CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-07 00:12:11 (6 comments, 5 reshares, 64 +1s)

In the week of social self-improvement, +Sarah Lane and I talk about some of our fave new features including news from Instagram and Vine.  Also, we dissect one of the coolest digital marketing campaigns ever on Vine.  Plus, our weekly Rad or Fad segment includes an app that might make your email life easier...or at least more private (Android users, listen up!).

2013-05-06 18:51:46 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 44 +1s)

Typically, I'm the one doing the interviewing but in this chat at Fast Company's offices in NYC I got a chance to talk about my company +Konnekt Digital Engagement and how we're working to carve our own path.  

With so much happening in the digital marketing space, sometimes it's easy to get sucked into what everyone else is doing.  On a regular basis, we're tweaking what services we offer to clients and how we approach individual projects.  In short, it's safe to say we're a fluid organization insofar as adapting to change.  

How do you carve your own path?  

2013-05-03 20:11:18 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 38 +1s)

LIVE now with +Sarah Lane for The Social Hour - come say hi!  We're talking Vine marketing, Instagram tagging, and an Android app just for email friends.

http://live.twit.tv (4-5pm ET)

2013-05-03 11:45:00 (8 comments, 4 reshares, 43 +1s)

Really, really excited to kick off a new Fast Company series - DIALED (blog posts and videos, produced by my co. +Konnekt Digital Engagement).

Here is my first blog, 6 To-Do List Apps You Might Not Know...would have liked to add more Android apps to the list, have any suggestions?

http://www.fastcompany.com/3009179/dialed/a-list-of-the-6-best-alternative-to-do-list-apps

2013-04-30 18:21:21 (135 comments, 13 reshares, 433 +1s)

2013-04-28 22:28:56 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 54 +1s)

I know this happened a few days ago, but I just read about Zach Braff's Kickstarter for Garden State follow-up.  I love GS, have many great memories of this movie and soudtrack while shooting Call for Help with +Leo Laporte on G4TechTV.  

Is there still time to hand over cash to get a few lines in the flick?  :)


http://mashable.com/2013/04/24/zach-braff-kickstarter/

2013-04-27 16:32:10 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 27 +1s)

Am hosting a hangout tonight from 5:15pm - 6:00pm ET, leading up to the 6pm broadcast of Season 4 of App Central.

QUESTION:  Is it possible to schedule the public hangout in advance so others have the link before we go live?  Or do I have to simply share the public link when we're live?

2013-04-11 16:54:33 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

Great catch-up with +Mitch Joel at DX3 for +Konnekt Digital Engagement - his new book is CTRL-ALT-DELETE, so obviously he is copying our naming style re: +commandN ;).

2013-04-09 17:13:10 (9 comments, 5 reshares, 51 +1s)

Today's episode of +commandN: An interview with +Mitch Joel about his new book, the latest on the BB Q10, and, yes, we have a new blooper!

2013-04-03 04:08:51 (17 comments, 2 reshares, 105 +1s)

Awesome night.  

Met the CEO of BlackBerry (I 'almost' reach his shoulders!).  Saw Alicia Keys in concert (beautiful voice!).  Now it's Wednesday.  Where does/did the time go?!

2013-04-02 21:29:39 (18 comments, 2 reshares, 51 +1s)

Happy Tuesday!  

I hate that I always turn to Google+ to share what I'm working on, but I realized this weekend that I pretty much 'work' all the time (I say 'work' because it feels like play...sometimes...well, ok, a lot!).  

Although it was officially a long weekend for many of you, for me it was a short weekend.  I spent Friday doing The Social Hour in the afternoon and did a TV shoot earlier in the day.  On Saturday I spoke about social media at an event for Intel.  On Sunday I had a little egg hunt for my wee one and did some client work later on in the day.  As for Monday, I was a guest co-host on a show called INNER SPACE (interviewed one of the stars of The Following - eek!) and that aft I shot a segment for App Central on CTV (this was all fun stuff, especially the boxing part - will explain in another post, with pics!).  

This morning Idid a ... more »

2013-03-23 13:16:23 (33 comments, 2 reshares, 141 +1s)

Have to say, I am really liking my new Samsung Chromebook.  It is perfect for my day-to-day work/life (I use mostly Google tools for everything).  Must try the web cam one day soon, maybe for The Social Hour.   +Jeff MacArthur you should do a Chromebook review for +commandN!  cc: +Lara Killian +Eric Fleming 

2013-03-22 19:40:16 (13 comments, 2 reshares, 56 +1s)

Will be turning my most recent blog post from +Konnekt Digital Engagement into my newest keynote topic for The Lavin Agency.  

