Robert Putnam has written extensively about the decline of social capital and civic engagement. While his research has primarily examined American society, Professor Putnam would probably want to look at Canada and the Timeraiser events as a powerful method to re-engage citizens in an era mired by social disengagement. Last night, I was amongst a select group of people who were invited to the media launch of Timeraiser Vancouver, along with Gus, Emme and Cathy. Exquisite catering was provided by Subeez. Honestly, I really can’t remember the last time I was at Subeez, because I’ve been more of a fan of its cousin Wazzubee (on Commercial Drive). The catering and drinks were excellent as was the customer service.
Credit: Emme Rogers
On September 24th, participants in the Timeraiser Vancouver event (registration tickets are $20) will be bidding volunteer hours to try and win local artist’s artwork. I had the pleasure of talking to a few of the artists (one of them, coincidentally, is a good friend of my friend Miranda Sam), and they shared their views about the event. While you might be surprised at the fact that admission is charged for, the event itself is a very worthy cause and the admission goes to paying for rental expenses, etc. The event is for a great cause and the artists are all local (check the gallery).
I will be giving away two tickets to the September 24 event (a $40 value) to a lucky reader. I will be drawing the winner on September 23rd at 2pm. You can drop a comment detailing some of your volunteer experience here, and you’ll be entered into the draw.
I had looked at the trailer of Biographies of the Dead and Dying when I first previewed the Vancouver Fringe Festival and when I wrote about their upcoming production. Andrew offered me a pair of tickets and I was very happy to take ML along with me to see Biographies. I didn’t know what to expect, other than a performance that was centered around loss, death and the dying process. Having been quite acquainted with explorations of these themes (particularly when I was a stage actor) I figured I had the whole process of how the play would turn out all planned in my head. I was in for a surprise, and quite a pleasant one.
Biographies explores stories of ghosts through the lenses of a female writer and the owner of a haunted house. I don’t want to give away more, but as I mentioned on Twitter before, the female lead’s performance was nuanced, vibrant, strong. Both leads (female and male) gave very solid performances, exploring a complicated storyline that leaves the viewer to question his/her own beliefs surrounding ghosts and death itself. I found the play extremely physical and quite strenuous for both leads, yet their strength does not falter. I would have expected the leads to be absolutely exhausted by the end of the show. Nevertheless, their performance is impeccable. I want to commend both actors and the whole team behind them for an excellent show.
I’m proud of the Vancouver theatre scene, and I am sure the members of the theatrical community should be proud too.
WARNING – The play contains nudity, coarse language, explicit language and sexuality. Viewer discretion is advised.
I’m proud to be Mexican, I’m proud of the culture, the heritage, the food, the very talented people that Mexico has. It pains me, annoys me and irks me when I find that a number of (not-very-well-informed) folks see Mexico as a country of corrupt, lazy, not very smart people. There are bad apples anywhere in the world. I have lived in North America, I’ve lived in Europe and I have found corruption, laziness and stupidity everywhere I’ve gone. Some of the Mexicans I know are amongst the world’s most talented. Paola Espinosa, the reigning World Diving Champion, is Mexican.
Two of my brothers were National Chess Champions (several times both of them) and they are both Mexican. I can remember at least off the top of my head, four distinguished Mexicans who have reached high stature in international organizations, including Jose Angel Gurria (current Secretary General of the OECD), Rosario Green (former second-in-command to former UN Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Gali), Dr. Julio Frenk (Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health and former high-level World Health Organization official) and Alicia Barcena Ibarra (the current United Nations Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC). And of course, many of my beloved friends are Mexican (and many of my fellow and very talented academic colleagues are as well).
Mexico is a beautiful country, and even if it is not my home right now (because well, first of all, I am a citizen of the world and I have lived in many countries, and second of all, because I live in Vancouver now), it will always be in many ways the place where I came from. As my friend HZ says, home is where I live and where my parents are, and since my parents are in Mexico, one of my homes is and always be there.
Felicidades, Mexico en tu Dia de la Independencia! I know that Mexico Fest is happening here in Vancouver from September 10th to 17th, and you can check their events here. I think the meaning of the Mexican Independence Day has been diluted here in Canada with so many Latin American independence day celebrations, but for me, it is still an important day. Too bad I cannot give a Grito de Dolores here!
