Wizards of the web Rob Clark and Kyle McKeown unmask web analytics
by Deborah Serravalle

"You can only manage what you can measure." - Peter Drucker

In the right hands, passion can magically alter a necessary but dull topic into something relevant and fascinating. How could we otherwise explain a researcher's life commitment to the study of an obscure insect only found in an equally obscure corner of the globe?

Yes, passion has the ability to enlighten us, change our perspective and how we react. And that's exactly what Rob Clark and his Social Media Group colleague Kyle McKeown did on May 26 when they brought their passion for the topic of web analytics to the lovely setting at the Halton Museum in Milton.

Remember the scary wizard from The Wizard of Oz? Like Toto, Rob drew back the curtain on the machinations of our web sites and revealed some simple tools that are manageable -- even if you are a Cowardly Lion.

In essence, web analytics tell us who is visiting our site. Rob explained how your computer interacts with your server and how, behind the scenes, every request is logged. Web analytics takes this information and allows us to visualize the data and then blend this information to create a full-colour snapshot of your business at any given time.

Rob used Google Analytics, a free service to customers with a Google account. That's you, since you signed up for one to get access to HPCA's Google Groups list.

Rob demonstrated by examining Gloria Hildebrandt's Escarpment Views site, the online presence for her print magazine. After clarifying the goals of this type of site -- such as visitor numbers and frequency, continuous visitor growth and visitation spikes -- Rob delineated what to look for in the charts provided and discussed how to interpret and apply the retrieved information. Meanwhile, Kyle ("We're the Mac and PC guys") regaled us with humorous slides and pithy side notes.

Next up was Sue Horner's site at www.getitwrite.ca. Because this site offers freelance writing services, Rob guessed correctly that the site's goals were lead generation and positioning as an expert. Again we had a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look, including who is sending traffic to the site (referrals). Sue was interested to note that Bloglines, Twitter and LinkedIn were among the most frequent referral sources.

After a short break, Kyle McKeown took the stage and offered a variety of helpful Search Engine Optimization tips. He encouraged us to examine how people are finding us now, look at the statistics and then focus on who we want to target. For example, some of the companies that examined the Escarpment Views "advertising rates" page would be logical places to contact to sell advertising in the magazine.

Discover what are people looking for and then introduce search terms or keywords that are unique for your business. Kyle encouraged "owning" keywords by differentiating yourself in your specific market ("Hamilton wedding photographer") and using those terms naturally and consistently.

The benefit of blogging, if you can commit to it at least once a week, was discussed as an opportunity to incorporate keywords. Kyle encouraged us to socialize by commenting on other blogs and linking to other sites.

Rob and Kyle describe themselves as geeks, and from the new vocabulary many of us picked up, this may be true:

Google bombing: BAD. This is when you are blacklisted by the Google search engines and it's akin to committing online hari-kari. "If you try to game the system, Google will take you down hard," Rob warned.

Google juice: GOOD. You're linked with other influential people and the Google search engines like you.

Geeks or not, Rob and Kyle's self-deprecating humour, contagious passion, intelligent insight and willingness to share made this a fun and informative evening for all the Cowardly Lions in attendance.

Deborah Serravalle is a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.

START WORKING AT WORKPLACE WELLNESS IN YOUR HOME OFFICE
by Karen Majerly

We work at home.

We sit. A lot.

And the kitchen is just a few steps away.

So how can we live a healthy lifestyle under these conditions?

That's what HPCA members learned on April 13 when we welcomed Deana Mercier, a Registered Physiotherapist with degrees in Kinesiology, Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology, and Sandra Saville, a Consulting Dietitian to individuals and corporations.

Deana told us that Health Canada has a guide about physical activity just as they have one outlining what we should eat. It recommends that we work our bodies four to seven days a week, and that we do different kinds of exercises.

This is because the body is designed to be efficient. You adapt to your regular workout and plateau, so you have to mix it up. In your routine, you should have cardio-vascular (aerobic) elements and strength training, as well as exercises that help with balance and flexibility.

Now about that cardio portion - walking the dog does not count if the dog strolls, and sniffs, and sniffs some more. (Note to self: we're talking brisk walking here!)

