Calgary’s Second Annual Poutine Crawl

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Socialgrrrl

One afternoon, one party bus and 40 people visiting six Calgary restaurants to eat, review and rate poutine. That’s how you do a crawl!

Each crawler received a sampler size portion of each restaurant’s poutine and rated it from 1 – 10 on their rate cards, and with every poutine eaten, crawlers get another set of Mardi Gras beads! There was no criteria set for the chef’s in making their poutine or for the crawlers to review the poutine; classic or novel, mild or spicy, with or without meat, type of gravy and cheese used and presentation were left up to each restaurant. Brava Bistro, Notable, District, Bistro 2210, Diner Deluxe and the Ship and Anchor all brought their A game to bring our crawlers some amazing and unique poutine dishes!

Drum Roll please…

Winner of Calgary’s Second Annual Poutine Crawl is BRAVA BISTRO!

Brava Bistro

Our first stop on the Poutine Crawl received the highest score and most ’10 out of 10′s’ from our crawlers. Congratulations to Chef Kevin on his lobster poutine masterpiece and thank you to Brava Bistro for being so being so welcoming to our group – we arrived to lovely set tables and enjoyed having Chef Kevin speak to us about the inspiration for their poutine, a gnocchi dish featuring the same sauce!

Crawlers agree, Brava’s decadent sauce definitely made this one – buttery rich goodness with morsels of lobster and a dob of marscyepone cheese to put you into poutine heaven. Brava Bistro

Bistro 2210 Duck Confit Poutine

Bistro 2210 went with their sophisticated and classic Duck Confit Poutine that was last year’s winner and still a big hit this year. In-house made gravy from duck fat and real Quebec cheese curds scored high marks. We took over the entire restaurant for one and a half hours and as always appreciate the top notch and genuine hospitality. Bistro 2210

District Smoked Sausage Poutine

District’s Chef Heather smoked Broek pork andouille sausage especially for her unique poutine dish accompanied by real Quebec cheese curds and in-house cut fries that crawlers described as smoky, sweet and savoury. We loved that Heather told us about each ingredient in her poutine creation and how it all came together and thank you for the gift cards for each crawler! District

Notable Pulled Pork Poutine

Notable is definitely a notable entry considering they do not even serve poutine on their menu – they created one especially for the Crawl! Crawlers enjoyed generous portions of perfectly pulled pork pieces with a definite kick of spice for a delicious flavour combination. Notable

Diner Deluxe Breakfast Poutine

Diner Deluxe gave Crawlers the most novel poutine dish; a breakfast poutine of potato and sweet potato hashbrowns topped with a zesty hollandaise sauce for a unique twist. We loved the energy of our hosts and the cool retro vibe of a true diner and could have stayed all day on the patio! Diner Deluxe

Ship and Anchor Tenderloin in Peppercorn Gravy Poutine

Ship and Anchor our final fun stop gave us the best welcome as crawlers were cheered as we walked past the patio patrons! Rare tenderloin accompanied by a rich peppercorn sauce was definitely the heartiest poutine of the day and exactly what you would want from an English pub. Thank you for also providing our crawlers with Wild Rose Velvet Fog! Ship and Anchor

Poutine crawlers had fun checking into all the restaurants on Yelp, leaving reviews and competing for Yelp party packs and a special thank you to ‘Lady Yelp’ for coming on the crawl. A few lucky crawlers won a coveted Poutine Machine tshirt designed by Jamie Irving (@Jamie1Irving) and printed by Food On Your Shirt (@foodonyourshirt). And of course, herding 40 people on an off a British Party Machine Bus brings everyone together (literally!) and makes the entire day fun.

I would say after tickets to this year’s Poutine Crawl sold out immediately that a word of mouth and social media experiment has now turned into a real Calgary experience.  Thank you to everyone what a great, fun, delicious day! Until next time…

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MRU Shift ‘How To’

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Socialgrrrl

MRU Shift on May 10, held at Mount Royal University in Calgary, brings together international thought leaders in digital and social media to discuss ‘bridging the gap’ from traditional media to social media. As the community manager for MRU and a speaker from last year’s MRU Shift I am so excited to attend this year and proud to be a part of a university that is forward thinking and a leader in innovative events like this.

The caliber and industry celebrity status of the speakers are a great draw and the panel discussion between them as part of the program will be a rare opportunity to hear candid opinions and insights from those that are leaders in digital and social engagement.

Peter Shankman – As opening keynote for MRU Shift, Peter will talk about the connection to being mobile and customer service; imagine each of your customers walking around every day with the ability to engage and spread the word about you – in their pocket.

Julien Smith – In Julien’s talk on the Adaptation Imperative you will be challenged to see a human + technology world as an ecosystem that is changing faster everyday, and as in nature, your business needs to adapt or perish.

Alexandra Samuel – IRL the online acronym for in real life is explored by Alexandra describing how to ‘love your life online’; stop thinking of what you do online and IRL as two separate strategies for integrated and increased engagement.

Chris Brogan – As closing keynote, Chris will speak about a concept he calls the Human Digital Channel which understands no matter what the technology, to be successful we need to a human approach.

