10/29/2008

Wow! Young & Free Alberta wins first place in the Forrester Groundswell Awards

By Tim McAlpine

I was in Dallas at the Forrester Consumer Forum today accepting the first place Groundswell Award in the Talking category on behalf of Common Wealth Credit Union.

This is the biggest recognition yet for Young & Free Alberta and I actually kept a lid on it since finding out 19 days ago! Here is a little video that documents my trouble with keeping secrets.

 
What are the Groundswell Awards?

The Forrester Groundswell Awards recognize excellence in accomplishing business goals with social applications. Forrester developed this awards program to support and recognize the principles outlined in the Forrester book Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies (Harvard Business Press, 2008). Winners were selected based on a combination of online community reviews and proof of business value. The awards recognize companies that effectively use social media across seven categories: Listening, Talking, Energizing, Supporting, Embracing, Managing and Social Impact.

What's the big deal?

The big deal is being recognized as the best initiative amongst the 34 nominated entries in the Talking category. Honestly, I thought being included with this group was recognition enough, but winning against these incredible initiatives is hard to fathom.

• Quickbooks Community
• Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese blog
• Bud Light Facebook application
• Sears Arrive Lounge
• General Motors iGotShotgun launch site for new Corvette
• American Express OPEN Forum
• The Wall Street Journal Get Socialized
• Intel Chinese user-generated advertising campaign
• Rubbermaid's Adventures in Organization blog
• Johnson & Johnson health channel on YouTube
• Microsoft Office Poke Facebook application
• Coca Cola's MyCokeRewards.com

Wow! We are all on cloud nine. Thanks again to everyone who has been a part of this initiaitive.

+ Click here to see all of the finalists and winners in each category
+ Click here for our press release

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Comments

1) Peter Andres @ Oct 29, 2008

Booooooya

2) Morriss Partee @ Oct 29, 2008
http://everythingcu.wordpress.com

Damn. Incredible. And well-deserved. Huge huge congrats.

3) Mark McSpadden @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.banktastic.com

Congrats to Tim and the whole team!

4) Terrell @ Oct 29, 2008
http://blog.veritycu.com

Congratulations! Very cool.

5) Charlie Trotter @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.opensourcecu.com

Tim, that is so righteous! Totally deserved. Congrats to everyone who touched it.

6) Credit Union Warrior @ Oct 29, 2008
http://creditunionwarrior.blogspot.com

I'm number 5...you're number 1. Awesome job, Tim. And well deserved!

7) Ginny Brady @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.theboardcast.net

Yong and Free Alberta - We all knew you were the best and now it's confirmed by Groundswell. Congratulations!

8) Chad Gramling @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.thinkepic.org

Congrats Tim and CommonWealth. The Young & Free revolution continues!

9) Morriss Partee @ Oct 29, 2008
http://everythingcu.wordpress.com

Fabulously funny video too. I am honored to be friends with such a credit union social media rock star, who manages to remain humble. Most of the time, anyway. ;)

10) Morriss Partee @ Oct 29, 2008
http://everythingcu.wordpress.com

Actually, I take it all back. After further reflection, I realize there must have been some sort of mix-up in the balloting; this win against this kind of competition is indeed unfathomable. I think the voting machines must not have been calibrated properly. Let's hope this same kind of voter error/tampering doesn't happen in the U.S. election next Tuesday.

11) Tim McAlpine @ Oct 29, 2008

Thanks everyone!

I agree with you Morriss. However, I am not giving the award back when they figure out the error!

12) Gene Blishen @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.tinfoiling.com

Well Tim, congratulations. Sorta like 1812 all over again, with glowing hearts.

13) Larissa Walkiw @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.youngfreealberta.com

Phew. SO glad I didn't apply for that Kraft Cream Cheese blogger position last year.

14) Denise Wymore @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.denisewymore.com

Tim,

We need to get you committed to my project before we can no longer afford you!!!

Congrats! D.

15) Tim McAlpine @ Oct 29, 2008

@Larissa - I am SO glad you didn't apply for that Kraft blogger job too! You put Young & Free Alberta on the map and you should be so proud! Take care.

