Around The WaterCooler

Compassionate Communications

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:01:00 +0000

Over the past few months we have seen several colleagues downsized from their organizations and if their experience is the norm, many corporations are doing a dreadful job of handling this common occurrence in today’s work world. It may be Senior Management that makes these decisions, and it may be HR’s job to handle the paper work but shouldn’t the communications plan for this unfortunate task be seen as a priority by Internal Communications. After all it will be our job to clean up the mess after the downsizing and deal with an unmotivated and potentially disloyal employee base. And we know that there is no one as vocal as an employee who has been treated merely as an employee number rather than as a human during this devastating transition.

"Never, never, never burn internal or external bridges," says Lawrence Stuenkel, senior partner of outplacement firm Lawrence& Allen. " Friendly downsizing goes beyond your company policy book. It is the small things you do that let people know you care about their wellbeing. Let them know you will help as much as possible in the transition phase. This helps both those leaving and those staying with the company."

Senior Executives, Direct Managers and Supervisors may handle the front line communications but we all know that they can often use a little coaching when it comes to delivering key messages. Don’t they receive assistance from Internal Comm. when it comes to delivering organizational strategy? Perhaps the Communications Plan should include training on team building, workplace communications, coping with change, stress management, and effectively coaching and mentoring subordinates in a changing work environment. After hearing that one colleague was never contacted by her direct supervisor during or after the traumatic news was delivered, it would appear that they should also be taught how to handle the process with kindness and compassion.

As Internal Communicators in today’s corporate world our workload is already bordering on the impossible. We could and should insist though, that this critical and final interaction between employer and employee is communicated as effectively, strategically and compassionately as possible.

Links:
Building Employee Trust After Downsizing
Effective Downsizing

Managing Christmas Chaos (& A Whole Lot More)

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:44:00 +0000

As the holiday season descends upon us, it feels like our busy lives just get busier. Between end-of-year project deadlines, Christmas gatherings and kids’ hockey games, there’s just so much to keep track of. Sometimes it seems like “The Age of Information” is just a phrase designed to put a positive spin on complete overload. With so many responsibilities to juggle, who among us hasn’t missed a key appointment or frantically scanned through old emails to find a name, phone number or date? Isn’t there a better way? With a free web tool called Nexo, we think we just may have found one.

Nexo is a collaborative project tool that allows you to create highly customized group websites. With a Nexo group, you can post and update attached documents (including Word and Excel), create discussion threads, share photos / videos and even create an interactive calendar. By allowing you to share information quickly and efficiently, Nexo can save you both time and headaches. Much like Facebook or LinkedIn, all content lives in cyberspace, meaning Nexo requires no software downloads or unusual system requirements.

As you may already know, project management software similar to Nexo has existed for years. Two things make this discovery distinct. The first is that rather then offering you access to an online group, Nexo gives you a personal account that in turn permits you to set-up as many groups as you’d like. This means you can potentially have access to Book Club discussions, PowerPoint for a work project and your daughter’s latest soccer schedule… all on one website. The second key difference is that Nexo is completely free. As we’ve mentioned previously, Social Media tools are usually only successful if a large number of people are using them. By making Nexo completely free, the creators have made it easier for early adapters (like yourself!) to form groups and invite friends, teammates and coworkers to join them.

If you can’t find time right now, make it your New Year’s Resolution to give Nexo a try! We think you might just be amazed by how easy Nexo groups are to customize and much the program simplifies the information management tasks you do daily, both on the job and in your free time. If you’re interested in learning more, we encourage you to start by watching this great video, which explains the concept behind Nexo and how it works (it also includes a pretty ridiculous impression of Lindsay Lohan). If that looks good to you, sign up and give it a try!

Links:
Nexo
Facebook
LinkedIn
Project Management Software - Wikipedia Article
Put the Social Back In Networking - Around The WaterCooler
Nexo Demo Video

Honk If You're Engaged!

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:19:00 +0000

Before you read any further, we need you to watch this youtube video! Just in case you’re on dial-up (or your workplace blocks youtube, facebook and weather network stories that use the phrase ‘warm front’), we’ll briefly go over the details. Basically, the video follows two young artists, Vincent Fichard and Matthew Jones, as they create a series of custom road signs in Dubai and videotape the public response. What makes their project so captivating are the signs’ contents. Rather than offering up traditional traffic information, the signs ask a driver to “beep your horn if you’re in love”, or go around a roundabout “…twice if you’re happy”. To us, there’s something truly magical about the whole thing.

