MetroCascade Victoria

Catherine Novak

Why Conversation, not Content, is King
Catherine Novak on Tue 27 Jul 2010 at 1:41 PM
"Conversation is King, content is just something to talk about.”  Oh, how I wish I were the person who coined that phrase.  That credit goes to author and activist Cory Doctorow, and I read it in C
Big Thinkers, Clay Shirky, communication, conversation, Cory Doctorow ...all
Topics: business

I'm baaack!
Catherine Novak on Fri 23 Jul 2010 at 1:47 PM
When it's been well over two hundred days since your last post, does that mean your blog's been abandoned?  Not always.  I've got a ton of ideas running through my mind, and it's time to put some of
Blogging about blogging, Where Work meets Life, blogs, social media
Topics: business

Just putting in a Google tool…
Catherine Novak on Mon 07 Dec 2009 at 2:47 PM
Google has tools through Webmaster Central that you have to insert some code to activate.  So the link in this post contains that code.  Not a very exciting post yet, but who knows - maybe I'll learn
Social Media How-Tos
Topics: business

Email Newsletter or Feedburner?
Catherine Novak on Tue 27 Oct 2009 at 7:14 PM
Today I took a leap of faith and decided to hook this site up to Feedburner. You'll see the results of my 5 minutes of hard work just to the right of this post - it's that nifty little subscribe box.
Blogging about blogging, Small business communications
Topics: business

Twitter, Tweetups and meeting in Real Life
Catherine Novak on Fri 16 Oct 2009 at 4:03 AM
Thanks to Shaw's "The Daily” for producing this first-rate piece about the Twitter Community in Victoria BC, which we know fondly as #yyj. I see all kinds of great Tweeters in this video including D
Social Media How-Tos
Topics: business

Victoria Twestival Sept 11 - I Got My Tickets
Catherine Novak on Fri 04 Sep 2009 at 8:44 PM
I said in my last post that the Twestival deserves a post of its own - here's why: It's supports a wonderful local charity: Power To Be.  Kids with disabilities deserve to get out and try new things,
Topics: business

Social Media Club Benefits Victoria's Online Community
Catherine Novak on Mon 31 Aug 2009 at 2:42 PM
Here's a comment I posted to my friend Raul Pacheco-Vega's blog, Hummingbird604. He was asking for some more opportunities for the Vancouver online community to discuss at a deeper level the many issue
Topics: business

Retweet - the "rules” for passing on great info on Twitter
Catherine Novak on Thu 20 Aug 2009 at 12:17 PM
Twitter has a few "special powers” as social media. In particular, it's a powerful grapevine, thanks to the evolution of the beloved "retweet”, also known as RT. But how does a retweet work? Wher
Topics: business

Guest Post: More Than Words
Catherine Novak on Sat 08 Aug 2009 at 2:36 PM
Catherine's note: before I met Mike Williams of www.coastalclicks.com I'd hear the words "pay per click” and my eyes would glaze over.  It's one aspect of on-line marketing I figured I just didn't n
Topics: business

Scoopville - a Social Media Analogy
Catherine Novak on Wed 05 Aug 2009 at 7:02 PM
Interesting!  Lee LeFever of CommonCraft.com produced this video which compares ice cream to social media.  Anything that uses an ice-cream metaphor gets my attention, and I think he's brought some f
Topics: business

Striving for Balance? Why not try harmony instead?
Catherine Novak on Mon 03 Aug 2009 at 12:31 PM
Here we are on a long weekend in Victoria BC, which is currently boasting the world's best weather, and I want to finish a lot of writing commitments in the next couple of days.  In fact, I've been wo
Topics: business

annoying little technorati code - disregard!
Catherine Novak on Thu 30 Jul 2009 at 7:06 PM
kaqf869t42
Topics: business

The 3 blogging rules I break, and why you really shouldn't
Catherine Novak on Mon 27 Jul 2009 at 4:54 PM
Wow - it's been far too long since I've posted to my blog - three weeks at least!  That breaks one of the blogging rules I set for my clients, and there are more that I break as well.  Here are the t
Topics: business

You're on Twitter - now who do you follow?*
Catherine Novak on Fri 03 Jul 2009 at 7:27 PM
You know what the biggest challenge is for brand-new Twitter users?  It's not finding things to say - anyone who has wandered into a room and said to themselves aloud "Now what am I doing here?” kno
Topics: business

