I love Twitter. For me, it is far and away the best and most effective social media platform out there. I’ve forged great friendships, I’ve showcased my PR expertise, I’ve learned (and continue to learn) from the best and brightest in social media, and I have been privileged to be part of community-based activities like Blogathon ’09. And I’m grateful to be recognized on a small scale as someone who ‘gets’ Twitter and understands its potential.
Twitter has its down side. Lately, there are too many people out there doing nothing else but hawking snake oil, churning out thousands of automated tweets on how to get hundreds of followers in one click, and pushing get-rich-quick schemes. And then there are the hate-mongers (but that’s for another post altogether!).
Meh. Where’s the engagement, the conversation? Where’s the fun? Where’s the VALUE?? Can anybody honestly tell me what anyone actually gets from these one-sided broadcasts? To me, not a hell of a lot.
I’ve been thinking about how we can all make Twitter better and more valuable for everyone. My conclusion: focus on how to use Twitter in Real Life. I actually wrote my first blog post about one real-life use for Twitter – job hunting – some time ago. You can read it here.
I know there are so many more. Like supporting our neighborhood businesses, for example.
Just think of all of the terrific little places we all know and love. The local grocer, the butcher, the hardware store, the dry cleaner, the greasy spoon with the all-day breakfast on weekends. Mom and Pop places that are struggling in this economy.
We can certainly help them by tweeting about the terrific meal we had, or the exceptional customer service we got. We could blog a restaurant review, or profile a business that needs our support.
But what if we took the next step? How many of them could benefit from using Twitter themselves?
What if we each identified a neighborhood gem and used our knowledge to bring them up to speed on Twitter? Got them set up with their own page? Gave them some ideas on what to tweet? Reviewed their website so they’re ready to have people could link to it? Set up a simple blog for them?
During the month of August, I’m going to chose one business in my neighborhood in Ottawa as part of my personal Twitter in Real Life campaign. Who wants to join me? We could blog our progress together
And I’m also going to keep talking about real-life applications for Twitter. If you have ideas you want to share, contact me on Twitter @CathyBrowne, or by email at cb(at)cathybrowne(dot)com.
This is Entry # 22 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
As I mentioned on my earlier posts, the theme for my Blogathon 2009 is “passion”. I am very passionate about helping the disenfranchised. Therefore, I always look for ways to highlight the worthy efforts of those who are at a disadvantage but want to move forward. I am always amazed at how many wonderful things take place in Vancouver, and how little I know sometimes about them. But fear not, because I have a number of amazing friends who highlight stuff for me and bring it to my attention. Via Monica Hamburg and Maura Rodgers, I found out about Potluck Catering and Potluck Cafe. More about Potluck from their website
Potluck operates a fully professional Café and Catering enterprise in the heart of the city serving hundreds of corporate and non profit clients. Potluck is a registered charity whose café and catering revenue is directly invested back into its 4 community social programs that are integrated into its daily operations. These include:
* An Integrated Food Services & Life Skills Training and Employment Program that has trained and employed dozens of DTES residents with barriers to employment
* A daily Meal Program that provides over 26,000 free meals annually to residents of the DTES suffering with severe physical and mental health and addictions challenges.
* A Community Kitchen Program that regularly welcomes a small group of DTES residents to learn basic cooking and nutrition skills and nurture relationships with other neighbourhood residents in the warm and familiar Potluck Café.
* A Recipes for Success Outreach Program that shares best practices for successful social and community employment with other employers interested in successfully maintaining employment for hard to employ inner city residents.
I was also impressed to read about their CSR and sustainability initiatives. I wish I had known about Potluck Catering when we were trying to find a caterer for Mental Health Camp, although I have to admit that we were very fortunate to have LunchBox cater for us. For my next event, I’ll definitely try Potluck Catering.
This is Entry # 21 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Having just returned from Azkatraz, the 2009 Harry Potter Symposium, I have the passion of Harry Potter on my mind.
Harry Potter fans are more than passionate about a series of books or movies. They are passionate about the wisdom of the books and the foundation of conversation that the series provides. Harry Potter is a shared experience: you stand in line together to buy the books, you speculate online and at cocktail parties about the outcomes, you gather in public places to watch the movies and you congregate at meetups and symposiums to find those who share your enthusiasm. Snapecast, anyone?