What I am hoping to learn from the ‘bridging the gap’ discussions is about the next level of community engagement. We all know that social media is not a magic solution for marketing and communications and does not take the place of in person relationships. Many brands and organizations such as MRU have grown their online presence past the information push, past customer service into (mostly) meaningful conversation with our audiences. Now what? How do you take these conversations and relationships into human real life, and vice versa, for real impact with your audience. For MRU communities I want to see the lines between public relations, marketing, social media and customer service blur to create customer engagement and community.

How to get the most out of MRUshift

Conferences are not meant to give you the formula or the ‘how to’ do social media for your business, this is always going to be up to you. Attending a conference is much more than passively sitting in your seat and waiting for the eureka moment where you realize ‘that’s what I should be doing!’ and write down a 3 step plan to success. The key to getting the most out of a conference like MRU Shift is to have a game plan ahed of time:

  • Have an open mind and prepare yourself to absorb information and learn. Knowing ahead of time that much of the information will be larger, thought-provoking concepts means you will not be furiously writing down bullet points from the speaker’s slides. Give your full attention to the speakers. Listen. Absorb. Reflect.
  • Jot down the ideas that stand out to you during (or even better) after each speaker when you have had a minute to think back on what the important ideas conveyed were. I would recommend to NOT tweet every phrase and idea during the presentation which is common; this means you are focusing on providing your followers with information rather than truly listening to what is being said, and could miss your ‘aha” moment.
  • Network and meet other people at the conference that are not a part of your own circle. A great benefit of conferences like MRU Shift is to meet and interact with like-minded people IRL. Be active; ask why they are attending and what they hope to get out of the conference, what is the best thing they have learned so far, how will this affect what they do in business? Exchange business cards and connect with them online and keep the conversation going.
  • Agree to give colleagues or your boss a presentation shortly after the conference is over. Not only will this share great information you learned with your team, knowing you need to relay information to others makes you pay better attention to each speaker!
  • Take the top 5 or 10 ideas that you took away from the conference and ask yourself (and your team); how could this apply to what we do? This is a great exercise to go through – write down each of your top ideas on its own flip chart paper. Then brainstorm for each one how your business could apply it in real ways. Brainstorm as many ideas for each as you can and then go through all the ideas and choose the best ones for you. Do them.

I am so excited to hear from each of the speakers, we are so lucky to have them come to MRU Shift! I cannot wait to have my ideas challenged, my mind blown and be inspired to make changes on how MRU bridges the gap between online with traditional IRL.

If you are considering attending MRU Shift register now, the early bird deadline is April 23, 2012!

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Top 5 list for creating a social media plan

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Socialgrrrl

Every business, small or large, in any industry, using social media already or looking to start using social media – needs a plan. It cannot be overstated that without some thought and strategic planning your best intentions to jump into using social media could turn into (at the very least) a frustrating drain on time and resources with no benefit or (at the worst) damage your reputation and even a loss of revenue.

Brand and womm guide social media planning

With key decision makers in your business in one room; brainstorm, prioritize and write down the top goals you want social media to achieve for your business. Identify your audiences by those that are your champions and by prospectives that you want to recruit. Agreeing on your goals and audiences will provide the framework to start putting a social media plan together.

1. Align your social media philosophy to your brand

a) Have a clear understanding of your brand – you should be able to distill it down to a few sentences, repeat, remember it and post it. This should guide every decision about social media you will make as an organization.

i.e. If your brand is button down and conservative, your approach to social media as a company may be to only allow ONE account per social media channel that is controlled and will be used to push out more information than create conversation. A business with a fun-loving, personable brand may want to allow all employees to create conversation for the brand within an organized social media channel for a warmer approach.

2.) Choose the right social media tools

a) There are literally hundreds of social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google + with new ones developed every month. As an organization you need to strategically choose the social media tools that best meet your overall goals and is a fit for your brand.

b) Do your research - each social media tool has its own purpose, capabilities, culture – choose ones that will meet the goals you have set, are where your audiences already are and are a good fit with you brand. For example if your business is fashion related you may want to choose tools that show you visually; Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube. If your brand is secure, confidential, high-level information; Facebook would not make sense but possibly a Blog would.

c) Develop smaller action strategic plans for each chosen social media tool -  those in your business managing your social media day to day will benefit from social media specific plans that tie their actions back to the larger organizational goals and brand so everyone is working towards the same things.

3.) Involve the right people in your organization

a) Intentionally put resources towards positions, software and equipment to implement social media plans within your organization – a ‘Community Manager’ position is essential. Passion for your business, a great communicator and a love of social media are qualities to look for  in a Community Manager that can grow with your brand over the long haul. In a small business this could be a front desk person or the owner themselves, in a large company this is often a coordinator in the marketing or public relations area that ‘seem’ a natural choice. Ensure the passion is there along with a good general knowledge of your business; then provide them with the support they will need through courses, conferences, training and the resources that will help do their job well.

b) Social media does not have to reside only in the Marketing or Public Relations departments; consider involving your front line staff, customer service staff and staff in key areas of your organization that affect the business bottom line.

c) Identify passionate champions across your organization and cultivate a community of community managers – many employees want to talk about you, give them direction on where (social media channels) and how (guidelines of social media use) to create a diverse cross section of ambassadors across your business.

4.) Empower those in your business using social media tools to represent your organization

a) Develop Guidelines for social media use at your organization – this is imperative; common sense is not common so you do need to spell out what is and what is not acceptable for your employees using social media and give guidance on expectations you have of them. Guidelines should fit your brand, be easy to understand and follow and be applicable across all social media tools for longevity.