The Web is Us/ing Us - check this video
Catherine Novak on Mon 15 Jun 2009 at 8:13 PM
Oh wow, I think I have found another excellent teacher of web/cultural anthropology topics.  His name is Michael Wesch, and he teaches Digital Ethnography at Kansas State University.  Makes me wish I
Topics: business

For Victoria Tweeps - Locals to Follow
Catherine Novak on Fri 12 Jun 2009 at 9:32 AM
Well, here it is: Follow Friday. Or as I should write it, #followfriday or even #ff. If you are new to Twitter, Follow Friday is both a blessing and a curse, because really - the fun doesn't start un
Topics: business

Teaching Social Media - in Person and in Print
Catherine Novak on Wed 10 Jun 2009 at 10:51 AM
What a day Im having!  I just finished a teleconference with the Womens Enterprise Centre, on a panel discussion with Tamara Brooks of October17media.com.  Of course, the topic was Using Social Media
Topics: business

The Shoal Point Tweetup - what happened
Catherine Novak on Fri 15 May 2009 at 10:42 AM
I have to type this quickly because I am out the door in ten minutes.  Never been a news blogger till now Around Tuesday, people started discussing a tweetup for Friday morning at the Shoal Point Mo
Topics: business

Testimonial Page time - woo hoo!
Catherine Novak on Thu 14 May 2009 at 10:26 PM
Have I said lately how much I love my work? Today has been a 20-hour marathon, and most of that was work. But it was a total joy, and coming home this evening after working out with my sweetheart, I g
Topics: business

Good social media advice, wrapped up in a review
Catherine Novak on Tue 12 May 2009 at 4:07 PM
Right now Im using a very nifty tool I found on another blog, called Reblog It!, and made by Zemanta. They say its the easiest way to report interesting stuff to your blog - and I love practising on my
Topics: business

Autofollow: Off! I’m putting my social media on “Manual”
Catherine Novak on Wed 06 May 2009 at 2:42 PM
Let me start by saying that I LOVE to connect with people. Last month, when I blogged about culling my Twitter list, I really meant it when I said I hate breaking up with people. It seemed natural to
Topics: business

My blog has moved
Catherine Novak on Wed 22 Apr 2009 at 6:27 PM
Well, this is both sad and happy news.  Only Connect, my first successful blog - in that Ive actually managed to keep it up and its attracted a small following - is moving. Youll find me blogging abou
Topics: business

Wanted: Interactive Social Media Communicators
Catherine Novak on Wed 22 Apr 2009 at 12:24 PM
How do you get started on Twitter?  Alexandra Samuel, of Social Signal in Vancouver, had an idea, which she turned into a really fun post: a Twitter starter kit, so to speak.  With her tongue firmly
Topics: business

Blogging and Branding
Catherine Novak on Fri 17 Apr 2009 at 3:42 PM
This week, my blog and my website have been united at wordspring.ca. For me, thats pretty exciting! I like blogging on a domain thats all my own, and that includes pages as well as posts. Some web st
Topics: business

The Twitter Cull is On…
Catherine Novak on Fri 10 Apr 2009 at 6:08 PM
Oh, how this hurts.  I hate breaking up with people. I am going through my following list on Twitter, and deleting one name after another. This involves reviewing my list, avatar after avatar, name af
Topics: business

Blogging - the “fresh goods” of your business
Catherine Novak on Mon 06 Apr 2009 at 11:31 AM
One of my clients (a very worthy organization) has me blogging for them and you cant actually get to the page.  I have been blogging in the dark vacuum of space now for a couple of days. I fully expec
Topics: business

Twouble comes to my blog
Catherine Novak on Thu 02 Apr 2009 at 10:22 PM
OK, much as I love social media and blogging, Im still learning how to do pretty basic things - like embed a video in a post. So if this doesnt work, its probably my fault. If it does work, stick aro
Topics: business

Social Media Club - Higher Standards for a Growing Industry
Catherine Novak on Wed 01 Apr 2009 at 2:07 PM
Last night, I had the honour of being the speaker at the first meeting of the Social Media Club, Victoria Chapter.  I gave a short talk about how the Internet is really coming full circle, from collab
Topics: business

Social Media - The Wrong Place for a “Push” Campaign
Catherine Novak on Thu 26 Mar 2009 at 11:00 AM
Remember a few years back, right around dinnertime the phone would ring, youd pick it up and youd hear Stay Tuned for this important announcement from [insert company name here]? Then theyd put you on
Topics: business

