We're looking for an intern! (Toronto, January)

Do you want to work at DDB Canada? My team, Radar DDB / Tribal DDB is looking for an intern to start in January 2012 at our Toronto office. You'll get some really amazing experience working with Laura Muirhead, Melissa Smich, myself, and even grizzled industry veteran Ed Lee.

Feel free to shoot me an email if you've got any questions ( I'm parker (at) blogcampaigning.com ), but all official applications will have to go through hr.toronto@ddbcanada.com

For more details, see the official post that appeared on the DDB Canada website:

Do you scour the internet for the latest and greatest ideas? Are you on social networks your friends haven't even heard of yet? Want to experience the strategic and creative drivers behind great social media campaigns? Radar DDB Toronto, one of Canada's top social media agencies, is offering unpaid internships to students interested in pursuing a career in social media, digital communications and advertising.  You must be completing or have completed your formal education in advertising, marketing or public relations and and be ready to get hands-on experience.  As an intern you will be exposed to an array of projects, all allowing you to work on a number of different facets involved in the process of creating and executing great ideas.  You'll help us write, research and think; in particular, focusing on conversation analysis, content creation, and influencer relations. You'll be very busy, but you'll get a lot of experience in a growing field.

If you are interested in a 3-month internship starting in January 2012, please send your resume and a cover letter that also explains what your favorite website (or app) is and why to  hr.toronto@ddbcanada.com with Radar DDB in the subject line.

Confidence In Motion

DDB just finished creating a new brand video for Subaru Canada and while I didn't work on this particular video, I still think it is a great example of the types of creative ideas that come out of this agency.

Most Expensive Wi-Fi Ever?

A few days ago I was at Toronto's International Centre for a conference when I wanted to access the Wi-Fi network to check my email. I was shocked at the prices...

$99 for one day of "Ultra-lite" Wi-fi service?

It's not like this place was in the middle of nowhere. Sure, it's out by the airport but still part of the metropolitan area of a major North American city.

-Parker

Thirsty Thursday is This Week!

If you're a young communicator in the Toronto area, you won't want to miss the latest installment of Thirsty Thursday Toronto. We'll be convening at Pauper's Pub at around 6pm this Thursday.

Add yourself to the Facebook event and the Thirsty Thursday Toronto Group so we know how many people to expect.

If you're not in Toronto and want to start a Thirsty Thursday in your city, please contact Rick Weiss about franchise opportunities.

-Parker

Good Foot is a Good Idea

I've met a Jon Gauthier a few times and while I  knew he was an entrepreneurial fellow, I didn't know he was starting up his own courier company. The company, Good Foot Delivery, "provides a personalized point-to-point delivery service on foot or via public transit as well as employment opportunities to people with developmental disabilities."

I think this is a great idea, and while I don't want to downplay the hard work that Jon probably put in to get Good Foot off the ground I also think its a great example of how easy it can be to get a project like this off the ground with the help of social media. Its great to see that Jon was able to use his skills to do something he was really passionate about while also giving back to the community.

Read more about Jon's company, Good Foot, in the Toronto Star and then vote for them on the Pepsi Refresh Project website.

Keep up the good work, Jon!

-Parker

Start Your Thirsty Thursday Years On April 15

Just like Carlsberg describes itself as "probably the best beer in the world," I'm pretty sure that Thirsty Thursday is probably the best PR meet-up in Toronto. Maybe I'm just saying that because I recently turned 28, and I think I've entered my Carlsberg years. Or maybe I'm just in the middle of my Thirsty Thursday years, and that means you probably are too. If you come out to Pauper's Pub (372 Bloor Street West) on April 15, we can debate the whole thing.

From the official invite:

Spring is here and so is the latest edition of Thirsty Thursday! Hot on the heels of our Talk Is Thirsty event last month, we're back at our usual venue of Pauper's Pub. Join us for a few extra-casual beers as we talk about billable hours, best practices for media relations and how glad we are that we didn't go to med school.

We'll also be raising a few pints to welcome Rick Weiss into the fold as a co-organizer of Thirsty Thursday (mostly because he's the one that reminds us we should do another of these events and because Cathy and Scott don't help out anymore).