Social Networking Guidelines at Mount Royal University

b) Develop a toolkit for larger organizations to help employees or areas of your business define their own goals, needs, resources for using social media that tie into your larger business goals. Remember, smaller areas of your business acting as silos do impact the overall brand – you need to work together. A ‘before you start social networking’ toolkit will help make this happen.

c) Develop training to use specific social media tools – if you want employee/area to be successful in championing your brand online you need to provide them with training. Many people have personal accounts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn but this is not the same as using these tools for marketing and communications. Demonstrate how to specifically use various social media platforms on a daily basis in a way that is brand aligned and meets area and business goals. Use success stories within your own business as case studies for other areas to learn from. Create training videos and a microsite within your own website if possible to house guidelines, case studies and tips for success.

d) Internal communication with your employees/areas is key to working together towards the same goals and elevating the brand as a whole over social media;

  • each area or your organization needs to understand how they fit into the big picture (brand) show them where and how they fit it
  • implement a hub and spoke model of internal communication so you can communicate to your internal champions and they relay the communication to their own areas
  • establish an open and active channel of communication with your champions so that in the event of a crisis you know what to do and so do they

5. Measure your success

a) Define goals that are measurable from organizational to area specific and embed these goals into all social networking projects at the beginning - this will provide focus and let you have a baseline to measure if you are successful.  When you are setting goals for your social media channels ensure there is a (realistic) measurable aspect as well as qualitative measurements and make sure you do actually measure these goals throughout a year.

b) Work with internal IT departments and external agencies/platforms to match appropriate analytic information with company marketing and communications goals. If you have a small business, free metrics within Facebook, Hootsuite and Google Analytics do a good job but larger organizations should budget for purchasing richer analytical platforms.

c) Numbers vs. long term relationships; understand the benefits of qualitative and quantitative measurement in social media engagement and be able to communicate it to stakeholders so they also understand. Having 20,000 Likes on your Facebook page sounds impressive to the boss but it is not positive if most of them have only visited your page once and do not interact with you again in any way – 2000 Likes that interact with you daily/weekly are much more valuable. It is worth it to spend the time to put on paper exactly what qualitative and quantitative goals/measurement means to your business and ensure the ‘boss’ gets it as well.

Video on tips for creating your social media plan

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Sleepless in Seattle

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Socialgrrrl

Seattle is one of those cities I have always heard about and assumed because it is close to Canada that I would eventually get to one day – but it was just this February I finally went for my first visit.

View of Waterfront Marriott in Seattle from Bell Conference Center

I was presenting at the CASE 8 Conference which was situated at the Waterfront Marriott directly across from the Bell Conference Centre – an amazing location just one block from Pike Place Market and a beautiful view of the ocean. A couple of surprises to me when we arrived;  the Seattle waterfront is very industrial with ships, containers and heavy equipment (not a Victoria B.C. type waterfront) and the other was that there are steep hills running up from the waterfront that would give San Francisco streets a run for their money! So steep in fact, that there was an elevator beside our hotel to take you up so that you didn’t have to be an Olympic athlete to make the trek on foot (thank you elevator!).

My presentation on Social Media and the Art of Story Telling

Because I am a social media nerd and also because I was presenting on word of mouth marketing I took to the Twitter airwaves 2 weeks before heading to Seattle to find some local people, restaurants and businesses to get recommendations on what to do while in Seattle.

@SeattleMaven had amazing information for me, so I just wrote it all down and tried to check them all off my list in 4 days (dragging colleagues along for the ride!). My philosophy when travelling to a new city is to explore and see as much as possible, go to as many new places each day as you can fit it; hence being ‘sleepless’ while I was in Seattle.

Our first night we ventured not too far from our hotel to a legend in Seattle, the Edgewater Hotel, where the Beatles famously fished out of the window. The restaurant bar inside the Edgewater is a lovely and cozy spot with views of the ocean called Six Seven (@Six_Seven). We had oysters, lobster mac n’ cheese and Prosecco – it was amazing!

Pike Place Market - when you visit Seattle you absolutely need to visit Pike Market. It is an iconic part of Seattle and has so many cool specialty shops and people, it is a great way to spend a day as a tourist. Fresh seafood is abundant in the market,  and although I didn’t throw or catch a Pike, you really feel the energy of the market as you walk through.

Pike Market fresh crab

Pike’s  Market is where the original Starbucks is located and it seems the exterior has not changed from when it was a lone coffee shop – when you walk inside it is completely modern and sells all kinds of great merchandise and of course, you can still get a Starbuck’s coffee.

Le Panier is a pastry and coffee shop that I loved so much I visited everyday – the most amazing breads, croissants, baked goods and baguette sandwiches. Right in the heart of the market area this is a great place for a coffee and pastry and to people watch.

Eggs Benny on Cheese Polenta at Bocca

Bacco Cafe is a quaint corner cafe in Pike market area that has not only a fantastic expresso bar but a fresh fruit and veggie bar along with serving great food.

Steelhead diner chefs hard at work

Steelhead Diner (@Steelheaddiner) is a hip, bustling restaurant overlooking Post Alley and the Pike Market area. When I was reaching out to different businesses over Twitter, Steelhead was the one that understood word of mouth marketing and took a chance with me by offering to host a special ‘Hashtag Happy Hour’ for attendees to my presentation. I LOVE that they did this, and 25 or so of us had a great time!