As you may have already guessed, we couldn’t help but see a connection to business communications in all of this. As communicators, we’ve continually stressed the importance of stakeholder engagement. Many organizations are trying to become more effective and engagement seems like it just might be the magic bullet they’ve been looking for. Communicators often see engagement as the simple means to an end... If employees are engaged in their careers, it will lead to higher performance and eventually positively impact business outcomes.

Watching the video, it occurred to us that engagement could potentially be an end in and of itself. Noticing that the drivers in the clip eagerly responded to the road signs (even to more downbeat messages, like “flash your lights if you’re broke”), we immediately thought of Abraham Maslow and his famous Hierarchy of Needs. When covering the universal desire for esteem, Maslow spoke about the need to be consulted, heard and respected by friends and colleagues. This is the very essence of a good stakeholder engagement policy. While engagement is certainly a big part of a larger strategy for business effectiveness, watching this video brought us back to a simpler truth. Stakeholder engagement should always be a priority for our organizations because, in the end, engagement satisfies a basic human need. Practically speaking, perhaps we all need to ask ourselves if our communications campaigns include two-way dialogue to ensure that stakeholders have been heard. As we learned from the Dubai experiment, we all need to occasionally honk our horns!

Links:
Go Around Twice If You're Happy - Youtube Video
Youtube
Facebook
No More Mr. Nice Guy - Around The WaterCooler
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Wikipedia Article

See You On The Picket Line

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:15:00 +0000

Watching the Writers Guild of America start strike action this week drives home just how many people are affected by emerging new media. And while we are not a union shop, thank goodness, we can’t help but feel for the writers union and their demands. “There has to be a broader understanding that we're [striking] to ensure our ability to earn a living in the future. If New Media is not part of our compensation, we'll be unable to make a living" says Matt Lazarus, strike captain. Internal Communicators feel their pain. When you add a variety of new applications to the communications strategy, you need the budget and the talent to reflect the change.

As Internal Communicators our roles have recently expanded to include the development and management of a wealth of new tools: intranets, extranets, podcasts, wikis and blogs to name a few, in addition to the traditional mix. Progress is a great thing, and new media adds a great deal to the employee dialogue. That said, you can’t take content for a newsletter and force it into an intranet portal and you can’t necessarily expect a newsletter editor to know how to create a wiki. Each unique vehicle requires targeted content to engage its audience and the people to support it.

We support our friends in LA who are merely trying to negotiate a changing landscape and ensure that budgets fairly reflect the contribution required.

Links:
Wikipedia Entry on Writers Guild of America
You Tube Piece on Writers' Demands

Mirror, Mirror.

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:32:00 +0000

In August, WaterCooler Inc. held our always-boisterous offsite meeting in rural Ontario to discuss emerging communication trends and technology. While at “The Farm”, debate got heated, wine was consumed and sleep was somewhat overlooked. Still, it was at this meeting that we first discussed the Fly Pen, MMP and a number of ideas that have kept us energized since. While Around The WaterCooler has allowed us to share a few of these discoveries with you, there are still a number of topics we have yet to mention. Perhaps one of our favourites is a concept that we refer to as The Window and the Mirror.

In a nutshell, this theory proposes that in the electronic age of media personalization, we are losing meaningful perspective. With so much of our information streaming in via opinionated Blogs / RSS Feeds, surprisingly likeminded friends and TV channels like Fox News, biases that may have once been questioned now often remain unchallenged. Today’s technology gives us unparalleled access to information and the ability to understand issues from a number of perspectives. In practice however, too many of us are squandering this opportunity by instead seeking out information that reinforces the opinions we already have. Towards the end of the discussion, one participant nicely summarized the issue: “I see what you’re saying… We used to think of the media as a window, but these days, they’re really much more like a mirror”.

We couldn’t help but see a connection to Business Communications in this discussion. There is increasing chatter among communicators about the importance of Audience and Message Segmentation. This makes sense; not only will certain channels be more appropriate for specific stakeholder groups, but various segments within your organizations will also require differing degrees of information. Still, we think it’s important to apply the lesson learned in The Window and the Mirror. Where we do segment our audiences (or messages), we need to be sure that employees retain the ability to see the issues from another department’s perspective and that they also develop a line-of-sight understanding of why the issues are important to the Organization’s business objectives.

