside-out. Only then can these powerful tools and concepts be understood at a deeper level and applied to a unique situation, be it business or personal. It really is that simple.

This video of clownpenis.fart comes courtesy of One Degree. It is another classic SNL sketch that proves, through the power of online video and NBCs bold move to let their content be free, that audiences will grow across mediums. Especially if the content is this funny.

Episode # 11 of The Client Side is now posted.

If you are interested in podcasting, this episode covers some territory courtesy of Rob Walch of Podcast 411. I interviewed Rob a few weeks ago and we spoke about podcasting software, interview techniques, editing versus non-editing and a host of other tidbits on the topic of podcasting.

As always, call in with an audio comment or question at 206 666 2242.

Shutdown Day is 3 days away. Not exactly what I had in mind with regards to Moratorium March!

Has the medium become the marytr?

This episode features an interview about podcasting with Rob Walch from Podcast 411. Rob provides his insights on the tools and techniques behind successful podcasting. If you are interested in podcasting and learning some great tips on how to do it right, check out Rob's tutorials at Podcast 411.

In the News and Adjust the Pitch segments will return next epidsode.

Comment line is always open, call 1 206 666 2242 and share your thoughts or ask a question.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Intro Music.
• 01:08 My favorite qutoes - Yogi Berra.
• 02:55 Promo for Bum Rush The Charts - Chris Penn provides a promo for a great project taking place at iTunes on March 22 - help put Black Lab and their song "Mine Again" at the top of the charts.
• 05:28 Promo for Foreword Thinking Podcast - Mitch Joel gives some background on this new podcast he will be hosting for HarperCollins.
• 08:19 Interview with Rob Walch of Podcast 411.
• 32:00 Outro Music (Full Song), "I'll be Waitin" by Coppermine.

Comments? Call 1 206 666 2242 and join in.

Podsafe Music:
Intro Music – Remember by Black Lab
Transition music - Forever by Derek Chafin

Download Episode # 11 - The 411 on Podcasting with Rob Walch of Podcast 411 edition

Sinbad? Dead? Well, the wiki says he is, so it must be true.

"Saturday I rose from the dead and then died again," the Los Angeles-based entertainer told The Associated Press in a phone interview."

Don't light your candles yet folks, apparently he's still got another Houseguest in him.

Kathryn Lagden of AIMS tells me that there are only a few spots left for our Geek Dinner on March 20th with C.C. Chapman, Kate Trgovac and Jay Moonah. The dinner is in advance of the AIMS Second Life event held the next morning.

Geek dinner details can be found on the AIMS blog. So get in touch fast if you'd like to attend.

And, in case you did not know about the Second Life event, here is a quick description of the event being held on March 21:

Join us for an in-depth look at what Second Life (and other virtual worlds) means to marketers. You’ll learn what the people and companies in Second Life are doing, the implications (today and future) of virtual worlds for brands and marketers, and what your company should know before throwing open its virtual doors.

Plus - after the presentation we’ll have 3 breakout sessions so you can get hands-on with Second Life. Join one of the following groups:
- Taking the plunge – entering Second Life for the first time
- I’m a walking, talking, sometimes flying avatar – Now what?
- I’m a SL resident looking at possibilities for my business

Hope to see you at the dinner on the 20th and at the event the next day!

In terms of using a new technology, being first out of the gates is simply not enough these days. Often, the real power of a new social media type tool or widget is muted as we collectively stumble to find ways to use it for ourselves - but sometimes get lost in the weeds. What I mean is that, as we learn about novel digital modes of communication, we often follow the path that early adopters carve out . As we all know, seeing how others use something makes our individual choice easier if we are able to see a role for it in what we do, personally or professionally. However, often we cannot see the forest from the trees because there is no unique or compelling purpose yet defined for us as individuals.

Then along comes someone who dives in head-first and manages to create a clear and purposeful experience with it and sees the role. Someone who showcases how it can be used (by reinventing/adapting) and demonstrating how it changes pieces of what we do, or could do.

I am talking specifically about Twitter as a communication tool. Twitter is an instant messaging type service that asks the simple question “What are you doing now?” and provides an interface and framework to let your audience know just that. Although signed up a short while ago, there has been so much chatter from Steve Rubel, Robert Scoble and Bryan Person that I was starting to feel guilty for not using it more.