Post Alley in Pike Market area

Pink Door is a hidden gem in Seattle’s Post Alley, literally. We walked by the unassuming pale pink door twice without realizing this was the entrance! Boudoir decor and a warm atmosphere, great wine and food with live music and even trapeze artists! I loved this place.

Wild Ginger Restaurant

Wild Ginger is a modern, minimalist, gorgeous Asian restaurant in downtown Seattle and was the most recommended to me via Twitter and word of mouth so I knew we had to try it. The food was simply amazing plus top notch service and I loved my Apple Pear Sake! Afterwards we had a Ginger Martini downstairs at the Triple Door.

There is a lot of great shopping to be had in - and especially for us Albertans because we do not have to pay sales tax! I shopped downtown at Macy’s and Nordstrom and Pacific Place Mall which house all the big brand names (I left behind a Tangerine Michael Kors bag I really wanted!). But when I realized I needed a projector adaptor for my Macbook Air I took an unexpected cab ride to an area called University Village about 15 minutes north of the downtown area.

J Crew right beside the Apple Store, pure heaven!

A beautiful drive along the waterways and the Washington State university campus allowed me a glimpse of neighbourhoods and areas such as Capitol Hill that I would love to see more of next time. Once we pulled up at the Apple Store I told the taxi driver not to wait when I saw all the shopping – and I put a serious dent in the J Crew store my favourite brand of all time! Eeek!

The Underground Tour (@TourUnderground) was one item on my to do list that just didn’t happen in the end due to a blistery rainy evening but one that I would really recommend if you do go to Seattle – a whole world exists underneath the Seattle you see, how cool is that?

Thanks to so many recommendations over Twitter and through word of mouth, I had a great time in Seattle and look forward to the next time I can go back!

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The social media gap: preaching concepts or doing it

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Socialgrrrl

From strategic planning at high levels to running specific social media campaigns, the internet has become an amazing resource to help you find information on anything and everything social media related. With all this main stream information readily available at our fingertips you don’t have to actually do it to preach it, right?

What I find interesting, is how much information on social media is read, spread, shared, presented and critisized by those who have never been in the trenches of day to day community management.

There is a gap between preaching social media concepts and actually doing it

Knowing and regurgitating the concepts of being authentic, engaging your audience, listening and being responsive or that the new measurement is ROInfluence is one thing; effectively implementing this day-in-and-day-out with a community over long periods of time is another. I have been given more ‘advice’ over the years from (albeit well-meaning) consultants, marketers and experts on what should or could be happening on the community’s social media channels I manage, based on an article they have read or the latest and greatest social media tool they have heard about. “You need to create some viral videos” Why yes, that is something to put on the list.

Understand that community managers translate theory into practice. Community managers (or social media coordinators etc.) are the ones that get to know a community better than anyone else; they have a unique window into the very thoughts and feelings of an audience on a daily basis. Community managers get into a rhythm where they ‘just know’ the right question to ask or comment to make that will get conversation buzzing, or when the time is not right to push brand information. They understand which social media channels will work for their own audience and those that might not make sense. They have a sense of the challenges an audience faces, what makes them happy, what information they like to share and what the ‘hot’ topic of the moment is. The uniquely intuitive, front line relationship a community manager has with their audience needs to be respected. It is much easier to preach concepts such as ‘community engagement’ than it is to activley translate into day to day results.

I feel fortunate to understand and put into practice both perspectives; I have developed and am responsible for the strategic long term social media plan for Mount Royal University while also managing all the university social media channels. What this duel perspective has shown me, is that there can be gaps between overarching concepts of social media often preached about, and what it actually takes to make those concepts work.

Close the gap

If all or most of the information you present/teach/preach/consult on social media comes from a background in marketing, PR or IT, attending seminars or reading Mashable religiously, but not from ever managing an online community – you need to do more. Talk directly with those in an organization that ‘do’ the social media daily. Seek their insights and suggestions and adapt what you preach. Just ‘telling’ businesses or community managers to engage the audience more or citing successful case studies of cool new tools and big brands does not hold the same credibility when you have never put it into action yourself.

Take the time and take steps to understand how general concepts translate to real online communities. I am not suggesting that all bosses, presenters or consultants need to manage an online community as an ongoing full time job, just that they acknowledge the importance of first-hand information. Community managers know their audience better than anyone and will have an intuitive sense of what ‘Measure success’ or ‘Be Authentic’ really means within the context of their own online community for their specific brand or business.

Organizational decisions around social media and communication are often decided at a level that is higher than a community manager, and sometimes by those not familiar with the nuances of a particular organization’s online community. Before offering generalized statements or recommendations, speak with community managers on the front lines to understand the specifics of their community and what could or could not work. These discussions will help utilize each perspective’s expertise effectively, which in turn, will help truly ‘engage the community’ more.

Suggestion: how about taking over the responsibility of managing your business’ or an organization’s social media channel(s) (with support!) for a day? You will never truly understand how big picture social media concepts translate into real community management until you yourself do it. Not to mention, it will give you immense respect and insight into what a community manager deals with every day. This can only help what you preach have credibility.

We all bring unique and necessary social media knowledge to the table from strategic planning to community management, but why not walk the talk? Learn something about on-the-ground community management and what it takes to actually ‘do it’ before preaching it.

