Protect Your Reputation in the Online Jungle

The new world of social media offers many an opportunity to reach out, to engage. For a local Ottawa business, it can allow you to turn your customers into “friends” and “followers” and provide you with a chance to speak to potential leads on a more personal level.

There are some amazing success stories of little shops who dramatically increased their client base through effective word-of-mouth advertising 2.0. Indeed, at Marketing Breakthroughs have seen mid-sized Ottawa businesses become big businesses based on a clever online campaign.

Naturally, one of the tenants of social media is that it is indeed social. This means actually building relationships with people and not just being an anonymous presence. As in any interaction, we try to present ourselves in the best light possible – highlighting certain traits over others and “putting your best foot forward” to use a cliché.

But what happens when we trip?

Social media can be a very friendly place, until the rules are broken. Any hint of fraud can send the self-affirmed super Internet sleuths on the hunt for evidence and the bigger the trail, the bigger “the scandal”.

Breaking the values of the Internet jungle can quickly escalate out of control. Think of the ravenous mobs that occasionally erupt on The Simpsons – one slight trigger, and the town is rioting with fire and pitchforks, not for any particular reason, but for the fun of the riot itself.

A recent example of this would be Cooks Source magazine and the ugly 15-minutes of fame this tiny publication got after a dispute with a former writer. Once the story broke, angry bloggers began attacking their Facebook page with a vengeance. Ouch.

Of course, you are not involved in any sort of duplicity, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t constantly safeguard your online image. Even the Queen ran into this sort of trouble when she set up her Facebook page.

What are your customers saying about you?

What are your competitors saying about you?

It is important to consider these questions as we expand our social circles.

Looking for a good movie this weekend?

It's getting to be that time of year again in Ottawa. Cold November rain creeps over the nation's capital mixed with wet snow. A bleak month before the Yuletide feeling begins to swell.

Nevertheless, it is an optimistic time for any film buff. Hollywood is eager to get its best material in the minds of Oscar judges and some quality flicks will soon hit theatres. What better excuse to get out of the Ottawa rain?

Ottawa certainly has a dearth of options for the moviegoer. There's the big name chains across the city for the latest blockbusters or specialty theatres such as the Mayfair and Bytowne for more artsy fare. But how do you decide what film to see?

Such a simple question keeps Hollywood producers up at night. That's why before a movie is released, we are bombarded with movie previews, stars chatting with our favourite late-night hosts, and various profiles of actors/actresses/directors. All of this is intended to create a "buzz" to get us excited about the "Upcoming Movie Event of the Decade!"

However, according to author Jonah Lehrer in an article in the Wall Stree Journal, it is difficult to gage how effective all of this supposed "pre-release buzz" actually is. He cites work by Brian Uzzi, a sociologist from Northwestern University, who specializes in buzz:

The question, of course, is what generates buzz in the first place. Mr. Uzzi's answer should strike fear into studio executives' hearts: He found virtually no relationship between levels of pre-release buzz and the ad budget of the movie or the presence of highly paid actors, even if millions of dollars were spent. The data suggest that pre-release buzz is mostly unpredictable, driven by intangible factors like the originality of the premise, the title of the film, or even a throwaway line in the trailer.

In other words, effective movie marketing - like other marketing - requires getting people talking. Our movie decisions are based on word of mouth and we trust the advice of our friend's judgement over what makes a good movie. Social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook expand this discussion to a larger audience in real-time and we learn quickly what could be a good movie versus what is a very, very bad movie.

Like any other product, finding out how to start a positive conversation about a movie is key to effective marketing. Get enough people talking and you surpass the tipping point, making a good movie a box-office smash hit.

______________

Addendum

Jonah Lehrer spoke with Terry O'Reilly from CBC Radio's advertising/marketing program The Age of Persuasion who was sitting in as guest host on Q with Jian Ghomeshi. To find the interview, click here and scroll down to the episode on October 26, 2010.

A priceless wedding experiment

So you splurged on the diamond, got down on one knee, and now let the wedding planning begin!

For many couples, gearing up for the big day can be a costly endeavour: renting a venue, arranging a caterer, flowers, music, limo, The Dress, tuxes… it all can send one’s head for a spin. Indeed, having just planned such an event myself, this author writes from experience.

However, one Ottawa couple is looking to take a different route to prepare for the big day. Their goal: to plan a wedding that is entirely free of charge.

