CSRA Partners with Maple Leaf Digital Lounge to Use Social Media to Benefit Canadian High-Tech

March 1, 2011 - PRLog -- Chicago, IL – CSRA, a management consultancy that advises enterprises and governments on social business strategy, announced today that it is using its Social Network Roadmap(SM) to advise the Maple Leaf Digital Lounge, which will hold its inaugural event at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference (SxSW) on March 12–13, 2011.

The Maple Leaf Digital Lounge (MLDLCA) brings together Canadian digital startups and offshore and Canadian investors in virtual venues and physical events, and socialtech is a vital part of its go to market strategy.

“We needed a way to launch several social media presences rapidly, but we wanted to do it right,” remarked Jeff Musson, Co-Founder of the MLDLCA. “Using the roadmap, we’ve been able to launch our blog and grow Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook presences quickly and with a lot more intent than I’d imagined possible.”

The Social Network Roadmap(SM) [http://socialnetworkroadmap.com] is CSRA’s methodology for launching and managing social business initiatives. The Maple Leaf Digital Lounge wanted to launch using volunteers to blog, tweet and use Facebook and LinkedIn, so the team needed some structure. They are using the roadmap’s contributor template toolset while being mentored by CSRA, which also conducted a fast-cycle due diligence exercise. MLDLCA’s strategy is to become the destination for offshore investors to learn and talk about Canadian digital startups.

The Maple Leaf Digital Lounge’s physical launch event will take place at South by Southwest, which is known worldwide as a launchpad for digital startups like Twitter, Foursquare and Gowalla. It attracts investors and startups from around the world, and the Maple Leaf Digital Lounge will be located at Paradise on Sixth in downtown Austin, Texas, right across from SxSW epicenter, the Austin Convention Center. The lounge has a full program to facilitate connections between investors and digital startups.

“CSRA is excited to partner with the Maple Leaf Digital Lounge,” said Christopher S. Rollyson, CSRA Managing Director. “We love their mission and global, niche audience, which is well suited for social technologies. We are weaving several venues into an ecosystem around them to serve people they care about.”

The Maple Leaf Digital Lounge is the brainchild of Jeff Musson, President of Dyamite Networks, and Deborah Lewis, CEO of City Events, who have organized numerous digital technology events in Toronto and decided to take it up a level. They have signed numerous sponsors, which include: C100, International Trade Canada, Lemonade Ventures, Jensen Motorsport, Real Films TV, Digital LA, Techvibes, ARI Agency, Startup Weekend, Pursuit, Hootsuite, iStop Over, Bnotions, CSRA and many others.

The Maple Leaf Digital Lounge (MLDLCA) promotes Canada as a dynamic place for business by highlighting innovation and digital media technology companies. MLDLCA’s mission is to be a catalyst for cross-border deals: it aims to serve as a hub in which North American venture capitalists, Canadian technology leaders, entrepreneurs and global customers can connect and collaborate. MLDLCA realizes its mission by organizing periodic physical events and facilitating continuous connections in social media venues. It is supported by organizations that believe in fostering and encouraging Canadian technology on a global scale. [http://mapleleafdigitallounge.com]

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CSRA is a management consultancy that helps business and government leaders apply social technologies like blogs, Facebook and Twitter to their businesses to build relationships and business. CSRA develops social business strategy for clients to enable them to act with more confidence and purpose, and CSRA mentors them during execution, leveraging its proprietary methodologies, the Social Network Roadmap(SM) and the Executive’s Guide to Social Networks(SM). Managing Director Christopher Rollyson is a 25-year veteran of two global consultancies and several business ventures. As a consultant and marketing executive, he has both advised executives on transformation and managed it as a line executive. [http://rollyson.net/consulting/]