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Martin Hofmann

a personal blog about technology, communications and other stuff that interests me

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Ongoing

Now is the time

Now is the time

by Martin · Oct 15, 2010

After 15 years of working in the agency world, I am joining the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in a communications role.

Leaving High Road is tough. It’s a special place. I have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot of colleagues, clients and partners to thank. My seven and a half years at High Road were full of change and growth. The agency tripled in size, expanded from three to five offices, and won big Canadian brands and interesting U.S. clients. During that same time, digital technologies and social platforms have added new ways for people to communicate, connect and search for information. High Road has trained, hired and acquired to stay ahead of these developments and make sure the right skill sets are in place to help clients benefit from them.

What has stayed consistent throughout all the change is a corporate culture that combines leadership with team work, risk-taking with sound advice, and entrepreneurship with fun. I am lucky to have benefited from it; I learned a lot from High Roaders. Another thing that won’t change: the fact that High Road is an agency. This is why I have decided to make a move. I started my career in the public sector (on a different continent), and always considered it something worth revisiting. Well, now is the time.

I love that governments are increasingly going digital to communicate or seek input. For example, Canada recently let people and organizations submit and vote on ideas for its Digital Economy Strategy; Germany’s chancellor and some ministers are answering citizen’s questions using “many-to-one communications” platform DirektZu.de; the U.S. Department of State in 2007 launched its DipNote blog and added other social media services over time. A lot is already happening across the world, and we need more of that. I want to contribute to it here in Ontario. But it’s not simply about choosing new ways over old. It’s about looking at all aspects of communication, and choosing the smartest ways to inform and interact. Digital, social and mobile ideas can play a big role here.

Yet, my best personal experience with government communications is still a handshake. When I arrived in Canada ten years ago, I was greeted at immigration with an extended hand and the words “welcome to Canada; glad to have you here.” Whether it was based on a customs officer’s individual effort or official guidance, I don’t know. What matters to me is that the welcome handshake made me both feel excited about my future in a new country and think about my responsibilities as a new resident.

It was a simple, powerful act of government communication. As a public relations professional, I always thought it is an example of something to aspire to. Granted, interaction between government and citizens is usually more complex and less heart-warming. But I’ll carry the spirit of the handshake and the passion for new ideas with me when I start my next job on Monday at the Government of Ontario. I can’t wait to meet my new team and get going.

If you have suggestions or examples of great government communications, I’d love to hear from you.

Filed Under: English, High Road, Ongoing, Personal

The Word on the Street festival

The Word on the Street festival

by Martin · Sep 26, 2010

Enjoyed spending a couple hours away from my desk at the Word on the Street festival at Queen’s Park in Toronto. Great to see that literature is still such a draw, and how many different independent magazines and publishers are out there.

Sony and Kobo used the occasion to show off their e-readers. Smart move. In a couple years people might all be bringing their Kobos, Kindles and iPads to the festival, and download the latest books directly in the publishers’ tents. And people will line up for authors to do e-signings of their e-books after the readings? Maybe not.

Strange: I switched from newspapers to online news without hesitation, and embraced blogs and social media early on. But I am very attached to printed books. I was given a Kobo earlier this year, and I do use it – but almost exclusively for business books. Novels, stories and poems I still like to read on paper. It will be interesting to see if/when/how my reading habits will change over time. I hope both worlds will co-exist for a while. Can’t imagine giving up printed books. Life is much better with book stores like Ben MacNally Books and The Sleuth of Baker Street.


Canadian authors Giles Blunt, Howard Shrier and Linwood Barclay during the “World of Crime” readings and audience discussion.


University Avenue was closed down for the festival.

Filed Under: English, Ongoing

The ROI of putting your pants on

by Martin · Aug 31, 2010

“The notion of saying, ‘What’s the ROI of social media?’ is, at its broadest sense the right notion. But it’s the wrong question. You may as well ask what the ROI of putting your pants on every day is. You know there’s a value to it, but it’s hard to measure. It’s about what specific objectives we’re setting out, how we measure against those objectives, and how those all lead to a better reputation for the company, increasing market share, increasing excitement about the brand.”

Scott Monty, head of social media at Ford, in an interview with Marketing Magnified eJournal, August 2010

Filed Under: Articles of Note, English, Ongoing

Social intranet is not just about adding social features

by Martin · Aug 24, 2010

Oscar Berg’s article is a recommended read for anyone interested in social intranets. Read it here.

Most people will, if they’ don’t already, come to understand that a social intranet is not just about adding features such as blogs, wikis, activity feeds, social bookmarking and micro-blogging on top of a traditional intranet; it’s about rethinking the purpose of intranets with the intention of bringing the paradigm shift in how we communicate and collaborate that is taking place on the web to the very core of how enterprises are operated and managed.

From The business case for social intranets by Oscar Berg

Found via @thumbtackhead

Filed Under: English, Ongoing

Toronto skyline from our seats at BMO Field

by Martin · Aug 8, 2010

IMG_1047

Filed Under: English, Ongoing

Interesting new touch UI for Windows 7 devices

by Martin · Aug 1, 2010

I like the approach UI Centric is taking here.

Filed Under: English, Ongoing

Preview of Windows Phone 7 by Engadget

by Martin · Jul 19, 2010

Engadget provides a good run-through of the new Windows Phone 7 user interface in the video below. The full article and photos can be found here.

Filed Under: English, Ongoing

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