April 29th, 2008 Rachel
If you’re experienced and enjoy the development of startup marketing strategies and ’self starter’ is your middle name, an open position with an up and coming technology company in Toronto might be waiting for you.
This is not your average communications flunkie position - the role requires someone who is passionate about the internet, knowledgeable about blogging/online marketing and ideally has a working knowledge of how to properly take a product to market. A tall order, yes - but a wicked opportunity for the right person.
Years in the field, previous titles - these things are secondary to something less concrete. Basically - you’re going to have to ‘wow’ to win this one.
Preference for someone in Toronto…but if you’re not, well then that just means you’re going to have to work even harder to impress the team.
Think you might be the one and what to learn more? Drop me a note (rachel.segal at my gmail account) and I’ll get you in touch with the right folks.
[Note: sorree…this is not a position with b5media.]
Posted in Toronto, opportunities | No Comments »
April 28th, 2008 Rachel
My parents had the oh so fun habit of singing this refrain each and every time my teenage argumentative side reared up and got ready for a fight. Rather than thinking clearly, my brain would be going through all the huffing, puffing, and “omigod! so unfair!” irrationality of a normal kid. With laser focus on being right and winning, I usually ended up compromising my actual argument in the first place.
Oh those lyrics…the equivalent of poking the moody teenage tiger. Predictably, my reaction would be to grow more irate and get more upset.
Now, I at least (usually) know better.
Both personally and professionally, it’s easy to slide into retaliation mode without thinking…but where’s the sense in that? Let’s say your new product get a negative review. Or someone posts a snarky, needless comment about your company on a blog. They’re both bad, right? You should be drafting up reports the second that google alert arrives in your inbox…right?
Well…let’s see.
In the case of the negative product review, yes - you should be responding. Especially if what they’ve discovered/documented amounts to a pertinent bug or mistake on your part. Maybe they over dramatize the extent of the slipup…or completely disregard all the slick and shiny new features. Doesn’t matter and you shouldn’t go into that…acknowledge the issue, let them know you understand and are working on it, and give them (and the rest of the world) your contact information so they can give you more feedback. That’s how you’ll get better and the single most effective way to show you care about your users. A press release won’t do that. Nor will ignoring them…or even worse, trying to argue with them about what they found.
Now, let’s say someone simply rants about how terrible your company is in general. Okaaaaay…some things to consider.
Who is the writer? Competitors, anonymous blog trolls, looselipped internet junkies, and your third cousin Brian who hasn’t left his mom’s basement since before the iPod…roll your eyes and move on. Not worth your time - they have more of it to spend hammering you again…and again, and again…if you indulge their egos. But if you have someone who’s actually put together a thoughtful case for why you deserve a FAIL stamp across your forehead, then you might want to consider an equally thoughtful response. Keep it conversational - hopefully you can reach some sort of understanding, even if agreement is unattainable.
Where sits “the truth”? Put your own ego in check and think about this one carefully. Is the negative critique based on facts, opinions, gossip or lies? It does no one any good if you can’t be honest with yourself about this.
Who’s the reader? Even elected officials realize they can’t please everyone. The higher your star rises, the greater the likelihood that someone, and eventually groups of people, simply aren’t going to like you. Sucks, I know…but if you focus so hard on making the entire world your friend, you’ll just end up pleasing no one.
Put simply, pick your battles. Not every blog post, editorial piece or product review is worth bringing in a twenty person crisis team. Nor is it worth the stress of getting your own panties in a bunch - especially when 99% of the time, it’ll be old news by the time you’ve finished this entry anyway.
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April 21st, 2008 Rachel
I’ve written this “new opportunities” type post about five times now. Read them aloud, deleted drafts…and inevitably started all over from scratch.
Here we go again.
As some of you already know, this will be my final trek to LA for MusicIP. I can’t even begin to cover what I’ve gained/learned/picked up over the last three years. I’d get all misty eyed and you’d probably move on to another, more succinct, publication that’s not on a scenic train ride through memoryville.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with and get to know some incredibly talented, passionate people. What attracts me to startup culture the most is that overachievers and workaholics surround you. There’s something slightly manic but so electrifying to walk into such a fast moving atmosphere everyday. Given the taste, I think it would be hard to ever go back to a 9-5 position somewhere. A <blech> job.
These are folks I admire and will absolutely miss - writing up the resignation letter was the easy part…actually telling this second family of mine that I’m moving on proved far more difficult.
Even more heart twisting/warming is how supportive and quite simply…*ridiculously awesome* my MIP family has been over the last couple of weeks. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
So…
Where am I headed, you ask?
b5media - a rapidly growing blog network that I’ve been familiar with for quite some time now. Just a thirty minute walk from my apartment and home to a fantastic crew I’m thrilled and honoured to start working with (notice the ‘u’ - I really am home…). Fortunately for me, I don’t have an international move looming like other startup junkies I know…but I do have some difficult emotions to sort through. Fortunately, I’m running toward something - and that something is an incredibly big opportunity I’m dying to dig into.
Oh - and of course, I’ll be back there to visit. California couldn’t 100% get rid of me that easily.
Posted in Marketing, MusicIP, Work, b5media | 11 Comments »
April 20th, 2008 Rachel
After a redeye flight home to surprise the mister with my presence twelve hours early, we met up with Will and his pup, Beta, at the dog park. Beta and Harley hit it off (after they both realized that their mutual easygoingness made for good fun).
I’m hoping eventually I’ll be able to stoop down for better angles without a couple pairs of teddy bear eyes and wet noses curiously checking out my camera…
Posted in Animals, Dogs, Photos | No Comments »