Enter Mitch Joel and his use of Twitter (full disclosure: Mitch is President of Twist Image which is Scotiabank’s agency-of-record on the digital side and is also a good friend). Mitch has been using Twitter with a purposeful benefit to himself and his audience as a micro-blogging platform. He has been posting his thoughts, links to interesting stuff and questions to his readers using the tool. He has integrated the Twitter widget box on his blog and has been quite active on it.

As a personal branding expert, you had to know it would not take him long to see the power of it all and then spin it back to us all as the latest part of how he manages to manage his brand. After seeing it in this light you say to yourself “aha, now why didn’t I think of that?”. Now, I’m not sure if he was the first to use Twitter in this manner, but it was the first that I saw where the lights came on for me – so thanks Mitch.

So, will we all follow this example and begin our own micro-blogs? Not sure about you but I am opting out for a few reasons at this point (but I refrain from saying never). First, as a user, I see myself utilizing it’s inbound versus outbound capacity to suit my needs. Second, I have enough outlets with my blog and podcast to let the world know what is on my mind. And third, it is just another thing to keep active in the midst of everything else that is going on (as I wrote about in my post on Digital and Social Media Syndrome a short while ago).

Having said that, I like Twitter a lot more lately because I see it’s purpose through how Mitch Joel is using it. Receiving more immediate and timely (meaning to the second) information from those who I follow is a good thing. I will be paying close attention to how others are using it too, and hope that I will find newer purposes as I investigate further.

One such purpose I've already seen is NY Times & Twitter. Very cool.

How about you? Are twitching to get more use of Twitter or still figuring it out? Thoughts?

I heard about this interesting project called Bum Rush the Charts through Shel and Neville of the For Immediate Release podcast and it seems to be picking up speed as the word spreads.

I do not believe this is just the latest meme to gain link love. This is an honest-to-goodness attempt to usurp the system as we have come to know it yet had no other choice but to support over the past decades. We now own our own choice. Giddy up.

Bum Rush the Charts is an idea that will take hold March 22 when “we the people” (as “You” i.e. Time Magazine’s Person of the Year) will hold the key to show the music industry that they no longer own the audience and the artists – we are taking back expropriated and exploited art and donating some of the proceeds as well.

Here is the Bum Rush the Charts mantra from the BRTC blog:

On March 22nd, we are going to take an indie podsafe music artist to number one on the iTunes singles charts as a demonstration of our reach to Main Street and our purchasing power to Wall Street. The track we've chosen is "Mine Again" by the band Black Lab. A band that was dropped from not just one, but two major record labels (Geffen and Sony/Epic) and in the process forced them to fight to get their own music back. We picked them because making them number one, even for just one day, will remind the RIAA record labels of what they turned their backs on - and who they ignore at their peril.

Hopefully, the movement will carve a path for an independent artist (in this case it is Black Lab) to make it to #1 on iTunes, forcing the fat cat music industry execs who continue to hold music hostage to pay attention.

My experience with Black Lab is as old as my podcasting, so not really that old at all. I discovered Black Lab as part of my podcasting experimentation last summer when I was searching through Podsafe Music Network. I stumbled upon them and instantly liked what I heard. I subsequently used their music in my Across the Sound contributions and then as the theme music for The Client Side.

Here is the rub to the music industry. I did what most record company execs would never understand after I received some freebie music via Podsafe Music Network - I went to an HMV looking for a Black Lab CD to buy. Guess what? I could not find them. They were not available which left me perplexed. Then I did some online research and found out that these talented guys were shafted by the music industry who now wont let buy my own copy of their music legitimately.

Is it any wonder that the music industry is doomed if they do not get their heads out of their DRM derrières?

For my 99 cents, BRTC is not just about making podcasting more of a known entity – that will come in time. This is all about demonstrating the impact of our collective word-of-mouse. And, best of all is that 50% of all earnings will go to a scholarship fund. Brilliant.

In an earlier post, I started to allude to a period of marketing reformation that is taking place. This not just a changing of the guard, it is more like a charging of the gates and taking the tower. The music/entertainment industry needs to find a new religion fast because BRTC is definitely a heretical undertone that will only grow.

So, on March 22 use your pocket change to make some change with the rest of us. Because, in the end, this is all about us.

I just read this post by Tug from American Copywriter. It would appear that Mastercard has some data cleansing issues to work on as they seem to be offering Tug's five-yeard old son his very first credit card.

