Windsor-Essex County Celebrates National Foursquare Day!

Saturday April 16th is National Foursquare Day! Hundreds of cities around the world are making plans to celebrate Foursquare and Blab! Media wants Windsor-Essex County to be one of them! “There’s no doubt that social media is catching on and for us to partner up with a local business that’s so genuinely excited to take the next step, is a great sign for the future.” says Jessica Apolloni.

Blab! Media invites the community to a local swarm party sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co on April 16th. Foursquare users who check-in to Lakeshore Cinema between 1pm and 4pm will receive a special deal that includes admission to any matinee playing between 1pm and 4:30pm, a Pepsi product, and a small popcorn for just $6! You can also enjoy a free Foursquare Day cupcake provided by Brittany Hazelton!

It’s a great way to show your support for a local business and to let other businesses know the true power of Foursquare. “At Lakeshore Cinemas we understand the value of social media. We’re excited to explore these new platforms and hopefully be a role model for other businesses.” Says Gina Facca, the new General Manager of Lakeshore Cinemas.

This national day was created by fellow Foursquare lovers and has now grown into a grass-roots celebration of social media as a positive force within the community. Foursquare has helped businesses succeed and created an awesome experience for users that has friends and complete strangers battling it out for badges and mayorships. April 16th is a chance for users to declare their support for Foursquare by taking some time to explore their neighborhood and it’s also a chance for non-users to get acquainted with the concept and learn more about why Foursquare is an excellent addition to a marketing strategy.

If you haven’t heard of Foursquare, this is the perfect time to expand your knowledge. Foursquare is a location based application that lets users “check-in” wherever they go, leave tips, suggestions, win badges, connect with friends and explore the world they live in. From a business aspect, Foursquare is a seriously valuable tool for generating new business, creating incentives for potential customers and rewarding loyal customers. As a business, you can offer customized deals that are rewarded at any check-in, after a certain amount of check-ins, or only to the mayor. You can see how many people are checking into your business and most importantly what they’re telling other people. Foursquare also has a mobile app so smart phone users can check-in or leave tips anywhere, and at any time.

For users, nothing beats the sense of competition. You’re pitted against your friends on a public leader board, scoring points for check-ins, and your profile proudly displays the amount of mayorships you’re currently holding and how many badges you’ve unlocked. The badges are an exciting reward system for users that keeps the application fresh. There is a badge for checking into the same place 3 times in one week, for taking 10 trips to the gym in 30 days and even for finding three venues with a photobooth. The best part about celebrating Foursquare day is the special badge users will receive for checking in on April 16th. But that’s not all, if 50 users check-in within three hours at the Foursquare Day event sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co, they will also be the proud owners of a Swarm Badge, which is an impressive achievement!

Blab! Media is proud to be partnering with a local business that’s so excited about this opportunity. “There are so many businesses in Windsor that have a presence on Foursquare and aren’t even aware yet,” said Katie Stokes “that’s what this day is all about, creating that awareness and encouraging these businesses to dig deeper and see what the application can do for them.” As avid Foursquare users, Blab! Media hopes to inspire some local businesses and bring the community together for a fun afternoon at the movies.

For more information about the event, find us on Facebook by typing Windsor-Essex Foursquare Day Swarm Party in the search bar. You can also follow us on Twitter @Blabmedia and check out our blog for all things social media www.getyourblabon.com.

Blab! Media Hosts Windsor-Essex Social Media Week

Windsor-Essex Social Media Week 2011September 19th to 23rd is national social media week and this year there will be plenty to do in Windsor-Essex for businesses and social media addicts alike. At Blab! Media we really wanted to get the community involved and provide a variety of fun events. We’ll be hosting a social media themed networking event, educational workshops, and a casual community discussion to help spread the word in Windsor-Essex that social media is here to stay! For us, this week is about creating awareness and bringing the community together so clear your schedule and get ready to embrace social media! All events are free to attend and anyone is welcome. Come out and celebrate, meet new people, share your passion, learn something new and just have fun!