Links:
WaterCooler Inc. Website
Digital Stationery - Around The WaterCooler
Word Choice, Channel Standards and Ontario's "Big Decision" - Around the WaterCooler
The ABC's of RSS - Around the WaterCooler
Fox News Internal Memo - The Huffington Post
Mastering Audience Segmentation Report - Melcrum

Our Bad Decision (Or Their Bad Communication)?

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:44:00 +0000

Just as we predicted, it looks like the Government spent almost $7 million dollars and still got it wrong! It’s been about three weeks since Ontario’s Electoral Referendum and the overwhelming defeat of the MMP option. While some media have called this outcome ‘the will of the people’, we’re not sure we agree. According to a theory being espoused by both George Thomson, Government-appointed Chair of the Citizens Assembly as well as the Institute for Social Research at York University, poor communications may be the true reason for MMP’s defeat.

We’re strongly swayed by Mr. Thomson’s argument that the Government seemed almost afraid to educate voters on their choices. He points out that the Province did not adequately distribute available Referendum information, including a 27-page recommendation report that the Government itself had commissioned. Mr. Thomson also maintains that the Your Big Decision communications should have included a critical look at the alternatives, instead of forcing “…others to foster discussion about how the different elements would work in practice, and to debate the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system.”

The Institute’s scientific look at the Referendum is even more convincing. Studying voter attitudes, the Institute learned that most Ontarians oppose the “artificial” seat majorities that often form the Government in our current system and feel quite favorably about the idea of casting two votes. According to the Institute, this public sentiment did not translate to votes because Ontarians simply didn’t fully comprehend the MMP alternative and the role of the Citizens Assembly. To test this theory, the Institute simulated a new Referendum in which voters understood more about the Citizens Assembly and the pros / cons of the MMP option. Under these conditions, MMP would have won a dramatic victory, claiming an estimated 63% of the vote.

We hope that the Ontario Government is carefully assessing their Referendum communications strategy. In our original Blog entry, we took the Government to task on word choice and channel standards, but one cannot underestimate the importance of content. To us, it seems that in an effort to appear neutral, the Your Big Decision communications failed to give Ontarians the basic information they required to cast an educated vote.

Links:
Word Choice, Channel Standards and Ontario's "Big Decision" - Around the WaterCooler
Elections Ontario Website (Formerly Your Big Decision)
Ottawa Citizen Article on MMP Defeat
Toronto Star Commentary By George Thomson
Why Ontarians Said No To MMP - Liberals For Electoral Reform Blog

No More Mr. Nice Guy

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:41:00 +0000

One of the greatest challenges we encounter as internal communicators is to get leadership to take what we do seriously. When people hear what we do for a living they relegate us to the “nice” category… you know that place where child-care workers, music teachers and social workers dwell. Well enough already. Internal communications is finally coming into its own and study after study proves its merits. A recent article in the Careers section of the Globe and Mail by Sue Shellenbarger caught our attention with a sub head that read, Employers are seeing the light: engaged workers are good for the bottom line. Damn right they are and it’s time that more leadership did something about it.

Perhaps the ever-present chatter in the news about the looming shortage in the labour pool is getting through because slowly some are starting to pay some attention. Shellenbarger’s article speaks about several companies who saw the light and did something about it. Still according to a recent Towers Perrin study only 23% of Canadian workers are currently engaged at work. That number should scare more companies into action. When addressing the study, Canadian Business Magazine recently quoted a Towers Perrin principal “You can’t hire or buy an engaged workforce – only leadership can build it.” To be good internal communicators we need to help leadership do just that. Another study done by Hewitt Associates found that “increases in employee engagement clearly preceded improvements in financial performance. Even among companies with below-average profit, an upturn in employee attitudes tended to precede a profit turnaround.” Let’s stop being relegated to the “nice” category and show everybody that what we do is actually help businesses make money.

Links:
"Work-life balance? It's working" - The Globe and Mail
Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study
Article on Global Workforce Study - Canadian Business Magazine
Employee Engagement Study - Hewitt Associates

We're Lovin It

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:59:00 +0000

While attending the recent IABC 2007 Employee Communications Summit in Chicago, we got something that we didn’t anticipate, candor. It is not that you expect presenters at these things to play it totally safe, but you don’t really expect them to speak from the gut and confess that their companies aren’t using the latest technologies or are doing things that wiser men would consider foolish. But this was exactly what a couple of speakers did and we were in awe.

