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The November 2011 Vancouver Blogger Meetup: Fashion Blogging

Raul — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:00:22 +0000

In a wonderful turn of events, our November 2011 Vancouver Blogger Meetup turned out to be a fantastic event, thanks, in great part, to the amazing panel I assembled. I was confident that Olivia Lovenmark, Erin Gee, Tracey Rossignol and Liv Hung would all share amazing insights. What I was not really expecting was how much the audience was interested in fashion blogging.

For all I knew it was probably not the most popular topic, and in reality all I have heard is amazing things. I’m really glad that the participants felt that the panel gave them a lot of value and insight into the hard work that comes along blogging, in particular blogging about fashion. My post previewing the panel will give you links to each panelists’ websites.

I think both the panelists enjoyed their time and sharing their experiences blogging about fashion almost as much as the audience, who was really interactive and they almost did not want to stop talking. We discussed issues of PR, branding, how to grow your readership, what kind of fashion would you blog about, etc. I was really excited and I’m glad I organized it despite having no time.

I want to be very clear that my events are successful not only because of my organizational skills (hey what modesty!) but thanks also to the support I receive. I’m very thankful to Jonathon Narvey, my Assistant Organizer, to the panelists for sharing their time and insight. and to The Network Hub downtown campus who has been our gracious host for all of 2011.

If you are interested in blogging or just want to learn to blog, consider joining the Vancouver Blogger Meetup. I am the Organizer and I’ll be very happy to answer any questions you might have.

Fashion Blogging: The Vancouver Blogger Meetup Nov 2011

Raul — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:01:02 +0000

Have you ever wondered what it is like to attend glamorous events and blog about fashion? What are the kinds of things fashion bloggers cover? What are the questions nobody likes to ask in fashion blogging? Do men ever get written about and if so, where are those male fashion bloggers? What about fashion after 40? Can we still be fashionable after kids? Where can one find budget clothes and is it all about the Louis Vuitton? And the obvious questions that we might want to discuss: how to deal with product reviews, bad PR pitches, etc.? We all know we get those in fashion too.

All of these are questions that often came to my mind, and now I actually get to ask four Vancouver fashion bloggers in a panel that we are organizing for the November 2011 Vancouver Blogger Meetup. Meet the four panelists that you will get a chance to talk to on Wednesday November 9th, 2011. Doors open at 6:30pm, panel starts at 7:00pm, we normally wrap things around 8:30pm and I’m game for post-Meetup drinks somewhere near by. The event is graciously hosted at The Network Hub (thanks for the sponsorship) downtown campus at 422 Richards Street, 3rd Floor.

The last few meetups I’ve sponsored the food, so how about this time people bring something to share with the group. We have done a similar thing. I’ll provide a couple of platters of nibbles too, and some non-alcoholic drinks. One thing – you may want to get dressed up for the evening. I’m inviting along ALL (or at least, as many as I know) of Vancouver’s fashion bloggers so you may want to play along.

Below the bios of our four panelists, whom I gratefully acknowledge and thank for their time.

Olivia Lovenmark (Style Struck)
Olivia Lovenmark is a 23 year old entrepreneur and lover of a hand-written note, having recently launched a stationery collection entitled LOVE + MARK’D. She has authored her style blog StyleStruck.ca since early 2009 and has recently been included as a contributor to The Huffington Post Canada. Paris and New York are her most prized travel destinations but Olivia prides herself on calling Vancouver home, along with her little cat, Marie.

Erin Gee (Haus of Hybrid)
5 need to knows about Erin:
1) She’s a fashion blogger who would prefer to wear sweatpants if they were socially acceptable (No, they’re not).
2) She preferred Max over Sean on Breaker High and obviously that was a mistake (Sorry Ryan Gosling!).
3) She used to follow Kim Kardashian on Twitter (and Lauren Conrad).
4) She believes that there is no such thing as bad publicity, unless it involves Lindsay Lohan (Can anyone look at Ungaro with a straight face?).
5) She loves a good car-aoke session.
(solo, of course).

You can read Erin on her blog and on Twitter. She is also the co-founder of Out In Style! a fundraiser to bring awareness of GLBT causes to schools, and to promote diversity and acceptance.

Tracey Rossignol (Fashion Forward 40)
Tracey Rossignol is a marketing consultant and former 1980s fashionista trying to re-discover her personal style in her 40s. Thankfully the big hair, matching scrunchy socks and hip belts are gone. But where do we go from here? Tracey’s personal style blog Fashion Forward 40 documents her mis-adventures in fashion after 40. She hopes one day she will have the answer on how to balance her love of fashion with motherhood, respect for the environment and gravity.

You can read more about Tracey on her blog, Twitter – @fashion_frwd40 and LinkedIn

Liv Hung (A Beautiful Life)
Liv Hung is the creator of the lifestyle blog A Beautiful Life, which chronicles her love for the simple pleasures. She has been her own stylist since the age of 2 and has spent countless hours lost in her mother’s closet playing dress-up. Liv was a connection planner in the real-life Mad Men agency of Wasserman + Partners for over 5 years before going freelance as a digital consultant. As a digital strategist with over 7 years of marketing experience, she helped many clients navigate the changing digital landscape, including: Vancity, ICBC, WorkSafeBC, and The Community Against Preventable Injuries. Her work has been featured in the technology magazine Backbone and recognized by the Lotus Awards, the Applied Arts Interactive, and the Digital Marketing Awards. As a consultant, Liv provides her clients with strategic digital and media planning. You can find Liv teaching Social Media Bootcamp at SFU Continuing Studies, and campaigning to save sharks as a Communications Advisor with Shark Truth. She is an apprentice jewelry designer in her family’s gemstone business, and she is working on a custom collection to launch in 2012. Liv’s personal style is as diverse as her upbringing, which spans 3 countries (Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada). A self-styled chameleon as comfortable in Herve Leger as she is in her O’Neil wetsuit, her closets incorporates everything from African flea market treasures to Holt Renfrew hauls. A surfer, equestrian, world traveler, and food enthusiast, Liv started A Beautiful Life to release her creativity and to connect with others who share a similar appreciation for life. She shares her life with her some-time photographer husband and a four-legged Rhodesian Ridgeback baby, Nala.

SEE YOU ON NOVEMBER 9TH AT 6:30PM, FOLKS!

The February 2011 Vancouver Blogger Meetup summary/recap

Raul — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:38:30 +0000

Normally, Jan Karlsbjerg does these ones. But this time he wasn’t there (I don’t think he likes the idea of panels, but I totally understand where he is coming from). I am grateful to him nonetheless for the unofficial role of Scribe that he takes on, completely selflessly (and kudos to him for that). Here are my quick notes on the panel, and a great summary post by Dave Macdonald.

