Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Insights

Why You Should Hire Matt Cheuvront

I’d like to ask a favour, if I may – I’d like to tell you why you should hire Matt Cheuvront. Particularly if you have any web design, social media or consulting skill-set requirements at the minute.

Here are just a few reasons – trust me, there are many more.

  1. He’s one of the best Community Managers you’ll ever have. I’m fortunate in that I see great community folks at work every day. People like David Spinks and Amber Naslund – two folks that really get the value of brand community. Add Matt Cheuvront to that list. His interaction with those he’s connected to is second-to-none; his conversation driving is awesome; his awareness skills are excellent. Simply put, looking for someone to help you nurture your brand community? Matt’s your guy.
  2. His web design skills are clean, clear and open to your suggestions. When I was looking at redesigning my blog, he was a great resource with some amazing ideas. If it wasn’t for a theme choice, I’m sure I would have gone ahead with Matt. Looking at his work, he offers great designs without feeling the need to rip you off. Want a cool website? Check out Matt.
  3. He has Gen Y thoughts with an older marketing head. Matt offers the best of both worlds – Gen Y “can do” attitude with some truly leading ideas for marketing and social media that normally years of experience builds up. He doesn’t go with the flow – he initiates a lot of it. Why not let him initiate some of that cool stuff for you?
  4. He’s available. NOW. Matt’s just lost his job. He’s a free agent. He’s available now. Social media moves fast; you need to grab the talent while you can. So why not give him a shout?

Add to that list blog consulting and Internet marketing, and it’s pretty clear to see why you should hire Matt Cheuvront. Today.

So… that’s my favour. If you feel I’ve ever given you value over the past year and a bit on this blog, finding Matt a job would be a great way to say thanks. Now… what you waiting for? Hit him up (or if someone you know is looking, point them Matt’s way).

  • Quick disclaimer. No, this isn’t a paid job ad by Matt. No, I’m not married to his cousin. Yes, I would hire him in an instant if I had current needs. No, Superman is not cooler than Batman. And yes, Matt is the one in the tie. Thanks!

Audi and the Super Bowl Social Media Shit Storm

German car manufacturer Audi may be about to enter a PR shit storm, thanks to the naming of their social media campaign in the run-up to their Super Bowl ad.

The campaign (run by Audi of America) is based around a new creation called the Green Police, who will spearhead a social media program to build interest in Audi’s ad at this year’s football showcase. The Green Police enforce ways to protect the environment, and encourage people to a better understanding of environmental issues. There’s currently a series of YouTube mock education videos as part of the program, as well as a Green Police Twitter account.

The problem is, there’s already been a Green Police enforcement organization, but not one that you’d want to be associated with. This Green Police was part of the Nazi persecution and execution of millions of Jews in the Holocaust of the Second World War.

The implications of Audi’s choice of name for their campaign could be huge, especially since Audi is a German company. The first question is obvious – didn’t anyone at Audi’s PR or advertising arm/agency do any research?

It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds and what Audi’s response will be as the connections to an unwanted history become clear, especially as today marks the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

What’s your take on what Audi should do next?

  • Update February 01 2010: Audi of America has issued a response to the post, which you can find here. While their response is sound, they may also wish to look at this resource from the Jewish Virtual Library vaults (if they haven’t already), or this report for further correlation. Additionally, Audi state that they researched and tested the ads prior to running them, and sought input from the Jewish community. Curiosity begs the question: if the research prior to the ad being run didn’t return any “red flags” about possible connotations to the term Green Police, why the need to seek input from the Jewish community about an environmentally friendly product?

Taking Your Blog Mobile with BuzzVoice

One of the benefits of subscribing to blogs by email is the opportunity to catch posts that may otherwise have slipped by in an endless RSS feed stream.

One such one that caught my eye was by Jason Falls over at Social Media Explorer, and his views on new mobile voice service BuzzVoice. It’s similar to Odiogo (which I’ve tried before) in that it transcribes your blog or website into an audio format. The difference with BuzzVoice is that you can get an app for your iPhone or iPod touch (currently $1.99), making it more of an audio library of your favourite blogs.

Not only that, but BuzzVoice also offers a real-time radio widget for your blog’s sidebar (take a look in my right sidebar underneath the option to read my blog on your Kindle). This plays streaming audio of all your posts, which you can listen to via iTunes or via mobile, as well as the option to grab the widget and share on other networks.

The obvious main benefit behind BuzzVoice is its ability to open up a blog or website to folks that want to listen or multi-task online, or on the go (so at the gym, in the car, on public transport, etc). Yet is also has benefits for anyone with impaired vision or sight disability, as pointed out by Glenda Watson Hyatt on Jason’s post (Glenda has cerebral palsy and is a highly respected blogger and author). Additionally, people with dyslexia and similar learning difficulties could use something like BuzzVoice to improve their comprehension of the written word.

BuzzVoice is currently in private beta, with the public launch due next month. However, John Atkinson (co-founder and CEO of BuzzVoice) has very kindly offered readers of this blog 10 private invites. All you need do is email your blog or website’s RSS feed to publishers@buzzvoice.com to be considered for the beta.

Since I’ve just installed BuzzVoice tonight, I haven’t had time to have a look at the more in-depth features available at their website. I’ll be sure to look at it in more depth soon, and share my thoughts in a follow-up post shortly.

In the meantime, what’s your take on BuzzVoice and its approach to opening up the written word?

Digital Storytellers: My TEDx Ottawa Presentation

Last month, I was incredibly honoured to speak at TEDx Ottawa. The shared ideas that came out on the day from the other speakers and the attendees was nothing short of amazing.

My presentation was entitled Digital Storytellers: What We Can Learn from George Lucas, and looked at how technology can enhance our lives as long as we remember the human connections around it. I was delighted to have local teenager Graeme Stewart share his story through music as well.

You can see the other talks over at the TEDx Ottawa YouTube channel. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Digital Storytellers and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the presentation topic in the comments below.