February 2012
2 posts
4 tags
On Sharing, Trust, & The Post-Privacy World
(see video first)
I think sharing and collaboration is one of the most interesting trends when it comes to the ways we consume goods in services. Interestingly, although the idea is simple and pretty straightforward, this could not have happened even 10 years ago. But not because of the absence of technology — it’s been there for decades — but because of how the word “stranger” had changed...
6 tags
Most Superbowl Ads Fail to Go Beyond a...
So Superbowl happened, and one thing that every marketer will be talking about for the next few weeks are the ads. I watched them all, and I have to say that I’m quite disappointed, and not just with the general level of creativity — with Teleflora being most pathetic, — but with how many companies have failed to extend the conversation to social media.
Personally, I expected that this...
January 2012
2 posts
3 tags
P&G Focuses on New Media. Opportunities for...
While many still doubt the importance and power of social media used for marketing, some of the world’s largest corporations start to catch up. Particularly interesting is the decision of P&G to lay off 1,600 of its employees and pay more attention to the cheaper, less traditional media, such as Facebook and YouTube. After the enormous success that Old Spice brand managed to achieve...
11 tags
2011 in Review. 2012 in Preview.
Last year I’ve written a number of resolutions for each letter of the alphabet. Not everything went the way I expected but, in general, I’m happy with my 2011. Here’s the revised list.
Accomplished: A - assume less, listen more. D - develop better studying habits. E - English, master. G - Gary Vaynerchuk, meet. H - help more people than I’ve helped in 2010. I - improve...
December 2011
1 post
3 tags
EpicBets: Startup Weekdays: EpicBets, Three Weeks... →
epicbets:
On November 18, 2011, ten people were standing in the middle of the Segal School of Business’ lobby discussing their next move. Ahead of them were 2 intense days of building a mobile game that would change the way friends bet on sports games. There was an original idea, and now there was…
November 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Blogging Fiasco
This blog had been about cool pictures; then about marketing; then about learning…
Every new beginning for this blog meant a new attempt for me to figure out what (and how) exactly I was able to write.
This blog has not been updated in a long time, which can only mean one thing: the what and the how were not right for me. More specifically, writing success tips for students 6 days a week...
April 2011
1 post
ROI of Learning
Out of all the things, I’ve written on this blog and the ones I was too lazy to write, here’s one that will probably get into the TOP3.
Always analyze and evaluate your experiences.
When I came to work at HootSuite for a one-week-long internship, I had not idea if I would stay longer or no, but I wanted to make the most out of it. So I set a goal to write down “5 things I’ve...
March 2011
3 posts
5 tags
5 tags
3 Principles I Live by
For my Business Communications class, I’ve been asked to write about the “Greatest lesson learned from someone else,” so here it goes…
Wait! One lesson is not enough, let’s make it 3!
1. Effort is massively underrated
This one comes from Gary Vaynerchuk, bestselling author and super-star entrepreneur. These 4 words have changed my life is so many ways: from getting a job at...
February 2011
1 post
Why Not Change Yourself Now?
The most common excuse for failure I’ve heard is that people don’t change. Bullshit!
People do change. Every second, every day, every month, every year. People change a little all the time and dramatically due to some major events.
The only thing you need in order to change yourself is wanting it badly enough. If you think that your laziness is on your way to success, change!...
January 2011
1 post
1 tag
So This Is Monday, and What Have You Done?
Here’s a quastion: What are the 3 things you’ve done today to make your life better?
Did you read a couple of pages in that textbook? Did you run a few miles? Did you write a blog post? Did you pay your tuition? Did you meet someone important? Did you help someone in need?
If you can’t name 3 such things by the end of each day, you’re not doing a good enough job to...
December 2010
6 posts
3 tags
New Year's Resolution for 2011
Are you a fan of resolutions? I’m not. I believe in continuous goal-setting. But just for fun I decided to make an alphabetical list of my goals for 2011. Maybe, you should do the same.