To be quite honest, I totally thought that the panel about blogging about sex was going to be packed. Nothing further from the truth. While there was a great audience of more than 20 people, I don’t think it was nearly as many people as I expected. I am an abstract theorizer so these are the concepts I gained and learned.

keywords I learned at #sexblogging panel: structure, consent, boundaries, respect, empowerment, speaking from “I” positions

I found that the theoretical lessons that one can draw from blogging about sex apply to all sides of blogging, as indicated above. Dave’s post is absolutely beautiful and a must-read. And more than anything, thanks to Danielle, Phaedra and Monica for opening up the conversation about blogging about sex, and to The Network Hub for space sponsorship. I do think that, along with our Building Communities Online Through Blogging, we are off to a great start with the mix of social and panels at the Vancouver Blogger Meetup.

Learn more about this meetup here (full disclosure: I am the organizer). Thanks also to Shane Birley for helping me as my assistant organizer, as well as Jonathon Narvey who is my other Assistant Organizer but he couldn’t be there last night.

Vancouver Blogger Meetup June 2010 recap

Raul — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:27:15 +0000

I briefly attended the Vancouver Blogger Meetup of June 2010. You might wonder “why did you attend so briefly if you are the Organizer of the meetup”. Well, you’ll see – my Mom is in town for a month and I am not about to drag my Mom around town to all the events I am invited (or even the ones I’m organizing).

I did that for the Social Media Day meetup and for VBM, very briefly. But as soon as my Mom tells me she is tired, I just leave, which I think is perfectly fine. Also, I have two wonderful Assistant Organizers (Shane Birley and Jonathon Narvey) who are organizing really wonderfully and who have picked up the challenge really well.

My Mom enjoyed meeting a number of my friends and it was fantastic to see that the number of attendees has slowly and steadily growing. Lots of new faces and many old friends too. Thanks to Jonathon and Shane for organizing (and for the Neanderthal Arts Festival tickets for the giveaway), and to Jan Karlsbjerg who is always our faithful scribe. Here is his recap of the evening.

The Vancouver Blogger Meetup for June is this Wednesday June 30th

Raul — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:46:51 +0000

A friendly reminder that our monthly Vancouver Blogger Meetup is this Wednesday at 6:30pm at the St. Augustine’s bar (on Commercial and Grandview). Conveniently located near a Skytrain station, St. Augustine’s has good beer, pub food and more importantly, gives you a chance to hang out with your fellow Vancouver bloggers. There will be a draw for tickets to the Neanderthal Arts Festival and mostly, it’s just a chance for you to hang out with friends. RSVP on Meetup here.

Two years as the organizer of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup

Raul — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:28:39 +0000

When I first began writing my personal blog (on Blogger, no less!) my objective was never to be “a popular blogger“. Despite the fact that I do love blogging, I enjoy using social media platforms and I really cherish socializing with my fellow bloggers and social media folks, I never intended to be seen as “a star”. Admittedly, I am comfortable in the spotlight (yet I don’t actually seek it).

There is one, and only one reason that keeps me going as the Organizer of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup (my second official anniversary is today, even though I started in April 2008, as a heir to my dear friend Isabella Mori‘s blogging throne): I love building and fostering communities.

I don’t have as much time as I used to, so I am grateful to my Assistant Organizers Shane Birley and Jonathon Narvey who have stepped in to help earlier this past year. Overall, it’s been a good ride. I’ve met a lot of great people and strengthened many of my own friendships. Here is to a wonderful group, the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup.

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup and Social Media Club Vancouver Event March 18th

Raul — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:21:41 +0000

As you can read on my bio, I sit on the Executive Committee of the Social Media Club Vancouver, and I am also the organizer of the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup. It seemed as the perfect fit to do a joint event, and yes, while it will be a panel on the Olympics (some discussions have happened already on the topic, at W2/FreshMedia, etc.), this one will have a different theme.

Credit: John Biehler on Flickr

Lessons of the Olympics: what social media taught us

A panel of social media and media experts will discuss the lessons social media taught us during the Olympics, and offer some takeaways to help you and your organization deal comfortably with the next huge, complex event to come our way (and you KNOW there will be another)

The event will take place on March 18th at BOB (143 East Pender), where panelists include Jonathon Narvey and Shane Birley, Kirk Lapointe, Laurent Piche, Colin Horgan and John Biehler, with Colleen Coplick as moderator. More information and the bios of individual panelist at RaincoasterMedia.

A Vancouver Blogger central directory

Raul — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:36:24 +0000

Last Wednesday, when I was sharing my PR tips with The PR Group, I was asked whether there was a central directory of bloggers in Vancouver. I pointed them out to my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt’s link love page, which is perhaps one of the most comprehensive ones I’ve seen around. I felt really bad because I was going to move my blogroll to a Link Love page and never got around that. So, as you can see on my right hand sidebar, I have resurrected my blogroll while I get around to moving it to a links page.

Furthermore, I would like to create a directory of local Vancouver bloggers. Those of you who can find yourselves on my blogroll, don’t worry about leaving a comment. I already have you there. But those of you who are not, by all means feel free to drop a comment on this blog. I will be creating a directory for Vancouver (and British Columbia) bloggers. I am, after all, the Vancouver Blogger Meetup Organizer.

I also offered my knowledge of the local Vancouver bloggers to any PR people who needed suggestions on which bloggers to pitch (as I know most of them), but to save my time, you can also refer to this resource. I might find a Google Documents way that may make it easier, but for now, commenting is fine. Feel free to re-tweet this post and share with anyone you know who blogs in Vancouver.

And those of you who weren’t on my blogroll, don’t feel slighted – It was mostly defunct! Now I’m resuscitating it.

Congratulations Kerry (@CrunchyCarpets) and family!

Raul — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:42:43 +0000

Most people announce their baby’s birth via e-mail, postcards, phone calls, etc. We in tech/social media/blogging do it via Facebook/Twitter. I just heard word from Mr. Crunchy Carpets (aka Kerry Sauriol‘s husband) that she delivered a healthy baby girl at 9.12am this morning. Congratulations to Kerry, the proud dad and the rest of the family! I know that visits may not happen soon but when you have a chance, let us know Kerry and I’ll organize a Vancouver Bloggers Meetup at your house to visit you and your little one All the best and congrats again!

Meetup of Meetups (Vancouver), Summer Edition

Raul — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:00:56 +0000

Image courtesy of Shane Gibson (i.e. I borrowed it!)

