BC Business
FEBRUARY Febuary 15th, 2008 This week, branding is the name of the game. The BCBusiness blogroll pulls together a sampling of posts from around the Web to give you some ideas. Stop listening to me! posted by Neil Patel Quick Sprout “Have you ever told anyone a business idea that you had and they responded back to you in a discouraging fashion by telling you that your idea sucks? Well this happens to all of us, and if you always listen to these type of people, you will never get anywhere in your life.” More… A taste for magazines? posted by D. B. Scott Canadian Magazines “A new magazine ad campaign for Welch’s grape juice involves lickable “Peel and Taste” samples. Next month, readers of People magazine will be offered the chance to peel back some metal foil and get a sample of the the juice.” More…
A Slightly Messy Valentine Darren Barefoot weblog “Over at his DIY-ads startup, AdHack, James posted an excellent Valentine’s Day stop-motion animation video by AdHack user Giant Ant Media (the audio is slightly unsafe for work). It’s very clever. While it obviously could become an ad for chocolates or something, I thought it might work as a seasonal ad for one of those awful men’s body sprays.” More…
JUNK MAIL IS NOT GREEN by Christopher Bennett Green Politics Blog “Good news for people who hate getting junk coupons/flyers in the mail and want to save the planet too. The Globe and Mail posted this story you should read, then forward to everyone you know.” More…
Stand Out From Your Competitors: How To Effectively Present a Case Study (and How To Impress Me) Web Strategy by Jeremiah “As a vendor, part of your job is to represent yourself well in front of prospects, customers, partners, media, investors and analysts. In nearly all of those cases, you’ll be expected to tell a case study. In the space that I cover there are over 70 vendors, and you really will need to stand out of the crowd, telling an effective, memorable case study can really help.” More…
DECEMBER 18, 2007
How To: Effectively Talk to Execs and Clients about Social Media Posted by Jeremiah Owyang on Web Strategy by Jeremiah “I’ve heard a lot of people explain social media and most are doing it ineffectively. As 2008 approaches many individuals are trying to involve social media in their plans for the coming year, in the exception of a few companies, this requires the buy-in from a person of power (and likely someone foreign to the movement) to approve. I know that many individuals within companies are running it up the flagpole, and many interactive firms, pr firms, and social media firms are gearing up for this upcoming year.” More > Wounded Quebecor World being circled by possible buyers Posted by D. B. Scott on Canadian Magazines “Speculation is rife that troubled printing giant Quebecor World, owned by Quebecor Inc., may be a takeover target, as its chief executive was shown the door yesterday and the company’s share price plunged another 10% to $1.57 (it was more than $17 last February). According to a story in the Globe and Mail, quoting anonymous sources, U.S. printing giant R. R. Donnelly and takeover specialist funds Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Cerberus Capital Management LP and QW’s crosstown rival Transcontinental Inc. are among those eyeing the wounded company.” More>
In Support of Bed Taxes Posted by Steven on Highland Business Research “At the Business Tourism Conference recently, Rick Antonson of Tourism Vancouver was extolling the virtues of a bed tax. In the British context, bed taxes are anathema and so I appreciate that I am being provocative in considering the case for it.” More>
Vancouver area home sales surpass 2006 total in 11 months Posted by Susanna Ng on Chinese in Vancouver “BCREA release – British Columbia Real Estate Association reports residential sales volume on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC climbed 26.4% to $3.21b in November, compared to the same month last year.” More>
Every week, BCBusiness brings you highlights from the West Coast blogosphere. To see all past Blogrolls, go to: Blogroll Archive
DECEMBER 6, 2007
(Shameless) Green Business Review contest announcement by uncleweed Frogblog “At the risk of shameless self-promotion, .. I thought some of you would enjoy this contest we’ve brewed up a happyfrog – BC’s green biz and org directory – where you review listed businesses for a chance to win some bucks for shopping/service/vacation…”
Vancouver’s Apple store confirmed for Pacific Centre by Jeffery Simpson Metroblogging Vancouver “I might be making the most foolish mistake of all time by telling the readers about this, because you know the more people who apply the less chance I have, but my damn journalistic integrity compels me to point out that there are jobs posted for the store right now on the Canadian Apple site [ac]. Meanwhile the Unofficial Apple Weblog [tuaw] is still reporting this as a rumour, but since they’re actively hiring I’d say it’s confirmed.”
