Lenzr is packed full of photo contests for March and April 2010. They came out of the woodwork to be part of this series, and there’s more queuing for May.  It seems local businesses like the buzz that a properly promoted photo contest can deliver, and the price is right. I’ll talk turkey with anyone who emails rob at smojoe dot com, or you could message Lenzr admin but it all goes to the same place. The buckstop is here.

Toronto Party Rentals Company seeks Backyard Party Events photos on Lenzr

Backyard Party Events is a photo contest for the DIY party people who would rather host friends than be guests.  The sponsor is a Toronto party rentals company that wants to see pictures of people who stay home and do it themselves, renting tables, chairs, tents, wet bars, stages and fences for their own world class bash. I’ve been to few benders like that. We all have. But do you have any pictures? The photo contest is designed to immortalize the people that have rented the big stuff and made a big splash, a memory that will stand the test of time.

The sponsor is a Toronto tent rentals company that’s absolutely stuffed to the rafters with everything required to make a massive bash. This place is a party bomb waiting to explode on somebody’s backyard. Here’s a link to Laura on the Absolute Blog.  She’s standing by to write about the best photographs in the contest that includes tents, staging, folding chairs, tables, event lighting and much much more.  All of this is detailed in the Toronto party rentals sponsor profile on the Lenzr blog.

The prize for the Lenzr member that uploads the highest ranked picture is a spiffy new 10×10 Popup Tent, and $500 Gift Certificate * for anything in Absolute Tent and Event Services catalog.

Geothermal Installation Company Sponsors Fire and Ice photo contest on Lenzr

The Fire and Ice photo contest on Lenzr is probably the coolest theme, and will be no doubt be the hottest competition on the index as photographers show off their skills.

The back story here begins on Saturday Feb 27th 2010 when I journeyed down to the National Home Show and met Steve Hamoen of ZoneLife.ca in the Better Living Centre in Toronto.

I spent two hours talking to Steve and hangingout with him at the show. I enjoyed watching him answer questions and set minds ablaze with every explanation of exactly what’s possible these days with geothermal heating and cooling systems.

Steve Hamoen is a geothermal installer who stamps out common misconceptions about this new energy source.  Firstly, the heat doesn’t just come up out of the ground in easy to use levels, but rather in units that are commonly referred to as low grade energy - the source needs to be ramped up into more viable residential or industrial heating (or cooling) strengths using boilers or coolers as the case may be. This usable low grade energy also needs to be distributed from the source to the areas that require heat or cooling, and all of that sort of thing also requires electricity. Overall the system is part of a bigger, better planet saving solution.

Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to only a very few areas of the globe, like Iceland. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, and in particular floor heating.

The Prize is GeoAir PCO air purifier

Photo Catalytic Oxidation (PCO) is perhaps the most advanced air purifying technology available today.  And unlike existing air cleaning systems that rely solely on ultraviolet light, the GeoAir PCO device integrates a titanium dioxide semiconductor to leverage photocatalytic oxidation allowing it to vaporize indoor air pollutants, including those that cause odors, and break them down into non-toxic products like C02 and H20.

Bacteria, viruses, mold spores don’t stand a chance and are destroyed when they come into contact with the system’s 187 square-inch Ti02 grid.  All volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are destroyed. The system is cost-effective, maintenance-free and provides maximum energy efficiency with negligible resistance to airflow.

Toronto Grass Cutting Company asks How Green Are You? in Lenzr Photo Contest

The How Green Are You? photo challenge hopes to collect one sentence stories and snapshots of eco friendly notions submitted by Lenzr users that could be readily adopted by society in general.  The photo contest should become a repository of green ideas and inspirations. Already we have men making ‘half fuel’, clotheslines, compost piles and gardens, and we’re certain that even more sophisticated images will be uploaded before the contest ends, May 1st 2010.

Photographers are asked to be generous and share wisdom inside environmental theme images and art.