Last December, Tanya, Steve and Shane got together to organize a large party (the Meetup of Meetups) combining the audiences of each one of their individual meetups (Third Tuesday, Sales Performance and Real Estate Tech), and I supported their idea given that I’m the organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup (although at the time, I was on my way to Calgary for Christmas holidays). This time around, I’m lucky enough to actually be here in Vancouver for the Summer Edition of the Meetup of Meetups, and both my very good friend Minna (Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup) as well as Gwynn (WordPress Meetup) are also including their own groups. And quite obviously, I’m including my own group (Vancouver Bloggers Meetup). I’m very glad to announce that we are expecting about 400 people to participate. Should be a lot of fun, so mark June 23rd on your calendars at 6:00pm at Ceilis Irish Pub (downtown, near Smithe and Granville)! You can RSVP in any of the 7 Meetups’ websites (but please only RSVP once and say NO in each of the other ones)

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup May 2009 – another success story

Raul — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:25:14 +0000

Credit: Derek K. Miller on Flickr.

I’ve been doing this Vancouver Bloggers Meetup Organizer job for a year now, a task that my dearest Isabella Mori bequeathed on me and that I have grown to cherish. I am really excited that the momentum seems to be picking up. When I went around the table I found at the very least 40% of the participants of this meetup were new. I was really happy to see that there was a mix of seasoned and newbie bloggers.

The format for this meetup changed a bit from being a socializing experience only to including a panel discussion by Lorraine Murphy, Shane Gibson and myself, with Colleen Coplick as the moderator. I think the response from the audience was excellent, and everyone seemed engaged and interested in the conversation.

I don’t think I’ll do panels for every single Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, but I do think we’ll have another few panels in the next few months. I’d be interested in hearing from my fellow bloggers what they thought about the format and the content (as well as the new location, the St. Regis Hotel).

More importantly, I wanted to highlight that this was the last VBM for my friend Cathy Browne, who has become a very important part of the Vancouver blogging scene, and who will be in Ottawa for a few months. We look forward to your return, Cathy!

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup (May 2009)

Raul — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:11:48 +0000

May has been a really hectic month for me, and June promises to be an even hectier one. But I want to keep the continuity of the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup and thus I decided to go ahead and hold the May one on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 6:00pm at the St. Regis Grill & Bar (the downstairs room is separate from the actual restaurant). For those of you who might have gone there for dinner or a pint before, it used to be called Anducci’s and it’s located almost at the corner of Granville and Dunsmuir (directly outside the Granville Skytrain Station). So, I fulfilled three requests I often get – accessibility in terms of transit and transportation, access to food/drinks and downtown location.

Previous meetups have had small speeches and lots of conversation. This time I took a chance and (responding to the feedback of many participants in the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup group) I organized a panel with Lorraine Murphy, Shane Gibson and myself as speakers, and Colleen Coplick as the moderator/fourth panelist. I think the model of the fourth panelist has had a lot of success lately. When Jay Piddy, Shane and myself participated in the panel for Amuse Consulting, Tris Hussey contributed greatly to the conversation as the liveblogger and fourth panelist.

I really look forward to this VBM, as the months of June, July and August are going to be a bit crazy for me. In June, Tanya and Monica, Shane, Steve Jagger and myself are joining forces for the Meetup of Meetups, Summer Edition and the remainder of the summer will probably be light on meetups.

So head over to the Meetup site and RSVP! Hope to see you there!

Social media faux pas? The evolution of etiquette, rules and norms in a Web 2.0 world

Raul — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:50:23 +0000

Recently, I was able to listen to Tris Hussey‘s excellent talk at Third Tuesday. While at the event, we discussed the widely publicized case of Raymond Lam having to resign after having photos of him leaked from his personal Facebook account. We discussed the fact that the boundaries between the private and the public are highly blurred now, and that we need to talk about etiquette in social media. I wanted to just use this post to announce that we (and by we I mean, Shane Gibson, Lorraine Murphy and myself) will have this discussion at the next Vancouver Bloggers Meetup. We are hoping to have Colleen Coplick moderate the roundtable.

Yes, everyone, it’s true. I am hijacking my own Meetup in order to continue with a much needed discussion on the rules and etiquette of social media. Here is the abstract of our panel.

Rules, Norms and Web 2.0: Etiquette in an Era of Evolutionary Social [Dis]Organization

Etiquette is frequently seen as a constraining set of behavioral rules, delineating what behaviors are appropriate within a certain social arena and which are not. But in a context of online multiverses, each with its own culture and demographic, what is truly the “right” thing, and how can we know it? Culture clashes and rapid evolution of social norms are ubiquitous in social media: why? What is appropriate etiquette? Is it portable across platforms? What are the ‘right’ kind of rules and norms in an unruly arena such as the online social media world? The participants in this panel will engage in a conversation about what constitutes etiquette, whether or not it relates to a moral imperative, whether it emerges as self-appointed leaders create specific sets of norms and discuss the evolution of etiquette in emergent social media. The implications for codes of behavior and etiquette in Web 2.0 are also discussed.

I’ll announce it on the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup site and on Twitter once I have firmed up a location (which most likely will be the Regis Room at the St. Regis Hotel, downtown, right beside the Granville Street Skytrain station exit on Dunsmuir).

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup for April 2009

Raul — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:24:45 +0000

I have a lot of respect for Jan Karlsbjerg, not only because we both did PhDs (his is in Computer Science, though) and because we are both immigrants to Canada. He is a solid guy who always is there available to provide advice to novice bloggers and to welcome them. He is the scribe to our Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, and this is his April 2009 write up. Thank you, Dr. Karlsbjerg. Thanks as always.

One note that I must add. For me, Vancouver Bloggers Meetup is personal. This is MY meetup. I invest time in trying to find a good place. I organize. I communicate with fellow bloggers. I promote it on Twitter. So, yes I do take it personally when people attend. I’m always thrilled when people do come. But the most important thing – I organize it for YOU. For novice and experienced bloggers. For those of you who want to dip your toes in the online community and those of you who have done it for years. In that sense, it’s YOUR meetup.

Tweetups Directory in Vancouver

Raul — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:06:36 +0000

Given that I decided to wait until April to hold a Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, I’ve been getting requests and inquiries from a variety of people on how they can find when these tweetups happen. Let me point out some differences between the “Tweetups” and the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup.

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup Group

Ever since I inherited the organization of the Meetup (June 2008) I have tried to make it happen at least once every couple of months. These gatherings happen almost every month, and are intended to provide new and experienced bloggers an opportunity to share thoughts, ideas, etc. For a sample of the topics we discuss and a detailed description, I’ll point you out to the great recaps that Dr. Jan Karslbjerg does (he is a long time member of the meetup and a great person to ask about the meetups as he takes great care to record the sessions). VBM is a more organized

Vancouver Tweetups

The hyper-social nature and ultra-fast nature of Twitter has given rise to the concept of ‘Tweetups’. Usually organized online, on-the-day-of, these are gatherings of people who use Twitter, are based in the same city and often happen on a weekday (or a weekend). Given the impromptu nature of Tweetups and given that they are very organic, the best way to find them is either check the site Vancouver Tweetup and/or check the hashtag on Twitter Search.