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Kanye West’s Twitter spree; harder, better, faster, stronger

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Socialgrrrl

Because I am in the business of word of mouth marketing – anything that suddenly has people talking is sure to get my attention.

Last night Kanye West went on a tweeting spree, a tweet for every thought pouring out of his head.  With any celebrity people are watching, so Twitter became active with responses to Kanye’s tweets, spurring debate and conversation. https://twitter.com/kanyewest

Jason Pollock for instance said that Kayne was ‘showing everyone how to use Twitter’ to which some disagreed saying that pumping out tweet after tweet after tweet was not creating conversation, the cornerstone of Twitter. I’m with Jason.

Conversation is an understood best practice for platforms like Twitter, guidelines that translate into how they are best used. Kanye’s tweeting spree led many to say that he must have thought he was on his blog rather than Twitter -referring to the difference between the short 140 character culture of Twitter versus a Blog where you can run on and on.  Kanye sent out a flurry of over 80 tweets ranging in topics from his new design company to ideas on education and technology in the classroom – one way thoughts pumping out like a machine gun, no asking questions or conversations. Definitely not how we are told you are ‘supposed’ to use Twitter.

The question is – does it matter? A lesson I have learned from my advertising days – if it makes people uncomfortable and creates controversy and conversation – you know you have something! This is what creates word of mouth.

Normally I am a fan of sticking to best practices – I teach them. I think they can help put context around how things work; knowing what is appropriate or what works best helps everyone be on a level playing field. Ground rules if you will.

But the other thing I have learned, is that ‘progress’ often occurs when best practices are thrown out the window; pushing long-held notions past where you expect, to the possibility of something different, maybe better. Being a rebel and going against the grain can make projects, software, platforms or ideas more interesting. Makes life more interesting. Kanye’s tweets definitely made Twitter interesting for an evening!

In my opinion, the reason Kanye’s unorthodox tweeting spree worked was for two reasons:

1) he is a celebrity with a certain reputation that aligned with this sudden outpouring of ideas through tweeting. This was not completely out of character for him. If you or I did this, or a business, it would seem extremely self-serving in a negative way not to mention annoying.

2) what he said was interesting! I am not a fan or follower of Kanye per se but I did read each of these tweets purely out of interest and curiosity. And I always enjoy the buzz and debate that is generated.

I am and will continue to be fascinated by the culture and emotion that Twitter can generate, so thank you Kanye! Who knows, maybe others are going to try out a Kanye-style rapid fire tweeting session – imagine how that would change Twitter?

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Cleanse to get back on track

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Socialgrrrl

Every September and January I do a 10 or 12 day cleanse to rid my body of all the toxins I have consumed over the summer and the holidays; junk food, greasy food, packaged and processed food and of course, alcohol. A cleanse is a great way to kick start your body back to the way it was meant to run, get back on track with good habits that will hopefully last a few months after the cleanse is over.

I will outline the food and steps of the Wild Rose Cleanse, which is the cleanse I do, for those of you that want to try it out. I have done this cleanse twice a year for the past 4 years now so there are some reoccurring themes I am familiar with that I can share with those of you doing it for your first time.

Food for thought

A side note: what if the same mind set, planning, motivation and positive results of a cleanse were applied to all areas of your life? Relationships, finances, career – all of these could benefit by objectively identifying toxins in each area and completely cutting them out of your life for a period of time to get back on track. Do not spend time with self absorbed friends, do not use your credit cards, re-do your resume, spend time with mentors, take long walks outside and clean out your closets. Maybe don’t do all of this at the same time as your food cleanse but what about right after when you physically feel on top of your game? Clutter on top of clutter leads to feeling overwhelmed in life; a ‘cleanse’ twice a year can help you re-evaluate, de-clutter and focus on what is really important to you, and this will make you feel more in control of your life. Food for thought.

Wild Rose Cleanse

The Wild Rose Cleanse is a kit that you can buy at health food stores anywhere and contains a 12 day plan including a list of foods you can and cannot eat (list at end of post) as well as supplement pills and drops you take each day. I just follow the food plan now which works for me but I would recommend the kit the first few times you do the cleanse to see the full results.

How it works

The cleanse is designed to take out all the ‘extras’ in your diet that could be toxic to your body by taking you back to the basics with a very limited 12 day diet plan. No alcohol, no packaged/prepared/fast foods, no sugar, no salt, no dairy, no starch, no yeast and no red meat. The supplements increase the flow of toxins leaving your body during the 12 days.

How to prepare

First thing you should do is buy a Wild Rose Cleanse kit so that you can read through it, wrap your mind around the upcoming 2 weeks in your own life so you can plan well. If you happen to have several social engagements, travel or big life changes coming up you will not want to do the cleanse during this time – choose a relatively slow 2 weeks so you can focus on your cleanse.

Next, take a good look at the ‘do not eat’ food list provided by the Wild Rose Cleanse and get rid of any of these items you have in your house – this will help you in a weak moment when you want to cheat! Then take the ‘what to eat’ portion of the food list and go grocery shopping. You don’t have to buy everything on the list, I would buy the things you like and will enjoy that are allowed on the cleanse.

