What A Chicago Alderman Does and What Should Change
The big buzz in Chicago today is interesting: our Mayor posted an online 'ad' to find two replacement aldermen for the 1st and 29th Wards. I'm a fan of this method - let the public know about a position and enable them to apply accordingly. What is missing from this process is the 'what' behind what an alderman's $100+ salary is supposed to accomplish?
The job application asks potential aldermen to ensure they don't owe the city any cash, have not been convicted of a crime, lived in the ward for a year, etc. As I scoured the press looking for such job descriptions, I came up empty. As a voting member of city council, it befuddles me as to why I can't seem to find detailed job requirements - especially when an alderman can change the shape of one's neighborhood (new bar opening, new condo going up, new stop light at elementary school).
I've lived in Chicago since 1998 and have done work in my own ward, the 2nd. From what I understand, aldermen do everything from review new business applications, question developer proposals, approve rezoning requests, install stop lights and keep in close contact with the police department. I also know that the entire constituency of a ward can and should contact the alderman for whatever issues they have. These issues include everything from lack of parking places to construction workers that begin tinkering away at a new high-rise at 7:30 am.
As the Mayor looks to appoint two new members of the 50 Aldermen Crew in Chicago, may I suggest the following enhancements to the whole aldermanic system:
-list all of the duties expected of an alderman
-easily make the voting history of each alderman public and online
-ensure that each ward office has ample staff to answer emails/requests from all members of the ward
-reach out to both renters and owners, educating them on the ins and outs of the ward
-educate residents as to what fundraisers actually do
-conduct bi-weekly or monthly ward meeetings
-create an iPhone app for each ward, enabling immediate requests/questions sent to each ward's central office
-require each ward to have an up-to-date web site, utilizing the latest social media/community tools
Anyone else have any suggestions?
Confessions of A Recovering Measurement-aholic
Bring back the excel spreadsheets, pivot tables, data warehouses and three-a-day ROI check-ins.I'm on an exploratory mission to see what happened to tracking online activity for all digital media.
Let's go back a few years. I would go to work everyday and the first thing I did was boot up my PC and run reports. Massive, immense reports that tracked every single click and impression that worked on behalf of Orbitz' eMarketing campaigns. From affiliate marketing to email campaigns to our banner buys, every activity was filtered down into reports. These metrics dictated what optimization activities I would conduct that morning. I lived in URL tracking parameters, A/B tests, DFA tags and measuring the amount of time it took to purchase a plane ticket over a set amount of days. It was one of the most rewarding parts of my job - I KNEW what happened as a result of that media buy I approved or the tracking tags that I sent over to our partners at Big Search Giant, Large Sports Network, Big Ad Network, etc.
It was addicting. I realized that I'm still addicted to numbers.
Fast forward to present day. I know that media planners and eMarketing teams continue to run these same numbers daily, proving the value of their digital strategies. Why can't these same principles be applied to social media?
Yes, I know tracking the ROI of social media isn't as simple as tracking a paid banner buy, but I'm on a quest to bring back the tracking accountability that made the web what it is today. For example, it is possible to track the amount of time someone visited your site, selected an action (say 'Become a Fan'), lingered on that link and then visited your Facebook page. From there, couldn't we then track the conversion rate of that same person becoming a fan? Take things a step further and track the activities of your fans, by segments (I love segments), to see what Fan Perks whet their digital palettes.
Another example. Tie in the paid and non paid keywords that bring folks to your site and line those up with the social media actions you want people to take. Do they match up? If they didn't match up, what do you need to optimize the landing pages of your site to ensure that folks follow you on Twitter or hand over their email address?
Addicting, isn't it?:)
The Latest in Digital Spam: Twitter Hashtag Hijacking
Event organizers are taking hashtags to another level, in the form of displaying a large screen at an event, keeping track of the live hashtag conversation for all to see. The image in this post comes from the Le Web conference in Paris. In the last month, I've experienced or seen six separate examples of Hashtag Hijacking: where someone deliberately uses an event's hashtag to have their tweets (often disgruntled) show up and 'crash the party'.