WED SEPTEMBER 21ST
Every month WEtech Alliance hosts a special networking event called Startup Drinks Windsor. The event brings out a mix of local entrepreneurs, business professionals and students who are all looking to meet new people. For social media week we’ll be co-hosting the event and injecting some serious social fun! Come out to Mick’s Irish Pub from 6pm-8pm to play games, eat food, network, and enter for your chance to win some awesome prizes! Bring your smartphone for your chance to win a free social media makeover (up to an $800 value)! Space is limited so click here to register.



THURS SEPTEMBER 22ND & FRI SEPTEMBER 23RD
We really wanted to focus on educating the community so we’re offering free, hands-on workshops for Twitter and Linkedin. The workshops will be taking place on Thursday September 22nd and Friday September 23rd. Reserve your seat to get a better idea of how these platforms work and how to use them to your benefit. To register, please e-mail us at hello@getyourblabon.com. Participants must have basic computer skills and have a Twitter and/or Linkedin account created in advance.



FRI SEPTEMBER 23RD
To end the perfect week, join Blab! Media at Snooty Rooster downtown to participate in a social media community discussion. Bring your smartphone and your appetite as delicious food, snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. What do you want to see Windsor-Essex businesses getting more involved in? What do you think would make Windsor more social? We want to hear from you! To register click here.



Windsor-Essex, what else do you want to see take place for social media week?



Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like our page on Facebook for more updates and news!

Windsor-Essex Celebrates Social Media Day!

All around the world people are coming together to celebrate social media. Today is a celebration of how social media has shaped our communities and created a fundamental shift in communication. It’s a day to celebrate our connectivity and to honour the platforms that have changed the way the world shares information. To get in on the action, Daryna Kulya, a business and computer science graduate from the University of Windsor and a local tech-savvy social networking advocate, supplied a location and began promoting the event. Local business, citizens and social media advocates such as ourselves have stepped up to help promote the event and organize a fun gathering for like-minded individuals.





As part of Social Media Day, WEtech Alliance, an organization focused on helping Windsor-Essex technology-centric companies succeed, spoke to multiple entrepreneurs who rely on social media services every day. The article mentions local businesses such as Spry, Spotvin, WindsorEats, Red Piston and of course, Blab! Media. Conducting our interview via Skype, we spoke with WEtech Intern Jason Viau, and had a chance to discuss how social media impacts our business and why it’s so important for other businesses to utilize its services. To read more and see what other local businesses have to say, click here for the full article.

While social media is alive and well in Windsor, there are still naysayers and traditional marketing professionals who are hesitant to explore this vast medium of possibilities. Education and a general knowledge of how social media works and what it offers could greatly benefit many Windsor-Essex businesses. In the future, Blab! Media will strive to provide the information these businesses so desperately need but for the time being, social media day is about sharing ideas and inspiration to help Windsor-Essex move forward.

The meetup will take place tonight (June 30th) at 6:00pm. It’s being held at Vermouth (333 Ouellette Ave) and anyone who wishes to attend is welcome! Please click here for more details.

Windsor-Essex County Celebrates National Foursquare Day!

Saturday April 16th is National Foursquare Day! Hundreds of cities around the world are making plans to celebrate Foursquare and Blab! Media wants Windsor-Essex County to be one of them! We’re both fellow Foursquare users and I must say, we take the competition pretty seriously. In the past year there has been a significant increase in the number of users in our area. I’m always delighted (somewhat haha) when I go to a new place and check-in to find that there is already a well established mayor. There are even times where I’m forced to fight for my mayorship by checking in more frequently. The one thing that Windsor is missing is the incentives to keep the competition going! If more local businesses took the time to explore Foursquare and see how it can work for them, it would be a win-win situation. As a user, you need motivation to sign up and to use Foursquare religiously. If businesses offered incentives to mayors or for a certain amount of check-ins, you can bet that users would appreciate the acknowledgement. That’s not to say that Foursquare is the single and only way to drive traffic to your business, but when used appropriately with an effective marketing strategy, it can really change things!