Credit: BibiCall
The reason I am passionate about Harry Potter is that it is a collective experience of our lifetime and it is a collective experience across generations.
If you were born in the 60s, you remember Brady Bunch, Dick Van Dyke, when the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show, Gilligan’s Island, and watching the first moon launch in July 1969. Those born in the 70s remember rotary phones, Pop-Wheels, cassette tapes, and breakdancing, and you understand the meaning of ‘wax on, wax off.’ I’m older than the 80s babies, but I’d imagine you’d recognize images of Michael Jackson when he was black, you owned a million beenie babies, and you remember Full House. The 90s kids (are you still kids?) don’t have to reach too far back to remember virtual pets, Goosebumps, Windows 95, Òtalk to the handÓ, and playing at Playplace in McDonalds.
Regardless of those cultural touch points for each generation, what we all share is Harry Potter. Even those who’ve never read the books or seen one of the movies, you know its a story about a boy wizard and there’s some bad guys. This alone means that Harry Potter can be used as a gateway to a greater conversation about right and wrong, politics, film, literature, life and death, choices, family, love, pain, suffering and friendship. And you can have those conversations because you understand the quest journey, morality tales, romance novels, prejudice and racism, allegories, media frenzies, and satire, all the makings of this series.
The academic level of conversations at Harry Potter conferences confirm for me that Harry Potter acted as a way to enrich the collective reading experience of those who became super fans. Through multiple readings, the books not only informed their understanding of the above but served as the door opener to a world beyond Harry.
Elizabeth Bland of the National Library of Medicine presented a Q&A at Azkatraz about the Library’s exhibit, ‘Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic and Medicine, and how the books are leading kids to learn about the Renaissance history, science and medicine that informed JK Rowling’s magical creatures, ghosts, and philosophers. (Did you know Dumbledore’s friend Nicholas Flammel was a real guy?)
And this is the passion that fuels my fire. The passion of reading. It astounds me to ask an audience in any classroom how many have read the Harry Potter series. And beyond that to ask how many people have read it multiple times. WeÕre talking about a shared text. In fact, a text that is over 3,000 pages long. What JK Rowling has given us is more than just a book, it’s a work that gives profound satisfaction to those who move well beyond the surface story of boy wizard confronted by evil and towards an allegorical and anagogical reading of the series. Like our high school teachers said, ‘there are several layers to any story.’ Sadly most of those teachers didn’t move beyond plot and characters, but Harry Potter fans, in reading the series over and over again, have transcended. They are now seekers of knowledge.
And what could be more wonderful?
Monique Trottier is an internet marketing specialist and the co-founder of BoxCar Marketing, a book marketing expert and more than anything, a wonderful human being who also happens to be a good friend of mine. I love Monique’s sense of humour and the fact that she is as much of a bookworm as I am. She blogs at SoMisguided.
This is Entry # 20 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
For my recent visit to Sidney (Vancouver Island, British Columbia), The Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre wanted to ensure that I stayed near by the location of this amazing interactive marine exhibit museum, so they arranged for me to stay at the Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa. There is really no better location, since well, the Sidney Pier is right besides the Shaw ocean Discovery Centre.
Credit: Stv on Flickr
The overall theme of my visit was focused on the environmental sustainability features of the hotel. I was given a full tour of the facilities, and I was really impressed at the degree to which everyone at the Sidney Pier Hotel really knows what sustainable features this hotel boasts. Lisa Ballinger (Marketing, Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa) showed me the three types of rooms (from the starter suite, a one bedroom with kitchenette, to a full-blown 2 bedroom suite). I took video of all three types of room, and will update this post accordingly once the video is processed.
I can’t really single out one thing to highlight, because frankly I was positively impressed about the hotel overall, particularly the integration of sustainable features from the design to the actual construction of the site to the day-to-day performance and operation of the hotel. From their fact sheet:
The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa is a boutique waterfront hotel in Sidney, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island’s breathtaking
Saanich Peninsula. Featuring a contemporary and timeless design with a colour palette inspired by the natural shoreline,
The Pier’s vision is to offer the finest oceanfront experience in the Pacific Northwest. Opened on May 1, 2007, The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa features 55 spacious guestrooms, including 9 suites with full kitchens, 2,046 sq-ft of flexible meeting space, including an Seaview Boardroom, guest laundry facilities, a 3,250 sq-ft full-service spa, salon and fitness centre, street-side café/deli, and waterfront restaurant and lounge with seasonal outdoor terrace. Located just minutes from the Victoria International Airport, BC Ferries and Washington State Ferries terminals, The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa will serve as the gateway to the Gulf Islands and Saanich Peninsula.