On potential overlaps between a Tweetup and a VBM

If/when this happens (which I would hope it won’t but it just might at some point), I will continue to hold the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup on the last Wednesday of the month. I know that this would mean that tomorrow (Wednesday) we would be getting together for the VBM but right now, I’m feeling overwhelmed with too much going on. To make up for the month of March, only this time I will be holding VBM early in the month of April.

Our next Vancouver Bloggers Meetup is on Wednesday April 8th, 2009. Come one, come all!

The Vancouver Bloggers Meetup is this coming Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Raul — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:26:13 +0000

Coming off a great moment for me professionally and in the world of social media (at Northern Voice), I’d like to take a moment to promote the monthly gathering of awesome people who like to write and put their thoughts out on the cyberspace. Yes, as you all may know, I’m the organizer of the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup. I am trying to keep the momentum going with lots of attendees and great conversations. Since we are just coming off fresh off Northern Voice 2009, we will have LOTS to talk about.

I’d like to invite you to participate. Remember that this meetup is for everyone who blogs, wants to blog, plans to think about blogging, or simply would like to hang out with geeks. Please RSVP on the Meetup.com site. Remember, I do NOT check Facebook or post the information on VBM anywhere else. Looking forward to seeing you there! I still have 3 spots open for 3-5 min talks, so if you are interested in giving a mini-spiel about what you blog about, let me know. John Chow will be coming too and bringing some printed material/swag to give away – thanks John!

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup January 2009 Liveblog

Raul — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:55:24 +0000

It’s been a year since I last live-blogged a Vancouver Bloggers Meetup. This year, I’m actually the Organizer of the Meetup, and I’m quite honored to be hosting it. The End Cafe actually has been pretty good to us, and I am glad that the turn out is very good.

I’ll try to have updates as the night goes by. Obviously, as I know it’s tradition, I do expect that Dr. Jan Karlsbjerg will have a recap on his blog, to which I will duly link.

UPDATE – 6:54pm – I’m going to start the Meetup now with introductions all around. I might miss some people so just drop me your name if I miss you when I do the linkage.

UPDATE – 7:10pm – Pete Quily (ADDCoach) describes in 3 minutes what ADHD is. For more information and a really great in-depth analysis of ADHD, I’d suggest his blog.

UPDATE – 7:15pm – Mandy Gratton gives an overview of what mommy blogging is and how she got into it. Mandy’s excellent (and funny) blog is here.

UPDATE – I can see many people that are coming in, and having a hard time recognizing everyone so I decided not to continue live-blogging. I am sure there will be posts up about the meetup!

The Vancouver Bloggers Meetup for January 2009 is on Wednesday Jan 21st

Raul — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:07:45 +0000

I am pretty sure everyone knows now that I’m the organizer of the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup. You didn’t know? Well, now you do. We are a pretty diverse group, all ages, all kinds of bloggers. We have foodie bloggers, theatre bloggers, podcasters, tekkies, social media and PR people, mommy bloggers (e.g. parenting bloggers), personal bloggers, professional bloggers, political bloggers, journalists, etc.

It was my goal to make the VBM more open so I have asked a few of my fellow bloggers to speak for about 2-3 minutes about the kind of blogging they do. I am extremely fortunate in that VBM and social networking have helped me create solid friendships with the bloggers I know through VBM. And my hope is that you, too, will find our meetings interesting and conducive to fostering new friendships.

We will spend the first few minutes speaking about the general feel for the coming months of VBM and a sample of what our bloggers are currently writing about. My hope is that you’ll spend the rest of the time socializing and networking in a safe, comfortable environment. I’ve chosen The End Cafe on Commercial and Broadway because it is a rather large space. We’ll have to test if it is loud or not.

Looking forward to seeing you all. Please RSVP here!

Announcing the January 2009 Vancouver Bloggers Meetup!

Raul — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:29:48 +0000

You can read the details on the Meetup.com website, but long story made short – I’m attempting to establish the meetup for the third Wednesday. I am fully aware that Green Drinks is the same night, and I’ll have to deal with that aspect some time (since, well, I am an environmental specialist so technically, Green Drinks *should* be one of the events I *should* attend).

Please RSVP on the Meetup.com site. Thanks!

Recap of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup Nov 2008

Raul — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:34:04 +0000

The great thing about knowing traditions and establishing them is that you can count on your friends to continue with them. It’s been a long-standing tradition that Jan Karlsbjerg writes a summary (recap) of the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup. This month, Jan follows up with the tradition, so I’ll just link to his awesome recap for the November 2008 VBM. I tried to do a little bit of a liveblog but didn’t work out ok I had a wonderful time though. Thanks everyone for coming!

One thing that I think Jan might have missed was the discussion that Shane and I had about potentially doing a large, combined Meetup.com. I am friends with the leaders of pretty much each one of the Vancouver relevant meetups that we all attend (Third Tuesday – Tanya, Real Estate Tech – Steve, Sales Performance – Shane, Young Professionals – Steve and Shane, Entrepreneurs – Minna) so I would think we could indeed do that informal, kind of end-of-the-year affair. Let me know if that would appeal to you all.

Upcoming events – Nov 16-20th, 2008

Raul — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:14:55 +0000

As the Organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, I have absolutely no qualms in promoting my group and inviting friends to join us for some coffee and good blogging/geek talk. But this coming week is filled with events as well that I think are worth highlighting. I don’t think I’m going to attend all of them, but at least, a few of them.

Meetups:
- Vancouver Sales Performance – Comedy and Technology for Sales Pros at Ceili’s Pub – Nov 17, 2008 (Probably will recap this one)
- Third Tuesday Vancouver – Rebecca Bollwitt speaks on Building a Brand, at Granville Room – Nov 18, 2008 (I’ll be liveblogging this one)
- Vancouver Bloggers Meetup - I’m the organizer, so of course I’m going to be there! – Nov 20, 2008, 6pm, Gene’s Cafe (corner of Kingsway and Main) – I will do a recap, but doubt I can liveblog it.

Non-meetup events:
- Green Drinks Vancouver – As usual, third Wednesday of the month. I’ve been to the past few ones and I’ve felt them really, really “networky” and less social than I have expected them. Sure, I’m on the job market, and sure, it’d probably help if I attended. But I’m feeling ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE to do so. I’ll see how I feel by the time Wednesday hits.