Feel free to show up with friends, or by yourself. Chris Clarke will be at Pauper's "holding down the fort" around 5:30 pm, while the rest of us will show up around 6:00.

RSVP to the event on Facebook so we know how many people to expect and join the Thirsty Thursday Group on Facebook so you won't be left out of our May event (its going to be awesome).

-Parker

PS: We need a logo for Thirsty Thursday - anyone want to give it a shot?

Outrage Over Hockey Fighting Outrage

While BlogCampaigning posts about a pretty diverse range of topics, we don't normally stray into the realm of local news and politics. I'm going to make an exception in this case, and that's because Robert Cribb's recent article about "locker room boxing" in the weekend edition of the Toronto Star made me sick.

The article talked about the recent controversy surrounding a video of two 14-year-old hockey players boxing wearing hockey helmets and gloves while other players and a coach watched.

The reason it made me sick was that I couldn't believe anyone, from parents to newspaper reporters, could be so naive as to think that this sort of thing doesn't happen or that it is a problem. I mean, what did they think these kids did before and after games? Play chess? Help each other with homework?

Does it matter that the coach was there? Maybe. If he tried to stop it, the kids probably would have done it later when he wasn't around. If he encouraged it, he probably encouraged a fair fight.

In the video (via The Star website), you can clearly see that the fight is stopped part way through when one of the players loses a glove. To resume the fight, the pair tap gloves like gentlemen. Yes, one of them gets clocked pretty hard but nowhere near as hard as he's likely to get hit in an actual hockey game. Keep in mind, they're also wearing helmets.

Cribb's article makes it sound like a bare-knuckle fight to the death.

This isn't a case of a group of guys teaming up on another and beating him senseless, as one of the parents quoted in the article seems to suggest. These two guys probably play on the same line and are having some fun. Or they're working out their differences in a constructive manner.

Some actual investigative reporting would have also revealed how harmless and widespread this type of thing is. Any guys that have grown up playing organized sports know that pre- and post-game roughhousing like this is part of being on a team. I grew up playing lacrosse, and battles like this were pretty much par for the course. I'm 27 years old now, and the guys I play soccer with still try and occasionally knock each other down on the sidelines.

The point is males have been roughhousing and causing trouble while growing up for hundreds of years. This isn't going to change. As soon as there is a blanket ban on "locker-room boxing," I guarantee that these kids will figure out both another way to cause trouble in the dressing room and a way to continue fighting each other outside of the dressing room.

These kids are playing on an organized sports team. They're hanging out with their peers and socializing as athletes in a constructive environment.

There are plenty of actual problems in Toronto that are more deserving of front-page news than this.

I feel sorry for the players and coaches that got captured on video and dragged into this mess. They did nothing wrong.

Thirsty Thursday Is Back! (Non-denominational Holiday Edition)

Join Toronto's PR community for an informal gathering at Pauper's Pub on Thursday, December 3rd. We'll be there from 6:30pm until at least 10pm. We'll be celebrating ourselves, the holiday season, and Scotty Mac's (pictured left) transition from professional communicator to accounting student. For more information, check out the Facebook Event (and let us know you're coming so we know that there's enough space). While you're at it, join the Thirsty Thursday Facebook group.

Hope to see you there!

-Parker

Thirsty Thursday on September 24th!

If you've been to a Thirsty Thursday before, you know how much fun Chris, Scotty, Cathy and I  have at these semi-regular events. You've probably had a good time, too. If you haven't been to one, now is your chance.

While these events are normally reserved for PR practitioners and crazy communicators, we're loosening the rules a little bit because one of our own, Scotty Mac, is leaving the industry to go back to school.

Since he'll be studying accounting, this is probably his last chance to have a good time. Think of it like a stag party for his career.

And help us decide where to hold it! We've celebrated Thirsty Thursday at Sneaky Dee's, Pauper's Pub, and the Victory Café before. Where should we go this time?

