Episode 52: Tema Frank

Meet Tema Frank, an author, an Internet pioneer, and the creator of Frank Reactions, where she explores customer experience and customer service in the digital era. Tema has long been a woman ahead of her time, putting up her first website in 1995 to promote her first book, Canada's Best Employers for Women. Most people around her didn't even know what a website was, but the experience taught her things she would use later on, which is a theme, as you'll hear. Credit perhaps is due to the University of Alberta, where she was part of the first business class that had to take a computer course. She now serves on Senate. Tema has one of the coolest podcast origin stories I've heard yet. She was living in France and wanted to get into Le Web, which cost a lot. So she decided to pitch a story to the CBC show Spark so she could get press credentials. It worked, and she not only got into the conference, but learned that she had a good voice for radio (you'll hear that) and a love for interviewing interesting folks. You'll learn how the business model of her podcast has changed over the years, and how it has become both a source of the research for her latest book — PeopleShock: The Path to Profits When Customers Rule — and a way to sell the book and her consulting services. She has some solid advice for those who'd like to do the same. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Here are Tema's recommendations: That's So Maven: The podcast by, for and about female entrepreneurs, by Andrea Beça and Lauren Dary; Science for the People: An interview show that explores the connections between science, popular culture, history and public policy; The podcast roundup on my own Seen and Heard in Edmonton (thanks, Tema!). She'd also love to see you this week at LitFest, Edmonton's nonfiction festival, which runs until Oct. 23. (I'll be at CANADALAND Live on Monday night and the Story Slam on Wednesday.) Find Tema on Twitter (@temafrank) and Frank Reactions on Facebook. PeopleShock is also available at Audreys Books. This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. Taproot's second story, Making a ripple toward reconciliation, is up. In this episode, you'll hear writer Anna Holtby discuss her approach and explain why she wanted to be part of Taproot.   Want to satisfy your curiosity about something going on in the city? Join Taproot. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.