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup November 2008 coming up!

Raul — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:56:52 +0000

This month’s Vancouver Bloggers Meetup will take place at Gene Cafe on Kingsway and Main, on November 20th at 6:00pm. Here is the link to the Meetup site so that you can RSVP (or join the meetup in case you haven’t joined yet). Here is a review of Gene Cafe (not by me, though!).

With so many meetups happening in Vancouver, there may be some clashes every so often, but I am hoping that if we keep it to the third Thursday of the month (two days after Third Tuesday), it will provide structure and stability. Can’t wait to see all my fellow Vancouver blogger friends soon!

National Digital Media Day and Vancouver Bloggers Meetup 2008

Raul — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:41:26 +0000

Visit National Digital Media Day September 25

Rebecca kindly invited me to join her through her tour (and live-blog) of Metro Vancouver celebrating National Digital Media Day (September 25th, 2008) which is tomorrow. We’ll be liveblogging and visiting several municipalities along the way. I really value these kinds of “day trips”, and it’s actually the realization of something we had talked about a long while ago – going on a Metro-Vancouver-wide day trip.

So, we’ll be starting at 9:00am with breakfast in Surrey, then we’ll head throughout the Metro Vancouver area, I think we’re hitting Salt Tasting Room at 1pm for lunch with Anthony Nicalo of Farmstead Wines who has kindly agreed to sponsor drinks, and then another destination before Rebecca drops me off for my 7:00pm appointment with the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup at Isabella’s house.

There will be wi-fi and a potluck at Isabella’s and most certainly, a number of bloggers. Then on Friday it’s the BarCamp Vancouver 2008 party and on Saturday, the event itself. And on Sunday, I plan to take a Raul day and not blog at all. Hope you all enjoy our liveblogs tomorrow. Be sure to check Rebecca’s posts and mine as both will be tagged/categorized “ndmd08″. Furthermore, I will be blogging about environmental issues in Vancouver throughout the day, so feel free to drop suggestions and comments.

Vancouver Blogger Meetup August 2008 and September 2008

Raul — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:59:50 +0000

Earlier last week, I sent out a message to the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup list-serve asking whether people would like to have an August 2008 meetup or wait until September 2008. As many of you may remember, the July 2008 Vancouver Bloggers Meetup was a resounding success. I want to keep it that way.

If you need a photographic reminder of how awesome our past Meetup was, you can look at Karen’s and Cecily’s Flickr accounts, as well as mine.

Now, here’s the thing. I am not in Vancouver, as most of you know. Therefore, I can’t physically organize the August meeting. I’ll be back in Vancouver around mid-September, but we also have BarCamp 2008 in September (you must have known about this as we all blogged about it!).

So, I did a tally of the responses. I clustered the No, Maybe and I Don’t Care responses into basically “Not-Yes” (e.g. a response that isn’t Yes — God, I’m such a Captain Obvious!). Anyhow, the email tally is completely tied. 8 people said Yes and 8 people didn’t. Colleen and Keith were Twittering last night about how it might be better to send this VBM to September (an opinion that Isabella shared, and a number of other respondents to my survey)

I recognize that this date may be a tad too close to BarCamp Vancouver 2008, but if you think about what the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup is, (and I quote), “over time it’s become a close-knit group of friends who enjoy each other’s company” (David Drucker on the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup site, comment for July 29, 2008), the VBM is basically us (friends) getting all together to geek out and talk about stuff (as very appropriately said by Jan Karlsbjerg). So, let’s take a relaxed approach and do it in September instead.

To try and incorporate the majority of the feedback I got from everyone who responded, I decided to organize it for September 25th, 2008. Before I get smothered (I know, we’re going to be super busy for BarCamp Vancouver), let me suggest that we do it as a casual get-together. If we need to talk shop and do some fine-tuning about BarCamp (most of the organizing committee is also on VBM), we could always do that. Let’s take it as a relaxed, friendly get-together, and thank you Rebecca for suggesting that something might be done and potentially associate it with National Digital Media Day.

Rebecca is co-organizing with Jon Husband the Blogging portion of NDMD. [UPDATE - Sorry Rebecca, I think I jumped the gun! Ok, so here is the link to the Save-The-Date for NDMD] [ SIDE NOTE - Rebecca, I don't know how you do it, you're also involved with New Forms Festival 2008! I have the feeling we're going to have a VIDFEST 2008 redux ] Isabella had suggested doing something at her house, but we can always fine-tune the details as we get closer to the date. One thing you can be assured: two words – LARGER VENUE.

I really hope I didn’t disappoint those who wanted a VBM in August, but honestly, the September date works much better I think (even for me). Feedback, as always, appreciated. And… I miss you guys, I really do.

Upcoming events in Vancouver – early Aug to early Sep 2008

Raul — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:02:38 +0000

Even though I’m not in Vancouver right now, I always try to provide link love for friends of mine’s causes. Actually, when people let me know about what’s going on, I feel much more connected (because let’s face it, I do miss Vancouver). Anyhow, without further ado.

CHARITABLE CAUSES

- Karen Parker is doing the Bicycle Trek for Life and Breath, and you can sponsor her here. I am not sure if you can still participate in a draw she was having, but trust me – 4 hours of her geeky tech support is equivalent to gold, so sponsor her and get a chance to get some tech help from Karen!

- Barbara Doduk and Keira-Anne Mellis are doing the SPCA Paws for a Cause on September 14th (the day that my flight back is scheduled, though not sure if I’m actually going to be back in Vancouver then) and you can donate to their causes here (Barbara) and here (Keira-Anne).

- Tanya Davis (aka NetChick) is joining Team Diabetes, and you can pledge her here.

LOCAL EVENTS

- The Vancouver Queer Film Festival takes place from August 14th to … Unfortunately, I am in Mexico and won’t be able to attend, but if you do attend and want to do a movie review on my blog, you can be Hummingbird604.com’s official correspondent Actually I kinda need an official correspondent. I could even find something to throw as a reward… how about a free beginners’ salsa lesson? Even if you think you have two left feet, I’ll teach you how to dance at least the very basic 2 steps, how’s that? Or one or two hours of conversational Spanish/Italian/Portuguese?

- VinoCamp is taking place on August 16th, 2008. I am not able to participate but you really should attend. Wine and geekery, what else do you need?

- Travis Smith just sent me an email about an upcoming event (the ExpressionEngine Road Show) that you can check out here.

VANCOUVER MEETUPS

- I am a big supporter of Vancouver meetups, particularly since I frequently organize them (Vancouver Bloggers Meetup), live-blog or recap them (Vancouver Young Professionals Meetup, Sales Performance Meetup and Real Estate Tech Meetup). And since I missed this month’s Vancouver Real Estate Tech Meetup (where Steve Jagger gave a presentation), I was feeling bummed. Fear not, Steve himself uploaded a recap!