Even though I have been focusing a large part of my research agenda on wastewater (and lately, drinking water and groundwater), my interest in solid waste management and hazardous waste policy has never waned. Therefore, I will be participating in the Metro Vancouver Regional Forums on Waste Management. Today is the Vancouver one, and I will be there (11:30am to 2:00pm, at the Morris Wosk Centre for Dialogue, SFU, Downtown Vancouver on West Hastings). The registration for today’s forum is closed already, but there is space in other locations, as indicated by the Metro Vancouver website. If you are interested in waste management issues, landfills, waste-to-energy processes, this is the event you should attend. If you live in the Metro Vancouver area, perhaps the New Westminster location will be the best for you. Of course, you can attend at any of the other locations that you find accessible.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, New Westminster, 12 noon to 2:00pm, (registration and lunch at 11:30am)
Fraser River Discovery Centre, 788 Quayside Dr., New Westminster
If you would like to meet up with me, I’ll be at the Vancouver one from 11:30am to 2:00pm (probably will be lingering for just a few minutes as I have another meeting at 3pm in the Yaletown area).
I am not a big fan of styrofoam, but as someone who cooks and consumes Indian food, I’ve always been aware of the challenges that designing containers for this type of food brings along. Similarly, styrofoam is frequently used to prevent shocks when packaging computer hardware (I have a LOT of styrofoam from the HP PhotoSmart I was sent by HP Canada). While in my research I haven’t looked specifically at styrofoam waste management, I have always kept it in mind as a challenge, particularly as space in landfills becomes more and more scarce. I would prefer much more if we minimized our usage of styrofoam than having to dispose of it.
I learned about London Drugs‘ recent partnership with Green Deal via Cynnamon Schreinert, and from the press release, I became aware that London Drugs also can receive used batteries for disposal. I’m a bit confused as to whether this partnership and recycling program only applies to disposing styrofoam from items purchased at LD, or if consumers can also bring other styrofoam. I think applying a levy would/should work. I’m interested in learning more about this initiative, both
If I could clone myself, I would. I get invited to all sorts of great events, plays, concerts, etc. I do make an honest effort to attend and write about all of them as I am a firm supporter of the arts in British Columbia. Moreover, I’ve been a stage actor for many years and my Mom was a trained opera singer so I am definitely drawn to theatrical performances. I am, however, a very bad comedian. That being said, I’m always on the lookout for promising comedies. I know of the great shows that The Arts Club has put on, particularly since the musical “Altar Boyz” was a great success.
I’m not going to be able to make it to Black Comedy, but I’ve asked a special guest blogger (a very good friend of mine, who has previously written guest posts on HB604) to attend the show on my behalf and write a review, so you will not be denied from a review of Black Comedy. The opening performance for the the 2009-2010 season of The Arts Club, it promises to be a fun event. From their media release:
Struggling artist Brindsley (Charlie Gallant) wants to impress his fiancée’s (Julie McIsaac) visiting father (Simon Bradbury), so he dim-wittedly breaks into a neighbour’s flat and “borrows” the fancy furniture. But just as the last antique is set in place, a fuse blows and the lights go out! A litany of unexpected guests and mistaken identities throw the evening into chaos—but the darkness also sheds hilarious light on everyone’s true character. Black Comedy is British farce at its finest, as the action moves from one hilariously awful and painfully funny coincidence to the next.
I predict that this will be a great show. Will keep you posted on the review!
One of the things that disturbs and worries me the most is the fact that there are computer hackers now who are so sophisticated that not only create splogs but they can even fake-tweet. The worst thing is that they seem real! The screenshot you’re seeing is a re-tweet from a tweet that I *apparently* sent. Unfortunately, I didn’t. The thing is, how can we stop fake tweeters, sploggers, and in general, the people who rehash and re-produce our online content?
I think it’s no surprise to anyone given my name and last names that I’m from Latin American roots. Moreover, I think with all my film coverage that you can tell that I am a huge promoter of film festivals in Vancouver. In particular, I am a big fan of the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival. My dearest friend LB (now Dr. LB, as she recently defended her PhD in Political Science, looking at a Latin American country as her research case study) and I were always looking forward to attending VLAFF. She and I spoke in Spanish frequently and we loved watching Spanish-language films together. Alas, she is now in Ottawa and I will have to go to VLAFF with other friends (but i’ll be thinking of LB too).
