Question
How did you get involved in IceColdNews.com?

I am a huge hockey fan and also a huge Reddit and Digg fan and I thought that if I was able to combine my love of hockey with the user generated content and voting system of those two sites I could come up with something that other hockey fans would use and enjoy. Although nowhere near as successful as I want it to be I have enjoyed every minute of the time I have spent in developing and promoting the site.

Question
You mention on your blog that you’re currently doing some major changes on the [IceColdNews] site. Can you tell us a bit about that?

I have partnered with a very talented programmer and a very talented designer to help me bring my vision of what IceColdNews.com should be to life. I have a full social networking and social news site planned out and along with that we will be implementing a game system for earning trophies and accomplishments that will mirror the actual NHL season. I really hope to have this launched by the 2010-11 NHL season opener in October.

Question
Google Buzz is more than just Google having its own real-time platform like Twitter. It’s part of Google’s larger plan of getting into social search. Do you think Google Buzz will help or hinder them in that?

I have been highly critical of Google Buzz since I first heard of it and have written a post (http://chadegeland.com/post/38…..buzz-about) that takes a pretty hard stance against the product. Google has taken the “me too” mentality when it comes to social and Buzz is the evidence of this. Instead of coming out with an innovative product that solves some of the current social networking problems they have instead launched a product that mirrors much of the functionality of other social networking platforms without adding anything new to the mix. Google has failed in social before and I see Buzz as another failure in social for them. If Google truly wants to be a real time search engine they are going to have to work with the major players in the social networking scene to gain access to those sites entire flow of data.

Question
Can Twitter be used for branding (as opposed to networking, getting ideas, driving traffic to blogs etc ..)?

Everything you do online and that includes Twitter, works towards building your personal or professional brand. If you are on Twitter and present yourself as an asshole that is only worried with self promotion it is your personal brand or that of your company that will suffer. If you come across as an authentic and honest individual who is willing to help others out by sharing links and actually using Twitter to communicate with others that too will reflect upon your brand. We live in public now and every one of your actions can and will be analyzed and catalogued for years to come.

Question
How has Twitter helped you, most, from a marketing / work perspective?

Twitter has helped me to connect with like minded individuals, who I can then share ideas with, chat with and share my content with. I have successfully used Twitter to find a graphic designer who I had develop some logos for me for different projects and I have also used search.twitter.com find users currently looking for help to a particular problem. I have then been able to reach out in real-time and quickly offer assistance to their problem. I also monitor Twitter trending topics and the site meme to find topics of that interest me and then I will offer my opinion on the topic. This often results in new followers as you are actively adding quality information to the conversation that people want to hear instead of bombarding them with information they didn’t subscribe to.

At Headwater I monitor several different keywords related to the heavy equipment industry and I often try and link a buyer of equipment to our brand. I will then feed them the appropriate names and numbers of the individuals at Headwater who can best serve their needs.

The value of real time data should not be underestimated and companies should be leveraging this to get a step up on their competitors who aren’t currently using Twitter.

Question
How has Facebook helped you, most, from a marketing / work perspective?

Facebook is great for gathering individuals together in one area who share a common link. That link could be hockey, Helping Haiti or a band. Facebook is the platform that allows you to bring all of your rich media including video, audio and images together as well as the ability to share content and engage in long form communications directly with those who want to hear your message.

With my current employer we have successfully leveraged a Facebook page into a platform that some of our users have turned to for information on our latest acquisitions, deals and sales prices on current equipment, to view more media on equipment in stock and to even ask questions.

Question
How important will mobile marketing be in 2010?

Mobile marketing is going to be huge in 2010. Apple has proved the concept of the app market and this is where I think a lot of marketers will need to focus their attention in order to help sell their product/brand. There are more internet capable phones in the world then there are internet capable computers so if you are launching a website or want to discover new ways to market your old website I think it’s best you look at launching a mobile version of your site as well. At my current job one of the projects I hope to push out the door sooner than later is a mobile version of the site to allow our customers out in the work field who are away from a desktop pc or laptop the ability to find the information they need regardless of their location.