- I will be missing the Third Tuesday and Net Tuesday meetups, but I’ll be linking to them as soon as I get any scoop. I am particularly bummed about Net Tuesday as I am a total non-Drupal geek, but I want to learn.

- Jordan Behan has been organizing impromptu, informal Tweetups sorta regularly (I hope you keep doing it at least until I can make it to one!) around the Gastown area. You may want to check on Twitter what’s going on (or search Summize for #GastownTweetup)

NOT SO LOCAL EVENTS, BUT STILL…

- WordCamp San Francisco 2008 is taking place this weekend too. Two of my Vancouver friends, Andy and Duane are going down. Andy is presenting on the status of his project BuddyPress and Duane is attending the whole Camp, although given that Duane and Dale’s BraveNewCode project, WPTouch 2.0 for the iPhone was just released, I would have thought that Matt would have invited Duane to speak. Next year, I’m sure. I will link to Andy’s talk if he (or anyone else) uploads video. Heck, who knows. If I become really proficient with WordPress, maybe I will be presenting at WordCamp!

IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR…

And somehow I didn’t highlight your event, fear not – drop me a comment or send me an email or a tweet. And while I am sure that most of my readers follow her blog, Rebecca usually has the comings-and-goings in Vancouver, so if I missed something about an event here, I could almost bet she has it there

Vancouver Bloggers Meetup for July 2008 – What a success!

Raul — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:30:38 +0000

It’s past midnight on Wednesday already. I just got home from having done some shopping at Safeway on Commercial, and catching up on Twitter (sorry if you were one of the people who were viciously bombarded with my tweets). I would *love* to write a really detailed recap, but I am sure that a lot of other bloggers will. And since I am now the Organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, I am hoping I will be cut some slack (as I spent the vast majority of the time trying to ensure everyone was having a good time, and doing introductions, etc.)

So, a few points. Yes, I know the venue was small, but even though it was so small, lots of people showed up and it was really heartwarming for me. I am very honored that Isabella decided to bestow her leadership role on to me, I really am. I even got my Blogger Sword! I promise I shall use its power for good

I did miss many good friends of mine who are also bloggers, too many to recount, but I do want to single out Rebecca because she did an amazing job of organizing and she entrusted me with passing on her message of how proud she was of the work we all who Blogathoned did, as well as news that there would be some commentary about Blogathon on Metro Vancouver (the newspaper).

Along the same way, Rebecca, it is important that you know that everyone in the room gave you an in absentia ovation for all your hard work in organizing Blogathon. I’m very proud of you and honored to call you a friend. I know these are trying times for you, but I sure hope you know you can always count on me, I really do.

After the Blackwater Cafe (whose staff should be fully commended, as we stayed there well past their closing time, almost 9 pm and Adrienne was SO incredibly helpful and sweet – really good times) a bunch of us headed down to the Lamplighter for a couple of beers. Overall, I had a fabulous time, and I am glad to have seen you all. And as I mentioned in my speech, I am very honored to be able to call so many of you my friends. You are truly awesome.

And on that note, I should go to sleep. I haven’t recovered from Blogathon and need my sleep. Catch you all later.

Accepting suggestions for my 1000th post

Raul — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:10:28 +0000

I’ve been polishing the presentation for Fraser Valley WordCamp and in the process, I’ve come to realize that I am REALLY close to 1000 posts on WordPress (I lost 132 posts in the importing process, which was kind of awful, but oh well). Since I’m at 922 (this post included), I have been thinking of organizing a MargaritaCamp + NachoCamp + GinCamp to celebrate my 1000 posts.

At my current writing rate, I estimate that’s going to fall somewhere around the week of Blogathon, so I might have a middle of the week RaulCamp (or simply combine it with the Vancouver Bloggers Meetup!) because, after all, it’s all about me (inside joke, you’ll have to see the t-shirt to know what I’m talking about).

So, I’m opening the floor for suggestions for my 1000th post. I was actually thinking of holding it at a wifi-enabled site (like the Blackwater Cafe) or a bar so that we can celebrate the actual moment of pushing the “Publish” button on my WordPress Dashboard. Any interest in joining for said RaulCamp?

Out and about with Raul on a Friday

Raul — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:19:44 +0000

Fridays are usually busy but this Friday was just a tad over the top. I think I spent more time with people in the tech/social media industry than I ever had in one single sitting. First, as usual, I put in a few hours of work, but also tried to do some blogging on the side, and chatted with my friend JT who is totally geeky and tekkie. However, my laptop screen was not behaving well, so I had to basically shut down at noon, which wasn’t all that bad since I had to go anyways.

I was invited by David Gratton to come by and visit The Donat Group. I had met Rochelle Grayson at a Tweetup and I read both David’s and Rochelle’s personal blogs, so it was a great chance to come by and see the kind of work that they do. I was shown a number of fun tools they develop, including SnipDev (for someone who is geekifying himself, there is no better fun than finding new ways to use technology to bring people together, which is one of the things that David, Rochelle and their group do). Good times.

Rebecca and I have been on a Mexican food roll, so we agreed to meet for lunch at La Casita in Gastown. Restaurant review forthcoming. I did miss a chance to hang out with Karen as our schedules didn’t match up, but I’m sure we’ll hang out soon enough. Since Rebecca and I were both invited to the Strutta party we ended up going there for a couple of beers (free booze – who can refuse that?). I had a chance to bug Jordan Behan about not following me on Twitter (jokingly), but now Boris Mann has created a mantra for me. See photo below (if you can’t read what the plastic glass says, it says “Follow Me on Twitter – hummingbird604). I took the joke in jest. As usual, I have LOTS of photos of the evening on my Flickr. It was good to see a lot of my fellow bloggers/twitterers/friends from the tech community.

Unfortunately I had to leave early as I was meeting with AF, NM and RO for Rock Band. I am in love with this thing. Hat tips and thanks to Tanya for those Rock Band invites with a bunch of friends, because I am now totally hooked. Usually when I hang out with Tanya and friends, I do a lot of vocals but I’ve begun to be more comfortable with bass (although I only play as high as medium). I got home at 4 am. Great times! NM and RO are always really fun to hang out with.

And to close off, here is one of my favorite songs from the many that we played last night: Wave of Mutilation. Hope you guys are having a great weekend, because mine is really busy (as always!). Darn. And I thought I was going to be non-booked. OOOPS.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U88t0JgawfY&hl=en]

I guess I am in tech!

