I’ve often said that teaching digital communications is not like guiding a class through the 17 French verb conjugations. Those won’t change. Digital comms … not so much. Think: cinematic storm clouds and thunderclaps, and maybe an arena full of bucking broncos! So here I am again writing down ideas on tiny torn-up sheets of […]
Social Media: Chapter One is Over
Originally published in January 2023 in Blog, Social Media Instructor, University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, Webinars
Student Success Stories
Originally published in January 2022 in Blog, Continuing Education, Social Media Instructor, University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
Just a few of the students who came to class with very sharp pencils. If you are on this page because you’re thinking of enrolling in my University of Toronto Digital Strategy course, I can see you! But seriously, Hi, I’m glad you stopped by. Whenever I take a course — I took Creating Comics […]
Read moreAvoid the hard sell
Originally published in October 2020 in Blog, Continuing Education, Social Media Instructor, Toronto Illustrators
As a University of Toronto (SCS) instructor in #DigitalStrategy, I like coming up with different ways to explain what it takes to build a commercial relationship with your audience, without being obnoxiously salesy or transactional. #AdBlockers When you want something too much … it doesn’t happen. #Desperation The art of persuasion is about laying down […]
Read moreDo you have to be an extrovert to be on social media?
Originally published in September 2020 in Blog, Social Media Instructor, Video, Webinar Host
Do you have to be an extrovert to be on social media? No, but you do have to have the patience and editing chops to only share stories that are genuine.
Read moreAvoiding a scoreboard approach to social media
Originally published in September 2020 in Blog, Social Media Instructor, Toronto Illustrators, Video, Webinar Host, Webinars
Why it’s important to avoid a scoreboard approach to social media, especially if you are an artist.
Read moreMy next IABC Keynote Address
Originally published in September 2020 in Blog, Illustration, Social Media Instructor, Toronto Illustrators
When Covid-19 sent us into lockdown in March, I spent the rest of the month, and all of April, endlessly scrolling on my phone, with no focus and zero discipline. By May, I was taking notes on how the pandemic was rearranging the economy. By June, I was ready to put myself back out into […]
Read moreOnline Learning during Covid-19
Originally published in April 2020 in Blog, Continuing Education, Social Media Instructor
Join me online starting May 20th 🌸 and learn to be a more effective Digital Strategist 👩💻 👨💻 — from content marketing to reaching your target audience through paid, earned, shared and owned tactics. Course Link #OnlineLearning 📚 #LearnFromHome 🏡 #GiveawayAlert
Read moreWhen process smothers stories
Originally published in November 2017 in Blog, Social Media Instructor
At some point, anguish over process overtook the focus on stories in the online world. Tina Brown made this observation this week on Alec Baldwin’s podcast, Here’s The Thing. Tina Brown. Watercolor sketch by Alison Garwood-Jones What Brown said was, “It’s no longer about stories and pictures and captions and words, which is what I […]
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