Category: kinzieology

Over the weekend, a long-time friend invited me to a remote private residence high in the hills for his birthday/leaving party. We hiked up Friday afternoon and solved all the world’s problems over a bonfire late into the night. There was no phone signal and, try as I might, I couldn’t connect to the wi-fi on Saturday morning. I took it as a sign and switched off.

We returned to civilization after a lovely lunch with new friends on Saturday and when I got home in the evening, I had lost the urge to check my phone so I decided to leave it off. The feeling remained when I woke on Sunday so I took the big decision, unplugged my wi-fi and left the world of social media behind me.

Over the course of the day, I became aware of how many times I have the urge to check something on my phone. If I hadn’t switched everything off, I might have given in, but discipline won out. By Monday morning, I was really beginning to believe I had missed something, but then I couldn’t imagine what that might be, other than a stupid pet trick or a host of posts about how we are fucking up the planet or a life hack to save time so I have more time to waste or a personal attack on a popular figure or two in the name of humor. I didn’t turn anything back on until after I finished my morning tea. I trusted my friends would still be my friends and probably wouldn’t even notice I had gone missing in cyberspace.

While I was disconnected, I began noticing things around my space that could use a little attention. I relaxed. I read. I cooked. I sorted. I cleared. I watched a movie. I did some writing with pen and paper.

I felt a sense of freedom lined with the guilt of being out of touch.

I make it my business to connect and until this weekend, I did not recognize the importance of a proper disconnect. I have started putting my phone in another room when I am relaxing and noticing the frequency of impulses to check it. I imagine it is like the impulse to light a cigarette or open a bottle of wine or switch on the tv or buy something frivolous just to feel better. I am seeing more digital detox retreats offered locally and by wellness sanctuaries across Asia and they all sound a bit like the rehab we could all use.

I have chosen to create a space where we can connect easily with each other for good. Taking time away from that space offers perspective. I started my week with a new feature to update you with fresh listings on the website directory. Today, I am running late with the newsletter because everyone’s back from holiday and calendar listings are backing up because the new design takes more time, but I will learn to live the cost of rest.

My constant near and far connecting with others has come at the cost of a connection here and now with me.

In our world with diminishing privacy, it is essential we give ourselves a bit of private time.

How will you switch off for you?

[from HK heartbeat]

In one of my first jobs as communications director for a school division, I met for coffee with a friend who is a journalist. During our time together, we talked about my ideas for a publicity campaign that involved the students. When we wrapped up, I offered to buy his coffee. His refusal came with an education in the ethics of journalism. No exchange is made for stories or articles. He loved my idea but would not be willing to write about it if I paid him anything. Not even a cup of coffee at 1980’s prices. I was impressed, not only by his values but by his willingness to educate me on how it worked.

Since that day, I have never entertained journalists other than provided beverages and snacks at a media conference as a matter of public courtesy. Media releases are distributed with enough information to attact an enquiry if the content fits with a piece they are working on. As a publisher, I am regularly disappointed by clients who ask for a feature before committing to advertising. It never happens. Either we agree to an advertising contract or I move on.

“I believe the most important thing for the media is to be objective, fair and balanced. We should not report something with preconceptions or prejudice.” Jack Ma, Alibaba

I am regularly offered free treatments in exchange for writing about them. I am not a reviewer. Unless I am a paying customer, there is a part of me that holds back on criticism, constructive or otherwise, if I have received something — anything — in exchange for editorial content.

5 media relations tips

1. Deliver a news release with an offer to provide additional information on request.
2. Send an email release with the content in the body, not an un-trusted attachment.
3. Provide a description with all relevant details and without ad-like hype or flourish.
4. Save the exclamation points, upper case and bold for your social media comments.
5. Ensure you include your direct contact details and double check the information

BONUS TIP : Never expect an article will be published

Real journalists value original content, fresh information and respectful relationships.

Today, there are plenty of social media opportunities and independent bloggers ready to write about a product or service in exchange for exposure. This is advertising — it is not objective content. It is not news. It is opinion and it is a paid opinion. That is promotion.

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This farm girl had fun hanging out with some local farmers today at the LOHAS Expo and Vegetarian Food Asia. Oh, and yeah, HK heartbeat is a media partner so it’s all business.  Did I mention the fresh tomatoes?

Here is some of the fresh produce in season in Hong Kong right now.

Enjoy!

I receive a lot of interest in the areas of business matching, content marketing, publicity along with media and communications training and workshops. Also popular at the moment is private consulting and corporate events delivering practical ways to manage in stressful environments by guiding individuals and teams towards sustainable life balance.

More: How I work | Resume | Profile

Get in touch when you can use a little extra expert help.

From my early days growing up in a remote, rural community in western Canada, I learned the importance of relying on each other. When a stranger went off the road and came up to the house looking for help, we fired up the tractor and took time out from farm work to pull them out. No charges. It’s just part of life.

When my bachelor uncle lost his leg in a farming accident during harvest, every combine in the neighborhood arrived in his fields, putting their own profits in peril to ensure his crops made it into the bins. Our kitchen filled with women preparing food for the farmers from their own gardens and pantries.

Community was essential to our survival and our social network existed only among our neighbors and extended families. School was 16 miles west, services were 15 miles north in the nearest city and the next door neighbor was nearly a mile down the road. Digital social networks have helped me maintain connections with that community of my childhood.

In 2001, I launched HK heartbeat to share information with friends who approached me looking for natural lifestyle information in Hong Kong. It started as a weekly email newsletter, grew to include print publications and local events and I built the website directory myself in 2006. In recent years, I have added social media channels, integrating the information to reach members and keep everyone up to date with what’s new and what’s on in Hong Kong … naturally.

Companies recognizing the financial value of community are now attempting to recreate the magic under their brand and leveraging the network to sell their products and services.

Businesses beware — conscious customers recognize when a community is little more than advertising.

5 tips for building an online community

1. Set up your community around a shared interest
2. Encourage sharing of content, ideas and experiences
3. Present your brand as the community sponsor
4. Provide resources to develop the group
5. Extend special offers to your members

By adopting this strategy, you will expand participation to include people who will not be put off by commercial nature of the program and present the project as actual community rather than a business venture.

This approach also opens the possibility of using the community to brand other products in the future.

I am always thinking ahead.

Photo by Kinzie