Brian Bass and Jordan Kent of Westboro have launched what they call Project: Priceless, an online experiment where they ask for donations towards their wedding using their blog and social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. States the couple on their blog,

“This is an experiment in social media, in community kindness, and in product placement.

“…Ideally, everything from dress to wedding favours will be begged, borrowed, or donated. We are also allowed to utilize trade, whether we trade something we have for something you have, or if we can offer a good or service of our own to trade with yours.”

In return, the couple says they will provide donors with a shout out on their blog, a listing in their wedding program, and promotion “via word-of-mouth” and social media. More importantly, they say they offer donors the satisfaction of giving to such “an adorable couple”.

Only a few weeks since their engagement in mid-October, Brian and Jordan have garnered media attention in local community papers, the Ottawa Sun, and the Ottawa Citizen, along with more than 1,000 visits to their blog.

To follow their progress, you can visit their website at http://projectpriceless.blogspot.com/

Social media lessons from “shellacking” in U.S. election

A week after U.S. voters gave Barack Obama a “shellacking” at the polls, the post-game analysis is in full swing.

From discussions of strategy, the president’s vulnerability, and the popularity of tea, the political brain trust to the south is easily filling column inches and airtime on the cable news networks.

Certainly there are lessons to be learned for Republicans and Democrats alike, but what about communicators in Canada?

One article that caught my eye was a piece in the Globe and Mail that looked at the Republicans’ successful use of social media in the campaign. In comparing the two sides, the article noted that the Grand Ole Party had a huge advantage in its presence on Facebook and Twitter. The GOP had an average of 38,718 Facebook fans per candidate, while the Democrats were only able to garner 8,260. A similar pattern emerged on Twitter, with the Republicans having an average of 14,009 followers per candidate versus 2,591 for the Democrats.

Is this becoming “a deciding factor in politics” as the article claims? Hard to say. But it is safe to assume that candidates who are able to attract more followers will be able to get their message out to a larger audience, especially when said followers summon the power of the “re-tweet”. Whether this is enough to drive people to the polls is yet to be determined.

With that said, you better believe that in Ottawa political marketers are studying these numbers right now to understand how or if they actually translated into votes. As our minority government teeters on the verge of an election, prospective candidates will be increasingly revving up their Facebook engines and driving out tweets.

At the same time, commercial marketers would be wise to develop a little research in this as well. As more businesses head to social media to reach new customers, it is important to understand what successful strategies turns a “follower” or “friend” into a customer, or in political-speak, what transforms a follower into an actual voter.

It's Moustache Time

Since 2004, the Movember Foundation has organized the global men's health initiative called Movember. The idea was born in Australia, where men grew their "mo's" to raise awareness and funds for men's health, specifically prostate cancer. The great thing about this initiative is that male participants of Movember "become walking, talking billboards for the cause, raising awareness by prompting private and public conversations around the often ignored issue of men's health." It's a fun, interactive, "on your face" (as opposed to "in your face," ha ha) charitable approach.

How do you get involved? Register online at Movember.com, grow a moustache for the month of November, and raise some money along the way. Last year, 255,722 people participated around the world and raised $42 million. All funds raised here in Canada will support Prostate Cancer Canada. Last year there was a 273% increase of registrations here in Canada, so it's clear that this phenomenon is gaining momentum.

Keep in touch with your fellow Mo Bros here in Ottawa by checking out the Movember Ottawa Facebook page.

Tweets Tempt Americans to Travel to Canada?

This summer, the Canadian Tourism Commission attempted to inspire Americans to vacation in the great white north by installing interactive murals in New York City, Chicago, and L.A. The murals displayed "real-time updates from and about Canada" from the Twitterverse. Check out the video below.

It certainly is eye-catching! I wish I could see the installation in person, because I'm worried that it doesn't do Canada justice. The one and only tweet that I found legible in the video reads: "During my stay in Canada, the trees in my yard grew so I couldn't go out by car, but I trimmed them quickly in the rain. FUN! :D" What!?! This is being read by citizens of three of the coolest cities in North America and they're supposed to want to go and buy a plane ticket to Canada after "interacting" with this kind of content?

I'm sure there were some really great photos and tweets about all the great tourism opportunities from Victoria to Ottawa to Halifax and everywhere in between... unfortunately they just aren't showcased in this video. In my personal opinion, I think social media could have been more effective as supplementary to a more traditional approach rather than as the focal point of this campaign. What do you think?