How do you think digital marketing has grown up - for the worse or for the better?

2013-03-22 03:16:26 (6 comments, 4 reshares, 50 +1s)

The power of social media http://ow.ly/jhy0p majority of consumers trust brand recommendations from friends

2013-03-19 20:21:44 (9 comments, 6 reshares, 65 +1s)

Our latest episode of The Social Hour for all your digital news!

2013-03-16 22:41:03 (30 comments, 2 reshares, 82 +1s)

Trying to find a new cover photo for Google+, but all my pics look bad blown up so big!  I know, I perhaps need better quality photos ;).

2013-03-16 22:09:02 (4 comments, 5 reshares, 37 +1s)

Re-creating driving, education, and the workspace http://ow.ly/j0Aew My blog post on gamification's multi-purpose applications ^EF

2013-03-15 21:08:34 (20 comments, 4 reshares, 186 +1s)

Woo hoo!  Fun way to end the week.  Sat down with Penn Jillette for an interview on App Central (that is his hand and painted nail, cool story behind it).  Hoping to get him on +commandN one day soon!

2013-03-14 15:19:12 (16 comments, 3 reshares, 34 +1s)

Being Canadian and all, eh, I've always been a fan of RIM (now, BB).  Since the early days, I've been known to carry a BlackBerry on me (among other devices).  Most recently, I've been getting productive with the new Z10 - really like this phone, include a few key things I talk about in my latest segment on The Loop:

http://www.theloop.ca/living/amber-macarthur/article/-/a/2123941/Stuff-you-can-do-with-your-BB10

2013-03-11 15:02:07 (20 comments, 8 reshares, 97 +1s)

Happy Monday morning!  

We're pushing out more videos at +Konnekt Digital Engagement - hope you enjoy this quickie about micro-video and brands.

KonnektNow (Ep 2) - Microvideo

2013-02-28 20:15:53 (6 comments, 7 reshares, 37 +1s)

commandN.tv episode 264 is up! http://ow.ly/i8ZXa +AmberMac reviews micro-vid, the team talks Glass, PS4, & portable data centres!

2013-02-24 21:04:41 (21 comments, 18 reshares, 105 +1s)

I know.  I look pretty concerned in this screenshot.  That's because I'm trying to express my feelings about Yahoo!'s new homepage. 

Check out this and more social media news on the most recent episode of The Social Hour with +Sarah Lane et moi via TWiT.

2013-02-22 23:15:57 (5 comments, 7 reshares, 58 +1s)

It's been a big week in tech! http://ow.ly/hYaEo My latest blog post, however, focuses on Google Glass - Check it out! ^EF

2013-02-14 18:48:37 (11 comments, 16 reshares, 51 +1s)

Long. distance. love.  apps.  (with a bear hug to Google+ handouts!)

New video from me on The Loop.

2013-02-09 01:17:58 (6 comments, 8 reshares, 50 +1s)

2013-02-08 02:21:13 (21 comments, 9 reshares, 122 +1s)

Thanks to +Christopher Dick for putting together my TV demo reel, complete with some of my fave clips from CNN, Fast Company, CTV, The Loop, and the list goes on!  

2013-02-06 17:27:02 (66 comments, 10 reshares, 235 +1s)

Dear +Guy Kawasaki,

Thank you for supplying me with numerous black t-shirts!  This one - APE - is my fave so far.  Most importantly, thank you for inspiring writers around the world to join the Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur revolution.  I am a fan.

Yours truly, 
Amber Mac

2013-01-30 18:59:57 (50 comments, 40 reshares, 148 +1s)

After using the device for one week, here is my mini review of the BB Z10 (thanks to +Christopher Dick for the quick edit!).

2013-01-25 21:00:25 (15 comments, 6 reshares, 48 +1s)

LIVE now with +Seth Godin as our guest on The Social Hour - cc: +Sarah Lane- 4-5pm ET http://live.twit.tv

2013-01-22 20:44:17 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 99 +1s)

My latest blog post...a thank you...

