Logic + Emotion by David Armano

David Armano is the VP of Experience Design at Critical Mass, the digital advertising agency I had the pleasure of working for this summer in Calgary.

Honestly, his job title matters very little to me. What matters to me about this dude is that he’s one of those people online who just ‘gets’ it. And it’s not just a digital thing. Armano has a special talent for linking everyday ideas, concepts and thoughts with the digital realm, and doing it visually, too. And that’s what makes him a leader in his chosen vocation.

He believes in the power of social media – because he knows that it’s not technology that makes it powerful. It’s people – real people, caring people, influential people, inspiring people – that make great things happen in the digital sphere.

And he’s got a big ol’ shining example of the good that can come from wielding such power. He recently gave a second chance to a family friend in need of shelter by raising $16,000 (most of it in little over 24 hours) to help her and her 3 children find a new place to live.  See, folks? Twitter’s not just for massaging your own ego or posting links to videos of simians. There are altruistic outcomes.

Fuck You, Penguin by Anonymous

This one sells itself. An anonymous (and hilarious) writer takes cute animals down a peg. Read it. Follow it. Love it.

Copyblogger by Brian Clark + contributors

If ever you’re wondering, “hey, I wonder if someone out there has some advice on (topic x) when it comes to writing online” – this is the blog for you. Some of the best copywriters in the digital sphere post here, offering sage advice and guides to writing great copy on the web.

Wine Library TV by Gary Vaynerchuck

Oh, Gary Vay-ner-chuck. He’s the enigmatic and enthusiastic host of a daily video blog on wine tasting, and one of the cleverest people on the web when it comes to using social media to create and maintain a following. It’s his unique and oft-mad-hatterish personality that draws you in, and his propensity to stay in touch with his people (and his tweeple) is what makes him authentic and keeps people coming back to his site.

not that vintage by Allison Forzley

Allison and I worked together for a short time at Citytv last January, when I interned there as part of my coursework in school. I discovered her blog last week when she posted the link on her facebook page and was happily surprised to find she is into all sorts of neat interior design stuff and pop culture.

It’s not a big name with big influence. It’s not a total game-changer. And it’s not one that I need to read every day. It’s a cross-section of a life. It’s real. And that is why I like it. Well done, Ally.

And now I open the floor – what are your faves (industry-related or otherwise)? What makes them near and dear to you?

A Twitter.. is that some kinda rare bird?

I’ve seen so much buzz over social media over the past year, and all the different ways it can be used to market products. Sites and services like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Digg and Delicious have brought a world of new possibilities for advertisers and users online, making the web a place inclusive of user content and truly encouraged a torrent of activity inside these communities.

Now, as content on these sites manages to make its way to so many other platforms through RSS and other content-pushing protocols, it appears that making the user a part of the web experience is a concept as ubiquitous as e-mail was 5 (or even 10) years ago.

So why aren’t more companies investing in social media?

The Crux

I think the real crux is in the demographics. It’s no secret that the baby-boomer generation is largely computer illiterate not as experienced in the digital world as their successors. Pundits and marketers have even gone so far as to distinguish our current generations’ “digital natives” – those who were born immersed in technology – from “digital immigrants” – those who came to know it later in life. It’s sort of like French immersion, except you don’t really have to put the kids in special schools, they just learn it all on their own.

Some people feel the older generations should “learn to adapt or die”. I don’t see it to be such a cutthroat situation. I’m perfectly happy seeing all those mom-and-pop operations out there doing what they’ve done since 30 years ago and having business bounce along merrily as it always has. Of course if they had some business-savvy digital natives on their side, they could probably run more efficiently, market to people they had never dreamed of in the past and basically be better citizens in the business community.

Stating the Obvious

Researchers of trends in social media have found a surprising an obvious link between age and level of involvement in online communities. They distinguish between those who are simply there to peruse the information already provided and those who are active contributors to a pool of knowledge or art, and all levels of involvement in between.

What it means for those of you who are planning campaigns is that if you’re planning on pitching a campaign for a retirement home, funeral service arranger, luxury sailboat vendor or anything else that costs more than an iPod, chances are social media isn’t where you want to put all your eggs.

Leveraging Social Media for Boomers.

That being said, there is a way to leverage traditional media with emerging tech – consider a little Twitter account that tweets whenever there’s a sale on at a retail store, in conjunction with the radio or TV ads. It takes only a little time to maintain, it’s an immediate score for customers who are looking for the most updates, and you can promote it through your traditional channels.

What does it mean for the client?

• better reach and higher frequency than a traditional media buy;
• a qualified list of brand loyalists (those who are following your twitter account);
• the ability for a target audience to react / respond to your message.

There are tons of cool things you can do with social media apps like Twitter. And the best part about  – it’s free. All it takes is time.

So here I am, starting my very own blog at creativeguise.com where I hope to share my thoughts on the state of advertising, online marketing, technology, music, films and whatever else is knocking around the ol’ noggin. I’m mainly doing it for my own sanity, but any kind of readership amassed in future couldn’t hurt me either.