The Do-Good Power of Blogs and Social Media

Pedigree is promoting their brand of dog food with an interesting viral web marketing campaign. They're taking advantage of social media and the blogosphere to get some attention and do some good. As Amber Macarthur of the Globe and Mail reports, Pedigree will donate a 20-pound bag of dog food to an animal shelter every time a blogger writes about their adoption program. Over 300 bloggers took advantage of this opportunity. Unfortunately, this blog post won't count as the campaign ran from September 16th through the 19th only. If you'd still like to help, become a fan of the Pedigree Adoption Drive on Facebook and they'll donate a bowl of food to shelter dogs on your behalf.

This is a great example of the power of blogs and social media for businesses in Ottawa and around the world. Macarthur explains the possibilities:

Ever so gradually, companies are recognizing that social media success isn't so much about what consumers can do for them but what they can do for consumers -- and the world. There are plenty of excellent examples from brands south of the border that are leading this trend. In Canada, big businesses are little slower at finding the connection between social media and corporate responsibility, but there is no reason we can't play catch-up, help a few animals in the process, or even better, make this country a better place to live.

Watson vs. O'Brien: The Ottawa Mayoral Race on Social Media

I know it seems like the campaigning has been going on for a month (at least), but the Ottawa mayoral race officially starts tonight. At this point, it’s really a two-man race between former mayor and Ontario MPP Jim Watson and our current mayor, businessman-turned-city-politician Larry O’Brien.

Watson is kicking his campaign off tonight at Tudor Hall on North Bowesville Rd., while O’Brien will be getting his re-election campaign started at the Heart & Crown in the Irish Village (Clarence St.).

Recent polls show that Watson is the man to beat, but we’re a long way away from October 25. I was curious to see how the two heavyweights were doing on the social media front thus far. Let’s have a look:

Facebook

Watson’s Facebook page is a little more dynamic than O’Brien’s. He’s got more pictures up, and messages from supporters taking up space on his wall.

O’Brien’s wall is mostly filled with posts coming through from his campaign twitter account. The page doesn’t seem to be monitored by O’Brien or anyone else on his campaign. In fact, the last post is from a Jim Watson fan. It reads: “there is no way shape or form you should ever get re elected. You will run this city into the ground. Your no tax platform years ago was a lie, and your over spending and raises are absurd.” Ouch. That’s not a good first impression for someone trying to find O’Brien on Facebook. Hopefully someone on the campaign will take care of that soon.

Jim Watson “likes”: 1,181

Larry O’Brien “likes”: 139

Advantage: Jim Watson

Twitter

It’s night and day here for the two candidates. Watson is doing all the right things on twitter – getting a conversation started, responding to people, showing a personal side, and reaching out to his Ottawa-based supporters. Look at these two tweets:

“@DBast Yes, it's me. On my blackberry and on my computer. If you still want to volunteer, come to my office and we can set that up!”

“@k8brownlee Thank you! I've lost 9 pounds canvassing as a matter of fact!”

O’Brien is doing a lot of the wrong things on his twitter page. Nearly every post is just a link to information you can find elsewhere. There’s no conversation going on here, and no personality shining through. If people aren’t engaged, they won’t follow. Here’s the last tweet from the O’Brien campaign:

“Latest newsletter from Larry O'Brien Campaign http://conta.cc/bui6zm via #constantcontact ”

See what I mean?

LarryObrien2010 followers: 196
JimWatsonOttawa followers: 1472

Advantage: Watson

Photo Hosting Pages

Both Watson’s and O’Briens campaign websites are using outside hosting sites to showcase pictures. O’Brien’s using Picasa, Watson is on Flickr.

O’Brien has one album up from June 29, 2010.

Watson’s Flickr Page already has a ton of election-targeted photos. The first one is Jim positioned perfectly in the centre of a photo taken at the Capital Pride Parade (Aug. 30). In the foreground is a Jim Watson for Mayor sign, in the background is a clear blue sky and the Parliament buildings. It’s a bit staged for my liking, but that’s ok. The Flickr page also has a photo of Jim helping a supporter drive in the “First Lawn Sign of the Campaign”.

Advantage: Watson

Watson is dominating on the social media front, and it’s clear that he sees a lot of benefit in it. Maybe his supporter base is part of a more "online" demographic, but I do think that O’Brien should exert a bit more effort to have a more robust online presence. I’ll check in again mid-campaign to see if things have evened out a bit. Stay tuned for that.