The How Green Are You? photo contest is sponsored by a solar powered grass cutting business in Toronto Ontario that has trucks and trailers festooned with adjustable solar panels.  They offer a sustainable, organic service that is also a relatively silent; their Neuton battery powered lawnmowers are very quiet.  This service is just finding its legs in the GTA and needs public support to achieve its true potential.

This sponsor is competing in the 2010 Green Innovation Awards.  Every year the Toronto Community Foundation donates up to $50,000 to help green businesses get established in the competitive Toronto marketplace. Green ideas may include any new technology, product and/or service that helps make Toronto a greener and more liveable city. Successful applicants are invited to present green ideas and funding requests to a panel of experts sometime after the submission deadline of March 12, 2010. The good news is that the Award recipients will be announced at the Green Toronto Awards Ceremony in April. 

How Green Are You? photo contest prize is Neuton CE6 battery powered lawn mower.

On May 1st the highest ranked image as decided by the members wins Neuton CE 6 Battery-Powered Mower with DURACELL® battery technology. There is no gas or oil to spill and no engine emissions to pollute the air. The 360 watt-hours of battery provide plenty of power. The Neuton CE 6 mower can cut about 1/3 acre (approx 15,000 sq. ft.) on a single charge. If you need more time, just swap in another battery and keep on mowing! Approx retail value $489.00 + shipping.

Toronto business phones installation company issues a challenge for Obsolete Office Equipment

Obsolete Office Equipment is another dynamic challenge centered on the workplace. The contest hopes to uncover the antiques that are still being used in today’s offices. Show us the obsolete objects that are still relied upon by frontline staff and backroom employees and the people who manage them.  Show us that much hated office things that slows everyone down.

This photo contest is a vision quest, a nostalgic look back at how business used to be conducted. Show us rotary dial telephones, punch clocks, obsolete measuring devices and things we used in the 1970s. Submit shots of call center switchboards and data centers.  Can you believe how far we’ve come in just ten years?

What will offices be like ten years in the future?

The contest sponsor is a business telephones system design and installation company that believes understanding your business needs is the most important part of choosing the right telephone system, as the closer your chosen telephone system comes to meeting your specific requirements, the greater the value it will add to your business.

The Prize is a 4 Line office telephone AT&T Model 1070. This state-of-the-art communication device has 4 line speakerphone & answering system capability. With Caller ID / Page / Intercom / Call transfer / Expandable to 16 stations / 32 # speed dial / 3 party conference / 6 number redial,  it has so many wonderful functions!

Toronto Dentist on the Lenzr Blog

I started writing this piece by hammering out my recollections of the exact moment when Toronto dentist Dr Natalie Archer DDS of the Rosedale Family Dental Care office at 600 Sherbourne St unit #808 met a 22yr old female York University student named Seattle Dredge, the winner of the Lenzr Kids in Action photo contest, who already has lovely teeth btw; her smile is today far whiter whiter than my own teeth will ever be.  While writing the blog I remembered that Seattle didn’t take the toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and mouthwash that was available for her consumption - a year’s supply of dental products. Let’s make sure she gets that next time.  Seattle had her camera at the scene of course, and I cant wait to see her pictures and understand her perception of the event. Read all the details on how Toronto dentist rewards Seattle Dredge on the Lenzr blog.

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff profiled on Canada Blog Friends

Here is Dr Yoni Freedhoff profile on Canada Blog Friends.

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff is the author of Weighty Matters, a food science and health blog that shines a bright light on the soft underbelly of Big Food.

Canada Blog Friends is an index of Canada’s most culturally significant bloggers and Yoni is a valuable addition the collective. His blog probably should be required reading for parents of overweight children, or anyone looking for insight into proper dieting, and how to exercise and lose weight effectively. Also what so called ‘health snacks’ you should  avoid buying for yourself or your family.  But that’s not what makes Yoni’s blog special.

Dr. Freedhoff isn’t afraid of publicly waging war with Big food, and he attacks the advertising agencies and marketing executives that print health jargon on their packaging without substantiating their claims. Or they print false claims, or make impossible statements that are essentially fraudulent.  The most fascinating things happen when Yoni publishes his blog posts, and you can almost hear his sentences echo through Big Food boardrooms all across corporate Canada.

