Alison came over to France a few years ago with AIG.  Like many of us affected by the economy, Allison has seen some major upheavals but has landed squarely on her feet.  In recent months, she moved over to Alico, which AIG is spinning off as a way to reduce its federal debt.

Citing sources such as eMarketer, Interactive Advertising Bureau and comScore, Alison provided the following digital trends for Europe:

• Regular internet users in Europe increased from 43% of the population in 2005 to 56% of the population in 2008.  Most use the internet daily and have high-speed access.
• France has a population of 62 million people, 56% of whom use the internet. Online ad spending totals $59 USD.  In contrast, the US has 305 million people, an internet penetration rate of 74% and online spend totaling $143 million USD.
• Online ad spending in France is growing by 40% whereas it is growing at a slower pace, 26%, in the US.
• Of European internet users, according to comScore, a majority use social networks:

1. UK, 80% of the population use social media
2. Spain, 74%
3. Portugal, 73%
4. Italy, 69%
5. France, 64%

• Europe leads the world in mobile penetration.  Usage totals 119% in europe, as some people have more than one phone, compared to an average usage rate of 80% in Japan and the US.
• In the UK, spending on internet advertising surpassed TV advertising for the first time in October 2009–a reflection consumer behavior.

Alison is certainly an inspiration to me as I make my plans for moving to Paris.  I will definitely attend the next Paris Web Week if I am in town.  So sorry that I missed the one in December.

This is first in a series of blogs based on a trip to Paris with DePaul University.

I visited Katie for a long weekend before joining the Depaul University group in Paris on December 1.  Visiting with Katie was a true inspiration—it made me ponder what I really want out of life.  While Katie wants to help African governments develop public-health systems, I want to move to Paris and develop my global marketing career.  I have loved the French language and culture since I was 13—speaking French makes my brain change color.  It makes me feel alive. So, I am moving to Paris in February.  I aim to get a full-time marketing/PR/social job there, or secure freelance assignments.

“You like going to meetings when you are on vacation,” my mom joked when I told her I was going to Paris with DePaul and would be meeting with French companies and government ministries.  Indeed, the trip to Paris with DePaul was part work (I took massive amounts of notes for my blog), part networking (in hopes of finding a job) and definitely part pleasure (as photos on Facebook will demonstrate).

Marketing Professor Steve Kelly, Ph.D., took 20 undergraduate students and MBA candidates on a two-week visit to the city of lights, serving as an intense course in European marketing.  It’s Christmas Day as I write this.  In the coming days, the students will be finishing their own papers on a business or cultural topic based on their experiences.

Stay tuned for more posts on this fun and educational trip–a milestone for all of us.

I was happy to secure some publicity in the Crain’s Enterprise blog for Nick Rosa, founder of incubator and VC firm, Sandbox Industries. Nick, former CEO of NutraSweet, is pretty much the bomb when it comes to business and life.  He is as generous and positive as he is tall and wise. Nice of the folks at DePaul’s Colemen Entrepreneurial Center to pick up the story on their blog.

Steve Hendershot’s interview with Nick arose from a pitch I sent in the summer to Steve’s editor at Crain’s, Ann Dwyer.  I had suggested a story on entrepreneurialism in Chicago that would reflect three distinct points of view:  Nick’s perspective as a venture capitalist willing to make significant outside investments; Lennie Rose’s take as the CEO of the Big Ooga, a networking group for entrepreneurs (I have gotten several business partners and leads through this group); and Paul Caswell, who would be the entrepreneur for the story.  Paul, as some of you already know, founded Weave The People and is a client of mine.

We love the story with Nick–we’re waiting to see if stories with Lennie and Paul materialize.

Speaking of Coleman, thanks for including the OfficePort Tech Thursdays in your blog!   I work from OfficePort, a collaborative space for entrepreneurs at 9 W. Washington, and I am also doing some community outreach for the company. We are happy that Coleman Executive Director Raman Chadha has accepted our invitation to speak at the January 21 Tech Thursday. More details to follow!

Let’s see.  What else?  I spoke a few weeks ago on “PR in the Digital Era” to adult students in the Integrated Marketing Communications Certificate Program at DePaul University.  In this presentation, I emphasized that business communicators must know more than just their craft.  Indeed, one needs to know how all channels meet in the middle. When Paul Caswell and I were launching Weave The People, we were working on the press release and optimizing the website at the same time. Art and science became one.

Meanwhile, kudos to Jason Goodrich, “coworking evangelist” at OfficePort, for securing this WTTW story on collaborative workspaces.  It was nice to play a part…

My visual identity is coming together as this blog post indicates: http://tinyurl.com/sallyon

In the weeks and months ahead, my website/blog will get a new look and feel, too.

Thanks!