In addition to numerous energy-saving and waste reducing initiatives, customized hydro-thermal heat pumps warm and cool the building by borrowing and returning excess heat from the ocean, reducing our emissions by 30-60%.
To support local growers and organic farmers in our community, we feature seasonal and regionally inspired menus. And our seafood menu items are strictly selected in support of sustainable fishery practices and the Vancouver Aquarium’s OceanWise conservation program.
Our mandate is to apply eco-friendly criteria to all of our decision-making. And by minimizing our ecological footprint we set an example for responsible and sustainable tourism.
The assistant manager of marketing was kind enough to provide a quick video intro to the Sidney Pier Hotel (he also kindly took me to the Swartz Bay ferry)
As it wasn’t enough to have such great environmental initiatives and excellent customer service, they brought me this welcome treat to my room:
One of the cutest additions that I found to the Sidney Pier Hotel was Dave, their canine ambassador. You can meet him here!
I would recommend the Sidney Pier Hotel even if they hadn’t sponsored my stay, simply because I am a big promoter of local businesses with an environmental focus. The Sidney Pier Hotel is located conveniently close to the Victoria Airport and to the Patricia Bay Harbour (so you can, indeed, fly by float plane).
This is Entry # 19 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Over the course of the last 12 years, I have moved continents, countries and cities, changed my address so many times even I can’t remember them all, never staying long enough to feel at home before packing up and finding somewhere new. Last June, as I was packing up my apartment in the West End, dividing my belongings into piles to be sold or given away, boxes of books and kitchen stuff to go into storage for who knew how long, and the remainder to take with me as I settled into my best friend’s flat for a few months, I wrote about this transience space and the struggle to find a space that was my own.
Fast forward a year, and here I am transient once more. Moving this month from my last safe space, to a small basement suite and then with friends as the days spill over and get closer and closer to the end of the month. More of my belongings are in storage and the rest is stuffed into various bags that are being lugged from here to there. Until, once the month ends, ‘there’ will be my new home.
This morning I signed the last of the papers, my curling signature black against various legal indemnities, a dull symbol of everything that it means to me to finally be going someplace of my very own. I have cancelled the lease on my storage unit, bought a sofa and collected paint swatches. I have arranged movers and internet connection, acquired an old dresser and chairs. The table that was shipped from London will finally have a space so my friends can sit around it.
This year was that pinnacle where it all started to fall into place, where everything was stripped bare and I spent weeks walking around feeling as if I was dust, and there were so any twists and turns that I found myself headed in different directions from one day to the next, until one day, on a whim, I found a space that just seemed to just feel ‘right’. 4 hours later, the first of many forms were signed, my offer was accepted and the waiting began.
I know how deep this transience, in the past, has kept me at arms’ length from so many things, of feeling grounded and safe. Over the last few months, I have also been working on this, trying to find that safe space inside of me, of feeling whole and grounded and not wanting to pack up and run away. Today, as I signed those papers, it wasn’t just a property I was buying. I felt something loose in me finally find its niche. I think I have answered my question from last year, I have found that comfort in my heart. The rest is just as simple as going home. Next week, I’ll do just that.
Jules Morgan is a wonderful human being who I am honored to call a friend. She is as much a citizen of the world as I am, and she is also a great foodie and wine connoisseur. She blogs now on WordPress.com, which rocks!
This is Entry # 18 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Continuing on the theme of passions, I am passionate about fashion, modeling and all things ancillary, including fragrances. I know, they are seen as a luxury article, but I love them, what can I say. The most recent of the Issey Miyake cologne collection I have tried is an evolved version of my trusted, loved and frequently used L’Eau D’Issey. The most recent (and strongest scent) in the Miyake family of fragrances is L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme Intense.
I have to admit that I wasn’t a fan and I’m still not much of a fan. While it still has the same beautiful soothing notes of L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme, Intense has a really strong higher note, one that is almost overpowering. And this comes from someone who does like strong scents.