The biggest offenders include the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check which Yoni calls a “misinformation program”, and Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating which Dr Freedhoff feels is better described as, “Canada’s Food Guide to Unhealthy Eating”.

Years ago, Dr Yoni Freedhoff founded the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa, a multi-disciplinary, ethical, evidence-based nutrition and weight management center.

As the Weighty Matters blogger, Yoni is now a respected trust agent. He prints the ugly truth about processed food products and their manufacturers and marketing departments. This is important because such editorials will not get printed in mainstream magazines, newspapers or radio, and will never be mentioned on any TV network that relies on these same food companies as sponsors for programming.

I have a habit of taking pictures of the television, esp when my friends appear and share themselves with the rest of the world in some reality show or real estate program as the case may be.

Gary Puppa has a very interesting company.  He is the President of ePixome, a pictures marketing company that he started in 2000 just the whole tech industry was collapsing. As a result, he wasn’t fortunate enough to find any investors to support his business plan, angel or venture, but since then he has taken his idea and developed it into a $250K / year business.

Gary Puppa Braves the CBC Dragons Den

Gary describes his 40+ minutes pitching to the panel of Dragons as ’surreal’.  The morning of his taping he was calm cool and collected. Joking with his producer, the audio techs, hair & make-up, it was looking like it would another typical business presentation he does so well. Things changed as he walked down the stairs and set up his gear centre stage. That’s when it hit him that 20 odd cameras were taping his every word, every breath, focused on every bead of sweat and probably the pulsing vein in his collar.

It took him a few minutes to gather his composure, focus his thoughts, and then he started in…
“Hello Dragons! My name is Gary Puppa and I am from Burlington Ontario and I am president and founder of ePixome! I am here today seeking $125,000. in exchange for 20% equity in my business.”

Unfortunately Gary walked away without any Dragon dollars, but he still considers himself richer from the experience as he was fortunate enough to have his pitch make it to air to the 1.5 million CBC Dragons Den viewers across Canada.

It may have only been 1 minute of fame, but that just leaves him with 14 more somewhere in the future.

Speaking of Lenzr, tonight, the international ice hockey event was just the opening act. Tonight all three photo contests will end at midnight! Who will win  the Locaboire wine tour? The automated scoring system leaves no doubts about the prize winners.  I’m very curious to see who will win the Best Gourmet Food photo contest because that person will share a Locaboire escapade through eastern Ontario with The Wine Ladies (and myself) in the middle of March.

Last week Smojoe had some fun at Fastlane at Dermatologica watching the ladies go crazy over cosmetics and creams, drinking protein shakes and wiped their fingers every ten minutes with all natural hand sanitizers.

There was a real push to get men into the chairs, and all the clinicians had this strange and powerful obsession to put product on boys. As soon as I entered the venue I was ushered (past the bar and) into the white room.  Oh their eyes lit up when they saw me.  My pasty white skin needs help, and they wanted at it… But the white walls and white tile floors scared me. Yes I fear the cruel knife. Lots of stainless steel in here told me this was also an operating room, despite the crowd of laughing people drinking cocktails and nibbling on fruit I wasn’t comfortable and instead held court in the reception area (beside the bar).

Earlier that same day,

Deb Weinstein mentored with Rob Campbell at Personal Brand Camp 2

Deb Weinstein, President of Strategic Objectives is a fascinating person, and someone I should probably study. Here she is lurking behind me at Personal Brand Camp 2 at The Church on Berkeley, Feb 23rd.  We had a few moments before the crush of eager Humber PR students came to gather our knowledge, packaged and sold as Question #16: What are simple but effective social media practises that I can adopt?

My answer was never really defined - there are so many possibilities, and its different for everyone. But Deb brought a flip chart and had ten sheets of wisdom to bequeath. And of course I learned a great deal from her presentation too, and benefited from hearing it three times in rapid succession. My favourite part was when she asked the students to define themselves, because I could never guess exactly what they were going to say… and they were always so different.