Example at the Pizza Event:
"I hate pizza in general, why have a party about it?" #pizza
"I'm having a party at 123 Maple Lane! Leave that party and come to mine!" #pizza
"*(&(*&(*&(*&(*&(*&*(&(*_)(_)()_!!!!!" #pizza
I don't know the answer to stop these practices, but I do see them occuring more often - and it's unfortunate. The hashtag was meant to connect people on one topic of discussion, but is now being used to disrupt that conversation and draw attention to the Hijacker.
Have you experienced this lately? How have you mitigated the situation?
Interview: Bill Kurtis and the Future of Media
I had the good fortune of meeting Bill Kurtis at the opening of Columbia College's Media Production Center (look for video and pictures of that event soon). Always a fan of history and meeting people that paved the way for the likes of me, let's just say I was gushing behind my Flip.
A seasoned journalist, Mr. Kurtis provides his own POV on what undergraduates need to know and how media is changing. Note, he mentions 'individual work stations', which to many of us means podcasting, ala the likes of Leo Laporte's studio in Petaluma.
Thanks for the chat, Mr. Kurtis (no I can't seem to call him 'Bill').
Every Person Needs a Geek in Their Life
Foursquare check-ins surpassed the 1 million mark - in one week. Who would have thought that folks are competing to be the Mayor of their local Target?
Tools like Twitter, Dodgeball and Foursquare were initially used by a small number of niche technology and gadget enthusiasts. These are the same folks you may have made fun of in the grocery or airport security line. The same people that were staring into their PDAs, punching (tweeting) away and letting their friends know what they were doing. The same people that made you say, 'Why on earth would I want to tell people I'm standing in a slowly security line?'
As I sit typing this, a television commercial from a popular mobile company used the word 'apps' in their voiceover.
Entertainment shows like 'Access Hollywood' have a plethora of new content for their segments - celebrity tweets.
The President of the United States let me know that his DNC chat was happening in 20 minutes.
Pre-Chicago Primary, my Facebook inbox was flooded with local politicians inviting me to join their group or page.
The sooner you find that 'geek' in your life, the better. This person should serve as your connection to what's new in the gadget/tech/web site/social media world. As the developments continue, your Resident Geek will keep you posted of any pertinent changes along the way. Having a Go-To Geek also mitigates the problem of Information Overload that happens time and time again: trying to understand a concept, along with all of the nuances at one time.
I serve as that Geek to my husband, family, close friends and any clients I've served in a former and past life.
Who's your Geek?
Behind the Scenes of the Nexus One
I recently had drinks with some friends that work at Google. Each of them had a Nexus One in their pocket. I had the chance to check out the interface first hand, while sifting around with the apps. With the short time I spent with the device, I was impressed. When it comes to innovation and technology, we are seldom exposed to the 'how' behind the way things were created. Thanks to Mashable, I found this gorgeous series of videos documenting the concept of the Nexus One:
The Story Behind My Chicago Start-Up: What Worked and What Didn’t
After reading this Business Week article on the lack of women leading tech companies and start-ups, I decided it was finally time to tell the story of something I rarely talk about.
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“That’s a brilliant idea.”
“Wow, you should patent that.”
“Did you come up with this idea all by yourself?”
Those were just some of the encouraging (cough, cough) words I heard when I created the concept behind CondoPerks. For folks living in buildings with a Homeowner’s Associations (typically condos), the idea is simple: shop online and a percentage of each purchase goes into your buildings reserves - with the end idea of helping offset special assessments. Here in Chicago, new condo developments were/are going up faster that you can say poof. New condo owners were excited with the low assessments promised by their developers, only to see the building turned over to the owners, followed by a massive assessment hike. Some associations were dealing with shoddy workmanship that resulted in extra costs for the building dwellers (like a $1.7MM special assessment for leaky windows).
All and all, not a good situation and condo developers continued to create new LLCs for their properties, which made it even harder to achieve any resolution when it came to building glitches. LLCs can dissolve, which makes the trail of keeping track of developers even more difficult.