2013-01-18 20:39:00 (14 comments, 8 reshares, 43 +1s)

Dear friends,

If you're wondering how to use social media marketing in the B2B space, tune into The Social Hour today at 4pm ET to hear +Jonathan Wichmann (from Copenhagen) talk about how they're doing it at MAERSK LINE.  We can all learn from what he and his team have done.

http://live.twit.tv 4-5pm ET with +Sarah Lane 

2013-01-17 02:46:18 (11 comments, 4 reshares, 77 +1s)

commandN.tv 263 is live! +Amber Mac talks CES, +Jeff MacArthur  interview Wooshii & +Lara Killian and the team gives their 2013 tech outlook! http://bit.ly/W9SI98

2013-01-15 18:21:34 (8 comments, 4 reshares, 45 +1s)

Every single day I learn something new about how to build my own online network (to grow my brand and business +Konnekt Digital Engagement).  

In this recent post I wrote for +Fast Company  / Inc, I share my top five tips - I'm just in the process of doing #2, updated my Twitter profile page with help from +marc musial

5 Easy Daily Steps to Grow Your Personal Network Online
http://ow.ly/gPU4Y 

2013-01-14 19:39:36 (18 comments, 2 reshares, 46 +1s)

I was watching a popular morning news show in high definition over the weekend (staring at the anchor's freckles in great detail).  While I know most people love HD, as someone who appears in HD, it's a little off-putting.

Nonetheless, I'm willing to take one for the team and announce that The Social Hour is now available in HD.  Subscribe here - http://ow.ly/gNUBM (cc: +Sarah Lane)

No longer can I hide my poor make-up skills...but I promise, the content will continue to shine (along with my mug)!

Our most recent ep features +Guy Kawasaki - the unofficial (or official?) G+ Social Media King.

2013-01-10 13:05:16 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 58 +1s)

See you at 7pm ET today?  Yes, +Guy Kawasaki is joining +Sarah Lane and me for The Social Hour on TWiT to talk about his new book, APE (a must-read for all you authors/publishers/entrepreneurs).

THE SOCIAL HOUR, Jan 10th - 7-8pm ET - http://live.twit.tv

If you missed last week's show, check out our chat with +Alexis Ohanian:

The Social Hour 92: Alexis Ohanian and Lester's Time Has Come

2013-01-06 02:43:45 (9 comments, 14 reshares, 80 +1s)

I've been working on a B2B social media marketing presentation for a few weeks now (with help from my team at +Konnekt Digital Engagement) and I have to admit, I've been a bit discouraged about what I'm seeing online.  There are few examples of organizations in this industry doing anything impressive with social media.  However, I've finally found the best example (this company is using Google+, among more than half a dozen other online tools).

Maersk Line in Social Media - Check it out:

http://www.slideshare.net/JonathanWich/maersk-line-in-social-media

2013-01-05 00:37:42 (38 comments, 3 reshares, 48 +1s)

Question for my G+ friends:  Does anyone have a solid example of a B2B organization using G+?  I'm desperate to find a good case study for a keynote I'm doing, but nothing too compelling in my searches so far.  Maybe +Guy Kawasaki can help ;).

2013-01-04 17:51:12 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

If you're looking for something fun to do at 4pm ET today, join us (+Sarah Lane  and a special guest - see below) on The Social Hour!

http://live.twit.tv - 4-5pm ET 

Our guest today is +Alexis Ohanian - he's going to talk about Lester's Time Has Come (Lester Chambers' Time Has Come) and other projects he's working on.

We're also going to chat about how the blind use Instagram, the best place to wireframe your website, and why there's no avoiding Google+ :).

2013-01-02 23:12:29 (17 comments, 3 reshares, 86 +1s)

commandN.tv featured as a "Best of 2012" podcast in iTunes! Good work, team!

2012-10-26 20:19:44 (54 comments, 5 reshares, 119 +1s)

LIVE now with +Sarah Lane on The Social Hour - come say hi! 
http://live.twit.tv

*how to get to in-box 0
*NHL's Pinterest plea
*the most social web cam alive

2012-10-23 18:39:26 (33 comments, 3 reshares, 81 +1s)

Wow, what a week.  So great speaking in Hamilton, Toronto x 2, Halifax, and back in Toronto (oh, and a quick trip to NYC for a gig I'll be able to mention soon!).  Oh, plus, we re-branded our digital marketing agency +Konnekt Digital Engagement - come + 1 us ;).

