Fadebook

Facebook is quickly becoming obsolete to me.

The true story is that I used to be fairly active on Facebook, having upwards of 400 friends at one point. I found it amazing that I could find old friends from middle school and reconnect with them. Looking at pictures of class trips to Quebec city was fun.

Then I realized that Facebook was just a waste of time. You spend more time looking at pictures of people drunk or with their kids. Now, don't get me wong, that stuff can be interesting but it starts to get old quickly.

So I deactivated my account.

I was happy with the decision and for a while, pretended that ingorance in bliss. I was proud of the fact that I was off the book and happy to tell anyone who would listen.

Last week, I reactivated my account.

Why? I am finding it a useful tool as part of my job search strategy. It helps me see what kind of presense potential employers might have in the whole "social" space. It has in some cases helped me better understand who I might be interviewing with (although LinkedIn is really where that is done best) and it has help me waste hours or time reconnecting with old friends.

But really, nothing has really changed on Facebook. It is still the same old boring thing it always was. I don't really see it as being all that dynamic. Content is fed into Facebook from so many sources (like Twitter) and I am getting tired of seeing things coming across each platform through many different people.

I am going to keep my Facebook account because I suppose I can use my privacy settings to keep everything private and because it's a great research tool but it really isn't the great connector it once was.

There was a study done by Facebook and The Economist a few months ago that showed that while some people have more friends and more contact on Facebook, the average user has no more friend and interacts with no more people regularily than the offline person.

So, in my mind, Facebook was great while it lasted but now it's time to watch Twitter go through the same transformation.

And I really think that interfaces, platform and aggregators like Google Wave or FriendFeed that can tie it all together in a useable way will be the big winners in the future. Afterall, I rarely interact with twitter.com's website.

Shifty Rogers

Here in Canada we have some of the worst mobile phone companies in the world.

While the rest of the world has been basking in 3G networks for years, we only recently had a move to 3G by Rogers and Bell. Telus is supposed to launch their 3G network soon.

To be clear, I am not really a fan or any of our Canadian options but Rogers is certainly the one I despise the most and this all goes back to an issue I had over a year ago when their customer service was disorganized and couldn't get a phone into my hands within 3 weeks.

Last week, I read about how Rogers was going to be doing away with the $6/month system access fee that has been annoying me ever since I owned my first cell phone.

But that doesn't mean your Rogers bill is going to go down... because they are implementing a Government Regulatory Recovery Fee.

This was taken somewhere online.. I believe the Rogers site...

What is the Government Regulatory Recovery Fee?

The Government Regulatory Recovery Fee ranges from $2.46-$3.46 /line/month (varies by province and plan selected). It is applied to help fund fees, costs and other amounts related to federal, provincial and/or municipal mandates, programs and requirements such as provincial 911 fees, spectrum acquisition, licensing charges, and contribution charges to help subsidize telephone service in rural and remote areas. It may include costs incurred in prior years that are still being fully recovered. It is not a tax or charge the government requires Rogers to collect. The fee and the components used to calculate the fee are subject to change as the fees/costs of government mandates/programs change.

On top of this, most plans will go up by about $5/month... so it sounds like Rogers is going to be taking in more than the system access fee was.

Shifty move... and I wonder how many Rogers customers are even going to notice...

Can't sleep again

My sleep patterns have been really messed up since I moved back from Vancouver. I actually don't think I have adjusted to the Eastern time zone yet and it's been over a month.

I spent over 10 hours doing job search related research today... and I have to admit that it's really fun getting to learn about new companies and industries. Especially because I can still use the vast UBC library resources.

My niece Ella got some fish today so I went to the store with my sister and my brother in law to pick them out with her. Goldfish are a great bargain... about a dollar fifty for a good sized one. She got three!

Twitter is starting to turn into spam central and boy, did that ever happen quick. A few months ago, I started getting all kinds of random ad requests... spam. Then, I followed one person who would use mentions to tweet spam. And the other day, I followed somebody and they had a confirmation message that required me to validate by clicking a link. Nuts.

Gotta sleep now!

The Economy

When it comes to the recession, people like to think that we might be through the worst of it. I beg to differ.

Part of the reason that I say this is that everything right now is about discounting. Businesses are seem to be so desperate to generate any kind of revenue they can (which makes sense as revenue is like oxygen) that they are willing to discount their wares all over the place.

To see this, look no further than your television set. Watch any U.S. based channel and I find it so noticeable, you couldn't miss it if you tried. You can even mute your TV and notice it.

Go to the newspaper and see what kinds of flyers or coupons you're getting . Today I saw some crazy coupons for Denny's (not even sure where there is one near me in Ottawa) that promised a free entree with purchase of two. Ten dollars off a bill over $30... and many more which seem to knock the price of a Denny's outing for a few people by about 30 percent.

The problem is that people are tapped. Those people who are working, are probably taking pay cuts, work reductions and unpaid leave.

Those who aren't working, and there are many people out there, aren't going to be getting jobs too quickly. I read some recent figures that show while employment will increase in the next few months, companies will be adding headcount slowly.