Anyway I was so terribly inspired by the whole affair, and the quality of the ‘experts’ and the genius of Michael Cayley and his Memetic Brand that I blogged about Smojoe at Personal Brand Camp 2 and recorded my experience and observations (mostly about Deb W) for posterity right on the Humber PR Ning website.

Elizabeth Verge of Brain Possibilities

Earlier this week I explored the dark areas in my own brain with Elizabeth Verge of Brain Possibilities. She has invested time and money into the practice of mapping the human brain and studying brain activity as recorded by electromagnetic energy which is captured and observed as brain waves with EEG amplifiers and computers. Elizabeth’s computers process the brain wave information and translate the brain waves into an optimized pattern in the form of sound.

Brainwave Optimization with RTB™ encourages some brain waves and discourages others so the brain will begin to function differently - it will create a balanced condition. Basically her patients accept that harmonizing their brain waves can balance them into optimized patterns.

Do you believe this is true? I do.

As far as we know all human brain activity functions through tiny cells called neurons which interact and connect with each other forming neural-networks. These grids are activated based on stimuli. When given new stimuli they might be trained to behave differently, or use different routes to create different networks. Elizabeth claims that her clients have recognized the benefits of her unique treatments after just three sessions, but she likes to schedule 30 sessions to make the benefits permanent.

Brainwave Optimization with RTB™ is a completely non-invasive, individually tailored process of balancing and harmonizing the brain. Elizabeth and her system work to balance brain activity from the lobes of one side of the brain to the other, and from the front of the brain to the back.  Harmony refers to the way energy patterns function together from low to high in the various regions of the brain. The sole objective of brainwave optimization is to establish balance and harmony in the brain.

Do you think I should continue to explore brain wave technology?

I met Chris Binet last summer in connection with the Miss Teen Canada - World pageant.  Chris, accompanied by Ellen Smith of EnCourse, attended the very first web marketing seminar that Smojoe offered. The April 09 event was promoted by Deb Lewis of Toronto City Events, at the Spoke Club.

Heath and Beauty Toronto is a Ning Community site that Chris created, and I have pledged to support and grow to prominence. Its a two fold assignment - creating content and recruiting more content creators. Eventually the hub will become the first and best place on the web to find all Toronto related Health and Beauty offerings and events.

At the Center for Social Innovation on Spadina Ave, I had two business encounters with the following notables.

Downstairs in the Dark Horse coffee bar I met Tina Rogers who is the brains behind a content portal for people over 50 yrs of age called Tempo Toronto. It was a very casual discussion as I couldn’t get the internet on my laptop again - I message Beanfield and leave my phone number, but they don’t ever call or text me back with the PIN. I must be doing something wrong.

Ana Matica of Matica Design is a doll. She is so kind and relaxed, humble and accommodating, and she’s real easy to talk to; she coaxed one hour’s worth of Smojoe tactics out of me for a white paper she is writing on the subject. I will include a link here when she’s done.

Pro Bloggers know that some subjects are really hard to write about, and it takes mad skills to subtlety broach sensitive topics, especially in 3rd party social networks, blogs and discussion forums where you can’t completely control the reaction.  Now let Smojoe show you two women who make it look easy…

Enter two creative writers Skye Blue and Elizabeth Rose. These girls write good content on tough topics, like disease, bad sex and heartbreak. Believe it or not, there are lots of women out there who can’t talk about sex, even with their lovers, and they’re ashamed of getting personal and can’t communicate important emotions.

Met Another Frog is a dating blog, a catharsis? an therapy with a feminine perspective that tackles tough questions and comforts readers. Unfortunately at this time the site is almost completely void of pictures, and my first piece of advice was to get images in there, and try make it a visual blog and more FUN.

Smojoe charted their future in his crystal ball. On Thursday Feb 11th, I both diagnosed maladies and prognosticated on the success of a bold new path… for in the fog I could see one schematic for success.  I told them that I hoped they would continue to encourage comments… and grow a readership. Then one day without fear they might implement a vBulletin discussion forum to grow a community within a readership and then start a newsletter. Grow the permission based email newsletter to 1000 subscribers by hosting real life singles events and condo parties, then gradually over time, evolve the content portal into an interactive dating website and then ultimately a sophisticated dating service for executive women.  Elapsed time: three years.