I would recommend L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme (Intense) to men who like stronger colognes, whose epidermal chemistry and physical properties don’t allow for much adsorption of the smell. My skin, sadly, is relatively oily and therefore, it tends to bond better and preserve the smell molecules for longer. Therefore, a much stronger scent is going to cause people around me to be cologne-tagged (which, as we have seen, is not a very desirable outcome!).
I asked around and found out that L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme (Intense) is retailing at $ 75.00 Canadian dollars plus tax.
Disclosure: This review is in no way, shape or form commissioned by Issey Miyake nor any of its affiliates. I love all Miyake scents and that’s why I reviewed it. I did not get paid, nor did I get any free samples of the cologne
This is Entry # 17 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
You may remember that recently I went on a short tour of the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre. I stayed as a guest of the Sidney Pier Hotel. The Sidney Pier Hotel has a restaurant on site (Haro’s Restaurant) where they also invited me for dinner the night that I arrived. Haro’s is an upscale restaurant although the prices are definitely affordable and comparable to the kind of prices I would be paying in a good restaurant in Vancouver. The night I arrived (Thursday), the restaurant was packed. However, they had me booked already and I had a table reserved for me.
I started off with a mocha martini (trust me, you want to try this martini!) which didn’t go very well as far as flavor goes with my choice of starter. That was totally my fault, though, because I ordered scallops as a starter. My main course was wild BC salmon with quinoa
cakes & grilled vegetables. I was pretty impressed with Haro’s list of early bird dinner specials, very affordable at $ 16.00. The wild salmon was not only Ocean Wise approved but it was also incredibly well prepared. The quinoa cakes were interesting and very filling. Had I had enough room in my stomach, I would have gone directly to the desert (a fantastic creme brulee) but I didn’t really have the space.
Haro’s Restaurant allows for 65 seats inside and 25 outside. For reservations at Haro’s you can call (250) 655-9700. I really would recommend it, whether you come here for a day trip (to Sidney) or you come to stay for a weekend or a week long event.
This is Entry # 15 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Here’s a story. Two years ago this week, I weighed 145 pounds, about 70 pounds less than I do now. I looked like I’d been in a PoW camp, pale and skeletal. I’d just left St. Paul’s Hospital, where I’d been for close to a month after major cancer surgery and an intestinal blockage.
By October I’d gained back 30 of those pounds. Within a year I’d taken a bunch more chemotherapy, lost my hair and grown it back, and had terrible chemo-induced acne. A year after that, the cancer is still here, but I’m fighting it, and I feel pretty good. End of story, for now.
We all grow up making stories—when we’re kids, we call it playing, whether it’s using an infant mobile or a video camera. And our stories are best when we make them for others, or with them. Unfortunately, many of us become unused to playing, thinking it childish. We grow up terrified of giving speeches, or we write our thoughts only in diaries instead of for reading. We become shy.
For whatever reason, that didn’t happen to me. I’ve been passionate about many things in my 40 years—computers, photography, public speaking, music, making websites, writing and language, science and space, commuting by bicycle, building a life with my wife and family—but when I took at them all, each one is really about making stories for others. Or, as my wife succinctly pointed out, about showing off. I’ll admit to that.
Some examples, in no real order:
Helping put together a school newspaper in sixth grade (or high school, or university).
Donning a smoking jacket and hand prosthetic to play Captain Hook on the elementary school stage.
Setting my daughters up with blogs and email addresses before they each turned ten.
Posting photographs to MacDesktops in the late ’90s and photo.net a few years later.
Playing in a band in crappy bars or luxury New York hotels.
Editing my high school yearbook (with others) and the UBC student handbook (by myself).
And of course blogging and blogging and blogging for close to nine years.
I’ve done many of these things for no money (and some for lots of money), but for almost all of them, I wanted other people to know.
Okay, yes, I wanted to show off. Is that healthy?
For me, on balance, I think so. Whether for my jobs or my hobbies, being a ham and wanting others to see and appreciate what I do prods me to make those stories good, and useful. Humans are natural tellers of stories, and we enjoy anything presented in a story-like way. So I’ve tried to make all of those things in the form of a story. Whether a discussion of evolutionary biology, a fun rockabilly instrumental, a bunch of rants about PowerPoint, or a pretty photograph (or yes, even the instruction manual to install a wireless cellular modem in a police car), I want it to generate a story in your mind.
