A detailed summary of the social media conversation during the outdoor industry winter trade show

By Channel Signal Analysts James Mills, David Sweeney and Paul Kirwin

At the 2010 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market boosters of specialty products and services had a unique opportunity to participate in a conversation about the show, brands and events. Broadcast over the #ORWinter Twitter feed hosted and monitored by Channel Signal, even outdoor professionals who couldn’t attend the event were able to login and share the flow of information
“From my perspective, it was great to be able to participate with OR, without being there,” said William Roth (@williamroth), social network coordinator of the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, Wyoming. “I liked seeing twitpics with new/conceptual products. I was able to learn about #guerillapanel and build my outdoor industry base of twitter users. It also made me realize just how much I need to be attending OR in the summer.”
By simply including #ORWinter in their entries of 140 characters or less Twitter users shared photographs, videos and abbreviated links to blog web sites. Anyone on the planet with Internet access could see and follow the comment stream in real-time throughout the four-day event, including the on-snow demo. And on the show floor, exhibitors and key industry influencers were able to use the power of social media to generate excitement and drive traffic to their booths.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:59 — 18.2MB)

An interview with adventure filmmaker Bryan Smith

It’s been more than a month since the last podcast. Thanks to everyone for all the emails and Facebook messages asking for the next edition. After an action packed first season of production, the realities of life came crashing down like a devastating wave. The recession of 2009 made times a bit tough. Simply put the project was placed indefinite hold while I scrambled together a few odd writing jobs through the end of December and all of January. I had to work to make enough cash to pay our property tax bill. I’m happy to say that I recently wrote a fat check to city of Madison and now the project is back on track.

Bryan Smith

I’ve learned a lot through that first season. With the collapse of traditional media, as newspapers and magazine continue to fold up under the weight of an antiquated model of communication, I’ve discovered that this form of storytelling, sharing music, art and adventure online is the wave of the future. With many creative souls out there building new high quality content for Internet there’s no shortage of great stories to tell. If you’ve been following along on the blog and on Facebook, you’ll know that I’ve been more than a little busy still traveling and finding new subjects to share with you. And in the process I’ve become thoroughly inspired by the work of many others who are pushing the boundaries of creative expression as they explore the heights and depths of the human spirit.

You’ve heard me mention my friend Fitz Cahall. He’s the creator of my favorite podcast The Dirtbag Diaries. Fitz has new project that recently posted the Internet, a series of short films that depict the lives of adventurers chasing their passion through course of a year, a season.

I connected with Fitz toward the end of last year during the Banff Mountain Film Festival. There I saw the premiere edition of the 22 part film series The Season. It’s an exciting yet, moderately paced thoughtful contemplation on what motivates ordinary people who do exceptional things in the outdoors. At the Banff Centre for mountain culture, in Alberta Canada, I also met Fitz’s partner co-producer and director of the Season Bryan Smith.

Produced exclusively for distribution online, the Season brings Internet adventure storytelling to a new level. Directed by Bryan Smith this new film series illustrates the narrative behind the lives of people like each of us who aspire to lead a rich live in adventure. Read the rest of this entry »

This video just had to be shared. These guys redefine all notions of urban extreme. Here posts the first Joy Trip Project safety disclaimer.   PLEASE DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!

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I’ve been known to wear a lot of hats. This tweed number in particular was a gift from my friend the artist and climber Jeremy Collins. He gave it to me as we walked over to the Prana booth during the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jeremy Collins

Jeremy put together two beautiful collage installations facing the aisles. Showing images of climbers, yogis and environmental activists the works of art gave passersby a glimpse into the company’s corporate culture. Depicting its social values, a blend of conservation, fashion sense and athleticism Prana is sending a message. By supporting Jeremy’s work in the media of painting, photo illustration and sculpting, the lifestyle clothing company is reaching out and connecting with its customers. With the help of an influential professional artist who graciously and generously shares his talent with the world, Prana is engaging in social media. Read the rest of this entry »

These are the CRAZIEST days of the year. I’m up at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City Utah. Check out the first round of photographs on the Joy Trip Project Facebook page.

Through weekend I’m connecting with old friends and building new relationships with some of the incredible people in business of outdoor recreation. I’ll continue to post pictures and stories as time and energy allow. But you can follow the goings on at the live Twitter feed sponsored by Channel Signal.