Are Games the New Social Media?

We all know that the last five years, if not the last decade, have been about the birth, growth, and spread of social media. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and other social networks and blogs, have transformed not only the internet, but the way people live their lives. Social media isn’t a fad, and it’s not done evolving. Just this week, Apple joined the fray with the new Ping social network that will be included in its iTunes 10 offering. Facebook continues to grow and offer new features, and new social media sites spring up all the time. It seems to be all social media all the time, but what’s next?

Seth Priebatsch, the founder of SCVNGR (a start-up company backed by Google Ventures), thinks the future lies in games. At a TEDx event in Boston, he said the last decade was about creating a “social layer” over the world that actively connected people. The next decade, he asserts, is going to be about the “game layer” that will serve to influence people. It’s fascinating stuff. Check out the video.

Starbucks' "Pledge to Do Some Green" Campaign

Just stumbled across the new Starbucks Canada marketing campaign, and I think it has a lot going for it.

Here’s how it works: You log on to the Starbucks Canada's Facebook page, “PLEDGE TO DO SOME GREEN”, and get rewarded with a free tall cup of Pike Place Roast coffee. Sounds pretty good, right?

To redeem your coffee, you need to fill out a pledge form outlining what act of green you’re planning to carry out for your community. These range from using a reusable mug every time you visit Starbucks, to planting a children’s garden, to donating to the partner charity, Evergreen. After submitting the form, you’ll get an e-mail coupon for your coffee. It’s a great idea for Starbucks to give away a cup of coffee this way rather than just handing them out in stores. Every pledge form filled out contains a customer’s address, and other personal information. To the person filling out a pledge form, it’s 2 minutes work for a free coffee. To Starbucks, this campaign will create a valuable source of demographic information. My guess is that if x number of people in your now Starbucks-starved neighbourhood are taking the time to fill out this pledge form, you can expect a new café springing up sometime soon. Also, I’m sure a lot of people redeeming their coupons for a free tall coffee are going to splurge on one of those pizza-size cookies or the signature lemon cakes. And I can’t blame them, that stuff’s delicious.

Starbucks is moving marketing dollars onto social media (much like Pepsi and other major corporations), focusing on green marketing, and including a free giveaway. All smart moves! I also like that that the company has partnered with a Canadian charity, Evergreen, in rolling out this campaign. If the national angle wasn’t enough, they’re encouraging you to get involved in doing green in your community. It’s a good idea for Starbucks to get its Canadian customers thinking they’re doing good in Canada and in your own neighbourhood. It’s a stretch to think people will start identifying Starbucks as a local coffee shop rather than the international megalith it is, but I think this initiative and others like it could get Starbucks a little more credibility with the “I live green and shop locally” crowd. Note: Those guys drink a lot of coffee.

And imagine the future advertising opportunities that this campaign produces: The amount that Starbucks manages to raise for Evergreen will be impressive. I’m sure there will be tree plantings and community beautifications inspired by this, and that certainly creates buzz.

All in all, this thing makes a lot of sense.

Social Media and the Pakistan Flood

The Disaster

As you know by now, Pakistan is dealing with the affects of devastating flooding. The United Nations estimates that 2 thousand people have been killed, six million have been left homeless, and over 22 million are now directly affected by flooding. According to a New York Times article, there are legitimate concerns about the “economy, food supply and political stability” in the country.

Jane Cocking, the humanitarian director at Oxfam, has said that the disaster is multi-faceted: "...what we have is a single, long event that has the scale of the [Asian] tsunami, the devastation of Haiti, and the complexity of the Middle East. (Source: BBC article)

The Response

Though many were critical of the international response to this disaster, especially early on, aid levels have been increasing, and governments are beginning to do more to help. Yesterday, the Canadian government agreed to match Canadian private donations to registered charities. Because of the scale and ongoing nature of the disaster, increased aid is certainly required.

Social Media’s Role

As has become custom in major humanitarian disasters, social media has played a vital role in coordinating relief, spreading awareness, and raising funds for those in need. It’s widely known that users of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and other social media sites have contributed greatly to the relief efforts in the Asian Pacific, Haiti and elsewhere, but the approach to leveraging social media for humanitarian needs, the players involved, and the tools available have all changed.