Stories don’t always have an obvious structure. They don’t necessarily go in predictable directions, or have a moral or meaning. I certainly didn’t see it coming when all this cancer stuff from the past two and a half years happened. But I’ve been able to make it a story that other people can read, understand, and maybe find helpful. So too with my other passions.
So whatever you’re trying to do, whatever hobby or job or habit you have, if you want to share it with others, try to craft it like a story—short or long, visual or auditory, but something that flows. Show it off. That, it seems, is what I like to do.
Derek K. Miller is a writer, editor, web guy, drummer, photographer, and dad. Not in that order. He’s been blogging at penmachine.com since 2000, and has been on medical leave from his position as Communications Manager at Navarik Corp. since 2007. His wife and two daughters have put up with his show-offishness way longer than that.
This is Entry # 14 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
The first question that prospective students of mine (or for that matter, anybody who knows I have a doctorate in Resource Management and Environmental Studies) ask me is – should I do a PhD? Is it worth doing a PhD? I have written about this topic on my blog before, but I think the thing that I have recently realized is that a passion and relentless drive for learning led me to undertake the grueling and not always redeeming task of completing a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Credit: Jorge Cham (PhD Comics.com) All rights reserved
I am the fourth in the line of four PhDs in my family. Yes, my family is really over-educated. Every single one of us has at least an undergraduate degree AND a Masters. Two of my brothers and Mom have PhDs (as do I). So, teaching, researching and learning is part of the family business. But more than anything, we share the same passion and drive to learn. And that’s the real reason why I did a PhD: because I am passionate about understanding the world around me, and all sorts of phenomena. You can look at my research overview for a peek into what I have researched for the past decade or so.
This is Entry # 13 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
I was asked by Raul to submit a blog post for his http://blogathon.org/Blogathon with the theme of “Passion”. Mainly Raul asked me to write about a passion of mine, whether it’s on a product, something I truly feel passionate about or anything in particular.
Now I thought long and hard about this and I couldn’t really find a strong passion of mine and as I’m writing a blog post on Raul site I thought I should write about him instead, what I think Raul has a passion for.
For all those who don’t know I first met Raul at a Third Tuesday Vancouver back in April of 2008. He quickly greeted me with a smile and from then we’ve been great friends. He has always been great to talk to, and has always made me feel very comfortable, especially when introducing me to all the people he knows.
Raul not only has a passion for all things social media (heck have you seen his twitter feed these days?), he has a doctorate in Environmental Studies and has written many papers on water governance and urban sustainability as well as blogged about it on hisEnvironmental Blog. Reading those posts you can see he always writes from the heart and sometimes make you think long and hard about your actions that affect the environment.
Now bring in the Rockband you have a whole different side to Raul. You begin to see the “rockstar” side of him. He loves to sing and will sing along, and in most cases on key, to the lyrics that are played on the screen. I have to say after my first party at Tanya’s and seeing Raul just get up there and do his thing, I was hooked on the game myself.
Last but not least, Raul has a passion for good looking people. I always laugh when in mid sentence he can turn around and say “How YOU doing?” when a good looking stranger walks by and then quickly jump back into the conversation where he left off. Now that is multi-tasking at a whole new level.
Raul you are an inspiration. You truly live life to the fullest and your positive energy can only bring out other people’s passions.Thanks for being a friend!
Gus Fosarolli blogs at Gus Digital and is one of my best friends too. He and Russ are two of the finest individuals I’ve ever met. And as you can see, he gushes about me. And who doesn’t like it when his friends gush about him? Not THIS guy! I *love* it! Because, as my t-shirt says, it’s all about ME
This is Entry # 12 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Disclosure – This post has been sponsored by IdeaZone.ca as part of my campaign to raise funds for the BC Cancer Foundation. Blogathon is a charitable event and no monies ever come to my hands. The donation goes directly to the BC Cancer Foundation. Thank you to Idea Zone and Paul Holmes for their generous contribution to my Blogathon.