I think the big concern is that we are not going to have a big fourth quarter... which is when most companies make all of their money or profit for any given year. The holiday shopping season will be flat or significantly lower than last year's and this, I believe, is going to cause a massive dip in economic output from Q1 through Q3 next year.

I'd like to believe we have seen the worse yet but I'm just finding it hard given the hard economic numbers I'm seeing and the sheer volume of discounting on behalf of marketing managers everywhere...

Buckle up.

Employment Insurance... update

I got a bunch of emails as result of my last post about my EI situation so here's the update:

I was hoping that everything was going to be sorted out this week. I went into the Services Canada office last week and gave them my second (and should be final ROE) and the person told me I'd get a call early this week and after that they would be able to release the funds.

Instead, I got no call. So I decided to call Services Canada this afternoon. The phone rep told me they received by updates but that it will take them up to September 16th to review everything. It could happen sooner, so I should keep checking the website but their internal deadline is September 16th. However I know that it won't be earlier than the 16th because my original application had a 4 week deadline and it took almost exactly that.

It is really unfortunate. Getting the ROE situation sorted out was a total mess and as an employee, you don't really have much recourse... you are at the mercy of your employer or in my case the payroll companies. Once that is done, you have to wait for Services Canada. Everyone I have spoken to there has been super friendly, it's just the time that each step is taking that is the problem. What really burns me is that I was concerned that this was going to happen in August and I kept trying to tell myself that it was going to be ok... turns out I was right and I'm sure you can guess what I mean by that.

The job market is really starting to pick up. The last few weeks have been pretty good and I should hope to have something shortly.

I could be back at work before I even see a dime of EI money - now that would really funny.

On the upside: I babysat my niece for the first time today for about 4 hours. Good times!

What I'm watching...

People always ask me what TV shows I watch so I thought I would write a bit about a few of them here.

True Blood: At first I thought this was a "Twilight" rip-off, but it's not even close. True Blood is set in modern day Louisiana and vampires (and more) actually exist and interact with humans. The True Blood vampire isn't exactly like the vampire you might know (if they drink your blood, you don't become one and vice versa). It is on HBO, Sunday at 9pm.

Hung: Takes place in modern day Detroit, which means that everything is falling apart, and is the story of a guy who becomes a male prostitute because he is down on his luck. I think that you will be disappointed if you think this show is about prostitution because I think it is really about relationships. The relationships between family, friends, co-workers, a city and its people, a country and its economy and most of all, the relationship will all have (or don't have) with money. HBO, Sunday at 10pm.

Nitro Circus: Is what would happen if the guys from Jackass actually knew what they were doing. Travis Pastrana and his friends do insane stunts like backflipping a motorbike between two buildings and jumping out of planes without parachutes. Now on Season 2, you can watch episodes on mtv.ca. Can-con: at least one of the cast is Canadian!

Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory: Imagine that you are a super rich pro-skateboarding who just finished three seasons of a hit show called Rob and Big. What do you do next? Build an office, skatepark, foam pit and more inside a huge warehouse in L.A. and film yourself doing whatever you want. Season 2 just started and you can watch episodes at mtv.ca.

Mad Men: Probably the best show on TV. Blogged about it a bunch of times... 1960's advertising agency in Manhattan. Sunday nights, AMC. 10pm and 11pm (repeat).

Entourage: just tweeted about how this show is fading fast....

The Aftershow: Anyone who really knows me will attest to the fact that I am pop culture fanatic because I find it strangely fascinating. Like watching a car accident. I also think Dan Levy and Jessi Cruikshank have great chemistry and are hilarious in that they often see the same lameness in celebrities that I see. Airs Monday to Thursday on MTV but like all their shows, you can watch at mtv.ca.

Marketing at Movie Theaters

Going to see a movie is quite the experience. If you're going to a Silvercity type set up, as I did last night to see Disctrict 9 (great movie) then you're in for a real treat. Lights and sounds everywhere.

You are also surrounded by marketing. Posters, advertisements, magazines... on one hand you would think that you are there to see a movie but I actually believe you are there to be marketed to.

In order to get to your seat, you have to find your theater. On the way there, you walk past elaborate "set ups" promoting up coming features. Now I have to admit that these are often very clever. For example, the Woodstock movie had a black light poster.

Once in your seat, you are subjected to a rolling series of ads and "advertainment" type screens that pretend to ask questions about celebreties. "Which star of the upcoming movie about George's Hamilton's life grew up in Texas? Answer: Renee Zellweger who stars in ____ out this month!".

For the first time ever, somebody actually got up in front of the audience to "pitch" us something. It was somebody from St. Lawrence College talking about finding jobs... I was so shocked that I couldn't really catch what she was saying, but I have to hand it to them... pretty clever but not sure how many people would have been receptive.

Then, the "movie" finally starts but first you have to get past a number of "real" ads like you'd see on TV. However I have noticed in every movie I have seen recently that Coke seems to play that ad with the eyeball and toungues at least twice in a row. Do they have any idea that this is annoying??