Many of us sit for long periods, which can cause problems, regardless of whether or not we exercise enough. Move every half hour, do those stretches, and don't forget to breathe! When you are sitting, watch your posture, and have your feet in contact with the floor, hip width apart. Make sure your behind is well back in the chair. And relax those shoulders. We also have a tendency to stick our necks forward, so watch for that too.

By the time Sandra went up to speak, we were warmed up from some practice stretches and ready to hear more. Here are just a few of the things we learned:

• Only 2 per cent of the people in Halton get enough fibre in their diets!
• You may think you're hungry when you're just thirsty. Your, ahem, "fluid output" should look like lemonade, not apple juice. Make your glass of water tasty by adding a piece of citrus fruit.
• You can eat chocolate! The very dark kind of course. Try having a piece with some fruit and a bit of warm water - this prevents you from craving more.
• Fill your dinner plate with 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 healthy whole grains, and 1/4 meat. Have milk to drink and fruit for dessert.
• Eat breakfast, including protein, and eat it early. It gets your metabolism going. Sandra says eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper - less food late in the day.
• Eat slowly. Be one with your food! And do not eat in your office. Take at least 20 minutes for a meal.

Check out Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating for more information, and here's to your health!

Karen Majerly specializes in writing, editing, public relations and communications consulting.

Slidecasting: A tale of cooperation and learning
by Joan Vinall-Cox, Ph.D.

I like to bite off more than I can chew (my Grandmother's accusation) and then accomplish what I've promised and, through the struggle, learn something new. So it was with creating a slidecast for the HPCA April 13th meeting on Workplace Wellness with Deana Mercier.

In a moment of spontaneity, I committed to creating a slidecast -- a combination of a slideshow and audio -- providing two fellow members helped. Donna Papacosta provided an audio file of her excellent interview with Deana, and, as usual, Alan McKenzie had taken pictures of the meeting and was willing to share his photographs. I was left with no excuse to avoid learning how to slidecast.

Now, I'm not entirely foolish; I knew what a slidecast was and the theory on how to create one (fit the slides to the audio). I knew where to go to make one, SlideShare, where I've been posting PowerPoints and Keynotes for years - <<http://www.slideshare.net/vinall>>. As well, I know how to find web tutorials on using web applications. So, although I'd never made a slidecast before, I was fairly confident that I could create one. Here's what I did:

· I took Donna's .wav audio file and opened it in Audacity so I could export it as an .mp3, which is the audio format required for a slidecast.

· I listened to Donna's interview and made notes, so I had an idea of what I would need for visuals.

· I opened PowerPoint and began creating a PowerPoint using the notes.

· I added Alan's photos, some screenshots of mentioned websites, and text of what Deana said to various slides.

· I uploaded the finished PowerPoint to SlideShare.

Now here's where I had to do some learning. I searched for and found just what I needed: <<http://slideshare.zendesk.com/entries/57609-can-you-describe-how-to-create-a-slidecast-step-by-step>>. After some futzing around where I uploaded the audio .mp3 to my account on Box.net so I would have a web address for it, I discovered that SlideShare now hosts audio files, so my next step was upload the file from my computer and go to "Edit Slidecast."

My final step was to edit the slides to the sound, so it would all make sense. After a few easily corrected not-exactly-mistakes-but-trials, I understood how it worked. I had some scary moments when I clicked "Preview saved work" and couldn't click on "Save & Publish" but then I noticed that the preview had opened in a separate tab, I closed the preview tab, clicked "Save & Publish" and voila! A slidecast online.

I can't end this description on how to slidecast without pointing out the cooperative nature of HPCA members. Donna provided the audio, Alan provided the photographs, and I pulled the pieces into a slidecast. Together we created this slidecast to share with you: <<http://www.slideshare.net/vinall/hpca-interview-with-deana-mercier>>.

Joan Vinall-Cox, Ph.D., is passionate about using Web 2.0 in business and education.

ANNUAL LUNCH AND NEW HPCA BOARD ELECTION JUNE 17

Mark your calendars! Our annual June luncheon is Thursday, June 17.