Should Ontario Fund Single Gender Education Schools?

Earlier this month, with the help of school staff and borrowed photographs from St. Andrew’s College I wrote an article on Orato that details the advantages that single gender education over co-education models. The piece chronicles Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty considering the idea of funding some all-boys schools in the future in response to the problem of declining male academics. The very idea has outraged some folks who see it as a giant step backwards in the battle for equality of the sexes. But when I was in grade school in Percy Centennial Public School in Warkworth Ontario, I lived in fear of a black leather strap that was contained in a drawer in the school Principle’s desk. I saw the strap once, and Jamie Jenny showed me his hand after it had been struck with the strap - just once. It was red.

So now there’s an new idea floating around that all-boys schools are friendlier places where boys can be boys without fear of corporal punishment. I started a discussion on my favourite discussion forum to poll the Greater Toronto Area and find out if the public thinks private schools are actually any better, and if so why? Toronto Forums: Are private schools better than public schools? Do you think kids enrolled in all-boys, or all-girls schools think co-education public schools are better? Are single gender education schools better for kids? I wrote that on Blog.ca

Do Over Day is coming up, Feb 26th is the day, once again…

Last year was the first ever Do Over Day and Smojoe helped spread the word. I went on a couple dozen blogs and discussion forums and asked folks to “…picture yourself re-experiencing the fabulous meals you’ve eaten, the exotic lands you’ve visited, the epic raves you cannot recall attending. Conversely, visualize yourself making amends for your life’s imperfect moments – the time you made a pass at your wife’s sister (and got caught), or the night driving home from the pub when you accidentally ran over your neighbour’s pet…” Hahaa that’s good web copy. I didn’t write it, but rather, I found it on the DoOverDay.ca website along with a whole lot more light hearted easy reading.

Three Lenzr Photo Contests Come to an Exciting Conclusion on March 1st 2010

Three very engaging Lenzr photo contests are approaching a predetermined temporal mark that’s the official finish line. I write it that way because most contests continue to get submissions long after the time period expires… not sure exactly why, but it could have something to with drugs and alcohol.  Should be interesting to see who wins in this batch of photo battles. The first two challenges are pretty much locked up now, but the Best Gourmet Food photo contest is still wide open and The Wine Ladies have put up an amazing prize, an eastern Ontario Locaboire wine tour vacation, to help promote their own wine blog. This challenge could be because its a late addition to the series; the contest just launched last week.  Already Mommakoala and Satsuma are both actively promoting their pictures on other social networks, and it makes for a fun morning of watching Google Alerts.

Last week I asked London Ontario Phronk to post on Lenzr photo contests because I absolutely love the way he approaches a paid post, and the total transparency he exudes, and because Lenzr pretty much writes itself.  Stay tuned to see what’s up for March / April; I think you’re gonna love it.

It was a very entertaining evening, and I had a great time talking to everyone, especially the bloggers and business people who came out to mix and mingle and help make a difference.

Of course the music was too loud. And it really was impossible to hear anything in the main room, where everyone gathered, and I found myself seeking corridors and cavities away from the audio assault. The DJ played dance music, like any other night at The Courthouse, and it was a little sad.  My ears didn’t need it, and I would have drunk more and stayed longer if they’d played native Haitian music at comfortable levels.

The high points of my night included meeting David Black, the Coordinator of Emergency Response Planning at the University of Toronto, and Heather Lesson, a Communications Lead at Tucows that was instrumental in their team’s response to the calamity.

The Big Thinker was there, Jonathon Sinden, and beside him is Kat Scrivener who is a smart young woman with a Masters in Globalization & the Human Condition.

