NB Fly Fishing Net

I've been working a lot with Social Networks recently and have been having some fun with the development of the New Brunswick Fly Fishing Net. As home to some of the best Salmon fishing in the world, New Brunswick fly fisherman finally have a spot to share photos, tell tales and learn a few tips online. Now that the season has finally started, photos & action are starting to be added to the site. I just added some photos from our weekend trip to Doaktown. If you know anyone who is a fly fishing enthusiast I encourage you to pass it along at: www.nbflyfishing.net It's fun & it's free!

Elliot Brood

I was fortunate enough to take in the Elliot Brood show on Wednesday night here in Saint John at the AKhord club on Water Street. Despite a late start for a "school night" (12:30am), it was well worth the loss of sleep as the band put on an amazing performance. A three piece unit out of Ontario the band is surely one of the best acts currently touring Canada. They fittingly label their sound as "Death Country" and incorporate banjo, ukulele and even audience participation into their show (on pots & pans). The amazing guitar work of Casey Laforet combined with the raspy vocals of lead singer Mark Sasso creates a truly unique musical force.

I'll certainly be keeping a close eye on this band in the coming months and encourage you to do the same. I believe they are in Halifax and St. John's this weekend if you happen to be in one of those towns. Check out some YouTube footage here.

NHL Tweetup

I had a great time the other night here in Saint John as I attended the first NHL TweetUp hosted at Rocky's Sports Bar by my friends at the Hockey Zen and linked with over 30 cities worldwide as the Stanley Cup playoffs kicked off. The TweetUp was a fan based idea sprung on Twitter that was embraced by the NHL marketing team and deemed a great success.

Fans were able to link up and root for their favourite teams as a collective across the Twitter social network. The NHL must have been thrilled to see their fans develop a truly new interactive way to watch the games. I admit I have never felt so cool and so dorky at the same time in my life! Thanks to the guys at the Hockey Zen for hosting a fun event & Moe at Bud Light for providing some beer & prizes! It's always a good time at Rocky's for sure.

Consumer Saint John

I came across the "Consumer Saint John" blog the other day after my friend Saint John Shawn posted it on Twitter. It's a new blog but it seems to be off to a good start reviewing local business operations in Saint John and Atlantic Canada. I must admit I really dig the subject matter and the non-kiss ass style to the writing. I think it is also pretty cool that it is written anonymously so business owners won't be able to change their service level to cater to the critic.

Hopefully the author will keep up the good work.

Best of luck whomever you are!

Back to School?

To further demonstrate the growing popularity of web marketing and social media in modern society a UK school is now offering student's a master's degree teaching students about social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The one-year course at Birmingham City University will consider social networking sites as communications and marketing tools.

Sounds like a cool program but the idea of going back to school can't help but remind me of this scene in this epic movie...

The Triple Lindy in "Back to School"

McGangBang

One of the coolest thing about online marketing and the web in general is the ability for seemingly small quirky things to explode into international phenomena. We've seen it lead to the rise and fall of everything from singing babies to screaming politicians. There is no doubt that the web can have an incredible effect in spreading the word on almost anything.

Sometimes one off jokes can have actual impact on a business or brand. A great recent example is the new McGangBang sandwich from McDonald's. Never heard of it? That is because it is not on the menu (it's actually a McChicken inside a Double Cheeseburger). The McGangBang has been spreading underground via word of mouth on the net since last fall. Despite it's crude name and wacky ingredients it is surprisingly delicious and at some McDonald's outlets you can actually order it by name. (You can read a brief history of the sandwich here.)

So what does McDonalds think of all this? It's hard to know for sure, but it's safe to guess they are probably pretty happy about it. A viral campaign of this scope is hard to replicate and hasn't cost them one penny. My interest in the subject actually got me to go try one this past weekend here in Saint John (see photos above) and I must admit it was pretty darn good. I'd hate to know the calorie count but I'd encourage each of you to order one at your next stop to McD's. Good for a chuckle in the drive-thru at least.

The Web Olympics 2010

I got thinking the other day how different the fan experience could be for the next Olympics in Vancouver this 2010 in terms of getting live information via twitter and other web media sources. Tweets and blog posts will be streaming in from events giving fans access to information and insight previously unprecedented in terms of instantaneous coverage. You got to think (& hope) some entrepreneurial people are going to see this opportunity to do some very cool web reporting.

Maybe I should pack my bags for the west coast next winter? I could follow all Atlantic Canadian athletes and report back as the events unfold. Hmmmm...maybe I should start looking for a corporate sponsor.