It’s for these reasons that we wanted to get involved and show Windsor-Essex how Foursquare works and why it’s so great for businesses and customers alike. Blab! Media is inviting the community to a local swarm party sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co on April 16th. Foursquare users who check-in to Lakeshore Cinema between 1pm and 4pm will receive a special deal that includes admission to any matinee playing between 1pm and 4:30pm, a Pepsi product, and a small popcorn for just $6! You can also enjoy a free Foursquare Day cupcake provided by Brittany Hazelton! Who doesn’t love a great movie deal on a Saturday afternoon? Bring some friends, family or just your smart phone and help support a local businesses that’s ready to take a serious look at social media!

This national day was created by fellow Foursquare lovers and has now grown into a grass-roots celebration of social media as a positive force within the community. Foursquare has helped businesses succeed and created an awesome experience for users that has friends and complete strangers battling it out for badges and mayorships. April 16th is a chance for users to declare their support for Foursquare by taking some time to explore their neighborhood and it’s also a chance for non-users to get acquainted with the concept and learn more about why Foursquare is an excellent addition to a marketing strategy.

If you haven’t heard of Foursquare, this is the perfect time to expand your knowledge. Foursquare is a location based application that lets users “check-in” wherever they go, leave tips, suggestions, win badges, connect with friends and explore the world they live in. From a business aspect, Foursquare is a seriously valuable tool for generating new business, creating incentives for potential customers and rewarding loyal customers. As a business, you can offer customized deals that are rewarded at any check-in, after a certain amount of check-ins, or only to the mayor. You can see how many people are checking into your business and most importantly what they’re telling other people. Foursquare also has a mobile app so smart phone users can check-in or leave tips anywhere, and at any time.

For users, nothing beats the sense of competition. You’re pitted against your friends on a public leader board, scoring points for check-ins, and your profile proudly displays the amount of mayorships you’re currently holding and how many badges you’ve unlocked. The badges are an exciting reward system for users that keeps the application fresh. There is a badge for checking into the same place 3 times in one week, for taking 10 trips to the gym in 30 days and even for finding three venues with a photobooth. The best part about celebrating Foursquare day is the special badge users will receive for checking in on April 16th. But that’s not all, if 50 users check-in within three hours at the Foursquare Day event sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co, they will also be the proud owners of a Swarm Badge, which is an impressive achievement!

Blab! Media is proud to be partnering with a local business that’s so excited about this opportunity. There are so many businesses in Windsor that have a presence on Foursquare and aren’t even aware yet. That’s what this day is all about, creating that awareness and encouraging these businesses to dig deeper and see what the application can do for them. All we want to achieve is the chance to inspire some local businesses and bring the community together for a fun afternoon at the movies!

For more information about the event, check out our Facebook page!

Tweets, Beats and Eats

If you’re a local Windsor business or entrepreneur Tweets Beats and Eats is a great way to get out and show your support for a local event while in turn networking and seeing how important and useful Twitter really is! This Wednesday, January 19th at 8:00pm, Windsoreats will be hosting Tweets, Beats and Eats at Motorburger on Erie Street. The annual event encourages guests to use Twitter during their meal to express their thoughts. The tweets are then shown live on screens that are placed around the restaurant so everyone can see what’s being said. Check out the video of last year’s event documented by Windsor Eats.

It’s easy to think that Windsor is falling behind and that no one really grasps the concept of social media but thankfully, that’s no longer true. This event is unique because it’s based on pure entertainment and I think Windsor needs more of that in the future. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about a solid business strategy and a serious networking event, but sometimes people just want to have fun. I think enabling people to interact with these social media platforms in a fun and relaxed environment is the best way for them to learn and really experience using the tools that can help improve their business.

If awesome social media events can happen in big cities like Toronto, why can’t they happen here? Hopefully 2011 will bring a change of attitude for everyone and a new outlook on the possibilities in Windsor. I see an amazing amount of opportunity in a small city where people are eager to learn, adapt and keep up with the big cities. Just because we’re small doesn’t mean we can’t be creative and explore social media in new ways! I think it’s time that people start to set higher goals for Windsor and put their faith in its entrepreneurs and small businesses to set the city apart from all others. There is so much potential here but a lot of it remains untapped and we hope that the New Year will bring about courage in the citizens of Windsor, courage to think outside the box and push the boundaries so we can show this country what we’re made of!