For me it is very important to plan out each day in advance for what I will be eating, especially at work, to be successful. The food plan is extremely limited so if you are caught without cleanse-allowed food you will be tempted to cheat; plan, plan, plan!

  • Keep a container of almonds and green tea packets in your drawer at work for snacks and down time
  • Have instant/unflavoured oatmeal and cinnamon on hand at work if you don’t have time for breakfast at home
  • Have cut up veggies and small apples prepared to take every morning with you to work
  • Pre make some favourite foods for the week like turkey chili and brown rice or baked yams that you can have several days in a row to keep you on track
  • Although there is a creative Wild Rose Cleanse cookbook you can buy separately to help make meals I find sticking to the same foods daily or every other day help me plan and stay on track
  • Remove yourself from any situation that will tempt you; going out for lunch, dinner, drinks, meetings that have cookies/doughnuts

What to expect

Taking your diet to such a limited, basic level will have some side effects that you will notice to varying degrees. For me, I always have a low level headache that starts about the second day up until the fourth day. Many people feel tired and more irritable than usual during this same time period and many experience some hunger pains the first few days. If you are using the Wild Rose supplements from the kit you will definitely notice that you have to go to the bathroom much more frequently, and often, much more urgently. Tip: If you can plan it so that the second, third, or fourth days of your cleanse are on the weekend when you are not at work, this will save you from suddenly jumping up and running out of meetings to go to the bathroom.

Around the fourth or fifth day of the cleanse you should start feeling good and this continually increases to the end of the cleanse. I feel healthy, have more clarity and energy, I sleep better waking up refreshed and I even notice that my skin looks healthier and glowing! Even when I am done the ‘official’ 12 days of the cleanse I try to keep up as many of the good habits as possible for as long as possible; no extra sugar or salt, no fast foods or packaged foods and limit alcohol.

Usually, I feel so amazing and motivated after a cleanse, that I jump into de-cluttering and detoxifying the other areas of my life which only leads to even more positive results – I hope you find the same. Good luck to you!

Foods to Completely Avoid

  • Bananas, Pineapple, Mangoes and other tropical fruits.
  • Grapes or raisins
  • Shellfish.
  • Sugar, honey or maple syrup
  • Dairy products
  • Pasta
  • Flour or baked goods made with it.
  • Fruit juice
  • Jams or jellies
  • Nuts (except almonds)
  • Processed breakfast cereals

    • Acid Forming Foods

    The following foods cause an acid reaction in the body and should be limited to 20% or less of your diet while doing the cleanse.

  • Coffee (drink no more than 2 cups per day)
  • Grains
  • Eggs
  • Peas
  • Meat (beef, pork and poultry)
  • White rice
  • Black tea

    • Alkaline Forming Foods

    Alkaline forming and neutral foods should make up at least 80% of your diet while doing the detox.

  • Almonds
  • Millet
  • Buckwheat
  • Brown rice
  • Berries of any kind you like
  • Cherries
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Lemons
  • Fresh tomatoes
  • Pumpkin
  • Soy milk
  • Potatoes
  • Popcorn

    • Neutral Foods

    Eat as many of these as you like.

  • Fish
  • Herbal tea
  • Water
  • Herbs
  • Ginger
  • Onions
  • Vegetables
    • Posted in Foodie | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

    My 3 Things for Calgary

    Posted on December 27, 2011 by Socialgrrrl

    Mayor Nenshi “3 Things for Calgary“ launch, put on by the Mayor’s Civic Engagement Committee was brought to my attention by several local people I talk with on Twitter. I love the grassroots, community feel to an initiative like 3 Things – if each person in Calgary put their minds to 3 things they can do as an individual to make our city better, actual change can take place. Your 3 things should be simple, positive, realistic and something you can really commit to for 2012.

    1. Be more neighbourly

    I bought my first home in 2009 and was unbelievably excited to begin to get to know my neighbourhood of Elboya. We are walking distance to Stanley Park, lovely paths along the Elbow River as well as shops and community halls so I had imagined easily meeting people along the way that would turn out to be our neighbours. Neighbours we could chat with, trust our home with when away on holidays and vice versa – I had even hoped for block parties and backyard barbecues. To date, none of that has happened. In fact, the opposite has happened where we have had such a negative experience with our next door neighbours this year that any sense of community seems a distant hope. But reading other Calgarian’s 3 Things has motivated me!

    The first of my 3 Things is to intentionally be more neighbourly; reach out daily to speak to neighbours, try to get to know them and offer any assistance that I can when the opportunity comes my way. Introduce myself to new people on our street, have a joint garage sale in the spring, participate in community events and take much more interest in our community board. To me, having a true neighbourhood ‘feel’ where you really know your neighbours and together are invested in your own small community, and each other, would have real impact.

    2. Volunteer my time in a meaningful way

    When I returned to Calgary in 2005 after 7 years abroad I felt like I had to get to know Calgary all over again – it had become a ‘big’ city while I was away!  In the 80′s and 90′s I was a regular volunteer with Between Friends and at the Children’s Hospital but volunteering was not on my radar when I moved back until one of my students asked if I would consider joining Making Changes, a local non profit helping women in need transition back to the work force. I was initially concerned about my time, juggling work, teaching and my family but decided to give a few hours a month. Almost 2 years later my life has never been the same; volunteering for Making Changes has deeply affected me and how I see the world and live my life. The best part is, the change that has happened within me has spilled over to many of my friends, family and co-workers too! Doing something that is fulfilling and has meaning really does make you a different person. Spending time with the participants that have overcome all odds to be in Canada or to make their lives better for their families has affected me. Spending time with the volunteers has been inspirational and makes me want to do more.  I have already increased my responsibility and hours with Making Changes over the past year but I am committed to do even more in 2012.