While I sadly was unable to go to the opening night of “Arráncame la Vida” (a Mexican film, delightful, starring Ana Claudia Talancón and Daniel Giménez Cacho, and with a screenplay based on the Angeles Mastretta story), I will definitely make an effort to check some of the VLAFF. My understanding is that this year’s focus country is Chile.
Also, for my readers, stay tuned because I’ll be giving away free tickets for some of the films. Arráncame La Vida is the official Mexican nomination to the Oscars, and I believe it should win, it’s a beautiful film.
The trailer to Arrancame La Vida is shown below. You can get tickets to the VLAFF by following this hyperlink. I’m really tempted to check Lake Tahoe (not surprisingly, a Mexican film). But honestly, every single film shown offers a great opportunity to delve into Latin American film. If I could watch all these films (if I had the time) I would!
I’m a big supporter of the local theatre scene, and the Vancouver Fringe Festival offers a great opportunity to showcase local and international talent. While I’m super busy in the next few days, I’m really looking forward to try and check a few of the shows.
I know for a fact that JT has a tradition of going with a friend of his to the Fringe, although he has also insisted in having me join. This time, I think I’m going to try to check Biographies of the Dead and Dying, not sure if I can make The First Time and Ryan Mooney invited me to Dog Sees God (they’re putting together an ensemble here in Vancouver for that one).
I would strongly encourage people to check out the Vancouver Fringe Festival. It’s wacky, it’s fun and more importantly, it’s local. In their own words:
Presenting live theatre in an informal, accessible and inexpensive environment, the Fringe strives to break down traditional boundaries between audiences and artists, encouraging open dialogue between theatre-goers and theatre-creators. Audiences are invited to experience the work of seasoned veterans and emerging artists. Local, national and international artists benefit from working together and learning from each other in a vibrant and exciting festival atmosphere. In order to stimulate artistic innovation, applications for participation in Fringe Festivals are accepted on a non-juried lottery. This process allows for a wide variety of performances to be presented to the public.
I have been invited to check out “The First Time” by Sarah Szloboda and although my schedule may not permit it, I would encourage everyone to consider this and several other Vancouver Fringe Festival shows. With the recently announced cuts to arts groups in the provincial budget, I have become an even more passionate advocate for our local theatre and arts scene.
It’s messy, it’s thrilling, it gets stuck in your braces. You never forget your first time (but the second time is usually better). Based on hundreds of interviews and testimonials The First Time takes us from first base all the way to home plate. This hilarious and insightful production explores some of the most universal and private moments of modern romance!
Guacira Naves is an internet strategist based in Vancouver. In her own words: Working with online media since 91. eMarketing Strategy since 98. Guacira kindly wrote a review of the Cosi Fan Tutte performance that was put on by Bard on the Beach. Thanks to Guacira for kindly writing this review!
There are many things that I’ve experienced once, and would definitely recommend: have visited Berlin, have tasted the Hungarian drink Unicum and have ridden a galloping horse. Yesterday, thanks to hummingbird604, I added one more item to this list. I went to a live opera. More specifically, Così Fan Tutte, by Mozart, part of the “Opera & Arias” performances from the “Bard on the Beach” series. The experience was AMAZING, and like many of my other “firsts” – definitely one that calls for an encore! So read on as I describe this occasion, from the perspective of someone who’s not at all an expert in the subject. I might just be able to debunk some myths you may have about opera.
The event took place at Vanier Park, with the North Shore mountains as its backdrop. The choir and opera singers were accompanied by members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and in between scenes, Christopher Gaze took the stage to describe what would happen in upcoming scenes. That came in quite handy – after all, my middle school Italian is rusty and wasn’t enough to understand the lyrics. Mr. Gaze is the founding artistic director of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival , and with his soothing British accent, he was a welcoming host.
Così Fan Tute can literally be translated as “Thus Do They All”. The title is based on the main plot: one middle-aged Don Alfonso (Campbell McLeod) bets with two soldiers that all women have fickle hearts – including their beautiful fiancées (sisters Fiordiligia and Dorabella, respectively played by Leah Alfred and Megan Brown). Don Alfonso explains to the soldiers, Ferrando (Brian Lee) and Guglielmo (Aaron Durand), that he’ll be successful in proving his point – if his instructions are precisely followed.