I spent a summer going from condo to condo, talking to alderman after alderman and heard the same stories of condo drama. New owners were upset with their assessment hikes, while seasoned owners kept decision making to a few people. Communities were fighting; the ‘suburbs in the sky’ were essentially individual boxes that didn’t seem to connect.
My lawyers convinced me to patent the concept and trademark the logo (I think my lawyers are great, but these were big financial mistakes). I couldn’t find a developer to take a swag at creating some mockups sans payment, so I took the equity out of my condo and paid someone to create a hefty site with a database, etc. I spent endless hours negotiating deals with online retailers, loading in offers, running reports, cutting condos checks, visiting condos around Illinois and reading the Illinois Condominium Property Act. I talked with real estate attorneys, assessors, tax experts, accounts and real estate developers – all for the purpose of getting as much information as possible for the site.
Meanwhile, I connected with various start-up contacts in Chicago. I talked to developers, VCs, former colleagues and the majority of them said ‘I was on to something’. I distinctly remember being at a Chicago tech event, in the middle of a VC and serial Chicago entrepreneur. When I told them my idea, the VC was going to talk about a similar idea that he knew of, yet the other entrepreneur sushed the VC in not discussing the topic further. Talk about collaboration, eh?
CondoPerks was featured in major Chicago publications, with real estate reporters telling me ‘continue the good fight’ and help property owners. I had similar businesses contact me to collaborate on countless types of sites. I even had the President of a popular property management firm threaten me (he wasn't too keen on me coming in with an idea for his residents, even though they brought me in to chat with them). It was a whirlwind.
It wasn’t enough. Being in the Midwest, I’m a realist: VCs want to see ROI before investing in an idea. I get it.
Even though I had a treasure trove of friends, former colleagues that were developers and dug the idea, I couldn’t find one person to make the site I was creating automated/faster, etc. Hey, no ill will, given the explosion of Web 2.0 tools, but it was frustrating as all heck. I also knew that a site of this nature needed a sales force. Oh, as I was building out this site, I was consulting like a mad woman and also running Gals’ Guide. After all, I had my own mortgage and increase in assessments to deal with.
What did I learn?
-I believe in bootstrapping a concept, but there needs to be a better way to link up the people with the ideas with those folks that are talented developers. The person I hired to create CondoPerks was efficient, young and worked hard, but I know I needed more horsepower when it came to development.
-I didn’t know that there were attorneys in town that specialized in working with startups – they waive some of their fees in exchange for payment later.
-I don’t regret taking the equity out of my condo to build the initial concept to CondoPerks. I did what I had to do. Given the current real estate market, however, I kick myself at least once a month.
-Even though I was told I had a ‘brilliant’ idea, it wasn’t enough to get proof of concept off the ground.
-We need more women in the world of Chicago start-ups. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know SitterCity’s Genevieve Theirs and she provided some of THE best advice I could have received. She continues to be a dear friend. I went to countless startup events and chats and will be honest, the Boys’ Club began to get on my nerves. The fact that less than 10 women were attendees to ORDCamp goes to show that there is either a) a lack of women in tech in Chicago or b) a lack of a database or connection point to show we exist.
Would I take the experience back? Not at all. Would I have done things differently? Heck yes. Would I give CondoPerks a second try in the near future? Doubtful.
I continue to believe there is a serious problem in the world of condo living. Until new owners understand what it means to own a condo and until developers become 100% transparent in their ways, homeowner associations will be stuck with increasing costs for living in their individual box among boxes.
Why do I rarely talk about CondoPerks? I think I subconsciously blocked this part of my life away into a mental folder. I've never considered myself a 'social media person', but someone who lives in the digital space and enjoys those current projects that take up my time. For this juncture in my life, it happens to be social media, but I'll always continue to find ways to build solutions to various problems. For now, those problems happen to revolve around social media.
In the meantime, if you have any condo questions, I'm your gal:).