Raul — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:50:23 +0000

I’m usually reluctant to say that I am in PR (public relations) or in the tech industry, even in social media (Web 2.0) because I still think of myself as an environmental specialist. However, lately, I have been faced with questions from friends that I have made in the blogosphere who have asked me directly “hey Raul, what’s going on in the tech world this week?”

I guess that comes from my recent increased coverage of tech events, including VIDFEST 2008, Cossette Convergence 2008, Launch Party IV. Even the PR events (if you consider Third Tuesday a PR event) have a tekkie component! Thus, I’ve come to accept that yeah, maybe I am in tech.

Moreover, this only comes to confirm what my friend HZ has told me all along: every time I launch a new endeavour, I follow through fully! And again, a substantial hat tip and thanks should be given to ALL MY BLOGOSPHERE friends, but especially Miss604 – Rebecca Bollwitt, for helping me with my blog, for guiding me through a lot of stuff and simply, for her friendship. Thank you Rebecca.

Upcoming events – Geeky and non-geeky

Raul — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:15:47 +0000

Just a quick reminder

- Vancouver Joomla Day 2008 – Saturday June 14, 2008. I will be liveblogging a couple of sessions. Registration is $ 25.00 and $ 30.00 at the door.

- Third Tuesday with Joe Solomon from EngageJoe.com – Tuesday June 17th, 2008 – I might be live-blogging, but I could almost bet that Rebecca will be media sponsor Thanks to Monica Hamburg for organizing! If you follow me on Twitter or read my blog and haven’t introduced yourself to me, this is your chance! I will be wearing a name tag with my blog site!

- Green Drinks Vancouver – Wednesday June 18th, 2008 - Since I’m on the job market AND I volunteered to be a Green Greeter, I *will* most certainly be there. I have to meet Isabella later that day, but at least I’ll be there for a couple of hours!

I have a pretty busy weekend, so I might not accept any more invitations other than what I already have planned for Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday evening, as you all know, is already booked, so – sorry – next week perhaps!

Upcoming event – Vancouver MetBlogs Meetup

Raul — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:15:00 +0000

Given that I’ve read Vancouver Metblogs for quite sometime, that they have some of my blogo-friends writing for them (including Rebecca, Ryan, Barbara and Stephen), and the fact that they did invite me to contribute last year (I sort-of declined, because at the time I was really focused both on trying to learn more about blogging AND I had a lot of day-job work), I thought that maybe I should attend the upcoming Vancouver MetBlogs Meetup at Library Square at 7.30pm on Tuesday May 21st, 2008. I am also attending Third Tuesday, so not sure how I’m going to balance both. I’ll see. Now that I do have a cell phone, maybe I can coordinate with Rebecca and/or other bloggers to sort of try and do both events at the same time. It will be challenging, but most certainly will be fun.

The concept and relevance of social meetups in Vancouver

Raul — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:30:53 +0000

I have lived in Vancouver for over 12 years, and yet it’s only been since about 2006 (two years ago) that I have started to participate in local social gatherings. Let me explain. When I did my Masters degree, I made a lot of friends from school, who then went on to get jobs in the Vancouver area. The same happened to me, I got a job, moved away from Canada, came back, moved away again. However, after a couple of years, I pretty much had my circle of friends well established.

In one of my first relocations to Canada (I’ve moved countries more than I care to remember), I noticed a clear trend in my behavior: I wasn’t hanging out with many other people. I lived in residential graduate colleges and therefore, I didn’t need to make new friendships. My newer friends came from the places where I lived. The same thing happened, degrees were completed, people moved but the friendships stayed there.

However, in my last relocation to Vancouver (2006), I clearly noticed that I was meeting many more people. Not because I was making an active effort to meet people either for friendships or potential relationships (I haven’t really seriously dated anyone since about 2004), but simply because my friends had other friends, and we introduced each other to our own social networks.

With my recent (I’d say November 2007) foray into the world of social media (that is, actually MEETING in person all those people that I’ve read for months/years) I have begun participating in local meet-ups, something I had NEVER done before. Not because I didn’t want to, but it just simply didn’t even enter my mind.

Now that I’m participating in NetTuesday and Third Tuesday, Green Drinks Vancouver and other social gatherings (and having entered the Twitter world, with impromptu Tweetups), it has just dawned on me just how long I’ve been in this city without making real attempts to make new friends and/or engage in dating activities.

I consider myself very, very, very lucky in that I have a large number of good friends. I’m also lucky because I have managed somehow to keep my connections with the majority of them (some, of course, have drifted away). And that’s not my fault, I don’t think. I am, like everybody else, just a human being, with my foibles and strengths. There’s only so much I can do to be a friend and only so many hours in the day.

Were I to start over again in a different city/country, I probably would feel compelled to begin attending those organized socialization events (thank you Meetup.com, Upcoming.org and Facebook for making the task much easier!). Now the question is to you, my readers… what do YOU think of those meet-ups? Do you prefer to use Meetup.com or are just happy to organize an “Event” on Facebook?

Eatery review – Liberty Bakery (Main Street)

Raul — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:16:11 +0000

There is only one thing that sucks about being allergic to squash … you can’t really enjoy butternut squash soup (oh wait… I hadn’t told you I’m allergic to squash… yep, I am… and I’m lactose intolerant. *sigh*)… But the best butternut squash soup in town, I’ve been told, is produced by Liberty Bakery, on Main and 21st. Avenue.

Photo credit: Raul on Flickr.

This little piece of heaven is wonderful for work-related meetings (when I’m working from home and other friends/colleagues who live near by are doing the same), or just for lunch. I’ve had their wonderful sandwiches on foccacia bread (in my case, I like turkey but they’ve got also hummus-based delicacies). Needless to say, great food and a very comfortable, home-like atmosphere. We should probably organize an intimate Tweetup or Blogger Meetup here, just a few folks

Vancouver Podcasters Meetup (March 2008) recap

Raul — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:52:17 +0000

Rebecca sent me an email informing me about this meetup, and although I am *not* a podcaster, I couldn’t resist the temptation to join. I’ve found bloggers and podcasters alike very welcoming, friendly and really interesting to talk to. Besides, it was going to be held at The End Cafe, which as some of you know is one of my favorite coffee shops, and Rebecca told me she was going so I said “for sure”.

Had a chance to meet a few new folks (though I regret not having seen Derek Miller, aka Penmachine), someone whose blog I have read before and whom I respect a lot. Derek had blogged about the VPM too but he’s undergoing chemotherapy so he wasn’t going to show up. Amongst the folks I met for the first time was Nancy Zimmerman (aka The Money Coach). I’ve agreed to guest-blog for Nancy, so stay tuned for some environmentally-focused money discussions

Two other bloggers whom I had read in the past were also there, Matt from Onomatopoeia.org and Maktaaq (who like me, just recently switched platforms from Blogger to WordPress – welcome to WP!). And of course the Bollwitts, Rebecca and John.