    3. Be a part of the Calgary culture and community

    This seems like common sense, but I have to say, it is very noticable in my own circles that many Calgarians do not get involved in the culture. Too busy, too many stresses, too many commitments and a strange desire to just stay in their own comfort zone and not venture out seem to be the reasons. To me, nothing adds more vibrancy to your life than meeting new and different people, trying new things and going to new places – it is just like the ‘high’ you get from travelling! It literally sparks a part of your brain that is full of curiosity, fun, and more importantly, openness. The openness to be a bit vulnerable and try new experiences; food, people, events, even other cultures.  The more you try new experiences, the less they seem ‘foreign’ and your interest for more adventures will skyrocket! Embracing Calgary’s culture will not only be fun to plan and look forward to; it gives you interesting conversation with friends and family, introduces you to amazing people you had wish you knew before, opens your eyes to the sheer quantity and quality of things going on in our city and makes you feel a part of a real community.

    This year I want to organize more fun local community events as well as participate in as many others organize as possible.

    Another Poutine Crawl will definitely be on the menu for 2012, it was such success last year and brought Calgarians together with people and several restaurants they otherwise may have never tried – and in a fun way.  I am also so excited about being a part of a new Calgary initiative (and soon to be tradition) called Beakerhead which will be unveiled during Stampede 2012. I plan to continue my incredible relationship with the town and people of Playa del Carmen and Tulum and I hope to be one of many who create a stir to visit/volunteer for maintenance of the Mayan Ruins in the Riveria Maya as the ‘end of the world’ approaches December 2012.

    My biggest challenge for 2012 will be creating imaginative ways to put together the new people I hope to meet from my neighbourhood, with the amazing people I have met through Twitter, my social circles, my Making Changes community, with Mount Royal University faculty and students – all to do great things for Calgary.

    What are your 3 Things for Calgary?

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    Brand audit tells you the real deal

    Posted on November 18, 2011 by Socialgrrrl

    Your brand is the perception of who you are, your reputation, what others tell their friends, co-workers, fans and followers about you. Whether it is your business or your personal brand, you can manage (not completely control) what your reputation is online by being intentional and consistent about the content you post and how you interact with others.

    What is really interesting is comparing what you say your brand is to what is actually said about you. (Gulp!) If someone who had never heard of you were to read through all of your comments, posts, tweets, see your uploaded pics and videos, links and suggested articles you gave across all your social media accounts in one sitting – what would they think of you? A scary proposition for some possibly – but the cornerstone of word of mouth marketing is to start with a good product, be confident enough in that product that you want people to talk about it because 1) you know it can stand up to the test and 2) if there are any complaints or negative feedback you are willing to change it because you know that your audience is your partner and your civilian sales force.

    This week I spoke to two Public Relations classes about branding and gave them an assignment – to do a brand audit on a local company. Each small group chose one company to audit and were then asked;

    1. find the company on all online channels they utilized such as their website, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare and review ALL content posted in the past 30 days
    2. describe the brand of the company based solely on above content from company online channels
    3. rate the use of the right social media tools to showcase the brand, consistent brand messaging across various social media tools and true engagement of their audience (not just promotion)

    The information that comes back about you or your company from a brand audit like this is golden – even if it isn’t exactly what you expected or completely positive. You need to know what the perception of you is out there, only then can you address it and change it if necessary. The days of ‘telling’ the masses who you are through advertising and press releases are over; people that interact with you or have any experience with you tell their circles about you. That is your brand. Pay attention to it.

    The surprise for me was that the students included me in their assignment! They looked through my tweets, LinkedIn profile and read some posts from this blog and gave me the following perception of my SocialGrrrl brand:

    Karen’s blog is interesting, but very business like. She may have interesting stories, but they always come back to a central business theme she is getting at.

    She’s easy going and bubbly and that really comes through on her profile with her picture and profile background, her blog is a more professional platform than her twitter account, it’s also a social network for her personal friendships.

    it is evident how passionate she is about her passion of marketing and social media, she seems very interested in what other people have to say and she values being able to talk to others to get her opinions across.

    I enjoyed the humor she integrated into her outlets, made her refreshing and follow-able

    Luckily for me the feedback was positive (because I work in the same institution as my auditors possibly?!) but one item mentioned by all the audits was loud and clear to me: my blog comes across (potentially) too business-like and could be a disconnect from my social Twitter self so I am going to attempt to ‘shift’ it over time.

    What do you think people say about you based on your social media activity? Is it close to how you describe yourself, or if not, how far off do you think brand is? Try doing a brand audit of you or your business… golden!

    Use this: Branding Audit Worksheet for Businesses

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    Personal branding shapes your online street cred

    Posted on October 31, 2011 by Socialgrrrl

    Personal branding may sound like a marketing buzz term but if you think of it as your reputation, your online street cred – it should matter to you.