Question
Do you have any techniques to help you come up with ideas for, or to be more creative in general in, your work?

I read a ton of blogs and other sites everyday just trying to come up with ideas for anything and everything. It’s amazing what ideas can be sparked from reading.

 I always and I can’t stress this enough but I always carry a lined notebook around with me to ensure I can scribble down a picture or a quick note of an idea I had.

I also make time to brainstorm at least once a week. In my brainstorming session I’ll grab a pen and a notebook and I just sit and write down anything and everything that comes to mind. The key I find is that you just need to write your ideas down and worry about refining them later.

One of my favorite exercises involves thinking about a problem or issue I or someone I know has recently had and then I task myself in coming up with a solution that would help solve the issue or at least improve upon whatever it may be. I may visit a website and ask what is missing here or how could they improve upon this and then I will make a list of improvements I would make.

It sounds odd but I actually do some of my best thinking while exercising. I turn on my favorite playlist and just let my mind wander. It’s often during these times where I emerge with several ideas that I have to jot immediately down.

I also have found that by varying up my routine I can usually spark an idea or two. Sometimes when I’m in a rut I might drive a different way to work or wake up a little earlier than normal and even working in a different place can help get new ideas flowing.

Question
What are the main mistakes that people make in their approach to creative-thinking in business, marketing and work in general?

People and business have become too accustomed to the old way of doing things and are scared of change. They believe that the traditional ways to market and network are the only ways and that sites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogging is nothing more than fads. What they fail to realize is that 400 million users is more than a fad, it’s a movement and one they best embrace. The other mistake I have noticed is that many companies higher creative individuals and then they stifle their innovation instead of embracing it. If you hire an expert at something you need to let him be the expert. I would relate it to hiring a plumber to fix your toilet and instead of getting out of his way and just letting him work you are in the bathroom telling him to do this or that. That’s not helping that’s hindering.

My current boss put it best when asked about his success in business. He told me that he always hires people smarter than him because those people are the ones that make him look smart.

Question
Which area/s of digital marketing, in general, do you intend to focus more on in 2010?

Mobile apps are huge and I would like to focus more time in that area. I really think that small and local businesses can do well providing mobile apps to their clients. I envision a local restaurant providing a free mobile app to their clients that when launched shows the entire menu, the daily lunch and supper specials and provides a coupon or discount code to those using the app.

Live Streaming using sites like Qik or UStream is another are I want to focus more of my attention to, again this is something I think small and local businesses could see a huge benefit from using. Imagine if you were living in a small city and wanted to cover your local sports team. What if you were to combine the power of a blog to display your written work and then hold a weekly Ustream get together where you host a panel of the local sports players to discuss their winning or losing ways and at the same time you take questions from those watching the video.

Video is huge and is only going to get bigger. YouTube says that every minute of every hour of every day 20 hours of video are uploaded to their site. I see video podcasts being filmed in HD and edited to have a professional look and feel. This year I want to actually launch a weekly hockey podcast similar to the Diggnation podcast that examines the top hockey stories from the IceColdNews.com website. I want to launch the video to coincide the re-launch of the website in October.

Question
Do you think marketers should be paying attention to Foursquare and Gowalla?

I think this depends on the market and location you are in. Where I am from nobody I know uses either service and I don’t think this is about to change anytime soon. Both Foursquare and Gowalla have yet to enter the mainstream and until they do I think most marketers could stay away from them. But these products have the potential to go mainstream very quickly and so in saying that I think you should at least be aware that they are there and at least have some sort of plan laid out in the back of your mind.

And in reference to the point about the increase in importance of mobile apps in marketing, which apps are you most interested in at the moment?

Although not marketing related I love the program Evernote as it helps me keep organized and was very excited when I heard that the Lexmark Solution Printers will have an Evernote app for them so I can send my scans directly to Evernote. I have also been playing with the streaming video app Qik and am looking at both Gowalla and FourSquare.