Emily Brodeur, head of global internal communications for JP Morgan, was an incredibly engaging speaker, shaking us out of our late-morning malaise by professing that her organization got the biggest return on their internal communications spend through the purchase of bagels. That’s right bagels! Now we are talking about one of the world’s leading investment banks, you know all high tech, fast talking and glitzy. But Emily’s point was that one of the most effective forms of management communications for her organization was simply providing a forum for people to sit down and talk face-to-face and really listen to each other. We all know that face-to-face works but we seem to get caught up in all of the latest and greatest and often forget to insist on the basics in our programs.

There has been so much talk lately of utilizing the power of social networks to engage employees with the brand and with each other, but frankly folks, who was going to be able to convince their CEO that using this technology was really a good and responsible corporate move? Richard Ellis, vice president of McDonald’s USA, that’s who. We have been long-time fans of the man, so perhaps we’re biased, but we are so impressed that a company with two million employees sees the value in the tool and has the courage to put it into practice. They are not naive, they know that allowing a group of teenagers to chatter amongst themselves could be a nightmare for the company, but it could also be the perfect tool to bring together an international group and engage them around their common work experience and the brand. Perhaps it will even be the glue that keeps them at McDonald’s and promotes employee retention. McDonald’s is testing it in several markets currently, and if successful will hope to roll it out swiftly. We certainly applaud the move and say, “Bravo McDonalds!”

Surprisingly the two speakers were coming from opposite ends of the communications spectrum, one espousing budget spend on high tech and the other on high touch. One going with an old, perhaps even considered outdated concept and the other prepared to try something truly risky and unproven as a corporate communications tool. And they are both so bang on for their specific audiences. Sometimes when you just know your stuff, you are not afraid to talk about it.

Links:
IABC 2007 Employee Communications Summit Agenda
JP Morgan Website
The Value of Face-To-Face Communications - Around The WaterCooler
McDonald’s USA Website

The ABC's of RSS

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:30:00 +0000

It can be difficult to stay abreast of and completely comprehend emerging communication tools. As one of our colleagues pointed out recently, if you don’t educate yourself on a trend quite early, it becomes almost unmentionable to admit you haven’t mastered it. In the interests of lifting this taboo, we have a confession. Until we recently researched it, one of the tools we found particularly confusing was RSS. RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is an application used to publish (or access) frequently updated online content, including Websites, Blogs and Podcasts. In a nutshell, RSS can be used to dramatically simplify the searching and scrounging involved in staying aware of specific trends and topics.

The key element you’ll need to harness the potential of this technology is some kind of RSS reader. Having sampled a few, we highly recommend Google Reader. After creating a Google Reader account (if you already have a Google or Gmail account, you can simply sign in using your password), click on Browse to access any number of subscription News and Blog feeds. Once you have subscribed, the most recent articles or Blog entries from each media source will automatically upload to your Google Reader, allowing you to effortlessly stay on top of Social Media developments, Corporate Communications theories or any other topic you’re passionate about! Keep in mind that media that offer significant online content (including Blogs, Newspapers, Magazines and TV Networks) also tend to post RSS feeds. Once you have a Google Reader account, click on the RSS Icon (this may be an orange square containing a white spectrum or simply a click-through labeled RSS) on the webpage you’d like to add and follow the instructions. Fortune Magazine, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star all offer this service, as do a number of prominent Blogs (including ours)!

Though RSS has a number of significant benefits, beginning with efficient and personalized access to updated information, we’d be remiss it we didn’t cover some of the potential pratfalls of the technology. Perhaps the most common problem associated with RSS is information overload. The best way to avoid being overwhelmed by RSS updates is check your Google Reader account often, unsubscribe to feeds you find tedious and use Google’s ‘Mark as read’ button to ensure old content is no longer presented as new.

RSS may not actually be ‘really simple’ to get started on, but it is certainly an information search tool worth examining. As a professional communicator, a RSS reader can help you more efficiently access the information you need to stay current and informed.

Links:
RSS - A Definition
Google Reader
Google
Gmail
Celebrity gossip - Just for the fun of it!
Fortune Magazine RSS Feeds
The Globe and Mail RSS Feeds
The Toronto Star RSS Feeds

Word Choice, Channel Standards and Ontario’s “Big Decision”

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:46:00 +0000

Wednesday, October 10th is Election and Referendum Day in Ontario. Branded as Your Big Decision, Government communications have been designed to educate voters on their Referendum choices. Official Government data reveals that almost $7 Million Dollars have been allocated to educate voters on the Referendum. Given that we rarely have the luxury of such generous budgets, the team at WaterCooler thought that this would be a great opportunity to look at the communications campaign and see what we can learn.