In past disasters, the use of social media as a tool to grow awareness and help people on the ground has come about organically. That is to say, people have used channels they normally use, Facebook for instance, to communicate extraordinary messages. Now that the impact social media can have on relief efforts is well documented, groups have begun to try to better organize their approach. With a press release on Friday, Aug 20, two groups, Pakistani Peace Builders (PPB) and ML Resources Social Vision (ML Social Vision), launched Relief4Pakistan, a global and grassroots campaign designed to raise awareness and funds for flood victims in Pakistan. The campaign will be relying heavily on social media tools, and the involvement of Pakistani-American actor Faran Tahir (Iron Man, Star Trek). This sort of organized approach to engaging the public on social media platforms in the wake of a disaster will be the norm going forward, and I predict it will have meaningful results.

In addition to the changing approach to using social media to help those in need, the scope of players involved in social media has grown considerably. The United States Air Force issued a press release earlier this month outlining the value of the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page, and the State Department’s Youtube channel and Flikr page for flood victims and aid workers.

On the technological end, there are new tools being used to help first responders and aid organizations on the ground in Pakistan. Google’s Resource Finder is a “web-based tool that allows anyone to enter and update information on health facilities and the availability of hospital beds and medical services. It was primarily designed to help relief workers identify neighboring health facilities so that they can efficiently arrange patient transfers,” explains Google Product Manager Prem Ramaswami. This is the first time it has been used during a disaster situation. (See it here)

Social media's involvement in disaster relief will continue to evolve and expand in the future. Hopefully the new tools, new organizational approaches, and unexpected players in the social media game will have a positive impact on getting aid to those who need it.

Feel-Good Marketing

I think I like the Pepsi Refresh Project, Pepsi's new consumer generated marketing (CGM) campaign. If you check out the website, you'll see that the collection of ideas in the running for grants (currently 241) are pretty nifty.

Yesterday, Rohit Bhargava posted an article on different types of CGM campaigns on his Influential Marketing Blog. He sees this "share your idea to get a grant" approach as one of five big CGM marketing trends, mentioning other similar campaigns such as the American Express Members Project and DonorsChoose.org.

A shout-out to our client AtlasCare, who has initiated a similar campaign to give back to their community in the GTA. This program is called Care to Share and works like this: They accept nominations for charities within their service area (Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, and the surrounding areas) and donate $1,000 to one selected local worthy cause each month. They really do put the "care" in AtlasCare.

The Future of the Internet

Do you have 14 minutes to spare today? I'd recommend checking out this thought-provoking documentary by NYU student Kate Ray entitled Web 3.0.

The main discussion of the doc is in regards to the potential of "the semantic web." Wikipedia defines this concept as follows:

"The Semantic Web is an evolving development of the World Wide Web in which the meaning (semantics) of information and services on the web is defined, making it possible for the web to "understand" and satisfy the requests of people and machines to use the web content. It derives from World Wide Web Consortium director Sir Tim Berners-Lee's vision of a universal medium for data, information, and knowledge exchange."

Still not getting it? According to an unsophisticated yet helpful YouTube video, Intro to the Semantic Web, the problem that the semantic web addresses is, how are we going to make the Internet better? The answer lies in semantics. Computers don't understand the meaning behind the webpages they're showing us. If we can get computers to recognize what's in a webpage, they can learn what we're interested in. If they know that, they can help us find what we want... actively. The semantic web is about things (not documents)... people, places, events, music, movies, organizations, etc. That's the idea.

Welcome to Socialnomics: Social Media Revolution 2 Just Dropped!

For those of you that were fans of the first one, it's baaaaack! Don't worry, they're still breaking it down with the tasty beats of FatBoy Slim's "Right Here, Right Now", but this time, they're coming at us with nothing but mega social media stats. Facebook could be the world's third largest country? Gen Y and Gen Z already consider email passe, and 80% of companies are using social media for recruitment... hmm, this sounds incredibly familiar to all of us at Marketing Breakthroughs - perhaps that's because we eat, sleep and breathe social media here in our Ottawa office. Not that we're tooting our own horn. Ok. Yes, we are - Toot! Toot! Moving on...

In all seriousness, this video is an eye opener for any social media skeptics out there. If you haven't caught on to social media at this point, you've more than missed the boat; "social media isn't a fad, it's a fundamental shift in the way we communicate." Couldn't have said it better myself. Now go check out this wicked video!

Sound Too Good to Be True? It Probably Is.

