2011

AHA - Typewriter imageI spent a great deal of time with some of the best journalists in the world when I worked at Maclean’s and I am thankful everyday as a communicator that I had that opportunity. Creating engaging, interesting and informative content isn’t easy – and writing clearly and concisely adds additional challenge to the craft.

We have heard for many years that content is king. Your stakeholders visit your website, your blog, Facebook page, Twitter page or other social networking sites to learn, to connect, to join a conversation and to either learn something or to tell you something. What you provide is important and it either leads to the person to return to your site because you provided value, created an opportunity to participate in a dialogue or offered something they want or need – or they don’t return.

While your organization may have valuable information that you want to share, it is important to approach content creation understanding what your stakeholders expect from you. It’s not always the same thing. This doesn’t mean you can’t provide the information that you feel is important. It does mean you need to find a different way to package it or put if forward and that you need to also focus on what stakeholders are interested in, relevant to what your organization does or provides to them. It’s all about them – not all about you. If you remember that, you will be ahead of the pack.

Mitch Joel of Twist Image has a great blog post about what type of content you should produce. We’re big fans of Mitch. If you are a communicator, his blog is a regular must read!

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AHA - Facebook imageI have to admit that I have a bit of a split personality when it comes to social media use. On Facebook I have a blend of personal and professional contacts and there are days when that can be a little…different. To say the least.

I have great friends. They are creative, talented and most of them are living life to the fullest. Which means every once in a while, their Facebook posts can be surprising or even a little shocking.  Nothing illegal, immoral or unethical – it’s just that they can be a little wild sometimes. They are my friends for a reason – I like them, I love hearing about their lives – especially the ones that live in other places that I don’t get to see often. And their cheekiness delights me.

However, every once in a while, I wonder if any of my clients, professional colleagues or the journalists that are my Facebook friends look at my pals and wonder what the heck is going on – these people are crazy!!!

And then I wonder if my personal “friends” look at some of the postings from others – usually about PR, communication and social media – and wonder if I have a life outside of work. (I have to admit, I wonder that myself sometimes.)

I have been paddling around online for quite some time (since I was director of communications at Vancouver Film School and the New Media Program was launched in 1990). When Facebook arrived on the scene, I embraced it and jumped right in without much of a strategy about how to manage my personal and professional worlds. On Facebook, to quote George Costanza of Seinfeld fame, my worlds collide.

When we started AHA, we wanted to create a company that was authentic, that represented who we are – and that includes our crew. What we do as communicators creates a special connection with our clients and colleagues. It gets personal – even when it’s business focused. Having said that, even if the only friends I had on Facebook were from my personal life, there is information I just wouldn’t share on there. I think more than separating business from personal, what bears thinking about is how much of your life do you want out there on Facebook or Twitter or anywhere online? There is a point where it is just too much information. Some things are best kept for in-person conversations.

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Richmond CentreRichmond, B.C. – For the winter-weary residents of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland dreaming of an early spring, it has arrived and in a big way. Inside Richmond Centre, located in the heart of the city of Richmond (just outside of Vancouver), spring is in full bloom. “Blossom at Richmond Centre” gives visitors to the mall the opportunity to leave the cold, rainy, winter weather behind for an incredible sea of living flowers, a bamboo forest, a full-scale wooden boardwalk and even a special wish tree. This incredible event is on until April 24 and showcases more than 8,000 plants, 1,500 flower blossoms at any one time and covers 2,300 square feet of the mall.

Central to Blossom at Richmond Centre is the Flowering Wishing Tree – based on the traditional wish tree, a custom embraced by many cultures around the world. Mall patrons can write down their wishes on special pieces of paper. Then, using the instructions provided, the paper will be transformed into beautiful origami flowers, which will be attached to the tree branches, creating the illusion of a flowering tree. It is believed that the concentration of many positive wishes, each one building on the next, increases the likelihood of them coming true. And, in fact, each wish brings the dreams of a child suffering with a high-risk, life-threatening illness that much closer to being realized. For every wish attached to the Flowering Wishing Tree, Richmond Centre will donate $1 to the Children’s Wish Foundation (to a maximum of $10,000, the average cost of granting one child their wish).

Richmond Centre is one of the Lower Mainland’s largest shopping complexes, with 240 stores and services. Recently renovated, new stores include XXI Forever, Bath & Body Works, Sephora and Apple. Located in the centre of Richmond, on the corner of Westminster Hwy and Minoru Boulevard, Richmond Centre is owned and managed by two of the largest developers in Canada, Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd. and Ivanhoe Cambridge II Inc.

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For further information, interviews with or media access for photos or taping of Blossom at Richmond Centre, please contact Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies at paul@ahacreative.com or by phone at 604.303.1052.

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