2007 Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers by Reid Trautz Reid My blog Editor’s note: Ok, so it’s not a BC blog, but we thought BC lawyers would still find it useful … “My Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers is back for the third consecutive year, with an expanded array of noteworthy recommendations for the lawyers in your life. Not a tie, gavel, or kitschy brass scales on this list, just gifts that any self-respecting, hard-working, red-blooded American lawyer wouldn’t love to have–if they had the time to find it themselves and tell you about it!” How Vanoc kept the mascots secret by Passionate Pin Collector Olympic Pin Collecting
“Sitting at his computer in his home office, Mandalay watched three images flash on to the screen, and at that point it became clear that Roberge was going to have to tell his daughter The Big Secret.
“I told her we were working on a show for the Olympics and that we had to keep it a secret, and we even had to keep it a secret from Mom. She thought that was pretty cool,” Roberge said Wednesday. “
Report from Vancouver by Rick Spence Canadian Entrepreneur
“One discouraging note: the Christmas shopping season got off to a slow start. Park Royal, West Vancouver’s largest mall, was a ghost town Monday night. It was the first day of extended Christmas hours (most stores close at 7 pm the rest of the year), and no one seemed in a shopping mood. There were more soccer players practising outside in the rain at the park next door than there were shoppers in the stores – despite some great bargains, and a snowstorm two days earlier that should have triggered the new-skiwear instinct.”
NOVEMBER 29, 2007 Vancouver 2010 Olympic Mascot Revealed in Surrey by MIss 604 Miss 604 “I already blogged about past mascots and some possibilities, although I hadn’t yet heard about “Tokey”, the herbal leaf. The mascot’s purpose will be to personify the “spirit” of the games, say PR folks, however I’m more inclined to believe it’s for the purpose of making more money selling trinkets and souvenirs.” More…
Best Companies to work for in BC by Rob TechVibes Blog “Last June, Caliber Leadership Systems asked Techvibes to spread the word regarding their survey for BC Business Magazine’s annual Best Companies to work for in BC issue and we were happy to help get the word out. Since they opened up the survey to companies with fewer than 100 employees this year, they needed a way to contact smaller companies that were under the radar. Another welcome change this year was a tweak to their survey to focus on four key areas of talent management – talent systems, employee engagement, leadership dynamics and organizational culture.” More…
Ballard-Ford-Daimler Venture Speeds Fuel Cell Progress by Kate McLeod Edmunds Autoobserver “SHANGHAI, CHINA — Whiz-bang press conferences on fuel cell technology have been part of the auto show circuit for at least a decade. Journalists have been driving fuel cell cars around parking lots in New York, LA and Chicago for years. Interesting enough, but where’s the beef? When is the public going to be offered a car that is powered by hydrogen? In a pairing of seemingly strange bedfellows, Daimler and Ford have now formed a joint venture to become more involved in the automotive fuel cell business of Vancouver, Canada-based Ballard Power Systems.” More…
Canada’s exports to China surge 43% this year by Susanna Ng Chinese in Vancouver “StatCan release – Canada’s merchandise exports to China in the first seven months of 2007 have grown at more than twice the pace of its imports on the strength of the Asian giant’s demand for Canada’s natural resources, according to an article published in the Canadian Economic Observer.” More…
Cyber Monday Shoppers Go Wild by Christine Persaud Marketnews “Cyber Monday is the Monday after the U.S. Thanksgiving long weekend, and is named as such because of shoppers’ tendencies to head to their computers for some post-turkey online shopping. This year was no different, with a total of 72 million shoppers expected to have made online purchases that day (according to a study conducted on behalf of Shop.org, the Website that named the day “Cyber Monday”). This is up from 60.7 million in 2006, and 59 million in 2005. What I infer from these figures is one of two things: more people are shopping online, or more people are shopping period. Either way, the point is that more people are shopping.” More…
NOVEMBER 15, 2007 Tracking Tourism Thoughts from the first ever travel industry bloggers summit Highland Business Research Posted by Vicky Brock “There were some great examples of destinations and businesses that are really getting this right. William Bakker of HelloBC.com, British Columbia’s marketing board, gave a fascinating example of how they as destination marketers are tapping into the long tail of tourism experiences through blogs and user generated content.” More…