Social Media - as important to business as a telephone?
Catherine Novak on Tue 24 Mar 2009 at 4:21 PM
Which tools is more important to your business - social networking sites or a telephone? Does it seem like a ridiculous question? Up until this past year, Im sure the standard answer would have been,
Topics: business

“Only Connect” - Why I’m Renaming My Blog
Catherine Novak on Mon 02 Mar 2009 at 9:46 AM
Its all about taking action, folks. Sea Change requires a name change Ive had this little blog since the end of November, and its existence has coincided with a fascinating sea change in the way I do b
Topics: business

Social Media and that elusive ROI
Catherine Novak on Fri 27 Feb 2009 at 11:28 AM
business, social media, sales cycle, relationship building
Topics: business

Help for busy social media days
Catherine Novak on Tue 24 Feb 2009 at 10:51 AM
Im starting the day with a list of to-dos that fills a whole page in my notebook.  On one hand, its overwhelming, but it is also very exciting, because its clear from my list that people are looking f
Topics: business

Who is Managing Your Online Presence? (Trick question)
Catherine Novak on Thu 12 Feb 2009 at 11:51 AM
Who speaks for you online? Are you writing your own blogs (with the occasional guest post), creating your own Tweets, and updating your own status on Facebook? Is the person behind your profile picture
Topics: business

Entrepreneurial Women “Get” Social Media
Catherine Novak on Wed 11 Feb 2009 at 10:13 AM
A terrific social media presentation at a local women's business networking group get my thoughts buzzing... and fills my dance card.
Topics: business

I Tweet in Real Life!
Catherine Novak on Mon 09 Feb 2009 at 2:23 PM
Last week, when the weather was giving us West Coasters a glimpse of spring, I went for a run along the Dallas Road Seawall. Of course, I wasnt alone in my decision to enjoy the mild weather - many oth
Topics: business

Connect With Your Clients - Create a Plan
Catherine Novak on Tue 03 Feb 2009 at 3:12 PM
Are you a small business owner who wants more business? I believe - as do 99% of marketing and sales professionals - that business is built on the strength of your client relationships.  Sure, there a
Topics: business

Social Media - my “Christmas Project” run amok
Catherine Novak on Thu 29 Jan 2009 at 10:09 AM
It started innocently enough - having written my way down to part-time status with my main client, I found myself with some time on my hands, and a burning desire to get good at something specific in m
Topics: business

3Rs of Social Media #3 - be Relevant
Catherine Novak on Tue 20 Jan 2009 at 12:21 AM
OK, so in the big wide world of the Internet, where there is a following for everything under the sun, what can I possibily mean by Be relevant? Well, when it comes to business, be relevant to the peop
Topics: business

3Rs of Social Media #2: be Respectful!
Catherine Novak on Fri 16 Jan 2009 at 7:43 AM
When I first decided that I was going to get serious in mastering the tools and tricks of social media, I took the advice of a real expert, Nancy Marmolejo, and joined up two applications: Twitter and
Topics: business

The 3 Rs of Social Media #1: Relationships
Catherine Novak on Tue 13 Jan 2009 at 4:31 PM
Creating a successful presence on the Web involves looking at your posts from three different perspectives.  If you master the 3 Rs as I lay them out here, youll build your Web following and your busi
Topics: business

Twitter for Business? 5 Ways to Tweet
Catherine Novak on Thu 08 Jan 2009 at 9:12 PM
So you want to use Twitter in your business?  Its easier than you think!  Here are five ways to use just a sentence or two to generate interest and add value to your followers: Let your followers se
Topics: business

http://wordspringwriting.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/46/
Catherine Novak on Wed 24 Dec 2008 at 2:35 PM
Merry Christmas everyone! May you have a peaceful and prosperous New Year. http://ping.fm/P5b2R
Topics: business

Christmas Fun
Catherine Novak on Tue 23 Dec 2008 at 3:11 PM
How much fun is this? You can make yourself an elf with the Elf Yourself application on Facebook. Merry Christmas, everyone
Topics: business

Does This Mean I’m An Expert?
Catherine Novak on Tue 23 Dec 2008 at 2:27 PM
If you are one of the select group of people who has been following the postings on my blog since it started it just a few weeks ago, youve probably noticed that I just changed its name!  Frankly, sin
Topics: business