If your preconceived idea of a good opera is that it must be a sombre, solemn affair, you’d be pleasantly surprised. Although most of us in the audience obviously couldn’t understand the lyrics, laughter was irresistibly shared throughout the evening. One such instance, for example, was when chambermaid Despina (played by Lauren Patton) appeared on stage purposely disguised as a male notary, to officiate over a wedding. Or when the soldiers, dressed as Albanians, try to convince the sisters about their special features: their feet… their eyes… and their moustaches!
It’s one thing to hear classical music and opera through your headphones or at home. It’s something altogether different to experience it live. The sound of the violin, cello… everything was so magical and calming. I was instantaneously transported to another world. You see, I have one of those minds that are hard to quiet down. Yoga doesn’t do the trick. But for the duration of Così Fan Tutte, I was in a state of bliss. And no – the two glasses of wine that I sipped throughout the evening had nothing to do with it! All credit must be given to the talented members of UBC Opera Ensemble and of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Leslie Dala.
If you haven’t given opera a try, please do. UBC Opera and Vancouver Opera have other events coming up later this year and in the 2010 season. This night will go in my list of moments to never forget. If thus do all operas, I’m in.
Disclosure: The tickets to attend the opera were sponsored very generously by Bard on the Beach. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
Jonathon Narvey and I were on a panel along with Yu-Kai Chou on how you can build your brand with your company blog. I had originally assumed that we’d be giving a talk (however short) but I’m quite ok with not offering a formal speech. This was part of the Internet Marketing Mastermind on Thursday September 10th, 2009.
Yu-Kai Chou gave a formal talk with Q&A and then Jonathon and I sat on the panel along with Yu-Kai to speak about our own experiences with corporate blogging and branding.
Customers don’t trust everyone on the internet. They want it free, and share. That’s the nature of social media. They’re trusted by the customers.
7:36
Word of “Text” – brand reaches out to “Joe” – shares with 1200 friends on Facebook, 900 followers on Twitter, 500 followers on FriendFeed, 3000 readers on blog, 300 subscribers on YouTube.
7:37
Keys to Success
MUST engage
Have a focus
Be interesting
Be different, even controversial
Be helpful
Be personal and authentic
7:37
It doesn’t matter if people follow you and they don’t actually care about what you really do.
7:40
People like people. If you feel like it`s a person behind a company brand, sharing his or her frustration, his or her happiness, it works better.
7:41
Yu-Kai recommends WordPress – lots of plugins that can work with it.
7:42
As a company, incorporate your own blog on your own website (WordPress.org) vs. hosted on WP servers (WordPress.com)
7:43
Advantages of having a blog
SEO boost for your site
Engages your community
Builds trust
Establishes thought leadership in your field
Becomes a go-to place for your niche
Eventually leads to higher sales and lastin brand
7:44
Well, I have been doing this for a couple of months and it`s not working. We aren`t selling anything yet.
7:46
When people actually need your services, or when they have friends who need the services, they`ll do it.
Blogging for your company
Blog about news and info in your industry
Become the go0-to place for related knowledge
DO NOT just talk about your company
Don`t be overly professional. Show personality
Listen to your market by asking questions.
7:47
There are blogs with lots of traffic but no engagement, or blogs with not so much traffic and LOTS of engagement.
7:48
Promote your site
Build relationships with bloggers through comments
Use social media sites like Twitter & Facebook
Use content discover sites like Digg and StumbleUpon
Don’t use SEM (unless for direct sales), use SEO
Put your blog URL in yoru email signature and business card
Interlink between articles and other pages
7:51
Yu-Kai is recommending not using SEM (he says that you’re paying for traffic, buying visitors, buying friends) and you should go with SEO (which is more organic). Unless you have a direct selling method. There’s a conversion rate that is measurable.
7:53
SEO TIPS
Identify your keywords
Include the right meta-info
populate the keywords with H1, H2, H3 or bold
Update regularly (ideally twice a week)
Use text-friendly URLs
Host the blog on the same domain
Solicit links from other sites
7:53
[Though I have to say that I thoroughly disagree with soliciting links from other sites – RPV]
7:54
Google Page Rank – build link-backs to your website, etc. Google Rank that are high (5) are relevant.