    Whether you are a professional, entrepreneur, student, job seeker or just looking to connect with others, social media now allows you to become your own PR agent, so understanding how to manage your personal brand is more important than ever. The amplification effect of social media gives you access to people you may not have had in the past (think CEO’s, local or industry celebrities, your audience) and exposure to a lot more people in general, so it is important to think about how you come across online to those you want to connect with and influence.

    What is personal brand? It’s who people think you are, their perception of what you stand for, what you represent, your reputation. When people get a certain ‘vibe’ or impression of you when they meet you the first time in person – this happens online as well. Ideally, your personal brand will be a combination of who you really are, what makes you special, and how you want to be perceived. This is not a ‘spin doctor’ exercise of creating something you are not out of nothing, your personal brand needs to be developed from the core of who you are so that it will ring true. Your personal brand will not live in isolation online, you will meet people in real life that you first connected with over social media so you want your in-person self to match your online personal brand. The moment someone feels you are not really your brand – there goes your street cred.

    If people only have your posts, comments, pictures, videos and who you associate with online to form an opinion, what would their impression be of you?  Imagine someone reading all of your tweets, Facebook and blog posts, articles you have forwarded in one sitting (eeek!) – how would they describe you, your brand? Thoughtful, outrageous, reflective, immature, interesting, quirky, intelligent?

    You can’t completely control what people may think of you online but you can certainly manage it.

    Figure out just what your personal brand is – you may think you know your brand and what people think of you or describe you as, but spend some time really thinking about it and write it down on paper. First, write down a number of positive adjectives that are unique to you and your personality, that distinguish you from others, what you are ‘known’ for. Next, write down a short list of adjectives that you would want others to use when describing you. Develop a hybrid short list of these adjectives that is focused, realistic and is still a good reflection of you. This is the start of your personal brand!

    Choose the right social media tool(s) – different social media tools each have their own purpose and ‘brand’ so you want to match the right one with your goals and personal brand. For example, LinkedIn is the most business related social media tool focused on connecting people primarily to get jobs, whereas Twitter has a broader application and can be used to network and connect with thousands within a niche topic such as cold water scuba diving. Blogs have an online journal feel showcasing expert knowledge or passion in a general topic area over time and Facebook is more of a ‘club’ for members. Choose the one that makes the most sense for what you want to accomplish and that feels like the best fit with your personal brand.

    Ensure you complete a full profile – there are various fields depending on the social media tool to fill in such as your bio, a picture, experience, hobbies and other relevant information to the social medium. Take advantage of all the fields offered and fill out the entire profile – this helps shape a picture in our minds of who you are and what you are all about. When I receive a request to connect or get a new follower I always have a look at their profile and read their bio to see if they are someone I would be interested in talking with. Make sure you also have a picture of yourself in your profile – a picture that actually looks like you, that is easy to see and is appropriate (that 80′s glam shot of you with the popped collar should remain on the shelf). A huge pet peeve of mine is to go to someone’s profile and see the default egg (on Twitter) where a picture should be and no bio – if I can’t read a bit about you or see you, why would I want to follow you?

    Profile information should reflect the social medium – LinkedIn is your online resume so ensure your bio, skills, experience and photo follow suit (see what I did there) business suit! Your bio and profile picture on a Blog or on Twitter can show a more casual and even fun side of you, and Facebook can be your social oasis where you can upload those crazy fun profile pictures and bio because your friends understand the context around them – this is assuming you do know all of your Facebook ‘friends’ in person and have your privacy settings locked down to non-friends (you should).

    Keep your content focused within your brand – in developing your personal brand, content is king. When thinking of topics to blog about, articles and videos to share, comments you make online, articles you forward – ask yourself it they support your personal brand. If you would describe your brand as ‘philosophical, inspiring and big picture’ forwarding trite or dirty jokes, uploading photos or your lunch or talking constantly about your taxes will feel off-brand which will confuse and then frustrate your followers. Everyone veers off course now and then with personal anecdotes and banter with others but try to keep the majority of content you put up and share online within your brand.

    Be consistent – trying to develop your personal brand online will be a slow process if you are rarely posting or only going online every couple of months. People will not remember you. Creating a brand means a certain time investment to put yourself on others radar and then keep yourself there. If you do not have the time to invest in your own brand why would anyone give you the time?

    Think before you post -  while social media is great for allowing you to become your own PR agent, remember, anything you post on social media is public, permanent and search able by anyone.  A good rule of thumb before posting (whatever the medium) is to ask if it could be taken the wrong way, is it slanderous, does it contain confidential information or is just in bad taste. Think before you post if you are feeling angry or emotional and especially if you are ‘out on the town’. It may seem like a good idea or funny at the time but if there is even a chance it could come back to haunt you later, don’t post it.

    Test it – Once you have had a social media account for a few months: in one sitting scroll through all your posts, comments, articles, links, photos and videos that you have uploaded or shared and try to objectively see yourself through someone else’s eyes – what would their perception of you be?

    Sean Moffitt, author of Wikibrands and President of Agent Wildfire, has put together the 7 Golden Rules of personal branding, or what he also calls the REHAHAs. Test your personal brand against Sean’s 7 rules.

    Social media has offered up an amazing opportunity – giving us direct access to our customers, our mentors, our groupies and our potential new clients and bosses. Figure out who you are, what is unique about you, what you have to offer and start developing your personal brand online.

    Use this worksheet to find your personal brand: Personal Branding worksheet

    Posted in Marketing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment