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Guest blogger: Oliver Hurst-Hiller, CTO and EVP Product, DonorsChoose.org

Editor's Note:  Many months ago,  I spoke at a social media conference, and one of the gifts for participating speakers was a "gift" card to the excellent service, DonorsChoose.org, which allows donors to gift needy classrooms in America.  As a Boston-raised hockey player, I specifically wanted to donate a gift to a hockey-related cause in Massachusetts.  I located one in Cambridge, and with the help of my colleague Robert Wooley (the NHL's manager of cause marketing, who spotted my Facebook post about it and then did all of the heavy lifting!), it blossomed into the story below, which was generously written by Oliver Hurst-Hiller, the CTO and EVP of Product for DonorsChoose.org.  Enjoy!  And then donate!

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How hockey fans and a dash of serendipity brought Willie O'Ree and the NHL into the classroom

Back in February, you may have heard about former Boston Bruin Willie O’Ree’s visit to the Community Charter School of Cambridge (CCSC). He spoke to students about the importance of education and delivered thousands of dollars in hockey equipment donated by the NHL! To see Willie’s visit to CCSC, check out this awesome video.

What you may not have heard is that Willie and the NHL found out about CCSC’s hockey equipment needs through DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.

It all started when Michael DiLorenzo, Director of Social Media Marketing for the NHL, discovered CCSC’s request for nearly $5,000 in hockey equipment posted on DonorsChoose.org. Michael made a personal donation and also shared the project on Facebook.

Rob Wooley, a friend of Michael’s and the NHL’s Cause Marketing Manager, noticed Michael’s Facebook post and saw an opportunity for the NHL to directly support the students at this public, tuition-free, college preparatory charter school. Rob then coordinated the generous donation of hockey equipment by the NHL and had Willie O’Ree deliver it directly to the students.

Said Michael Magner, the CCSC teacher who requested the equipment:

“Most of my students are underprivileged youth, many African American, who attend an innovative and highly progressive charter school bent on closing the achievement gap. Like many minorities, my inner-city students have never had the opportunity to be exposed to the game of hockey, but they are interested in learning! We were amazed by the NHL’s generous donation and honored by Willie O’Ree’s visit.”

On behalf of all the students at CCSC who benefitted, we’d like to express our gratitude to Willie O’Ree and NHL for their generous support of high-need classrooms! We’re especially grateful to Michael DiLorenzo and Rob Wooley for making it all happen behind the scenes.

Want to follow in Willie’s footsteps and be a hero yourself? Check out other hockey requests on DonorsChoose.org!

Industry Conferences: An Observation

On Monday, I had the honor of presenting at Realtime NY '11.  I was privileged to share the stage with some important people in social business, such as @Pistachio (Laura Fitton of OneForty), @rdublife (Rick Wion of McDonald's) and @DonorsChoose (CTO Oliver Hurst-Hiller).

I think the people at @RealtimeReport put together a sensational faculty and day-long event filled with keynotes, panels, case studies and networking.  

I gave a presentation essentially ripped from my business planning process for next season.  My thesis was, perhaps other publishers or brands could benefit - or at least have an insight - from seeing how we look at social media marketing, what we measure, plans for future, et. al.

There were probably 100 or so people in the venue (BB Kings, which was awesome).

But, in the presentations before mine (McDonald's, DonorsChoose), and even during mine, the audience seemed more intent on their laptops, iPads and mobile devices, Tweeting about where they were and what they were her hearing as opposed to absorbing it.

In fact, I later checked Twitter to see what had been written about my own presentation.  There wasn't a single comment about  what I said was "the biggest single success we had in the last season" (it was focusing all efforts around earned media proposition).  Did anyone hear me?  Or did they hear and it just doesn't resonate?

It made me wonder what the ideal outcomes are for attendees.

I do know that I had an important personal lesson, which is when other people are making presentations that I made an effort to see and hear, I am going to put my Blackberry down and take notes.

An Interview With: Michael Grabner

By nearly every definition, Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders is having a breakout season.  He grabbed the title of Fastest Skater during the NHL All-Star Weekend.  He's on pace to score more than 30 goals.  And, he recently eclipsed the 11,000 follower mark on the popular social network Twitter.

From The Blue Seats recently had the chance to sit down with the Austrian-born forward to discuss his use of Twitter.

From The Blue Seats: How long have you been using Twitter?
Michael Grabner: I got started in training camp (Sept 13, according to CoTweet). My buddy's brother has studied social media, and he actually got me all set up with an account.

FTBS: Were you apprehensive at all to use Twitter?
@grabs40: He explained it to me pretty well.  Using it a few times per day I was able to kind of figure it out by myself.

FTBS: Has your style changed over time?
@grabs40: At the beginning, I was a lot more careful about what I would put out there.  Now I am a lot more comfortable saying more.

FTBS: How would you characterize your Tweets?  What do you like to write about?
@grabs40: Seems like I write the most about pre-game naps and meals.  Fans tend to respond well to food.  They're always recommending good places to visit on the road.

FTBS: What's been the most interesting thing you've had happen on Twitter?
@grabs40: (laughs) Probably when The Hockey News covered all of my Tweets during a losing streak

FTBS: Have any of your teammates taken your lead?
@grabs40: A few have.  Matt Moulson is probably the most active the last couple of months.

FTBS: How do you typically Tweet?
@grabs40: Usually on my iPhone or iPad.

FTBS: When are we most likely to see you Tweeting?
@grabs40: After morning skate, after a pre-game meal or after a game.

FTBS: Will you do more Tweeting in the future?
@grabs40: Probably the same amount.

FTBS: Are there any NHL players you like to follow on Twitter?

@grabs40: BizNasty is interesting.  A lot of guys I find tweet about just hockey stuff, but there’s a few who are doing some outside of hockey.  It’s good  to give those little insights for the fans.

And now, some questions from the audience:

@CoPo14: Do you have any milestones for the amount of goals you want to score this season? 30? 35? 40?
@grabs40: My goal this season was 15-20.  Now I want to get to 30 and everything after that is a bonus.

@stevezan: Do you have any pre-game superstitions/rituals?
@grabs40: Not really, nothing crazy.  I get dressed 10 minutes before warmups, but that's about it.

@bigj2377: What did you think when you first started to see Fans wearing your jersey number and name on it?
@grabs40: The fans have been great to me all season long, before the All-Star game and especially on Twitter.

@PatLehmann: Do you think the @NYIslanders can be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years?
@grabs40: I hope we can keep this core of players together.  We have a lot of good young guys.  We have grown a lot this year and gotten a lot of experience.

Catching up with Soraya Darabi of Foodspotting

Following is my most recent attempt to re-launch From The Blue Seats as a blog of interest and influence, focused on social and new media, trends in digital business, hockey (of course), food (esp BBQ) and brewing (I like to homebrew).  I set out to re-launch in the fall with a handful of guest blogs from people I like and respect in the industry.  Here's the first.
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If you are in the social media biz and don't know Soraya Darabi, you probably should (she is one of the most influential people on Twitter).  I myself had only exchanged emails with her when the June issue of Fast Company landed in my mailbox and it was clear that Soraya was among the most important people for me to get to know as my work in social media increased.

When I first met Soraya, she was at drop.io, a file sharing service that was since acquired by Facebook.   Now she's onto her next start-up, Foodspotting, a neat service that helps consumers identify the best foods and where to find them.  What a perfect idea for a foodie like me (a devout viewer of The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network).

Following is my Q+A with Soraya from September.  Please let me know what you think.

What are you up to these days?  What is Foodspotting and what got you so excited about it?

I joined Foodspotting full time in June 2010.  As cofounder and business lead, I am cementing partnerships for Foodspotting, allowing worldwide food-focused brands to connect with our users and extend their relationships beyond just the first encounter (whether newspaper, magazine, TV, website or event).
Foodspotting meets a real world need for people to find good foods around them based on visuals - it's easy and fun to use.  I'm particularly excited for the many possibilities for Foodspotting and the partnership possibilities for us. As well as future verticals we could expand into, like travel.

How would you define "GeoSocial Marketing?" 

GeoSocial Marketing is a very open term and is still new enough that there's plenty of room for creativity and definition.  In the most basic terms, it's targeted messaging with a purpose. 

Why do you think GeoSocial services are so hot among consumers? 

The rise of mobility and smart phone usage represents a huge growth in GeoSocial services. With web access readily available on the go wherever you are across the world, the need to connect with friends and family still remains. And the need to locate and share information is more important and useful than ever.

Do you think in these early stages that brands are properly valuing and engaging the opportunity of GeoSocial?

There's definitely a strong following, but potential for the space to truly explode with mainstream adoption, which is the direction that Foodspotting is shooting for.

Are GeoSocial services for all ages?  What are the current trends in usage? 

GeoSocial services are definitely for everyone - especially something as simple and visually driven as Foodspotting. A great, compelling picture will bypass barriers of age, and language. 

Where will GeoSocial be a year from now?  Three years? 

We see GeoSocial services booming in the next years and becoming a natural way of life.

Will the big platform services (yes, Facebook) dominate the landscape when they so choose? 

People will always use the Facebooks of the world, but there's definitely a need that exists for more targeted experiences.

How do you think professional sports leagues like the NHL can fully leverage the potential of GeoSocial? 

 Professional sports leagues like the NHL can use GeoSocial services to extend the relationship and engagement with fans beyond the sports events - whether televised or live. For instance, NHL teams could create guides with Foodspotting to tell fans where they can find the teams' favorite dishes in a given city. 

Perfect PR pitches: NYT tech columnist picks his favorites

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=383128931&id...

 

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/brlx6

Very cool story on QR Codes ... HOW TO: Use QR Codes for Event Marketing

URL:  http://mashable.com/2011/02/22/qr-code-event-marketing/

 

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/brh9p