Social media #whiz: We can't talk about the highlights of 2012 without acknowledging the continued growth, necessity and influence of social media. Liberal MLA Richard Lee has certainly managed to make a name for himself on Twitter - and when it comes to Twitter, "make a name" really equals presence, and lots of it. Either he's a keen social media minder, or he has a good team helping out because he posts frequently, he shares photos and he's got a good following. It's too early to say if that will make a difference for him in the upcoming election, but it sure can't hurt. But perhaps it's something in the water up there in North Burnaby because our next contender for whiz of the year would be the Heights Merchants Association: well-connected with lots of interesting updates, the social media profiles for the association are successfully used to get out the word about events and, in the case of a recent neighbourhood issue with TransLink, to mobilize local residents.
Speaking of local residents, we can't go without comment on Jenny Siormanolakis, a member of the family behind Romana's Pizza - she's got the perfect blend of casual fun and business savvy that makes social media a good tool. People who get too casual (or too focused on promoting their business) will eventually realize their technique is a liability. Siormanolakis has the right touch in her methods: fun, accessible and very, very active.