Without further due, here’s my list:
A - assume less, listen more
B - build and improve this blog
C - Chris Brogan, meet
D - develop better studying habits
E - English, master
F - fight...
2 tags
You know that it's time to change your email...
…if it has anything to do with cats, super heros, movie stars or donuts.
…if it has your date of birth or registration in it.
…if you feel a bit embarrassed telling it to someone important.
…if you don’t like it.
…if you can’t remember it.
…if you can’t easily spell it over the phone.
…if it’s too long to fit on a business...
6 tags
Ultimate Resource List to Nail Your Next...
This semester is almost over. The next one is not far away with all new group projects and presentations. So…
This is my master list of resources to make your next classroom presentation more awesome than a unicorn with a rainbow-coloured pupils. And those things are very awesome.
Use
9 Big, Bold Designer PowerPoint Templates
28 Creative PowerPoint and Keynote Presentation Designs
10...
3 tags
How Curiosity Will Change Your Life
— Why would I learn that? Will I get paid more?
I’ve heard these questions a lot of times. Indeed, why would you spend time learning about something that doesn’t have a direct impact on your future salary? Why would you read that book, if it doesn’t have answers to the questions on hand? Why would you meet these people, if they have no connection to your industry? Why? Why?...
3 tags
Set Goals, Then Accomplish!
What are your goals?
I remember how a psychologist would come to my class and ask this question. According to her, people are much more successful, if they have their goals written down, than those who don’t have goals at all or even have them but not on paper.
I never took her words seriously. But later, when reading many business books, I stumbled upon this advice a few times more. And...
4 tags
Make Classmates Jealous with Business Cards!
In 2010, there is absolutely no excuse not to have cool personal brand identity. There is no excuse to have a boring black and white resume typed in Times New Roman. There is no excuse to not have business cards.
This post will put an end to bad design in your life, even if your are terrible at it (like I am). So if you are still planning on making excuses, you better stop reading now.
Design...
4 tags
Why Networking Will Crush Your High GPA
There is nothing more important for your success than networking. Your marks matter zilch. Your initial capital is irrelevant. In order to be successful, you need networking. In order to get your dream job, you need networking.
You need networking, and there is no substitute for this need.
What can networking give you?
Every job I’ve had so far, I got because of the people I’d...
November 2010
17 posts
5 tags
About Good Marks, Motivation, Failure and Success
Life is much easier than you think. Anything you do or don’t do is most of the time a question of your will.
If you really want it, you’ll get it. If you don’t want it, you are going to fail or stay idle, which to me is not much different.
Getting good marks in school is easy. After all, the system is created this way. You study, follow the rules, put in time and effort, and...
15 tags
How to Find Time for Everything
If you were following any of my advices, you are probably struggling with finding time for everything like I do. I’ve never been so busy in my life, but, as time goes by, I find new ways to make the most out of every hour and not burn out. It gets easier with practice.
Here are a few things you can do to find time for everything and make your time constraint less binding.
Utilize
Look...
5 tags
How to Wear a Hat
This winter has come to Vancouver very early and, at least for me, unexpectedly. I should still change my tires or else I’m risking to be spending twice as much time on commuting, which would be the total of 5 hours daily.
Seeing how fellow students start wearing hats and being a considerably style-conscious person, I want to give you 2 very short pieces of advice.
1. Take your hat off...
15 tags
How to Rock Your Final Exams
The finals are coming up. Can you feel them? I can.
Over the years of epicly failing and wining on exams, I have developed a list of tools and tips that I use to get through any test. Today I want to share them with you, and I encourage you to post your own advice in the comments!
Tools
1. To-Do lists. I use these a lot. For every assignment, textbook chapter or test, I have a task, a due...
9 tags
Trust Agents - Book Review
“Trust Agents” is a bestselling book written by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith about social media, networking, and… well, building trust for success.