Behind ORD Camp
This weekend, I was invited to attend ORD Camp. Similar to FOO Camp, ORD camp aimed to bring a group of builders together to brainstorm, share ideas and help create innovation. The majority of attendees were software developers, start-ups and technologists. Like last year's ORD Camp, this year's camp was invite-only. The attendees to this year's camp were actually recommended/suggested by the people from last year's camp (I wasn't invited last year). I've received many inquiries (and hate DMs, IMs, emails, etc.) as to why I would attend such an 'elitist' event (not my words). I was hesitant to attend, at first, but upon spending time with the founders and catching up with old colleagues, keeping the weekend event to a set group made sense. There was never a feeling of 'we rock and nobody else can come'. It was moreso, 'what can we build, what challenges do we and others face, etc.'
Here's why: First, the event was sponsored with a set budget, which limited everything. The event, including food, drinks, WiFi, was free for the attendees. Limiting the number of folks attending made the event affordable and manageable. Second, I attended sxswi, but got way more out of ORD Camp. The ability to have a set group of attendees enabled for knowledge sharing, weaving in and out of discussions, while whipping out laptops in the kitchen and walking through someone's idea. Doing this with a group of 500 wouldn't have made sense, given the space. Third, Chicago is a massive city, with a technology, start-up community that continues to grow. This is fabulous. What is unfortunate is that we are such a large city and tend to believe that multiple events, groups, etc. can't co-exist together - they can. A big reason why Silicon Valley continues to thrive is the ability for numerous tech/social media/digital groups, founders and organizers working to put on event after event and conference after conference - sometimes competing with each other on dates. Fourth, anyone TODAY can go ahead and create their own separate event, should they wish. Why not? Keep the ideas flowing with as many people as possible. Yes, I knew a good portion of folks at ORD Camp, but that's because of my career in the Chicago digital space - I'm old. There are many people I didn't know. I see the opportunity of having been an attendee to be one of education to the Camp organizers for next year, introducing them to tech builders they may not have considered. I also think it's an opportunity to have more women attend the event (there were only a handful of us). As I've always believed, Chicago 'tech' is massive. Tech means a wide array of things: developer, designer, reporter, ad server, search engine marketer, social media evangelist, startup, venture capitalist, etc. I can name a series of other 'invite only' events that these said groups may have, yet you may not be aware of. I also don't get invites to those events - and I'm OK with that. Let's continue to celebrate the the fact that we have an extensive amount of social media/tech/digital thought leadership continuing in Chicago. Events happen all the time and we may not be able to attend or get invited all of them (including yours truly) simultaneously. Lastly, kudos to Brian Fitzpatrick and Zach Kaplan for putting on an amazing weekend. I'm inspired to finally learn how to code - now I just need to find the time to do it.The iPad:A Device for Your Parents + A Play on Words
Today's unveiling of the iPad, base priced at $499, looks to please many consumers. Not an iPhone, yet not quite a laptop, the iPad (I'm not too keen on the name) puts a myriad of tools into the hands of both tech geeks, but moreso, people like my parents. That's right, my parents. The iPad is a slimmed down version of a device that takes care of those basic features my parents want in a transportable device: email, web browsing, picture viewing and music streaming. Now a competitor to the Kindle, Apple's iBook application and store is seamlessly integrated in the iPad. What IS missing is a built-in camera, though I'm wondering if the USB can continue to be used for a stand-alone web cam. The iPad also feels less like a 'computer' and more like a handy gadget that would sit on a coffee table like a remote control. Another good call by Apple's part, especially for those women who don't like to try new technology, ala a recent version of ABC's, "Modern Family".
On an unrelated technical note, Twitter and other places on the web are questioning Apple's choice of the name, 'iPad'. Women, including myself, couldn't help but to begin wondering what jokes will begin to surface. "iTampon" is currently the #2 trending topic on Twitter and this old Mad TV sketch has resurfaced (I won't embed the actual video here, but it's quite comical).
image c/o Gdgt
Chatting with Marquette Students About the Web (Video)
I was going through old files and came across this video Professor Terence Ow of Marquette University filmed. I was a guest speaker at Marquette University, chatting about the transition of Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Circa November 2008 and right before I joined Edelman Digital.
It's amazing to see what I discussed back then and how times have changed in over a year. Testament to how fast the web changes.
I think I may go back to the short hair!