I work in marketing so I get it. And I know that advertising prior to movies does get attention... but I just wonder why I have to pay for the movie and then have to suffer through all of the advertisements.

I am starting to think that there might be a niche market developing for a movie experience that is advertisement free....

Employment Insurance (If you can get it)

For those of you that don't know, my last company closed my office in June. This means that I am eligible for Employment Insurance benefits. I figure that because I am eligible and because I have paid the premiums for years, I might as well collect.

I won't go through all of the conditions but I will tell you that in order to collect you need complete an application - which you can do online through the Services Canada website - and receive a completed Record of Employment from your previous employer. The completing of the application is really not that difficult. In my case, it was even easier because I have a ePass account that I use to submit and track my taxes with the Canada Revenue Agency.

Of course, the system isn't exactly the greatest, but it does work. The problem that I have had is that getting a record of employment (ROE) has been an absolute nightmare.

Technically (I would say legally but I suppose that does not mean anything) I was supposed to get an ROE within 5 days of finishing work.. and I finished work on June 30th.

The problem is that my former employer is based in the US and has dealt with two payroll processing companies during the time that I worked. Neither company could issue a single ROE for the time that I worked so I have had to get two ROEs. The first one was submitted electronically - good enough - but the second one (physical version) I received just last Friday.

Unfortunately for me, the ROE that was submitted electronically and automatically attached my application (which is good because technically the ROE should be complete and correct). In my case the electronic ROE had too few hours to qualify me and I was rejected. I have had the file reopened and escalated but I have to wait another week to get the case reviewed.

So I'm rounding the corner on two months out of work and I'm still not getting any EI!!!!

Gotta love it. So what is my advice for those that find themselves in this situation:

1) Although leaving a company is hectic, always ask for an ROE before you leave so they can get the ball rolling. Get a physical version if it is easier so you can verify it but ideally they should file it electronically.

2) Complete your application ASAP. You don't need to wait to get an ROE to fill out the application. If you don't have an ROE, the application will just sit there until the ROE is attached and then it will be automatically submitted. Apparently, you can lose benefits if you don't file.

3) Use the Services Canada Website

4) Complete your reports every two weeks, even if your application has not been approved. When you collect EI, you need to tell the government every two weeks that you are looking for work and you are willing to work... this is a condition of EI... so you need to complete reports to that effect. You can do them on the phone or maybe in person but trust me - the web version is easy.

5) Keep records. I can't stress this one enough.. keep copies and notes on everything you do and when you do it. Comes in handy when things get messy.

BMW and Mad Men

I have blogged about Mad Men before... great show on AMC about a 1960's Madison Avenue Advertising firm. The show is not only a portrait of 60's culture, but also an interesting lens into the world of advertising.

Oddly enough, I was also reading the recent issue of Vanity Fair with Farah Fawcett on the cover. It has a pretty extensive article about the show and a photo shoot with John Hamm (Don Draper) and January Jones (Betty Draper).

But what really hit me was the huge fold out advertisment for BMW that is promoting the North American debute of their new diesel engine. You can see the ad and read a bit more about the deal between the companies here. You can see one of the ads here.

Is this a good call or a bad call for BMW?

I suppose that would depend on how much they paid for the rights to sponsor the show... but my guess is that this really isn't going to be a game changer for BMW.

My guess is that people purchase BMW's because they are exactly what they have marketed themselves as for the last decade or so: "The Ultimate Driving Machine".

People don't buy BMW's because they are the "Ultimate Green Driving Machine".

And for this reason, I think they might have missed the boat this one. Plus, I also think that while Mad Men may appear to be a "slick" show about sophisticated men... it's not.

Mad Men is as much about women, and their place in the changing society of the 1960's as it is the men. And the men.. well they are all starting to flounder at what I can only imagine is the beginning of the end for the male dominated society of the day. Roger Sterling, the silver haired head of Sterling Cooper is reeling from a divorce, Don Draper is cracking trying to pull himself together after cracking at the seams in Season 2 and Pete Campbell is going to have to learn to play nice or he's out.

Watch the show and let me know what you think. Comments are always welcome.

Mama, I'm coming home!

It's official! I have settled into my life in Ottawa.

I arrived on Monday night, spent Tuesday painting my sister's basement with my brother in law and then had an interview today. I also picked up my stuff from Greyhound this afternoon.

In case you didn't know - Greyhound Express Courier is a great alternative to movers if you don't have too much stuff.

I shipped about 9 bags/boxes from Vancouver and it was only 75 cents a pound. When I used movers last time (I had more stuff) it was about 600 for 500 pounds and then a dollar per pound on top. There are restrictions on the size of items you can ship and the weight, my boxes got trashed but all in all, I think everything made it here in one week, in one piece.

I am going to spend some time in the next few days updating the design of my site... I suppose that I'll need to swap out anything that screams Vancouver (but I don't want to lose my masthead image).