I also met Kurt Gooden the co-founder of Targetivity and if you are reading this Kurt please know I’d still like to talk to you more, and I consider it unfortunate that we were interrupted. But as I was standing at the name tag table and holding the only red sharpie in my hand the interruption was perhaps inevitable. Hanging out at the name tag table or even appointing myself as name-tag-maker is an old trick of mine.  Its a great way to survey the landscape and meet dozens of people in short order. If they are boring you can move along to the next customer quickly and efficiently, and as a self appointed name tag maker, you can walk away anytime.

Here’s Lisa Charleyboy, the most beautiful native girl I know, and her friend Jon Gauthier who has a remarkable business card that bears a star burst on the back with the words ‘connect yourself with the limitless’, and when I stare at it, I get a warm feeling and it makes me happy.

I met Carly-Anne Fairlie of the Fairlee Agency standing in the quiet room (the room with the prizes which was 17 decibles less intense than the courtroom), and ofcourse the girl at the very top of the post is Casie Stewart holding a limitless supply of raffle tickets. When I think back on the evening I regret not buying any of those…  Jason bought some, and he didnt regret it.  Jason if you are reading this please tell us the story behind this photo in the comments.

That review is from a friend of mine who said he would publish it on his blog, if he had one. I laughed and copied it and now that document has evolved into this blog post. I’m publishing it on my blog because I’m my own worst critic, and clearly there’s a lesson to be learned. I’ve just got to get better at presenting thoughts and ideas in a linear progression.  Perhaps I do need to lay it out on a boring old power point, and practice it alone at home in front of my pals? Rehearse the material, going slow and steady and explaining everything in great detail…

Smojoe sprang in action this week at the Spoke Club on Tuesday Feb 2nd downstairs in the gallery at night. That occurrence came courtesy of Deb Lewis and her City Events team. She’s Toronto’s best event producer with an obsession for details. Deb is constantly pushing technological boundaries and at this event she debuted new social technology that puts YouTube videos in emails. City Events has a powerful newsletter with over five thousand subscribers and Deb’s bi-monthly blasts enjoy a 25% open rate.  Deb’s events are always packed with devoted followers as I discovered when I rudely interrupted her on the floor to indicate that she should speed up, or better yet wrap it up; the audience feedback was very critical of my behavior… but in my defense it was only so I could have the full hour and half that was promised me in order to slow down and present my linear ideas…

On the evening of Feb 2nd 2010, Deb Lewis and I discussed How To Market Events in Toronto and of course I got a little too specific on how to use the toolbar in a Wordpress blog to craft beautiful keyword rich articles and Craigslist advertisements etc and what 3rd party event marketing widgets are most effective on your blog sidebar and why.. I think people came to learn secrets and discover new high tech magic wands they can use to magically bring traffic to their events.

The next morning Gary Puppa of Epixome twittered about joining EventPeeps which looks terrific and I wish I could have imparted that web address to the audience. But I did tell them to read my blog, and follow me on Twitter @roberrific

Smojoe with Rapport Communications in the National Yacht Club Feb 4th

Two days later on Feb 4th 2010 I wore my other pair of fancy pants to The National Yacht Club in Toronto. In this venue, at 12:00 noon I worked with the team at Rapport Inc specifically Bill Tibbles and Denise Breen and I followed Faith Seekings on stage to hold the floor for two and half hours discussing exactly how to write compelling content for humans and robots, and how to make story funnels to buckstops work for you, and how to feed search bots juicy keyword sandwiches. It was my own brand of madness from start to finish.

Here’s Faith and Will Web setting up a fancy new digital projector at the National Yacht Club.

Presentation Points – Secrets of Smojoe Social Media Marketing

Its no secret that Smojoe believes the blog is central to good social media; it’s a really fertile field where great content can be easily made, and harvested. It’s cheap to make content here and good posts accrue more and more value over time. The blog is the cornerstone of good social media marketing, and the sidebar is a content catalyst that’s too often neglected.

The blog is at the center of every story funnel because it connects so nicely to all other components, and the keyword rich crops grown here are quite often the most compelling, information rich threads in your social net – the blog is the source of daily content and soon becomes every expert’s most powerful influence tool. If your business were drawn as a stick man, the blog would be the mouth.