After the meetup, the Bollwitts, Matt and Maktaaq and myself headed down to Memphis Blues for some late-dinner (and yes, if you were curious, Matt and Maktaaq are married, and if you need proof, you can check Matt’s About page). Had a fabulous time with these folks. The walk from the End Cafe to Memphis Blues and back and the dinner themselves were highlights of my evening. There are few things more precious to me than hanging out (and walking around) with friends. And as I told these folks tonight, through my blogging and reading theirs I feel as though we’re old-time friends. Instead of just thinking that they’re online strangers, these folks have become friends to me, genuinely interested in who I am outside of the blogosphere and not only in the Internet world.

The actual food wasn’t bad. I’ve reviewed Memphis Blues before – this particular location, actually – and while I did like it, I wasn’t all that impressed with the pulled pork sandwich. Don’t get me wrong, it was very tasty and not that expensive, but I expected a little bit less grease on my sandwich. It was an awesome evening and I would definitely love to hang out with these folks more often. They’ve got great sense of humor, fabulous conversation and endless stories to share.

Liveblogging Vancouver Blogger Meetup

Raul — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:28:00 +0000

9:56 pm – Well, Mom wasn’t available on Skype and I feel as though I let down my neighbour DMcN as I didn’t pick up a jug of cider but we’ll leave that to the weekend. I was too busy with the liveblogging! Exhausted and starving, I had to pat myself in the back for having prepared dinner and lunch for the next three days. Quick defrosting in a microwave and now I’m enjoying a nice curry chicken with basmati rice while I polish my liveblog.

9:06 pm – This would be the end of my liveblogging as I have to run and chat with my Mom on Skype, but I hope you guys enjoy the liveblog. It was fun. Rebecca, if you’re reading this, you can tell me what you think [Man, am I ever hungry...]

Damn – I almost forgot – had a chance to chat with Jan (the great Dane) who happens to be friends with Tanya (aka NetChick). So… in the chat, Richard is mentioning that he is going to do the introduction to blogging seminar at Northern Voice, YET he is not blogging that much! That is so funny

Here’s the pic with Richard, Jan and Na’im.

8:56 pm – Even though he’s about to leave, it was nice to chat with John Biehler. John, Al, Monica and I were discussing about what my blog is about, and Al made an important observation when I ranted about the young woman who refused my kindness this morning – he said “you should’ve just asked – do you need a hug?”.
I normally would be just that bold, but for some reason, I didn’t feel up to it. But his point is well taken. In the picture you can appreciate John, Al and Monica.

I also had a chance to chat with Carola from The Jem Gallery and Bev Davies. Bev is a photographer and you should totally check her Flickr stream. And Carola is appearing on The Georgia Straight tomorrow, so we’ll have to read it!

8:40 pm – Jonathon and Na’im have left (well, Jonathon is on his way out) but I already made new good blogger friends. Had a very nice (but short) chat with Morten (who has 6 blogs?!)… but it’s really hard to liveblog, pay attention, socialize and then upload photos. Hope everyone is having fun though!

8:27 pm - Unbelievably, I bumped into Jonathon Narvey. You’ll wonder – why unbelievable? Well, because when you start reading someones blog, it becomes a fun phenomenon when you meet the person. And he is so nice to talk to… we have some very similar interests, and of course, we will continue having opposing opinions sometimes, but definitely, we respect each other very much. That’s always fun. And in this photo, you can see Jonathon and Shane (yes, Shane from the contest to reclaim top Vancouver blogger spot). It will be fun to see what happens with the contest

8:06 pm – Just had a very pleasant chat with Ronald where he asked me why I am on Blogspot. Truth is, first platform I knew. So, now I need to move over to WordPress. But I feel a bit as though I’m breaking up with a partner… it’s hard to let go! But his site is on WP and he says it is awesome so I have to try it. Angela and Morten also were trying to sway me on the WP bandwagon… and they’re right! They are SO right! This liveblog would be SO much easier if I were on the WP platform. *sigh* Lesson learned

I have to admit that I was very amused with the Pink and Yellow website (since Angela says she’s yellow and Morten is pink – for someone like me, who is an immigrant himself, this type of characterization is fun to make – in my case, I guess I’d be hmmm… red [because of the chillies?] … dunno, maybe stretching the analogy). In the picture, Angela, Morten, Ronald and … I forgot his name, rats… I’ll ask him

7:52 pm - Na’im kindly collected the names and blogs of the “side tables”. We’re pretty much clustered in two groups (this coffee shop is awesome, but it doesn’t have enough seating for us right now I think). I have been to the Our Town Cafe before only once, but EVERY time I walk by, I see at least two or three people reading a book LEISURELY. I am not kidding. You can tell that they are enjoying their reading and it’s pleasant. The last time I read a book at my leisure was, what… 2001? *sigh*

Ok, so in the picture above you see Karen, Na’im, Al, David … I am a bit embarrassed to have had to ask them to write their names and all, given that I have photographic memory, but I think I’m a little bit too excited about being here. Al and I should totally talk, since he is the creator of the Bokashi method, a simple, indoor, hassle-free composting method. And quite obviously I am a student of the environment, so…

* Feel free to submit comments on the liveblog!

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7:45pm I begin taking pictures and introducing myself. Maybe a little bit intrusive on my part as I interrupted a couple of conversations. But it’s always nice to actually put a face to the person. I am actually missing Rebecca Bollwitt (aka Miss604) a lot, since I spoke with her on GChat earlier and she mentioned she was super busy before she heads to the island with Keira-Anne. And since she’s not here, I guess it’s up to me to live-blog. I hope I can live up to her high standards, because she IS the top Vancouver liveblogger!!! On the picture you find Isabella and Katy.

7:30 pm Na’im from VancouverVibe.ca just came to kindly introduce himself. Very pleasant conversation, we were commenting about the fact that I hate linking my own stuff on VancouverVibe.ca, but if you feel some of my writing is worth it, then by all means, please feel free to link it there. As for me, I’ll link the stuff I read and I find exciting. Also very exciting to see that Karen Fung is here (the organizer from TransitCamp).

7:15pm – I arrive wet but in one piece at the Vancouver Blogger Meetup. Quickly I get introduced to Isabella Mori and Richard from JustAGwailo (who overheard my blog’s name and just mentioned that he ‘hears’ the voice of the blogger once he meets them). Very fun to be here.

Note – VancouverVibe.ca already has a blog!

I have my digital camera so I’ll try to post some as soon as I can. We are at the Our Town Cafe at the corner of Kingsway and Broadway.