7:59
Keys to Success
Stay consistent on a theme for focus
Update regularly
Be persistent
Keep SEO in mind
Write timeless posts
Build relationships with other bloggers through Twitter and commenting
Respond to every comment
8:00
[Those of you interested in what I wrote as my Top 5 Tips for Blogging for Business, you should read this post of mine]
I know that I am slightly on the outside because, even though I am a scientist and a researcher, I’m WAY more superstitious and believe in spiritual stuff (karma, good energy, etc.) — I do read my horoscope (I’m a Virgo) and try to lead a positive energy-based life. I’m not much of a numerologist, but I’ve come to realize that there are fun moments in our lives (like, when we just passed 12:34:56, 7/8/9, etc.) – today is September 9th, 2009. It’s the first full day of ‘back to school’ and it’s the kind of day that I enjoy. September is the month I was born in, and 9 has very peculiar properties (if you multiply it by any number, say 6, the sum of the individual digits is also 9). So, on the 09/09/09, I hope you’re having a wonderful day (even if it’s rainy outside)!
JT loves the Vancouver International Fringe Festival though we never have gone together. My ex used to ALWAYS ask me to attend (which I did, for the most part), and anyone who reads my blog knows that I’ve been an ardent supporter of local theatre, so I figured I’d highlight an interesting project from Andrew Templeton.
Biographies of the Dead and Dying is part of this year’s Fringe Festival, with an impressive team that has Jeremy Waller directing and Heather Lindsay and Simon Driver in the cast. Andrew emailed me indicating “our goal is to turn the Havana theatre into a haunted house with sound design by Emma Hendrix, Kyla Gardiner doing lights and Nina Prelog as our costumed designer”. You can check the preview video here.
To win tickets to any night of Biographies of the Dead and Dying just drop a comment here. Since opening night is Thursday, I won’t be able to attend, but I’ll be checking it out other nights. Biographies runs from September 10th to the 19th, so check it out! Tickets are $10.00 (weekday) $12.00 (weekend); half-price on Opening Night and you can purchase them online or in person.
I was raised in a family of artists, scientists, sportspeople and humanitarians. My parents insisted that our lives would NEVER be complete without artistry. We all learned to play piano, and I am a trained dancer and have been a stage actor as well. I’m a very strong supporter of local theatre troupes and frequently promote local shows (and very frequently, I am able to give away free tickets to my readers thanks to the generosity of the theatre companies).
Via my friend Monique Trottier, I found out today that there will be a rally to protest arts fundings cuts in British Columbia tomorrow (Wednesday September 9th, 2009). After some digging and searching I was able to find a Facebook event for the protest. I was able to retrieve some information from a recent interview of Spencer Herbert with The Georgia Straight discussing the provincial government’s cuts to arts groups’ funding, and hat tips to the Straight as it was through their website that I found the URL for the Facebook event.
WHAT: Silent protest against arts’ groups funding cuts
WHERE: The Vancouver Art Gallery
WHEN: 11:30am to 2:00pm (the actual grey circle happens from 12:00 to 12:30pm)
NOTES: People in support should wear grey (a colour to represent what life would be without arts).
If you are interested in showing your support for the cause, this seems like a worthy event.
I’m not a True Blood fiend, but I do know a bit about the plot, and hey who isn’t interested in falling in love with a vampire these days? So, from the BlogThings archive, here is a quiz for your Tuesday morning… what character of True Blood are you? Apparently, I am Bill…
You Are Bill
You are a complex and often misunderstood person. You have a bit of a tortured soul.
You are extremely old fashioned, well-mannered, and polite. In many ways, you are a fish out of water.
You have many people in your life pulling you in different directions. You try to do the right thing, no matter what.
You’d like to live a simple, uncomplicated life with the person you love – but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
One of the many things I have to thank my friends Twitter for is introducing me to Blip.fm and to Collective Soul. I didn’t realize that Collective Soul’s music was categorized as “post grunge”. Well, I’m glad I now follow their music, and one of my favorite tunes is “Better Now”. Collective Soul is also on Twitter! (I love that musicians are adopting social media)
I found a version that is a half-step below with the Atlanta Youth Orchestra. I like both versions, but I find that some musicians tend to go a half-beat below often times. I wonder why this is.