Story Funnels To Buckstops

Don’t put the whole story on just one page. Fragment your media so curious clickers have to travel to multiple platforms as they assemble the adventure in their heads.  Break your content into chunky bits and leave hooks in photo descriptions, articles, blogs and in discussion forum posts.  Make each piece of media link to another piece; some should link up to articles, but most will link down to your Buckstop.

You buckstop is your conversion form, and incoming links should be embedded under keyword rich text to tell robots what you are offering.

Writing Content for Humans and Robots

When bloggers take advantage of all the ways that Wordpress and other content submission platforms can index content ie headlines, subtitles, alt text under pictures tags and categories they can make truly information rich packages.

How To Make Keyword Sandwiches

When blogging, its possible to make tasty keyword sandwiches for robots by following this precise writing ritual: 1) in the back of your wordpress blog import a picture as URL from your Flickr account that has a proper headline, description and tags, and insert it in your blog. Then put keywords in all the right places on the picture as title, alt text and if possible tags.  2) Write a good rich media blog post around the picture using the same keywords in headline, subtitle, tags and categories, and then publish the blog post. 3)  Bookmark your post using Digg, Delicious, Reddit or StumbleUpon to add the same search terms to the package again -  that’s how you create a keyword sandwich, and this rich media is exactly what search bots most love to eat!

Try as they might, Canadians cannot stop CanPages from delivering their obsolete advertising product to their homes and offices.

There is no mechanism on the CanPages website to allow consumers to opt out of the delivery scheme.

On Thursday Jan 28th, 2010 two nice people from CanPages visited the 2nd floor hallway of 176 John St and left behind five pounds of rubbish in eight tiny piles outside everyone’s door.  I told them to stop and to please remove the debris, and I personally tried to give one unit back - the deliveryman said nothing, smiled and took it down that hall. He left it on a stack beside the stairs. That’s when I vowed to do something about it, and to write this resource page demanding action, and accountability and CHANGE.

CanPages is pollution, and because I have a microscopic carbon footprint I really don’t want to be associated with such waste. So I went online to see if it is possible to opt out of the delivery program, and I discovered that it is not possible – there is no form or web page on the website whatsoever to allow Canadians to opt out of the delivery system. But there is however a place to leave a short message, which I did…

In a section called Book Distribution Feedback, there is a form in which humans can leave suggestions…

While researching this topic and checking the level of societal outrage on this issue, I discovered that I’m not alone. There are other people who have also complained with various amounts of success, but nobody has yet succeeded in making this company listen, or change their evil ways. There is still no ‘opt out’ form on the website.

Darren Barefoot spells out some CanPages abuses in his piece, From The Front Door Directly To The Recycling Bin in which he identifies greenwashing in their marketing messages.

And there’s a Facebook group entitled, Stop Forcing Us To Accept Giant Unsolicited Phonebooks which I joined immediately.

In the group’s desc page I read how the CanPages PR people were quick to quench the fire of the original ‘creative complainer’ and group creator, by rushing a delivery man special to pick-up the offending book.  But there are also some details there on how you can write an email or phone CanPages and get them to come pick up your book. PLEASE DO THIS.

Please call CanPages and ask them to come pick up their garbage.

Phone: 604-525-1551
Toll-Free Phone: 866-525-1551
Fax: 604-516-0823
Toll-Free Fax: 877-525-1519
Email (general enquiries): customercare@canpages.ca

Giant yellow books full of alphabetically indexed print advertising are less than useless today, but of course this fact negates the company’s print division business model, which charges money for ads in the tome.  Paul Batchelor, the Yellow Pages Group vice-president of sales for the western region is quoted in a CBC article Residents demand companies end unwanted phone book deliveries saying, “About two-thirds of the population still use the printed product on a regular basis,” which is simply not true.  I know this convienent statistic isn’t true, and I have proof.  Anyone who walks into the lobby of a secure condo building in Toronto will see piles of these yellow books NOT BEING USED. The books are ignored and I suspect that less than 10% are taken upstairs by the residents. These books will sit there for months as every resident passes and does not ‘opt in’ to their old fashion advertising program.  Eventually the books end up in the dumpster behind the building.  You know that’s true.

