Rob Cottingham's blog | Social Signal

Like many people, when I heard about the disaster in Haiti, I wanted to help. And I wanted to give others a way to help, too.

Here's what I decided to do: go to a relief agency's web site, and set up a peer fundraising page (along the lines of what Convio, Blackbaud and DemocracyInAction create for their clients).

Last week, I mentioned BC Hydro's Deb LeRose, and the brilliant opening slide in her social media presentation: the one that shows a free puppy and a baby. Her point is that, like many social media presences, each is supposedly "free". But you have to look at the long-term cost, whether it's feeding your dog... clothing and educating your child... or maintaining an effective, engaging social media presence.

So what if you're not sure you're ready yet?

Ready to dive into social media, but not sure where to start? Alex and I will be teaching Fundamentals of Social Media at UBC Continuing Studies in March - a more in-depth version of the course we taught last fall. (Which, by the way, we enjoyed tremendously - thanks to everyone who took part!)

One of the great things about the clients I've been lucky enough to work with is how smart they are. Case in point: BC Hydro's Deb LeRose, who - among many other things - helps the company's many departments and business units understand social media.

Here's a New Year's treat from Noise to Signal: the past year's social media high- (and low-) lights in cartoon form. Enjoy!

(You can find the individual cartoons at Noise to Signal's new home. And not to worry - we'll keep posting the most social-media-y of Noise to Signal here on SocialSignal.com.)

In the dying days of last winter, Alex - who was sifting through applications for our social media strategist position - showed me one that filled her with unbridled excitement.

The cover letter was written extraordinarily well (and believe me, you don't appreciate quite what a treat that is until you've posted a job opening). And the resumé - a decade of non-profit program and funding development; launching a sexual health education project for Montreal youth; promoting human rights in Europe; writing a kick-ass blog - was stellar.

Social Signal regulars will know that we've (and by "we", I especially mean "Alex") put a lot of effort into finding the perfect solution to our project management needs. We've tried web apps like Basecamp and Remember the Milk, desktop apps like Daylite... but nothing has met all of our needs.

If you've ever accidentally soaked your shoes in a puddle on a freezing day, you'll appreciate how miserable the experience can be... and how desperate you can be to get to your home, school or workplace to change into a spare pair.

When you're living on the streets, though, it's more than just discomfort. Cold, wet feet can quickly become agonizing to walk on - adding a big barrier to finding a job, food or shelter for the night.

And I'm going to let Kate Dugas from ChangeEverything.ca take it from here:

Since we launched in 2005 - a social media firm at a time when the term "social media" had yet to be coined - we've evolved constantly. No big surprise: this is a field that's changing rapidly too.

Last month, we told you we were refocusing on capacity-building: helping other organizations, agencies and individuals to make the most of social media. We expected that would mean we'd support our clients through trainings and Concept Jam strategy workshops, while reaching a larger audience through blogging, cartooning and other media.