Everybody who knows me well will agree that I am a guy who is “all about the equipment“. I like having everything that I need for my work, be it a good digital camera, a solid laptop, a good desktop computer or office space. The same applies to laptop bags. I had been searching around for an affordable, solid laptop bag that would carry everything an academic geek like me needs to carry. Unfortunately, I hadn’t found anything suitable for less than $100 CND a pop. Budget and all, you know.
Enter the Kensington Contour Model K62238 laptop bag (I call it the Backpack Style since I couldn’t find any other differentiating element that would help me distinguish it from the model K62340, which is a portfolio style). The Kensington Contour K62238 retails in the US for $ 69.99, but I have to admit that I got a really good deal at Future Shop (it was on sale). I would probably have still paid the $ 69.99, because of the Contour adjustable lumbar support panel, which is aimed at reducing fatigue by shifting weight onto the hips.
Remember that I’m 5’11 tall and that, in addition to my 17″ laptop (I know, a bit of a mamooth but I like my 17″ for all the writing I do), I carry around a lot of books, journal articles, etc. Add my iPod, wireless mouse, sunglasses, cell phone, laptop cables and laptop security lock, and I really need a good size laptop bag. That’s what really sold me on the Kensington Contour. The adjustable lumbar support rocks.
The side pockets allow me to carry my water bottle, my cell (for easy reach), and both the security lock and the laptop power cables fit in the side pockets (with zippers). The laptop compartment is very well padded and fits perfectly the 17″ laptop. For the first time since I got the laptop, I feel really safe about carrying it around. I should definitely pass the word on to my friend Kate Trgovac who actually has a full website where she reviews laptop bags! I would strongly endorse the Kensington Contour, particularly if you carry a lot of books (like me, academic geek) in your backpack.
Disclosure: I reviewed this laptop bag as I thought it would benefit my readers. I paid for the laptop bag myself. I am not paid to write the review. In any review I write, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
I am a lover of deep house music, and have been a fan of Manoo and Francois since I discovered “Chillout Sessions” (a series of deep house compilations). Songs like “A Day in December” by Manoo and Francois are the kind that I usually play when I need to write academic research (or simply when I want to relax after a really long day). I hope you like it as much as I do. I had blogged about this particular song before, but this is the ‘Original Mix’ version. I find the bookends (the beginning and ending of the song) a bit not-so-terribly-relaxing but the song itself is beautiful.
You know how in the movies, particularly the romantic ones, where all the friends rush to the side of the bride and groom, help in any way they can, and just simply ensure that they make it on time for the wedding?
Well, my good friend B.S. called me last night at around 8pm asking me casually “do you have anything to do tomorrow at 11am?”…
I responded “uh, well, a meeting that I can move around, so no worries – what’s up?” She continued “uh, well… I’m getting married at 11am at THIS location”. Of course, I jumped and shouted “CONGRATULATIONS!” Obviously, you can imagine that since she and her now husband (J.J.) are very close friends with other of my very closest friends, we all rushed to be at their side at that incredibly important moment in their life. When B.S. mentioned that she remembered the phrase I’ve always said “friends are the family you choose” I couldn’t stop and shed some tears.
It was funny how we all (HZ and CS, JH, Ml and myself) all called each other to ensure we’d be there. At exactly 11am, we were all walking in and we could just see how BS and JJ were glowing. We were delighted to bask in their happiness and to be able to share in this amazing day. Honestly, I can’t imagine any better start to the month. Great projects coming up with awesome clients, wonderful friends that I get to see again often, and two weddings of four great friends of mine. Can you ask for more? I don’t think so.
Witnessing my friends’ weddings I have come to realize that no matter how much money is valued in this society, love is really what makes the world turn.
Hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend. Mine has gotten off already to a fantastic start.
I seem to be on a roll in my pot-stirring ways. Not only have I wagged my finger at Alex Samuel for meta-hand-wagging the hand-waggers, but I also asked the question about diversity in social media conferences over at One Degree. Alexa Clark asks why aren’t there more women in conference rosters (I’m going to assume, given that it’s published on One Degree, that we are going to narrow the scope to tech/social media/public relations – we could talk about science and technology too, or medical or environment, but I’ll just make that bold assumption).