Since I've been traveling so much, figured this video would be an appropriate share for my friends on G+.  It's just a quick 'lil clip I did for Future Shop about my top travel gadgets/gear.  

If you know my video work at all, you'll notice I look very serious in this video.  I was suffering from strep throat, so was having a hard timing smiling (all better now!).  

Enjoy.

Amber Mac's Top 3 Travel Gadgets

2012-10-02 13:31:20 (25 comments, 9 reshares, 82 +1s)

Check out these tips from +Amber Mac:

2012-09-24 16:08:20 (29 comments, 2 reshares, 75 +1s)

I haven't checked into Google+ for more than a week, I have to blame the iPhone launch - http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/the-business-news-iphone-5-09-21-12-12-18-pm/jv18mr5l?cpkey=a04c035e-3726-47f9-adf3-cd4aae2657fe%7C%7C%7C%7C - I did a couple dozen hits last Friday, so it kind of knocked me out!

Nonetheless, I wanted to share two app-related blog posts I just pushed live this morning - just in case you have the iPhone 5 and wanna give them a whirl.

1.  FAST COMPANY - The Ultimate in Personal Branding - Your Very Own App
http://www.fastcompany.com/3001515/ultimate-personal-brand-builder-your-very-own-app

2.  FUTURE SHOP - My top 3 audio and video apps for social sharing
http://community.futureshop.ca/t5/Tech-Blog/My-Top-3-Audio-and-Video-Apps-such-as-Ricky-Gervais-Just-Sayin/ba-p/387148

OK, have a great start to your week!
-A

2012-08-23 20:47:36 (45 comments, 16 reshares, 103 +1s)

I recently published an online course on Pluralsight called Social Media: The Big Picture (sign up here - http://www.pluralsight.com/training/Courses/TableOfContents/social-media-big-pic).  

However, little did I know that the team of authors and staff would be so much fun.

Check out my lip-syncing debut with fellow Pluralsighters from around the globe (Call Me Maybe)!

2012-08-23 15:16:05 (36 comments, 1 reshares, 83 +1s)

Excited to claim my Google+ custom URL (geeky, I know!).  Makes it a lot easier to integrate my profile here into other things I do online.

2012-08-20 18:39:43 (15 comments, 7 reshares, 51 +1s)

On this episode of commandN +Amber Mac compares brain size to social network size while +Jeff MacArthur and +Lara Killian weed out the social media fakers. Also, don't forget to enter our 7th Anniversary contest.

2012-08-17 19:56:05 (47 comments, 7 reshares, 53 +1s)

Help!

Question for my G+ friends for The Social Hour - LIVE NOW (4-5pm EST)
http://live.twit.tv

We are trying to answer this viewer question, but wanted to see if my G+ friends could help Chuck with his question:

"I am an avid Google+ user, spending most of my Internet time either on Google+ or at the least with a tab open on it. I have a Facebook account but only because my wife, kids and other family and friends have one but I barely do more than go to it every other day for a few minutes just to look around. I find FB very boring where as G+ gives me so much information and interesting debates from other users.

I have 5000 people and pages in my circles (G+ limit) and am followed by over 1500 people so my stream moves quite fast and my posts get comments from time to time. Why do you think some people (tech reviewers and bloggers mainly) continue to... more »

2012-08-13 22:01:23 (75 comments, 11 reshares, 91 +1s)

Here's a social media warning: 

If you buy Twitter followers (or Facebook fans), you will eventually be outed by smart online users and teams of developers who are aiming to seek out digital fakers. 

In my latest +Fast Company post, I talk about a new web app from StatusPeople that gives Twitter users "Faker Scores." If you're hovering 20-30% or above (in terms of fake/spam followers), your online credibility could take a beating.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3000359/buying-twitter-followers-beware-statuspeople-service-exposes-social-medias-black-market

I haven't heard about anyone buying Google+ followers, but I'm sure there is a way.

What are your thoughts, is it plain wrong to buy followers or fans - or is it ok under certain circumstances?  

2012-08-01 15:01:16 (36 comments, 7 reshares, 72 +1s)

Do you agree?  Is the traditional vacation dead in the water?  

I think yes, so it's time to recognize that sometimes we (especially entrepreneurs) need to check in to work while checking out of the office.
 
Here are my tips on Fast Company to help ensure this means working smarter while still enjoying time with your vacationing family.