I wonder how that campaign would work?:
Cost of Soccer League enrollment - $60
Cost of Soccer Shoes for your kid - $50
Cost of Uniform - $ 50

The look on Mommy and Daddy's faces when pee-wee Beckham is offered his very own credit card at age five? Pele-riceless!

Tug, give the kid a damn allowence so he won't have to go out there and seek credit! Sheesh. Nip this one in the bud before the little man stops by the local pawn shop with your TV set or your podcasting equipment. Or worse, before he pays a visit to the local loan shark. Gotta get out ahead this money problem of his because loansharks don't do direct mail very well. Especially with collections.

BTW, Tug, John - I am jonesing for the next AC episode. Is there methadone treatment for podcast listeners or something to tide us all over?

Interesting post over at Adweek by Marc Schiller on crisis management on the web titled Crisis And The Web.

I loved this line:

as the "social Web" evolves, the focus for brands needs to be less on digital marketing and more on digital brand management.

So true. I believe more and more that marketers have to understand social media and the digital space holistically. Not just have a grasp on some of the tactical areas of deployment, or the quick and cute but utterly useless diversions that many seem to hang their hat on. Seeing things at the 20,000 foot level in terms of how the brand is reflected and overall management of it is required now more than ever before.

As Schiller says:

Brands that get it right will be the ones that use the same online tools as their customers.

Anyone who has studied British history and knows of the reformation period will know there is more at stake over the long term than meets the eye at present. I have been thinking about this theme of a "Marketing Reformation" lately and will have more to say on it soon.

I just hit the double-digits in my podcast efforts and this one is special because it is all about the future of email. Also, I had a bunch of great audio comments from listeners that drives the bulk of the show.

Check out The Client Side Episode #` 10 and don't forget to call in at 1 206 666 2242 and have your voice heard too.

Sidenote: I just found out (unfortunately a little too late for this episode) how to get better sounding audio comments and get rid of that crappy tincan sound that has been bugging me when people call in. Thanks to Mitch Joel who has had a lot of practice with the dozens of great comments he gets from all over the planet. The fun part of podcasting is learning and sharing. Maybe I should have gone to a few more sessions at PodCamp Toronto last week!

This is a special episode dedicated to email marketing.

This episode coincides with the release of the CMA - Canadian Marketing Association's Guide to Email Marketing and a breakfast seminar that I will moderate on Wed March 7th titled "Optimizing Email for Better Results". Panellists at the seminar called in and shared what they will cover in their presentations and we have lots of comments that drive the discussion on episode 10.

Is email alive and well? What will happen when the generation that grew up digital hits the workforce and becomes a driver of the economy? As marketers how will we adapt? Should we continue to focus on email and, if so, what areas must we address to keep email communications relevant and engaging in the face of rapid change?

Lots of great commentary and conversation in today's episode, take a listen. In the News and Adjust the Pitch will be back for episode 11.

Call 1 206 666 2242 and share your thoughts.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Intro Music.
• 01:08 My favorite qutoes - William Gibson, author of Pattern Recognition.
• 01:22 It's all about email.
• 01:55 Personal milestone - hitting the double digits in episodes.
• 3:40 CMA Guide to Email Marketing: Background.
• 8:05 Comment: Sulemaan Ahmed of Sears Travel on his CMA presentation..
• 12:15 Comment: Scott Jamieson of SJR Consulting on his CMA presentation.
• 14:52 Comment: Randy Litchfield of Inbox Marketer on his CMA presentation.
• 20:05 Comment: June MacDonald of RIM, and Being Direct on email marketing, PodCamp Toronto and MySpace.
• 26:44 Comment: Kathryn Lagden of AIMS, on Facebook and managing to find new blogs to read and podcasts to listen to.
• 20:05 Comment: Bryan Person of New Comm Road and Monster on email content and supplemental channel development.
• 38:52 Blog Comments from Jon Lax, Paula Skaper and Stefan Eyram.
• 43:24 Blog Post from John Wall of The M Show and Ronin Marketeer answers all my questions I put out to CAPOW.
• 46:00 Wrap up: My thoughts on email and a brief overview of The CMA's Guide to Email Marketing.
• 43:24 Outro Music (Full Song), "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Poverage" by Panic at the Disco.

As always, call 1 206 666 2242 let me know what you are thinking.

Podsafe Music:
Intro Music – Remember by Black Lab
Transition music - Forever by Derek Chafin

Download Episode # 10 - The Special Email Marketing edition

Adweek said it, I am just reporting it.

Is this really a shocker? Probably not. Read it all here.