Vancouver Daze #96: Interview – Cheryl Hickey x ET Canada

Vancouver Daze, Volume 96: Interview with Cheryl Hickey from Entertainment Tonight Canada at Shaw TV studios in Coal Harbour on November 19, 2012. Published in Vancouver Is Awesome.



I met and interviewed the lovely (and very pregnant) Cheryl Hickey, host of ET Canada. She's in town to shoot a week of shows for their annual west coast tour. It was a fun, charming chat with some interesting takeaways.

The Social Medium: Branding x Social Media: The New PR

[SMA/SMN] Social Media: The New PR at The Network Hub in Gastown on October 30, 2012.



I spoke last night on behalf of the SFU Student Marketing Association and The Social Media Network on the topic of social media branding, along with Nicole Freeston from Magnolia Communications and Chris Mathieson (above). Here are my thoughts on PR and branding moving online and what I talked about. Enjoy.

The Social Medium: 5 Social Networks You Should Be On

You're probably on Facebook and Twitter, but apart from knowing the big ones to be on and the faded stars of MySpace to avoid, there are so many social networks out there. We have less time to devote to more and more social channels. Not everyone needs or wants full on blogs or websites. Here are five (perhaps secondary) social networks you should probably be on and actively be using or interacting on if you're serious about this whole social media thing and your online branding.

2 Accounts, 1 Cup: When to Start A 2nd Twitter Account

I get asked this all the time. Should you have two separate, distinct Twitter accounts? And what are the merits of it? Whether its one professional and one personal, or one for business/branding and one for your actual name, it really depends.

The Social Medium: 5 Essentials for Any Social Media Strategy

1) Engagement is everything.

Having lots of followers is nice if not overrated, seriously. Sure, it's good and high numbers are appealing, but they can be very misleading. You need to directly access and talk to your followers and audience. Engagement is the true measure of value and success online.

The Social Medium: 5 Reasons Why Social Networking is Awesome

1) It's fun and interesting.

So much fun. The instant exchange of information and experiences online is now second nature. That instant satisfaction and opportunity to connect immediately is making our global community and world into a much smaller, connective one.

The Social Medium: 5 Things You Should Know Before You Graduate

Graduating college is one of the scariest feelings. The end of student life and the start of a professional one you may not be ready for can be daunting. You need to learn the rules of the game as you play it. Here are a few general tips to help you navigate your new lifestyle.

The Social Medium: 5 Reasons You Should Change Your Name Online

I wonder if savvy parents are considering more original names or spellings for their children nowadays. Our names now have to be more universal for a global community and audience online. People born with unique, interesting names that are easy to spell and look up online have a natural advantage for personal online brands.

Young Women in Business x YWiB SFU x My Social Network Workshop

Yours truly will be speaking at Simon Fraser University to their chapter of the Young Women in Business (YWiB) organization and student club next Saturday morning on November 26 for their My Social Network workshop.

The Social Medium: How to Build A Strong Personal Brand Online

You may have noticed I recently rebranded and redesigned most of my personal and professional online properties, profiles, and social networks. I think I was overdue for a (slight) facelift amounting to mostly cosmetic changes and improvements to project a cleaner, more professional look and feel. This was all in an effort to refresh my own personal brand online. Here are a few tips. Enjoy.

The Ubyssey: UBC Campus Profile + Interview

Read my UBC campus profile and interview for The Ubyssey student newspaper written by senior culture writer Taylor Loren (who I interviewed last year for CBC News).



Apparently, I party hard. Who knew?

The Social Medium: 5 Reasons Why Your Career is Going Nowhere

1) You have no idea what you're doing.

It's okay. This is the most common answer. Most people, never mind students, have no idea what they are doing. University does not pepare you for a job or career. It is a place to learn, discover, and get a higher education. College, trade schools, and diploma/certificate programs are usually more apt to suit your needs in building a career.

Freelance Camp 2011 x The Network Hub x New Westminster

2011 Freelance Camp (un)conference at The Network Hub in the River Market at Westminster Quay in New Westminster on September 10, 2011.

Imagine Day x UBC 2011 x First Day Back to School

Imagine UBC 2011: First day back to school at the University of British Columbia on September 6, 2011.



It's been three short years since I graduated from UBC. I try to come back to campus from time to time.

Beware: 5 Ways to Spot the 'Social Media Douchebag' (or 'Guru')

1) They don't actually do anything.

I love my work and generally the people I work with are awesome. However, like with any industry, there are a fair share of douchebags out there. I often talk about how technology gives us tools to make our jobs easier and more fun to do. These "social media douchebags" (formerly "gurus") basically use these tools to try and take advantage and achieve success quickly with little work or effort. I hate this so much.

The Social Medium: 5 Critical Mistakes Students Make Networking

1) Stop selling. Start showing.

I recently went to an industry networking event, my first one in quite some time, and further removed from my student days. Being early summer, there were a ton of recently graduated and senior university students. I noticed they were mostly awful at networking so I decided to write this article.

5 Tips: If You Don't Take Your Own Blog Seriously, No One Else Will

1) Writers write.

Write about something, anything. If you call yourself a "writer" and you don't write every single day then you are probably not really a writer. Getting paid to write also helps, obviously. Write every day. No exceptions, period. Most of it won't be good, but it will teach you discipline and speed. Writer's block cannot happen if you force yourself to write.

The Buzz Event x Reach Magazine x Vancity Buzz x Canvas Lounge

The Buzz Entrepreneur Event from Reach Magazine and Vancity Buzz at Canvas Lounge on June 16, 2011.



After the bird show at the Vancouver Aquarium, I headed to Gastown for the latter part of the local entrepreneur meetup, The Buzz Event.

5 Tips: Don't Wait for Opportunities. Create Them.

"Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it has been." – Wayne Gretzky

Nobody great ever achieved success by waiting around and hoping for opportunities to come to them. Sitting around and thinking things are just going to happen is a recipe for mediocrity. Today, more than ever, we have the tools and knowledge available to us to find and make things happen on our own with a little help. I'd like to share a few humble tips on how to create your own opportunities. So "do it yourself".

The Social Medium: 5 Quick Tips for Using Twitter

1) Follow local.

Follow the right people. Newbies on Twitter almost inevitably mass follow celebrities and public figures. Forget it. Follow local people and engage within your own community. Twitter is about making your real-life community smaller. Follow people you have opportunities and would want to meet with in person.