Some suggestions:

- Fionn MacCool's (Adelaide + University) - Elephant & Castle (King + Simcoe) - Temple Bar (King + Brant) - Duke Of Gloucester (Yonge + Charles) - Paupers Pub (Bloor + Bathurst) - Duke of York (near St. George station)

The ideal location has a patio, is central (or close to transit), and can accommodate a large group.

UPDATE: Our good friend Wilkey suggests that we all hit the Jay's game that evening and sit in the cheap seats at the 500 Level. Any thoughts on that?

Leave your thoughts (and let us know you'll be attending) in the Thirsty Thursday Facebook event!

-Parker

Congratulations To FASHION Magazine!

In the face of what is unfortunately gloomy news for print publications, its great to see that some are still succeeding. FASHION Magazine recently announced that they are the first Canadian fashion magazine to reach 2 million readers.

My house used to get a copy every month as part of my roommate's subscription to Toronto Life magazine, and I'm sure that this bundling strategy certainly contributed to the magazine's large readership.

I'm also fairly certain that my two male roommates and myself aren't the target demographic for the publication, but it still made for great reading at the breakfast table.

Although I think that fashion publications have a better chance of existing as dead-tree publications more than other types of magazines, it is also great to see that FASHION hasn't ignored the online, and frequently reminds the reader to check out additional content (including videos) on their website.

Its just great to see any publication (particularly a Canadian one) succeed these days.

-Parker

PodCamp Wrap-Up

This past weekend I officially popped my Podcamp cherry. Tagged everywhere as PCTO09, PCTO09, Podcamp Toronto was a whirlwind of activity. Although it wasn’t easy motivating myself out from under my nice, warm duvet at 8:00 on a Saturday AND Sunday morning, it was well worth the effort. Day 1 was pretty intense, with large crowds, and ‘standing room only’ in some of the more popular sessions. Whether you were interesting learning best practice when engaging with bloggers; how to calculate (and dictate) your success on Reddit, Digg, or StumbleUpon; or effectively (and creepily) stalk your audience, there was something for everyone. The Molson party following the Day 1 festivities was also well attended – apparently we are all easily swayed with promises of free beer tastings, munchies, and swag (who can resist 6 free Heineken glasses!). Day 2 was a little emptier. I imagine most people were probably nursing their hangovers and live streaming from the comfort of their beds. The great thing about having everything stream live and archived is that you know you’re not missing out on any content – sometimes it was really hard to choose between sessions. Overall, a great first experience. PCTO was well organized, FREE (thanks to generous sponsors), and filled with tons of networking opportunities. I was able to put names to faces and faces to names, and engage with people whose eyes didn’t glaze over at the first mention of Twitter, SEO, or Blogging. Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers for their hard work – I think it was a great success!

This post was written by Heather Morrison, who has previously written about Israel's Use of Social Media and about Building Your Twitter Empire here on BlogCampaigning. She is @Hmorrison on Twitter.

Thanks to Wayne Macphail for the photo above.

Breakfast with Amber Mac and Mathew Ingram (CNW)

If you live in Toronto and are in the communications game, chances are you might have heard about the breakfast event that CNW put on this morning. If you were there, thanks for coming out and making the event a success - I think there were almost 300 guests. If you missed it, you can still listen to an archived version of it here. Jay Goldman did a pretty good job of live blogging the event, and you can read his post here.

If you want to get a better idea of what you missed, check out the video below that Mark McKay made:

-Parker Mason

(Disclosure: As usual, this blog reflects my own thoughts and opinions and not necessarily those of my employer, CNW Group)

Parker In Print

CPRS Toronto members who read New Perspectives will realize that an article I wrote was recently published there. I'd direct you to a place where you can find it online, but the CPRS Toronto website is slightly out of date and lists the Winter 2006 edition as the current issue. The March 2007 issue is also available for download.

Despite that, I'd like to thank David Jones, Terry Fallis, Paull Young, Mitch Joel and Michael O'Connor-Clarke for quotes that I've lifted from their blogs (or podcast, as the case may be) for attributed use in the article.

Let me know if you'd like me to either send you a scanned copy, or direct you to where you can find it online once CPRS has uploaded it to their website.

-Parker