Craig Fairley has generously offered his home in Burlington for this event, which will be catered by Nina's Bistro & Wine Bar. Our gourmet lunch includes salad, Thai chicken on rice and (vegetarian) tortellini, with a cookie and brownie platter for dessert. We will have our HPCA vintage available, as well as pop, juice and water. Feel free to bring your own preferred beverage, if you wish. The festivities begin at noon at 349 Bryant Crescent, Burlington.

RSVP to Judy Snyder by June 10.

Besides socializing with other members, we'll be electing the 2010-2011 HPCA board of directors. Standing for election (but who are we kidding, it will be acclamation) are:

President - Val Sanna
Meeting Co-ordinator - Mary Harvey
Communications Director - Ed Laba
IT Director - Adiseshan Shankar

Volunteers are still welcome to take on, alone or shared, the duties of Membership Director; please contact Judy Snyder if interested. Otherwise, these duties will be assumed by the other board members.

BONUS MEETING JUNE 22: WHAT INDIES NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HARMONIZED SALES TAX

Whether we like it or not, the Harmonized Sales Tax is coming to Ontario July 1, 2010. For many of us who previously only had to charge our clients 5% GST, that means we'll soon have to charge 13% tax. Is that a bad thing, or might there actually be some benefits? What will we need to do differently?

Join us on Tuesday, June 22 for an informal and interactive Q&A session with accountant Gary Burnstein, who will answer our questions about the new HST and how it affects independents.

The session takes place at 6 p.m. at the e-Spot, just above Artisano restaurant at 353 Iroquois Shore Road, Unit 200, Oakville (just east of Trafalgar Rd., north of the QEW). Feel free to bring a snack to the one-hour meeting, or wait until afterwards to have a bite to eat downstairs at Artisano, where we'll continue the informal networking. There's no charge for the meeting, but any snacks are your responsibility.

Please register for the event by Friday, June 18 by sending an email to Sue Horner. We'll be inviting members from IABC/Toronto's Westend group and want to make sure there's room for all of us. Be sure to tell Sue if you have specific questions for Gary about the HST; we'll be forwarding them to him ahead of time.


HPCA WEB SITE - IT'S YOURS TO EXPLORE!

If you attended the May seminar on web analytics, it's time to put your newly acquired knowledge into practice. If you missed it, the bottom line is we benefit from the on-going creation of fresh content on our web sites, which increases Search Engine Optimization and subsequent exposure on a corporate and individual basis.

And HPCA means you're not alone. A new and improved membership kit is coming this fall and will include tips to keep you current. So get going! Our web site www.hpcaonline.com is a valuable tool. Stretch your investment and make it work for YOU!


MEMBERSHIP UPDATE DONNA PAPACOSTA AND KERRY MORGAN

Being a member of HPCA allows us to share our ideas, desires, goals, successes and even our failures with colleagues who care. It's also an opportunity to recommend, with confidence, related services to our clients. Please share what's going on in your life with us! We'd love to know. Send your comments to Deborah Serravalle.

Donna Papacosta is everywhere!

Long-term HPCA member Donna Papacosta will be presenting at the IABC World Conference in Toronto this June. Her session, entitled Integrating Multimedia into your Social Media Campaign, is designed to create an understanding of multimedia and to offer practical advice. Donna will be helping others tell their story in sound and pictures, as part of an integrated social media campaign including, blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more.

If some of this sounds familiar, it should. We've been lucky enough to have this world-class professional present to our small but distinguished group on several occasions. And many of us have benefited from her experience, knowledge and the contagious joy she brings to her work. Congratulations, Donna!

Member profile: Kerry Morgan

Kerry Morgan is principal of KM Communications & PR, a boutique communications and public relations consultancy providing senior-level communications and project management services.

Kerry's clients have turned to her for everything from crisis management, media training, brand building and corporate writing to the development of multi-faceted strategic communication plans to drive organizational change and manage reputation.

Prior to establishing her own business in 2007, Kerry spent nearly 20 years in corporate communications and public relations, including roles as Vice-President of Communications for a large multinational, publicly traded manufacturing company; Vice-President of Corporate Communications for one of Canada's largest media and entertainment companies; and Director of Public Relations for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Kerry has led numerous communications and PR strategies to effectively support business goals and transform organizations.

KM Communications & PR can help make your message matter. Contact Kerry Morgan to discuss your communication needs.