Today, and today only, IKEA is offering a $1,000 gift card to Facebookers who 1) become "fans" of IKEA on Facebook and 2) "invite" their Facebook friends to do the same. Sound too good to be true? That's because it is. Unfortunately for the 40,000 fans of this page, this is a scam. Not only will you be spamming all of your friends, you'll be divulging personal information to untrustworthy scam artists. IKEA is obviously not too impressed. IKEA spokeswoman Mona Liss told WalletPop.com, "Needless to say this is most frustrating."

Let this be a warning to big businesses like IKEA that they should keep an eye out in the social media world for phony Facebook and Twitter identities that could tarnish their brand and offer the public insincere offers.

FAIL: Nestle's Social Media PR Blunder

One of the foremost reasons why engaging with social media can be advantageous to businesses is that they can catch customers' concerns about their company that they are sharing with their neighbours in cyberspace and address them directly before too much damage is done. Earlier this month, the people over at Nestle found themselves in some hot water (or shall I say, hot chocolate?) on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and numerous blogs.

The kerfuffle stemmed from a campaign that has been initiated by Greenpeace, accusing Nestle of "threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction" due to their use of "palm oil from companies that are trashing Indonesian rainforests". Part of this campaign was a gruesome online video, which Nestle lobbied to have removed from YouTube citing copyright infringement. This probably wasn't the greatest PR move, since this stirred up even more controversy and conflict.

Round two of the battle between Greenpeace supporters and Nestle took place over on Facebook. Unfortunately for Nestle, their representative on Facebook did not keep things professional and later had to backpedal and apologize "for being rude" in his/her comments. Bridget Carey of the Miami Herald sums up the lesson of all of this pretty well:

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all... Companies can learn something from this moment... Companies use social media to present a voice. When people are screaming at you, it's best not to scream back."

Friday Breakthrough: Clotaire, Conan, and Stephen

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the Internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

1. Clotaire Rapaille is a fascinating character in the world of marketing. He is currently working for a "completely neurotic" "sadomaschist[ic]" client with a "primal reptilian core"... aka Quebec City. His words, not mine, I assure you. The Globe and Mail reports that Rapaille is getting a $300,000 paycheque for his analysis of the city and a resulting strategy to give its image a facelift. That's a whole lot of money, but apparently this guy gets results. Some happy customers include Dubai and Signapore. The website for his company "Archetype Discoveries Worldwide" describes his "Archetype Studies" approach: striving to find the answers to the question "why do people do what they do?" by combining "a psychiatrist's depth of analysis with a businessman's attention to practical concerns". Want more of an explanation? So do I. However, according to the Globe and Mail's article, "it can cost as much as $135,000 to get information contained in the studies has has already done". Fascinating.

2. The Internet is a buzz due to the fact that Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) is randomly following one young lady named Sarah Killen (@LovelyButton) on Twitter. Her world has been turned upside down in a very short time for simply being the only person this very famous person is following: "she [now has] nearly 19,000 followers, a new iMac, a free wedding gown, wedding rings, $2,600 in donations for her cancer walk, and the chance to meet Ludacris". As you read this blog post, I believe her 15 minutes are just about up.

3. Stephen Harper is taking a page from Barack Obama's book, reaching out to younger voters and interacting with them using using social media. The TalkCanada YouTube channel enables Canadians to submit their questions for the Prime Minister. He will answer a selection of top-voted questions on YouTube next Tuesday. So far there have been 65,080 votes on 873 questions from 2,496 people.

Friday Breakthrough: Wiki, Wicked, and Web 2.0 Wizard

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the Internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

1. Ten Word Wiki may provide you with a few minutes of enjoyment on this Friday afternoon. Pretty self-explanatory, this site describes random things in exactly ten words. For example, here's the entry for Canada: "Similar to America, except more laid-back, worse at hockey." Whooooa! Them's fitting words. Someone needs to remedy that entry, stat!

2. Just when you thought getting dumped the old fashioned way was depressing, just wait until you hear about Bradley Laborman's company IDUMP4U. Not feeling up to being a decent human being and ending your relationship yourself? Well, you're in luck. For a measly $10 fee ($25 to end an engagement and $50 to initiate a divorce), Mr. Laborman will take it upon himself to call your significant other and break the news. He then uploads audio from the call to the IDUMP4U website, a "therapeutic" act, according to him.

3. Finally, a shout-out to Paul Chaney, the fabulous keynote speaker at the very successful inaugural Ottawa Web Marketing Club event yesterday morning. Check out his blog for some key insight into social media: The Social Media Handyman.