The book explains how the rules of branding has changed not only in terms of HOW you should brand, but also WHY.
It mixes theory and interesting stories, and showcases with direct practical action plans that will get you on top of the new...
4 tags
How to Find Your Passion
My story
I was 17, studying in my first year at a university in Ukraine, when I almost failed every course in that year. I was bored with school. I felt like every piece of information thrown at me in class could not be more useless.
I had no idea whatsoever about what I wanted to do with my life. For a while, before applying to study economics, I wanted to become a programmer and make video...
10 tags
What Social Media Every Sudent Should Start Using
There are a lot of talks about social media and how active one should be online. The general picture I see here in Vancouver with the people my age is: 98% have Facebook, 20% have Twitter, 10% have LinkedIn, 1% have blogs, barely anyone is more active than that.
Why Get Active Online
I believe that students should develop a habit of using social media and trying out new resources, networks and...
7 tags
How Textbooks Were Sent from Hell to Make Us...
I’ve seen them all: high quality textbooks, not-so-good ones, and super-crappy textbook parodies (hello, homeland). Almost every official textbook I’ve seen was a proud representation of bureaucracy, misery and dust of academia. Most of them felt like empty vessels waiting to be filled with tears and blood of students.
Well, you get the point. I hate textbooks. And I believe that...
6 tags
Rework – Book Review
“Rework” is a bestselling book written by the founders of a great company, 37signals.
I picked it up a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say that it has many interesting insights on how to improve the way you work as an individual and as a business owner.
I don’t agree with everything the authors say, but most of the stuff is good.
It will be most interesting to business students of...
5 tags
Embrace Your Biological Clock
All my life I’ve been fighting my nature.
You see, I’m much more productive at night than in the morning. Yet, due to the influence of my parents and many other people, I was forced to live the early-bird lifestyle.
Even though I’ve been living by myself for a long time now, I was still trying to go to bed not too late and wake up not too late either. Until lately, when I got...
8 tags
5 First Steps to Building Your Brand While in...
So here we are. You already know that, in order to become really successful, you need to step up your game, which we will, from now on, call personal branding.
Sure, personal branding is not yet a must for becoming successful but only in cases where success is directly related to your achievements.
If being successful means to you being the best at doing what you love, then dive into the...
8 tags
How Higher Education Is Like Pacman
You go to school. You study. You nurture your marks and learn what you can, trying to have fun along the way.
If we look at it from a different perspective, your time in school is like an old arcade game. You make different moves, and you collect points as you play. These points are essential to your final score.
To get more points, you can use some secret pathway like in Super Mario Bros. Or...
7 tags
The New Mike Abasov's Blog
Hello fellow students,
Over the course of the last few months, I’ve been trying to find my voice on this blog. I talked about social media, marketing, professional development, etc., creating inconsistent content and, probably, boring you. But it’s time to put an end to this!
From this day forward, I going to write useful posts and try to help every student who’s looking for ways to succeed...
8 tags
How to Find People in Your Niche on Tumblr
This is not a hardcore tip but, for many people, not an obvious one either. Of course, you can go search for tags like “marketing” or “ubc,” or else, if you like. But the following idea I got from Twitter. Remember when you checked whom your followers follow to see if there were any cool folks out there? This is just like that.
So, what I do is I go to a tumblr post like,...
7 tags
What Do You Think About This?
Always have an opinion. Ask yourself what your gut feeling is saying, what you think about this and that, if it is good or bad. Then analyze. Then answer.
Don’t brag about your decision just yet, because you might be wrong, and you don’t want to show that to everyone. But reevaluate and review your opinion later, when more information becomes available.
Some times, you will be...
7 tags
Commodities & Social Media
Social media influence your business. No matter what industry you’re in.
It’s easy to say that “my business doesn’t need this,” but it’s not true anymore. Any brand, any product, any idea are now influenced by social media. To make a good example, lets look at things that don’t even need branding — commodities.
