Amber Mac

Hope that everyone is having a wonderful 2009.  Yesterday we launched a new commandN website, which allows us to show off our videos in a better way and it also allows us to focus on building up our community (using tools like Facebook Connect and Wordpress - am loving them both).  I've posted Episode #163 here, so check it out (don't forget to watch until the very end when our dear friend Will gets attacked!). 

January 6th, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)

I suppose I should be writing about my New Year's Resolutions for 2009, but I don't have 'em nailed down just yet.  I could also write about my plans for this year, but I'd prefer to make those plans a surprise ;-).  And, so, in the interest of being brief, here are my top 9 links for the first day of 2009.  Happy New Year - and thanks for visiting me here!

1.  FirstFollow on Twitter - if you're on the world's most talked about microblogging site, find out anyone's first-follow.

2.  PCMag's Top 20 Podcasts to Download in 2008 - commandN and TWiT made the list, among many other great (FREE!) shows

3.  five.sentenc.es - The solution to all your email problem (thx Deepak!)

4.  soup.io - "A super-easy tumblelog" for anyone too busy to blog -  (thx Leo!)

5.  Merlin Mann is the Man - My favourite quote about blogging

6.  Scrivener - amazing (Mac) writing software (thx Rahaf!)

7.  decabled - My brother Jeff's new blog about cutting the cable cord once and for all

8.  QR Codes - Make your own, just like commandN (thx Chris!)

9.  Twply missed the boat - the first company to spam Twitter users in the new year.  Great concept, bad marketing move

January 1st, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (7)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Toronto (well, beginning might be the understatement of the year!).  We have a lot of snow, and it doesn't look as though it's going to stop any time soon.  Before the big holiday, I wanted to thank the commandN team (Jeff, Chris, Will, Rahaf, and, of course, Mikey) for joining together for another year of great shows.  On this episode we also feature some local tech (and non-tech) personalities, including Leila, Mark, Rannie, Greg, and many others, and Jeff has some free festive media links.  

Hope that everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday season.  We're looking forward to talking more tech and social media in 2009! 

December 23rd, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)

I'm sitting in the lounge at the Winnipeg airport, just finished my last Keynote of 2008!  Since the fall of 2007, I've been working exclusively with The Lavin Agency as a speaker and, needless to say, they've kept me very busy.  From talking about the Do's and Don'ts of Social Media to Building Customer Loyalty on the Web, it's been an immersive year of learning and sharing.

After dozens of new cities, wonderful event hosts, and bad airplane food, I figured it might be time to write a post about my experiences (OK, who I am kidding, this blog post comes thanks to much prodding from my Twitter friends).

Here's is a pic of me taken with fellow Keynote Speaker David Warlick at an Education 2.0 event last week in London (thx Doug!)

THE DECK - Keep it fresh
When I first started doing Keynote speeches, I was constantly scrambling to create that one presentation that would really knock the socks off an audience (whether I was speaking to 10 people or 1,000).  But what I've realized over time is that it's critical for me to update my slides based on the audience that will sit in front of me.  Sounds like a pretty obvious concept, one that becomes more apparent over time (also, in the web world, trends change too quickly to rely on one deck).  Since I've spoken to such varied groups, from teams of probiotic scientists, oil engineers, and all-grades educators, I strive to find specific social media examples that will be relevant to each crowd.  This usually means I spend a lot of time researching new Web 2.0 trends, videos, articles, and tips online (with lots of help from my social networking communities and my partner in crime, Chris).

THE CONTENT - Keep it moving
Earlier this year, I consulted with Tony Robbins and worked at his events on behalf of my company MGImedia (we were helping him to launch a social network, which is still in the works).  I feel very fortunate to have experienced how Tony approaches his work, from backstage to on-stage to sitting in the audience.  What I've learned is that it's critical to keep your energy up on stage.  It's also important to engage an audience, which often means bringing people up on stage (which I do on a regular basis, so watch out!).  Tony also uses a lot of music and videos during his events, something that I try to incorporate in every single talk I do.  Just like people are opting to shift away from passive television viewing to active Internet participation, I believe event audiences want to actively taking part in each presentation they attend.

QUESTION PERIOD - Be prepared
My favourite part of speaking to small and big audiences is the question and answer period that follows each presentation.  This is valuable time to really connect with your audience, which often means having specific examples on hand to answer any question that might come your way.  I also think it's important during this time to have a pen and paper on hand, just in case you can't answer a question on the spot you definitely want to follow up with the person sending the stumper your way.

BEFORE AND AFTER - Be present
After interviewing author Don Tapscott, I am constantly reminded that in order to teach you must also listen.  I try to participate in all casual gatherings before and after I speak at events.  This time is really precious for me because I get a chance to hear about specific challenges an industry faces, and I often get wonderful examples of how individuals and organizations in a specific industry are already experimenting (successfully and unsuccessfully) with social media. 