Our most immediate concern was the campaign’s name. On hearing the term “Your Big Decision”, our team had some very different reactions. A senior associate thought that this name made sense.... Because a “Big Decision” has wide-reaching implications, she felt this name would encourage voters to shake their apathy and learn more about their choices. Conversely, a younger member of our team thought that a “Big Decision” sounded like a daunting choice in which no outcome was ideal. He called the name a Governmental misstep, saying that “Your Big Decision” seemed to promote a complex choice by highlighting just how overwhelming it would be to make your selection. Consulting with a few colleagues, we quickly noticed that everyone we spoke to under the age of 30 agreed that the campaign name had negative connotations. It’s not hard to see how this is relevant to us as communicators. When launching a campaign to multigenerational audiences, the specific words chosen are clearly just as important as the message, the channels or any other element.

Reading the press release that outlined the full scope of the Your Big Decision promotional campaign, we were impressed. While a number of traditional media were utilized, communications also included a website, a downloadable Referendum web link / widget, a presence on Facebook and a Youtube video. However, we had a mixed reaction to how the specific tools were used. The Government’s Facebook site was an unmistakable success. Because the Referendum’s Facebook group was left completely open to user participation, neutral Government content quickly took a backseat to voter opinion, as group members energized the page with new discuss threads, videos and heated postings on their personal preference. The Referendum’s YouTube Video was far less successful. Void of sound, video and even full colour, the clip feels more like a clumsy afterthought then a targeted strategic campaign element. When compared to dynamic Referendum videos like the Citizens Assembly offering, it’s clear that the Government missed the mark. When using Social Media, content that fails to meet channel standards and engage the audience just doesn’t work.

The Government's experience with the Your Big Decision campaign has important implications for communicators launching a campaign to a multigenerational audience. Regardless of the channels used, we need to ensure the key messages are relevant to all audiences. If we decide to utilize Social Networking tools as a part of the campaign, we need to ensure that they are used appropriately and engage the specific users that are targeted. Now that we have that figured out, bring on the $7 Million Dollar Budgets!!

Links:
www.yourbigdecision.com
Elections Canada Projected Costs PDF
www.yourbigdecision.com/widget
Your Big Decision on Facebook
Your Big Decision on Youtube
Ontario Citizens Assembly on Youtube

Digital Stationery

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:17:00 +0000

While at a Starbucks coffeehouse recently, it immediately caught our attention when a father and his two well-behaved children appeared to be quietly enjoying a drink together. When we looked a little closer, we realized that the children were incredibly busy playing with a very unusual pen, labeled Fly. Returning to the office, we needed to learn more.

As it turns out, Fly is one of the earlier uses of a digital pen, a phenomenon we have read about for years but had yet to actually see in use. When used in conjunction with Fly Paper (a type of uniquely patterned digital paper), Fly allows children to automatically set reminders for homework assignments and after school appointments, just by printing them out by hand (Fly sounds out a reminder alarm to ensure the homework / appointment isn’t later forgotten). Fly Fusion, a more advanced program for teens, also allows users to print their classroom notes by hand, then effortlessly convert the information to digital type in a MS Word document.

While Fly and Fly Fusion are designed for younger people, they have obvious implications for those of us who are a bit older. As this technology takes root in the workplace, it should mean that less time is wasted transcribing information to digital form (this is particularly significant for fields like health care, where transcription has long been a fact of life). Digital paper also represents a potentially valuable time saver for writers, lawyers and any professional who simply prefers the written word to typing at a computer.

While digital paper is still in its infancy, there are a few manufactures (including Maxell and Logitech) that have developed the technology for business use. If you decide to give one a try, please let us know how you like it!

Links:
www.flypentop.com/view/page.home/home
www.flyworld.com/
www.maxell.co.jp/e/products/industrial/digitalpen/
www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/digital_pen/devices/408&cl=ca,en

Put the Social back in Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:26:00 +0000

It seems you can’t open a magazine or newspaper these days without reading about Facebook or another kind of Social Networking Website. In the last month alone, we’ve read articles on Facebook in Time, Newsweek and The New York Times.

While the attention that Social Networking Sites are enjoying is unprecedented, we still think people enjoy actually getting out and meeting people, here in the real world.