I threw in two comments that, more or less, imply that if we were to look for diversity, we need to broaden the conversation beyond gender and include race and sexual orientation, as well as ask why are we inviting the same women to speak all the time. Surely, there is a gender imbalance in many professions and I wouldn’t be surprised that this is the case in the speaking circuit. In my comment, I did note, however, that all the potential speakers I recommended for TEDxVancouver were women, and that the person who has influenced me the most in how good a speaker I want to become is Glenda Watson-Hyatt, a Vancouver-based blogger and consultant on accessibility who has cerebral palsy. My mother has been one of the most influential people in my life and many of my best friends (and most articulate speakers) are women.
But, as very aptly said by Tamera Kremer (and I’m not saying this because she said “this is why I love you, Raul“) –
Diversity actually means diverse voices too. And I also would throw in that while lack of women’s voices is a HUGE issue, we should also be talking about opening the field beyond white/ straight/ physically capable. Let’s define what being truly diverse really means.
Tamera is absolutely right. Why isn’t there a conversation around diversity and what it means both in general for the speakers circuit and for the social media world overall? As usual, have at it on the comments section.
The more I get to know Alexandra Samuel and Rob Cottingham, the more in awe I am. It may just be that they’ve been tweeting/blogging/speaking on the topics that interest me (the ethics of blogging/tweeting, best practices in social media, and scolding on Twitter).
Maybe it’s the fact that Alex has a PhD from Harvard in Political Science and has studied activism and public participation (so have I) and the fact that Rob is the smartest/funniest man on the planet (I can’t say that I’m funny at all). Maybe it’s the fact that our personalities mesh so well. I don’t know. But I love Rob and Alex and more than anything, I love their brains.
In recent weeks (and maybe months), I would say that much of my own self-reflection has been triggered by Alex and Rob. There are many other people who influence my thinking as well, but this post is a response to one Alex wrote so it’s only fitting that I speak to what she and Rob have written.
Alex recently published a blog post urging her readers to stop the hand-wagging and encouraging them to think twice before scolding someone publicly on Twitter. I devoured it with delight and snickered as I read her latest sentence: “”For here I am, doing the hand-waggiest thing of all: a meta hand-wag at all the hand-waggers.” I wish Alex could have heard me laughing out loud, as I sit here writing at my tiny home office. I (Raul) am a natural-born scolder. I think I was born to scold people. My readers may react with shock and horror “OMG… and here I thought Raul was the sweetest, nicest, most adorable being ever”, let me clarify what I mean by being a natural-born scolder.
I believe that our world is shaped by two sets of rules: formal and informal. Formal rules are explicitly scribed in codes, regulations, laws and written policies. Informal rules are customs that become rules as society formalizes them through repeated usage. My research on water governance has been very strongly influenced by neo-institutional theory, a branch of the social science thinking that focuses on institutions, defined as the rules that govern actor’s behavior (if you want to learn more, you should read Elinor Ostrom’s work on ‘governing the commons’ – great read for anyone interested in formal and informal rules).
In my research, I became fascinated by the informal rules of water governance that evolved from water users left free of reigns to consume as much water as they possibly could. The problem with allowing people to access and consume water without any sort of formalized rule may lead to scarcity. That’s one of the main problems with water being a common-pool resource (CPR). Unless we create specific rules to govern water, it will be an exhaustible resource.
Credit: CharmingMan
“Wait, Raul… you lost me here. What does water governance have to do with hand-wagging, and with you being a natural-born scolder“. Um, quite a lot if you let me link my thoughts back to what Alex wrote. You’ll see, the way I see it, somebody needs to do some of the finger-wagging. I have no problem being that person. I was raised with a high code of ethics and a strong sense of justice. But the thing is, in social media, all the hand-wagging (therefore, all the informal rule-setting and behavior control) is crowd-sourced. I scold, you scold, we all scold. I scold people who send me a direct message when the conversation can be fully public.
I wag my finger at people who promote themselves endlessly (and yes, sometimes I scold myself for just having published “OMG someone is interested in publishing my PhD thesis in book form! OMG OMG OMG” And I am scolded as well when I see a passive-aggressive tweet saying “enough with all the self-promoting tweets”. And you know what? THAT’S FINE! It’s fine because social media is an experiment in crowdsourcing informal rules. Through time, those rules become formalized and lead to things like corporate social media guidelines, blogging codes of ethics and the like. THAT is the reason we need to continue doing the hand-wagging.