CanPages PR trolls, before you leave a comment on my blog saying ‘When your basement is flooded and you need to call the plumber…‘ or something like that, just know that I’ve seen and read all your tricks, and I enjoyed the battle between activitist Ed Kohler and your own PR bot KenC.  And Ed Kohler also has a Facebook group, Wasteful Unwanted Phonebook Action Super Society. But I’m not advocating violence or anything… I just want to be able to visit CanPages website and opt out of the phone book delivery scheme.

Smojoe Speaks Again Feb 4th, 2010

On Feb 4th, Smojoe will be appearing alongside Faith Seekings in an event co-produced by Bill Tibbles and Terri Carson at the National Yacht Club. There’s details on Rapport Communications website, and the Rapport blog, and why not  follow @FaithSeekings on Twitter.

A blog is the cornerstone of good social media marketing because it’s the cheapest and best place to tell the whole story.

Business bloggers, event marketers and brand managers are strongly encouraged to register and attend a comprehensive discussion on how they can make their blogs more enticing to readers and search robots.  In this session I’m really going to drill down on what works, what search engines want, and why blogs are the most powerful media distribution tools ever invented by man.

How to make money with a blog?

Yes I’m going to answer the most popular question of them all, ‘how bloggers make money online?’

Which sidebar widgets are best for your blog?

After I demonstrate how Smojoe binds keyword rich images and text, I will illustrate with examples how blog sidebars can become content catalysts for building premium social capital.  I put Flickr, Twitter and MyBlogLog what’s new with me? widgets in my sidebar to legitimate my expertise, and leave clues for detectives that want to dig deeper en route to my buckstops.  During this chapter I’ll be sure and include insights on what you can do to help your blog post find wider audiences.  Unlike other speakers I don’t share statistics or bullshit affirmation stories, I get down and dirty and actually demonstrate the specifics.

Toronto Dentist Scrutinizes Smojoe’s Smile

Late last week the Kids in Action photo contest launched on Lenzr and already there are ten great photos and over 100 votes in the system.  Sponsored by Toronto dentist Dr Natalie Archer D.D.S., the youthful photography theme should help remind kids to play safe and take care of their teeth. Or maybe it will inspire parents to preserve their white smiles alongside images of their kids at play… whatever.  You know I actually wanted the contest to be “Jobs Without Dental Plans” but other Lenzr staff members thought that theme might produce overly abstract results.

Located a few steps south of the Sherbourne St Subway station in Toronto, Dr Archer and the other dentists at Rosedale Family Dental Care will do everything from cleanings to fillings, right down to root canals.  My own mouth was scrutinized and extreme close-ups were obtained for a ‘before and after’ series to showcase Dr Archer’s skill at cosmetic dentistry.

The prize is a premium tooth whitening system, the NiteWhite tooth whitening kit is at the core of the prize package offering; the gift basket also contains a year’s supply of toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss and mouthwash.

Sean Turrell is a humble Toronto television director and overall cool guy.

Sean Turrell is a Canadian television director and hipster. He’s one of my oldest friends in Toronto, and yet we barely ever see each other and never make plans.  In the past we used to find ourselves together at events, or upstairs at the Drake, but those days are over now and all we have are good memories.  I remember the camera tests we shot together at York University, and the half dozen rock videos we made in 1996 and 97 in which I was chief lighting technician, and Sean was Art Director. Dave Greene was D.O.P. and Brad Walsh was director at Projecktor.  After a quick search I found Sean Turrell on SHOT magazine in connection with Spy Films.  I didn’t know he directed Michael Buble in the ‘Everything” video, and Sean is far too humble to say anything about it. That video probably really helped his career.

SHOT: Michael Buble - Sean Michael Turrell, director

Spy Entertainment director Sean Michael Turrell with Michael Buble on-location at a downtown L.A. factory for the “Everything” video shoot.

artist: Michael Buble
song: “Everything”
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): Sean Michael Turrell
production co: Spy Entertainment
DP: Adam Marsden