And secondly, this Friday I’m speaking at Search Engine Bootcamp – which has half of the entire conference dedicated to social media. Yay! Info here.

Image via Wikipedia

How you doing? Things are going pretty busy for me as the sun starts shining more consistently here in New Zealand. Not always “paid” busy, but “building” busy.

Last week was a mammoth week of internet-related events, including two great events on the same day, one with Robert Lauterborn (marketing professor and author) and another with Lawrence Lessig (intellectual property law expert). I wrote up both events in one post, because there was a huge overlap in the kind of things they were saying.

SimonYoungWriters continues to plug along, although we haven’t updated the blog (sorry!). It’s on my todo list, but so are many other things!

We also have some company in the office! A while back we mentioned we were looking to share our office space, and had someone walk in off the street. In her first week, Charlotte (who’s also a writer/editor) has kept Marie and I on our toes, away from arguments and random dancing, and generally been a great influence on us!

That’s it for now, but for more regular rantings, check out MadYoungThing. I’m blogging there almost daily now.

Image by MediaStorm via Flickr

Jake and I got together before his world trip last month, and talked about Generation C, Generation I, and I think we even mention Generation Z.

What’s up with all these generations? And why do some Wikipedia editors not see Generation C as being significant enough to warrant its own page?

Perhaps most importantly, what’s the difference between Gen C and all these other generations? You might find out in this podcast…

• a trip to Napier on Monday to help AdPlus explore social media
• my zoology evolved a bit – my beavers turned into bees, after some helpful reflection from a Twitter follower.
• we finally put an ad out to share our central Auckland office space.

And coming up soon:

• the return of iJumpTV after a couple of weeks hiatus. New format, new name, same great quality content.
• two pieces in the October/November issue of Startup magazine: how to build your business with communities, and a column answering the question: what is social media!!? (You can also find the answer here)
• A book review in the next Idealog on the fascinating book Disrupting Class, all about the power of disruptive innovation in the education system.
• I’ve agreed to do a piece on interactive marketing for the December issue of Marketing Magazine. I’ll be focusing on the convergence of different disciplines like marketing, communications and customer service within organisations. It’s easy to say “it’s all about the customer” but how do you reorganise your company to make it real?

So… if you’d like to catch up with me, I’d love to talk with you over a cup of Wellington’s famous coffee (well, actually I’m more of a hot chocolate drinker).

Why would you want to catch up with me (if you don’t already know me)? Here are a few possible reasons:

• we could talk about how social media can help you or your company
• we could talk about your high-tech idea or product, and whether it might be something of interest for iJumpTV.
• we could talk about the future of journalism, media, entertainment, video, marketing and Generation C.

I love meeting people, so just the fact that you’re reading this blog makes you worth meeting.

How do you get hold of me? Text me or call me on

021 192 0016

• I got a Nokia N95 cellphone, which has a fantastic still and video camera built-in. All the cool social media kids like Loic LeMeur and Robert Scoble are using them. Naturally, I had to share my joy. Much discussion ensued!
• I participated in a Flash Mob – a conga dance in a shopping mall. Videos here – and my video thoughts on implications for marketing here. And the angry response of the security guard just accelerated my inevitable slide towards Marxism. Kind of.
• I chaired the first Brightstar Interactive Marketing Summit on Monday. My notes. It was great to meet some old friends and synthesise some great marketing thinking from practitioners, publishers and agency types alike.
• On Tuesday I attended the launch of Nielsen’s Buzzmetrics service in New Zealand. I’ll soon be writing a post about this for iJump, but in the meantime here’s Jake’s take on it, which I very much agree with. However I do think Nielsen were actually wise to take a … well, traditional (I’m trying not to say ‘boring’) approach becauset the culture of business is so conservative. They don’t want to scare away the money. Er, people.
• On Thursday I was very blessed and privileged to attend a celebration party for Looksy.org, and meet some of the people who have been participating in Looksy’s weekly TV show on Alt TV, filming interviews to find out “what your world is like”, and supporting us in other ways. Very exciting to see something grow organically! We also made the world’s biggest collaborative cocktail, which included bemusing ingredients like lavender and tobasco sauce. Could have powered a car on it, and the exhaust would smell like bananas. That’s what Looksy’s about – leaving the world a better place than you found it.
• I also got to speak at the Marketing Association’s Certificate of eMarketing course, which is always great to hear the real life marketing concerns of students.
• I’ve been privileged to work with the pilot project of A Bigger Voice, an exciting US-based startup that’s helping people harness their remarkable wisdom and grow a business through community. Some great synergies with iJump there.

Finally, I was very relieved to buy some jeans that actually fit me last weekend. That may seem a trivial thing, but I’ve been wearing baggy jeans for months after losing some weight. It’s great to wear clothes that fit you.

On a similar note, I’ve been discovering my strengths through StrengthsFinder 2.0. I’m working on reducing the areas that play to my weaknesses, and focusing on the areas that play to my strengths. It’ll take a while, but I know I’m on my way. It’s exciting.

For the record, my top 5 strengths are:

Strategic

Connector

Intellection

Learner

Empathy

Coming up soon:

• Speaking engagements in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in August and September.
• Interesting developments in the businesses.
• Out now – an article on branding in the current NZMarketing Magazine.

An excerpt:

The Internet can be an empowering tool that lets people find good deals, manage vendors, and control their finances and investments. But it can just as easily be an alienating environment where people are cheated. Members of the Internet elite don’t realize the extent to which less-skilled users are left out of many of the advancements they cheer and enjoy.

While Nielsen brings up the issue, he doesn’t have a solution to offer. My friend John Veitch is making some steps towards bringing helpful, easy-to-follow information to those new to the web, but he has discovered it’s not enough to simply have something online. People who struggle with online won’t find a blog unless it’s part of their introduction package when they buy their computer.

Through his work with the Global Engagement Trust, John is trying to eradicate the vital digital divide that’s happening. If you’re reading this, and you can help – please get in touch with John.

You’ll also discover:

• How savvy marketers have overcome cynicism and scepticism by directly connecting with their young audiences.
• How it’s still cool to be cool, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
• Why self-deprecating, nostalgic kiwi humour hits a chord with young kiwis today.

You can also read Simon’s online column with choice nuggets from the latest Marketing Association Brainy Breakfast – read it online or pick up your copy of Marketing Magazine from newsagents today.

While you’re in a reading mood, check out Simon’s advertising industry salary survey in the latest AdMedia magazine.