That’s also what I found so refreshing about Alex’s post. She scolds herself for scolding people who scold people. And in doing so, Alex is reshaping the rules of the game. From a reader’s perspective (and from an analytical perspective), Alex is encouraging people to reflect on whether hand-wagging is the right thing to do, and in admitting that she herself has scolded people, she opens the floor to creating a conversation around a really important topic – WHO THE HELL CREATES THE RULES OF THE GAME IN SOCIAL MEDIA?
Credit: Rob Cottingham
THAT, my dearest readers, is the reason why I am loving the mental stimulation that Alex and Rob have been creating lately (as have other folks, but this post is a response to Alex’s). Despite the fact that we are in 2009, and we gloat about having mastered the rules of social media and we have a gazillion self-appointed, self-promoting social media consultants, the rules (both the formal and informal) of social media are still being shaped.
It’s 2009 and we still don’t have social media etiquette guidelines.
It’s almost 2010 and we are still reflecting on what the ethical boundaries are for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.
We are nearing the end of 2009 and we are still scolding people for not using the tools “the right way”. Yet we don’t seem to be doing any better ourselves.
I am first and foremost an analyst. I’m an academic. Before I blogged, I was an academic. And after my short-lived fame as Hummingbird604 wanes, I will still be an academic (with a PhD, for what it’s worth). I live to analyze trends, study phenomena, research and disseminate what I have found. And I LOVE having high-level, meta-theoretical conversations on every topic. It just so happens that I’m so immersed in social media that I am pushing to have it analyzed.
One last thought. I don’t scold because of some sort of self-important, self-aggrandizing interest. I do it (in usually a very gentle way) because I care. If I didn’t care for you, I wouldn’t scold you. And I welcome scolding too. Those of you who know me well know that I’m always open to criticism. Even if you’re going to criticize me for writing such a long post in response to a post on scolding. So yeah, I’m going to scold myself for that too.
Via Gay Vancouver and Out TV, I found out about an upcoming information session that Adoptive Families Association of British Columbia is holding for same-sex parents (gay and lesbian) who are considering adopting. I know several same-sex couples and they are some of the most loving people I could have ever met. I really, really liked the very positive headline that AFABC used: “Children need loving parents. People in the gay and lesbian community make great ones!”
WHAT: Information session for prospective parents in the gay and lesbian community WHERE: Roundhouse Community Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver (Corner of Davie and Pacific). HOW TO GET THERE: Canada Line (Yaletown/Roundhouse Station) or C21/23 (community shuttles) from the Main Street/Science World station. WHEN: September 17th, 2009 From 7:00pm to 8:30pm (19:00 to 20:30)
Please share with your networks if you deem this event worthy. Thanks!
For the longest time I have been addicted to office spaces and office supplies. It must be the fact that my parents are lawyers. I was my Dad’s and my Mom’s office manager for the longest time when I was in my early teens. Yes, you read right. In my EARLY TEENS. For some reason, I’ve always loved doing things the earliest, the soonest, etc. I don’t know why.
It occurred to me this past week that one of the reasons why I feel that my productivity is stifled when I am working at home is the lack of appropriate office space. I’ve been blessed with having such a great environment at The Network Hub. As I’ve called it before, it’s my “home away from home“. For me, and for other entrepreneurs, it’s a launching pad from where our work skyrockets. And Minna and John have been fantastic. In particular, I’ve worked now more recently with Minna and with Christy (UrbanBella) and will be doing more projects with them in the very near future.
The setup of my office here at The Network Hub allows me to have a printer (the HP PhotoSmart that I am in the midst of reviewing) to my right and to my left, I have space to place the photos of my family, my to-do tray, and the stuff one needs usually (coffee mug, water bottle, pencil and pen box. I try really hard to keep everything very organized, but I’m not always extremely successful.
One thing I can tell you – having such a positive energy around me, so many entrepreneurs, and the infrastructure (including wireless, dining areas and meeting areas) that make my work day so comfortable is really a blessing.
Just a reflection after spending a lot of time at my office at The Network Hub, and particularly in light of the closure of WorkSpace – I do hope that the members will be able to get a new space soon 🙂 I know that Dane has been working really hard to help their former members to secure new office spaces.