Twitter is amazing as a tool to engage and create new relationships . I had the pleasure to meet Paul Holmes (President of IdeaZone) and Catherine Novak (who now does the Social Media for IdeaZone) as Catherine invited me a few months ago to cross the pond and head to Victoria (in Vancouver Island) to be the keynote speaker for the Social Media Club Victoria. I have been warmly welcome to the Vancouver Island social media community and I look forward to collaborating in a few projects.
When Paul asked me to write a sponsored overview of Idea Zone I thought that it would be a good idea to combine the post with my top 5 social media tips. Their portfolio is substantially focused on Web 2.0 and thus it makes sense. The generous donation of Idea Zone will provide much needed funds to the BC Cancer Foundation.
IdeaZone.ca is a Canadian website design and full-service marketing firm based in Victoria, British Columbia, with clients throughout Canada, and around the world.
We offer many services, including print and web design, e-commerce solutions, custom programming, photography, audio, video, and search engine optimization.
Most recently, we have become recognized local leaders in social media, with expertise in consulting, planning, policy, training, implementation, and social media integrated website design. We also offer seminars for organizations that are interested in learning more about using these emerging channels to extend their marketing reach.
Paul Holmes
IdeaZone.ca President
Credit: HubSpot
Much of the conversation that Paul, Catherine and I have had has been over social media platforms. I have been invited to speak on the topic of citizen engagement through online community-building several times particularly this past year. Understanding the behaviour of networks is something I have been passionate about, fascinated with and researched extensively. Online tools enhance the abilities of people to create strong networks. If we combine the tools with the passion, the result can be explosively positive. But there are drawbacks to irresponsible or ineffective use of social media.
Credit: Matt Hamm
So, given that I am so passionate about (and engaged in) social media, what would be Raul’s Top 5 Social Media Tips. Here is the lowdown:
1. Engage with your audience. This tip may sound a bit too obvious but you’d be surprised how many companies believe that they have a social media strategy because they have a Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube account. Of course, you need the tools and platforms, but if you are NOT monitoring your audience, you are doing yourself a disservice. Use Twitter Search, Google Blog Search and a number of other tools to allow you to monitor what people are saying about your product or service. Then, ENGAGE with the audience. Respond to customer service complaints. Praise people for what they are doing well. Provide information that proves effective and useful to your audience.
2. Be reciprocal and bi-directional. A number of people would say that I’m a bit contradictory in suggesting reciprocity given that I don’t follow everyone on Twitter on my personal account. But I do have a research account where I do practically follow everyone back. I believe that as a business, you can’t really afford NOT to follow everyone back. This is the case with every other social media platform. On Twitter, both on my personal and research account, I ALWAYS ensure to have a conversation. If you send me a reply (@) you can be assured that I will, for sure, respond. As a business, so should you!
3. In social media, giving is getting. You got to give if you want to get. If you want your stuff re-tweeted, your Facebook page fanned, your Flickr group joined, you NEED to be able to do the same for your audience. Your network will not place trust on you if you are unable to give. It’s a give-and-take game here, not only for reputation but also in cases where you support charities (goodwill building will take you places, believe me!)
4. Use a variety of social media platforms. Sure, you can be on Twitter all day responding back and forth, and sending messages about your audience. But you have to go where your audience is. If the customers of your business respond better to images, then use Flickr (photos), Viddler/Vimeo/YouTube (video). The virality of video is sometimes overhyped but it’s a fact that people respond when image is coupled with audio. Make your information portable (podcasts, videocasts) and easily accessible.
5. Test before you launch your new social media strategy. So you’ve created accounts in every single social media platform. Did you test them out? Did you ensure that the deployment of your social media strategy won’t create conflicts? (see for example the case of Skittles). Even if you have the perfect set of tools for your social media strategy, if your integration process is poor, you can rest assured you will have a headache faster than a rock falls in still water.
So there you have it, my top 5 social media tips for businesses who are engaging in/want to launch a social media strategy. Obviously, this list is NOT extensive but should provide some guidance. Of course, feel free to contact me if you have any questions (or drop a comment on this post). Thanks to IdeaZone for sponsoring this post!
If you would like me to write a blog post about your company or a topic of your choice and pledge to the charitable cause I am supporting, please get in touch with me via my contact form. Sponsorships range from $ 50 to $ 200.