This is where Imity (utilizing Bluetooth technology) comes in. If you have a relatively new cellphone, pda or laptop, you’ve probably have access to a free wireless communications grid known as Bluetooth. Bluetooth is designed to allow you to quickly and wirelessly exchange information between these devices through short-wave radio signals.

While its intended use is undeniably impressive, the creative minds at Imity have developed an alternative use for Bluetooth that may prove more significant. Imagine attending an Industry function or Networking Event where your cellphone or blackberry makes the introductions for you. With Imity, this is a reality. To begin, you upload your own profile, including your personal interests to Imity. Then, whether you’re out and about or sitting in session at a conference, your personal device will alert you if someone nearby (within about 30 feet) shares one of your interests. You can then use your laptop (or another portable device) to learn more about them, or simply cut out the middleman by walking up to them and saying “Hello”.

Like all Social Networking Programs, Imity only really works if people use it. That said, we’ve installed it and recommend you give it a try. Just ask yourself: How much more often will I spark up conversation with a complete stranger if I know in advance that we have something to talk about?

Links:
www.facebook.com
www.imity.com

The Value of Face-To-Face Communications

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 03:49:00 +0000

A few months back, the WaterCooler Team joined one of our clients for an IABC Sponsored Breakfast Seminar. The speaker at this meeting was Dr. TJ Larkin, a New York City based Communications expert. Dr. Larkin (alongside his silent partner/wife Sandar) captivated the room with a fascinating (and at times theatrical) presentation on the ongoing relevance of face-to-face communications.

COMMUNICATING BIG CHANGE: Using Small Communication, the 72-page report that formed the basis for the presentation we saw, is currently available for free download on the Larkin website. If you can clear a few hours off of your schedule, we highly recommend giving it a read. In the report, Dr. Larkin makes the case that face-to-face communication is preferred by employees, best for overcoming employee resistance and most effective for communicating particularly large corporate changes. The report also outlines Larkin’s theory that large organizations must communicate as much as possible throughout the change, not just following a major decision or announcement. Give it a read and let us know what you think!

Links:
http://www.larkin.biz/publications

Easter Egg Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:12:00 +0000

Have you heard about Easter Eggs? They came to our attention not too long ago when a colleague of ours pointed out some great hidden features on the DVD for Lost - Season 2. Easter Eggs are defined as hidden messages and features in media including movies, books, CDs, DVDs and computer programs. They typically exist to entertain and reward curious and engaged users. A few better-known examples of Easter Eggs include secret tracks on audio CDs (such as Counting Crow’s Big Yellow Taxi) and “Hidden Mickeys” in Disney Theme Parks.

The Lost DVD got us thinking: If Hollywood can use Easter Eggs to encourage and reward engaged consumers, why can’t we do the same as communicators? We found the opportunity a few months later when we were sending out teaser emails for a themed-offsite client meeting. To generate some early grapevine buzz, one of the emails contained extra information, which we hid in plain sight by bolding certain letters that spelled out a hidden communication. The employees who deciphered this message learned a few new details about the Event, which they eagerly shared with everyone who would listen!

While Easter Eggs probably don’t make sense for conveying key information, they are a great way to generate excitement and encourage engagement, especially in situations where you may have previously used a teaser campaign.

Links:
http://hiddensongs.com
www.hiddenmickeys.org
www.eegs.com

Google SMS

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 23:22:00 +0000

In this digital age, it’s amazing what you can come across when you get lost in the web. Searching up some information the other day, we accidentally stumbled upon a new service called Google SMS (Short Message Service – or as we call it in North America, Text Messaging). Basically, Google is beta testing a new service that allows you to search for information like business listings, driving directions, movie listings and other queries via your cell phone! It’s currently free (you just pay whatever your cell provider charges you for texting) and seems to be capable of some pretty amazing stuff.

To give it a try, send one of the following text messages to googl (46645):

Toronto Weather

Canyon Creek Mississauga

movie: M5R 1V2

700 cad in usd

Links:
www.google.ca/sms

Welcome to our Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Around The WaterCooler) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 22:33:00 +0000

Thanks for visiting Around The WaterCooler, WaterCooler Inc.'s new Communications Blog.

At WaterCooler, we believe that two-way dialogue has the power to act as a filter to make communication stronger. We also practice what we preach, so please feel free to leave us your feedback on any posting in the comment box provided!

For more information on WaterCooler, please visit us at www.watercoolerinc.ca