TeamPages: Buzzword Compliant Sports Organizer Mashable: Social Networking Posted by Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins “TeamPages, a niche online social network start-up out of Victoria, BC today announces their Series A round of financing, as led by Burda Digital Ventures, and several local angel investors. The amount invested has not been disclosed, but was to be directed towards growing the team, upgrading the look and feel of the site, and “really expand the marketing efforts,” according to CEO and founder Mike Tan.” More…
It’s the End of Music World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine) Film School Rejects Posted by Cameron Archer “Normally I stay away from puns and/or cultural references in headlines, but here the Great Big Sea reference (I know R.E.M. originally recorded the song, shut up) makes perfect sense. Music World has called it a day after new owners placed the company under bankruptcy protection. Music World was almost immediately put up on blocks after many years of losses ($9.2 million on sales of $80.6 million last year, according to the Globe and Mail.) Music World was the last Canadian-owned national music retailer.” More…
British Columbia’s dope growers feel the sting of a weak US$ Lee Distad’s professional opinion Posted by Lee One industry that is allegedly taking a haircut on the US$/C$ exchange rate is the marijuana growers in BC. Dealbreaker: The Bernanke Dollar’s Latest Victim: The Kind Northern Bud Trade. More…
NOVEMBER 2, 2007 City says it has no duty to inspect rental buildings A press release from Pivot Legal Society The Vancouver 2010 Olympics, displacement and homelessness blog “The City of Vancouver is asking the B.C. Supreme Court to find that it has no duty to inspect poorly run rental housing, and that if it does inspect that housing, the City has no duty to ensure buildings comply with City bylaws. The hearing is scheduled for B.C. Supreme Court chambers on Monday, November 5th at 9:45 a.m. and is set for 2 hours.” More…
Biggest Web Development companies in BC by Rob Techbivesblog “The Biggest Web Development Companies in BC are highlighted in a BIVlist in this week’s Business in Vancouver newspaper. The list includes the Dev shops that everyone has heard of like Blast Radius and Habanero but also includes a bunch that are under the radar. Vision Critical’s hyper-growth is the most shocking – they’ve almost doubled their team, adding 60 staff in the past year.” More…
The business of death. by David Ng Terry* “Driving in this morning, I heard that there was an individual that managed to catch the taser death of Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver International Airport on video. The video is now in the custody of the RCMP, but the thing that caught my attention, was the suggestion that there were plans to sell the video once the taper got it back. Worse still, are the mother’s explicit desires wishes(?) to not have the video of death of her son in a situation where there would be public viewing. I tell you – the things people do for money…” More…
Stephen Harper’s Biggest Lie by Richard Smart Like Streetcar “Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper — and American President George Bush — have scuttled the Kyoto Protocol.* In tandem, they worked behind the scenes to ensure that the most recent G8 Summit in Germany ended without meaningful cuts to Greenhouse gases. Instead, they’ve extolled an APEC — Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation — agreement on the environment as the solution that makes sense for North Americans.” More…
OCTOBER 26, 2007 CEO’s Shine at 2007 Canadian Business Leadership Forum Narrative Assets by Karen Hegmann “I was downtown yesterday attending the 2007 Canadian Business Leadership Forum. The forum featured insights from some of Canada’s top business leaders, as well as a panel discussion of the 2007 All-Star Execs hosted by the editor of Canadian Business Magazine – Joe Chidley.” More…
Recherchez la Femme Canadian Entrepreneur by Rick Spence “PROFIT Magazine has just published its 2007 list of Canada’s top 100 women-owned businesses. You can view the whole list here. I’ve often been asked what purpose this list serves…”More…
The Top 100 Business Blogs Business Opportunities And Ideas by John Crickett “While there are many great business blogs about, they are not always easy to find amongst the legions of make money online blogs. So I’ve gathered together a list of what I believe are the Top 100 Business Blogs on the Internet.” More…
OCTOBER 18th, 2007 CEO Blog Coaching DebbieWeil Blog Posted by Debbie Weil “I work with a limited number of CEOs and senior execs to get them up and running as confident, sassy bloggers. OK maybe not sassy but comfortable enough that after six months you no longer need me at your side.” More… Will Blog for Cash Independent Fashion Bloggers Posted by Henna of Canadian Beauty “Beauty bloggers, I have been told, are of a different breed. We’re interested not just in fashion, but also in a look, and aesthetic, that’s being shown. We don’t just want to copy it. We want to find out what products were used, how they were applied, and when we can get our hands on them.” More…