On the topic of public speaking, there are hundreds of books and even more blog posts on the subject.  In other words, presentation advice comes in all shapes and sizes.  The best advice I can give is to know your "stuff" inside out and focus on thinking about how you can truly educate your audiences.  If you're fearful about getting up in front of a big crowd of people, practice your presentation in front of a mirror over and over again.  It sounds silly, but it can definitely help.

If anyone else has advice, by all means leave a post here on my blog.  Looking forward to more Keynotes in 2009, more wonderful event hosts, and (well, not so much) more bad plane food!

December 16th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (8)

After reviewing hundreds of gadgets over the past few years, I'm pretty sure that I can figure out how most of them work.  For me, the true test is when I pass a tech toy off to my Dad to see how it works for him.

XM Canada recently sent 25 Canadian bloggers their new XMp3 player (built by Pioneer) to test out.  While I initially got the device working at my home in Toronto, I brought it down to Florida this past week to send it on a journey with my father.  (FYI - my brother Jeff also reviewed this gadget on a recent episode of commandN).

THE PROS

• The 100+ channels offer up good variety for all listeners, whether you like Elvis or sports programming or public radio
• The device is quite small, so it fits well in the palm of your hand (only 3.1 ounces)
  
• One-touch record option is very handy (I recorded hours of Elvis tunes for my folks)
• Setting up the radio service (which costs approx. $160/year) is a cinch
  

 THE CONS

• Reception is not always solid when you're on the go (back home in Toronto, it became pretty apparent that you don't want to do a lot of walking with the player - unless you're listening to recorded radio)
• Device needs a hold button, so that you don't hit the stubby controls (my Dad took the gadget, with some recorded music, for a walk, but putting it in a pocket is a recipe for disaster)
  
• Software is Windows-only (our family is full of Mac-only users, so this was one downside)

The way the XMp3 player is working best is when it's sitting in its home adaptor (kit is $69.99) and acting as a home radio.  But unlike your average home radio, you can bring this gadget anywhere you go (in the car, to the cottage, on business travel, etc.). 

For Canadians who want to buy one of these devices, XM is offering a FREE 2GB SD Card and a $50 service credit (until January 31st, 2009).  If you love satellite radio (and can afford the "start-up" costs), I'd definitely recommend the XMp3 Player.

December 4th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)

1.  Check out Canadian Voices on Copyright Law - a 47-minute free online documentary from Michael Geist and friends

2.  Vote for Canada's Most Influential Woman in Social Media

3.  View the weather in my part of Florida yesterday - a very cool timelapse, shot by Chris Dick with music from Brad Sucks

4.  Read Why Nothing says Democracy Like 1,176 Comments - an article by Mathew Ingram

5.  Watch your tech news of the week - check out the latest episode of commandN below (from Central FL!).  Although I don't mind shooting outside during the winter months, I will not complain about the southern sunshine.

December 1st, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you're a Star Wars fan, check out the interview we did with Corey Vidal (Star Wars A Capella) on the lastest episode of commandN.  While Corey did not write the song, he did a superb job lip-syncing the tribute to John Williams (originally written by Moosebutter).  Much thanks to Corey for letting us invade his home last week before he hopped on a plane to the YouTube live party in San Francisco. 

November 24th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

OK, I'll admit it.  It's Saturday night and I'm watching the YouTube Live Webcast (featuring a slew of famous video-makers on the world's number one video-sharing site).  While watching the stream, I'm reminded of the day that I reviewed YouTube with Leo Laporte on Call for Help/G4TechTV.  Little did I know that this "new" site would become so important in the evolution of the Internet.  While the segment was only three years back, it's hilarious to watch us talk about YouTube with such raw excitement.  Much thanks to YouTube co-founder Steve Chen for posting this video.  OK, back to the show.  Enjoy the embed!

November 22nd, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)

We shot this week's episode from the wonderful city of London, ON (I was speaking there to a group of scientists who study probiotics and prebiotics, just fascinating...I will never look at yogurt the same way).  Jeff did a helpful segment on Blu-ray 101, all you need to know to get started.  For links, go to commandN.tv.  See you soon! 

November 18th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

My friend Danny, who lives in LA, just emailed me to say he saw my mug, Photoshopped and non-Photoshopped, on SoCal News in Los Angeles while he was working out.  Although I've known him for 20 years, I immediately thought he was probably just dehydrated and hallucinating.  But, funny enough, it is true.  Reporter Krista D'Angelo did a story about "Love Your Body Day" and used a before and after photo I showed off on a TV show I was hosting in 2007 (and subsequently posted on my blog).  

I find the whole photo inclusion very entertaining.  For one thing, it's just odd that I found out about it (while living thousands of miles away).  It's also somewhat ironic that they are showing my before and after photo as an example of pics Photoshopped in a magazine, but in fact I volunteered for that pic as a TV news reporter trying to show off exactly what D'Angelo is talking about in her story.  Ah, the tangled web.

November 12th, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)