16) William Azaroff @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.azaroff.com/blog

I could not be more happy for you! Great seeing you at the airport. Thanks for telling me early! Oops....

17) Tim McAlpine @ Oct 29, 2008

@William - Shhh... :)

18) Kim Crockett @ Oct 29, 2008
http://www.youngfreealberta.com

Tim - who would have thought that those first discussions Currency and Common Wealth Credit Union had a little over 2 years ago about what we could do to better connect with the young adult market in Alberta would culminate in this?!! Young & Free has come a long ways and we owe much of its success to you and the Currency team. We proudly call you our partner and are totally pumped about what year 2 will bring!

19) Tim McAlpine @ Oct 29, 2008

@Kim - thanks for everything. The courage and openness that everyone at Common Wealth has shown is tremendous. Your team has been a dream to work with. And you are right, none of us had any idea of where Young & Free would go. That's precisely what I love about it!

20) Josh Bernoff @ Oct 30, 2008
http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell

You deserved to win -- you did a great job and just as important, actually delivered business value with your application. The big companies did, too, but your application was more impressive based on the creativity and the results delivered on a limited budget.

The video was hilarious.

PS everybody he bought the books himself, we didn't provide them!

21) Ashli Moore @ Oct 30, 2008
http://www.forumsolutions.com

Congrats!

22) Jeremiah Owyang @ Oct 30, 2008
http://web-strategist.com

Great video, great social media effort, great blog. You're such the creative guy, thanks Tim

23) Steph Weiss @ Oct 30, 2008

Congrats! (I learned about you when Jeremiah touted your funny, funny, fun video on Twitter.)

24) Mom and Dad @ Oct 30, 2008

We were there when YOU were "young & free" and are now reaping the benefits of your wonderful upbringing!!! Congratulations Tim, to you, your great staff, Commonwealth and Larissa

25) Eric Dillon @ Oct 30, 2008
http://www.younfreealberta.com

Tim, Thanks so much for taking Young & Free to "where no financial services company has ever gone before". I am so excited that a little idea, first conceived at a MACU conference and then carried to the finish line by Tim and the team at Currency has mushroomed into what we know today. It has been an incredible journey and likely the most exciting project I have work on in my career! So cool!

26) k @ Oct 30, 2008
http://www.dsamedia.ca

Let me the first from the DSA Media team to say WOO HOO!!! kathryn.

27) Carl Severson @ Oct 30, 2008

Congrats Tim. I have been working with your dad in-conjuction with the gaming expansion in Chilliwack and learned of your achievement today. Great work and l look forward to reading the book. Cheers.

28) Lisa Hochgraf @ Oct 31, 2008
http://cuesskybox.typepad.com/nexus_connection/

Go Tim! Much deserved!

29) Sloan Dinning @ Oct 31, 2008

Congrats Tim, recognition by Forrester is a big deal

30) Joseph Young @ Nov 03, 2008
http://radymarketing.wordpress.com

Congrats! Nice video!

31) Jim Jerving @ Nov 04, 2008
http://www.nacuso.org

Tim, Congrats, well deserved.

32) Winter @ Nov 05, 2008
http://tcul.coop

Congratulations Tim! Well deserved for an effort well thought out, well designed and fantastically executed.

33) Rebecca Eras @ Nov 05, 2008
http://brooklinepr.com

That was hilarious, Tim! Awesome stuff for sure.

Bring on more fun Currency videos! :)

34) Geoff Edwards @ Nov 05, 2008
http://streamworks.ca

Awesome stuff my friend. You and your team deserve to feel very proud.

Cheers.

Geoff streamworks.ca

35) Lyanne Campbell @ Nov 06, 2008

Awesome work Tim - you and your team definitely deserve this recognition! Congratulations!

36) Tim McAlpine @ Nov 06, 2008

Wow! Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback everyone. Very much appreciated!

37) Tim McAlpine @ Nov 06, 2008

Peter, Morriss, Mark, Terrell and Charlie: as the first five to comment, you are the winners of the Groundswell books. I will contact you through e-mail to find out the shipping addresses.

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