Canadian Dollar Will Reach US$1.05 by 2008 Marketnews-Gadget Talk Posted by Christine Persaud “CIBC World Markets predicts that the Canadian buck will be worth $1.05 U.S. by the end of 2008, representing the biggest premium since 1960.” More…
The Buck Stops Where? Ursa minor: Bear604 Posted by bear604 “Vision Vancouver is calling for an end to Corporate and Union donations to municipal election campaigns. Why it should happen: Vancouverites already suffer through the stupidity of the ‘at-large’ system, which stifles individual and community participation in the democratic process. The only candidates that can run are those who can afford city-wide campaigns.” More…
Let’s Go Shopping! Exactly Right Posted by Dave Hodson “For weeks, the media has been buzzing with complaints about Canadian prices being higher than US prices, despite our soaring loonie. As someone who has some experience in manufacturing, importing, exporting, and the distribution of goods within Canada, I thought I would offer my thoughts on this topic.” More…
October 12, 2007 Strike: Inside workers in, Outside workers still out IndieScribe Posted by Evelyn Dreiling
According to the Vancouver Sun, many of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), are still off the job in the 12-week long strike that has halted Vancouver city’s services since late July. A vote was held on the latest contract offer by the City of Vancouver this weekend, with the end result that 2,500 “inside workers” voted to go back to work, whereas the 2,000 “outside workers”, mainly garbage collectors, voted against the latest offer. More… Morning Brew: October 11th Beyond Robson Posted by Sean “CKNW, ever the working class stalwarts, ask oh-so innocently: Should Vancouver switch to private garbage collection? Vote if you can avoid all those flying Shaw pop-ups. Erin Airhead: “While Mike Jackson, head of the outside workers’ union, bounces around looking more Mad Hatter than ever, Vancouver residents are starting to question why we don’t contract out garbage collections as is done with other cities in the Lower Mainland”. More…
When Mayor Anton and Premier Robertson Waste Nothing Dream Vancouver Posted by Helen Spiegelman, Coordinator, Zero Waste Vancouver “It’s 2020. Communities all over the world, including here in Metro Vancouver, are reinventing themselves after the global economic crash of 2015. In retrospect, people laugh ruefully about the notion of Vancouver being a “hub for Asia-Pacific trade,” and congratulate themselves that at least they were successful in blocking Falcon’s Folly back in 2008.” More…
The Stupidity of Vancouver Now What? Posted by Fancy C. Poitras “Now, everyone knows I absolutely love living on the coast, and everyone who has seen me since the move just senses that I’m happier and doing well out here. I love being a part of something big, and there’s no denying that the Lower Mainland is indeed big; I love being near the water, I love my view of the mountains and the Island, and the US off in the distance; I love my home. But there’s trouble in paradise…” More…
Vancouver Strike Ending – The Mayor Owes Me $115 Dime a Dozen Posted by Robert James Jago “The Vancouver civic strike appears to be ending. CUPE local 15 has voted 73% to accept the mediator’s offer. So what’s the result? The usual – the city has caved into many of the union demands. Besides the 17.5% general pay rise, and the extra pay rises that some civic workers will get at the expense of others, they will also get these benefits [one of them is fake – guess which one!]:” More…
Tyranny Of The Minority In Vancouver Civic Strike Unambiguously Ambidextrous Posted by Raphael Alexander “From the frontlines of a strike that has lasted nearly three months, CUPE is staying the course after rejecting a mediator’s settlement proposal. Despite losing pay since July 20, union workers in one of Canada’s richest cities are saying it’s about more than what the city is offering.” More…
OCTOBER 5TH, 2007 Wild Oats acquired by Whole Foods raj: It’s raj mania “At the end of August, The Economist reported that Whole Foods Market completed it’s acquisition of Wild Oats Markets. At first glance, the question is .. so who cares? Well, Wild Oats is the American parent company of Capers Markets here in Vancouver, so now Capers is also a subsidiary of Whole Foods.” More…
BC Home Sales Sheltered From US Market Woes Victoria BC Real Estate Blog Posted by: Tim Ayres “Hello fellow professionals. More evidence today from the BC Real Estate Association that our market in British Columbia is continuing to thrive despite the implosion in the United States brought on by the sub-prime mortgage issues and economic difficulties.” More…
More on the Olympics and poverty in Vancouver The Progressive Economics Forum Posted by Marc Lee “My office window looks out over Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, an area notorious for being Canada’s poorest postal code. Back when Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Olympics, we pointed out that the world’s media would be stationed just ten minutes walk away from truly abject poverty, and when the cameras started rolling,