What do I love about London and why did I choose to stay here?

Unlike other students at UWO, I grew up in the area (northwest of the city), and so I didn’t have “somewhere” else to return to when I finished my degree. Thats really reason number one.

Every since I became in involved in PodCamp London I realized the tremendous potential that their exists within this city. A few people have the ability to effect massive change and to make the whole city better. PodCamp was really just the beginning. The more I interacted with people and started to work together, I began to truly realize the potential this city had.

So, I love London and decided to make it my permanent home because of what it could be, not what it is now. I’m not going to sit back and wait for someone else do decide what it should be; I’m going to be an active participant in the process.

There are so many similarities in our own lives.

We sit on the metaphorical couch, knowing we should just get up and do that thing we’ve always wanted to do. But something pins us down. But just like my trip to the gym, once we actually make the move, we’re so glad that we did.

Whats holding you back?

Like most GTD fans I’m constantly struggling to find the perfect suite of applications for my Mac. I have the principles in place, but I’m missing the tools that would allow me to get the most done in a day.

So I’m asking my readers. Have you stumbled upon a method that works for you? What do you recommend?

I’m aware of a bunch of the pricey tools, Things for example, but I’d like to find a cheaper/free option. I also realize that a true GTD setup is going to be unique to each other, but I’m still interested in hearing everyone’s tips and suggestions.

In a nutshell; the court recognizes that in cases that are in the public interest and the publisher has attempted to verify the allegation, that is sufficient to avoid a charge of libel.

Interestingly, the judgement specifically mentions new ways of communicating (blogging and other online reporting)  the speed at which  information becomes available and the fact that news becomes available from other sources then journalists and the established press.

As Michael Geist said

“This is crucial decision for all publishers both big and small. It represents a major win for freedom of expression in Canada and should remove some of the libel chill that arises far too frequently.”

Citizen journalists and bloggers are now held to the same standard as their professional counterparts, but are also afforded the same securities under the law.

I also think I need to read it again just to pick up all the thing I missed the first time through.

Sometimes its a struggle for me to get my thoughts expressed in a blog post. I’m not fully sure why either, I’ve got plently of ideas and opinions. It could be a laziness thing though.

Thats what this post is for. Kinda a wake up call to myself to get my butt in gear and put more content here.

Consider it an early new years resolution.

A variety of new Twitter features have made it even easier to find people in your neighborhood, city or region.  Twitter lists allows you to create a group of  people in a similar niche, or geographical area. Now with geotagged tweets that process is automated.

The release of Foursquare to a bunch of new cities takes interacting on online spaces and connects it with offline.

Social networks are realizing that online tools serve one purpose – to make connecting offline easier.

We  are starting to really see Jeff Jarvis’ ideas of hyper-local come to fruition (he focuses on the news industry, but I think there are ramifications beyond that).

But still a lot of people are just realizing that you can no longer hide behind the Internet.

The word ’social’ is in social media for a reason.

Social Media is just a tool to get your audience motivated to do something in the real world.

I’ve  known and practiced this philosophy for a while, so its not a new concept. I  just finally figured out how to express it.

What do you think?

While I’m glad to see a broader understanding of what social media is and how it’s useful for business and marketing, I’m also disappointed by some of the thoughts and attitudes coming from these companies.

First and foremost; social media is about creating a relationship with your customers. Bottom line. You can use it to sell them something, or find out what they think about your product, but that’s all a result of having a dialogue with them and earning their trust.

Instead of  focusing on the message, or the tools, or the audience; focus on engagement, reputation building and an ongoing rapport. When you do that you’ll have a successful social media agency.