Commodities used to be unbranded for the...
October 2010
7 posts
10 tags
Thoughts about The New my_____
As mentioned on Mashable, the new MySpace is trying to get out of the battle with Facebook and move towards entertainment, the area where the rival is minimally established. But here’s a problem. The new niche means new competitors like established Last.fm or brand new Ping.
So the question is, “Does MySpace have what it takes to win this market?” I think it does. At least, it...
7 tags
Ideavirus ~ Book review
I finished reading “Ideavirus” by Seth Godin about 2 months ago, but never had a chance to review it. So here we go.
The book is great from a theoretical standpoint. It really says a lot about how viral messages spread and how the marketing perception should switch from selling products to selling ideas. A large part of the text though, I found to be common sense, but some things...
4 tags
Stuff Like That →
A picture of me and other co-workers at HootSuite got on Mashable last week. This is a very tiny occasion, but it kind of makes me feel like I’m on the right path. Stuff like that keeps me moving forward.
2 tags
Mailing Nonsense
I’m getting a lot of emails. Hundreds a day! I used filters before and just a few folders to get rid if the most annoying mass, like LinkedIn group notifications.
But it’s time ti admit that things must change. So I sorted my whole inbox into folders, subfolders, and sub-subfolders.
My advice: do it now, so you won’t have to do as much job later.
2 tags
4 tags
September 2010
11 posts
4 tags
Safeway Starbucks
Starbucks. Love it.
Safeway Starbucks. Looks like a Starbucks. But not quite a Starbucks. It just doesn’t feel right: the quality, the service, the level, everything in not the same.
In my humble opinion, franchising and licensing your brand like this might be good in terms of revenues, but is no good in terms of branding. It creates inconsistencies, which ruin all emotions accumulated...
2 tags
Disaster Response Routes
In Canada, there are Disaster Response Routes, roads that will be used by emergency vehicles in case of a disaster, such as an earthquake. These will save time of getting to the injured people, evacuating the city or other important missions. These routs will save lives. You can read more about them at the government website.
But this blog is not about transportation system. This blog is about...
4 tags
A Few News in My Life
I resigned from uCoz.com. It’s been an amazing experience, I’ve learned a lot from it. This company will forever be in my heart as the one that gave me my first real job and helped me grow over the last 5 months.
I got a job at HootSuite.com. As you might know, it all started as a one week long unpaid internship a month ago. And here we are a month later, and I’m so happy and...
5 tags
Micro-rewards
This is so awesome, there is no way to underestimate its awesomeness.
Micro-reward your fans! The easiest way is to say “thank you,” but there is so much more you can do with minimum money spent. Here are some ideas:
Share traffic. Give links to your fans’ websites on your blog or newsletter. A little promotion for your grateful customers shows them that you care, which...
3 tags
Not Protected Terms
Doctor is a protected term; psychiatrist is a protected term; lawyer is a protected term. You fake it—you go to jail.
But marketing specialist, social media consultant or, for crying out loud, SEO expert are not protected. That’s why there are so many of them, and the majority doesn’t have enough education or experience to the do job right. So businesses don’t trust anyone;...
8 tags
How to Monitor Your Competition on Twitter?
Continuing the “Twitter Monitoring Series.” Check out the other posts for the basic things implemented in the following advices.
You can learn a lot from your competitors. Businesses should monitor what is happening in the market, so here are a few things that make monitoring easy:
List your competitors. Create a private list of your competition and a stream for it. See what they tweet about,...
5 tags
How to Monitor Your Topic on Twitter?
Continuing the “Twitter Monitoring Series.”
Search for people talking about your topic (e.g. free website builders) and you will find many potential customers that you can approach. You will also be on top of all trends and know what’s happening in the industry. Let’s use the HootSuite keywords tool to set up a stream for “website builder,” “free cms,” “create website.”
The problem with this...