Search for #ORWinter on Twitter pull down the conversation coming direct from the show floor. You can participate in the conversation and find out what’s new from your favorite outdoor companies. Let me know if there’s anything you want to know about products coming out for 2011. I’ll also keep you posted on some amazing new initiatives to get kids outside and work being done on behalf of the environment. Just drop me a tweet www.twitter.com/joytripproject

Where ever you are today, make sure you get OUTSIDE!

When it comes to social media we all have to make ourselves heard above the noise of the roaring crowd. As we head to Salt Lake City this week for the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market the social networks are all-a-Twitter (pun intended). Manufacturers and PR agents have been flooding the Internet with bits of information about their new brand offerings for weeks now. But unless we each step it up bit and start pushing up more substantive content the messages we send are just going to be drowned out in the clammer. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone has a unique perspective. From the vantage point of one’s life experience most anyone can lend his or her view to create a complete picture of the world. If 20 years in the Outdoor Industry has taught me anything it’s that no one person has a lock on the news and information of the day. It helps to track multiple sources to have a clear idea of what’s going on.

There are literally thousands of new products coming out on the market for 2010. And everyday there are subtle shifts in the attitudes of people who live work and play in the outdoors. And with the advent of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and You Tube we now have the ability to take many points of view and share them simultaneously.

Using sophisticated monitoring tools, at Channel Signal we can effectively track the course, speed and heading of emerging trends in the world of outdoor recreation and report on what we find. Despite the technology though, at the heart of our analyses are the thoughts and opinions of very smart and knowledgeable people we follow online. Most are reporters. Many are sponsored athletes. Some are just ordinary people with a passion for technical gear and life in the wild world. Each writes about his or her experiences on a blog, web site, podcast or twitter feed. All have the ability to influence others and help them come to a better understanding of the rapidly changing landscape of outdoor recreation

Over the next several weeks during and after the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market there are several individuals I plan to follow. Each is skilled at sharing their ideas on the things they discover.  The 20 outdoor influencers below are currently at the top of my list. What do you think? Anyone I missed. Feel free to add a few of your own in the comments section. If there’s someone you think that should be on this list that’s not be sure to let me know. Anyone you think shouldn’t be on this list? Tell me why, but make it good. These 20 men and women (listed alphabetically by Twitter name) are standout influencers and all have done a great deal already to move the conversation forward. Read the rest of this entry »

The Joy Trip Project and Channel Signal want to connect with the connectors

The social media mainstream is a force to recon with. In a crashing wave of millions individuals are making their opinions known around the world.  Using Internet-ready smartphones, laptops and other web surfing devices Bloggers, Tweeters, Facebookers, Flickrphiles, Podcasters and YouTubers set the course of the info-stream even while they’re navigating it. With clever ideas expressed in less than140 characters or lengthy web log commentaries these jacked-in data hawks are moving the flow of conversation to new and exciting places. The best and brightest among them are the influencers, those individuals whose content is thoughtful, compelling and worth passing along to others.

It’s these influencers that I follow to keep up to speed on what’s going on in the world outdoors. Even though they’re fully wired, outdoor influencers can put their gizmos down long enough to get outside for a long trail run, a mountain bike ride, a few telemark turns or even just a dogwalk to the local farmer’s market. When they come back they post their experiences to share with others and fuel the conversation. And now as a new media analyst for Channel Signal I’m looking to connect with as many outdoor influencers as I can. I know quite a few, but I aim to find more, many, many more. Read the rest of this entry »

Cable Wisconsin-

The weather application on my iPhone says it’s 4 degrees above zero. But spirits in Northern Wisconsin are high. With full sun and no wind the “Joy Index” makes it feel like 20 as the 10th Annual 24-Hours of Telemark Cross Country ski race gets underway. Read the rest of this entry »

You should never trust a reporter who claims to be an expert. As a professional journalist I’m constantly amazed by what I don’t know. Much of the work you’ll find here at The Joy Trip Project is the result of painstaking research. I seek out multiple sources, read up on the latest literature and get the perspective of knowledgeable people who can speak intelligently on the topic at hand. Add a little analysis and insight from my personal experience and the result is a balanced story that is thought provoking and compelling. Hopefully what you learn will allow you to draw your own well-informed conclusions.

With these same laudable reporting skills I plan to bring a little clarity to the world of social media through a dynamic new communications platform called Channel Signal. As part of a small team of market analysts I’m going to begin a series of reports and commentaries on various aspects of the Outdoor Industry. Future posts to The Joy Trip Project web site will include stories whose details derive from the thoughts and opinions of the key outdoor product design and development influencers as well as those working on behalf of environmental protection. Read the rest of this entry »