This is Entry # 11 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Hello everyone, my name is Simon, and I’m a blog nerd. At least, I get the impression that’s the label a lot of my old friends have stamped me with. You see, I wasn’t always this way. A scant three years ago I also thought the word ‘blog’ was a weird and slightly gross thing to say. My internet diet consisted pretty much of my Hotmail account (I know, right?) and checking the movie listings. I sent photos to friends in their original file sizes. I thought HTML was an abbreviation for my email program. I was about 25 years old. Now, I’m a capital-B Blogger, and I can say it in any given room without even having had much to drink. It’s something I’m proud of, and I’m proud of the many friends I’ve made through my immersion into blogging, one of which is most certainly Raul Pacheco, whom I’m delighted to be helping out today in his most worthy effort to raise funds and money for the BC Cancer Foundation.
The reason I’m such a loud and proud proponent for the craft of blogging, both the writing and the steady RSS absorption thereof, can be explained in one simple little word.
Passion.
The blogosphere to me is like some vast garden of discourse that is cultivated by the sheer force of the passion of an ever-growing society of diverse humans who, despite whatever else is going on in our lives, are simply compelled to gush forth all of the thoughts, ideas, questions, fears and wonderment about their particular thing to whomever would listen. Bloggers literally are so passionate about the important things in their lives that they must connect with other humans over it. That’s a rare trait, and that’s a community I want to be a part of.
I’m actually in utter disbelief that comparatively few of us blog, in any niche. I’m a theatre blogger that started my site when I formed my current company, because I was so excited that I couldn’t shut up about it. You can find blogs right now by passionate people writing on pretty much any subject you can think of and a million you can’t, from environmental issues (right, Raul?) to goofy kitty cats. But aside from my wife (who has a much more universally interesting blog than me), no one from my pre-blogging circle of friends have blogs of their own. They all facebook, sure, some are on twitter, but long-form, issue-anatomizing, open discussion blogs? Nada. In the hotel that I work at I am literally the only blogger out of the entire staff, and I am thus the ‘bloggy dude that works the bar’. It’s remains a fringe preoccupation, it would seem.
From this I can draw only one conclusion: the blogoshphere has become an easily-searchable repository of the ideas of some of the most passionate people on the planet. People that are so passionate about whatever it is that gets them out of bed in the morning that they need to share that with anyone who will give them the time of day (a notably expensive commodity in a society trying to keep up with a shaky economy and light-speed advancements in technology). And most of us do it for free. Sure, there are some that have figured out a way to make some money at it, and why shouldn’t they get paid for something that they’re that they’re passionate about? We should all be so lucky. Or smart, I guess. But most of us do it because, well, we can, and feel that we should, and from that one compulsion I get an unceasing river of inspiration. And that’s enough to get me out of bed in the morning.
Thank you for your passion.
Editor’s note: Simon Ogden is the force behind The Next Stage Magazine, one of Vancouver’s finest blogs about all things theatre. He also happens to create the most amazing Sazerac in the whole Vancouver. And he is a good friend of mine too 🙂 You can follow Simon on Twitter here.
This is Entry # 10 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Disclosure – This post has been sponsored by Small Business BC as part of my campaign to raise funds for the BC Cancer Foundation. Blogathon is a charitable event and no monies ever come to my hands. The donation goes directly to the BC Cancer Foundation. Thank you to Small Business BC and Chet Woodside for their generous contribution to my Blogathon. Created in 1993 as a federal/provincial partnership and then transformed into a not-for-profit Society in 2002, Small Business BC is British Columbia’s key resource centre for business information and services.
I have been blogging for almost 3 and a half years. The very first question that every single business person I meet asks me when they meet me for the very first time is how do you find the time to blog?
The second phrase they usually utter is “I wish I could blog for my company, but I just can’t seem to find the time or energy”. My response is usually a gentle smile and a nod. The very first thing that you need to know, as a company owner, is that blogging should never be a chore. You should treat blogging (in fact, you should treat ANY social media platform) as you would treat any other element of your business strategy: as a core foundation.
You probably think I’m kidding, and the truth is, I am not. I am dead serious. In the 1980s, people looked for businesses and services on the Yellow Pages and the newspaper ads. In the 1990s, consumers looked at television ads and listened to the radio. In the 2000s, clients Google you. In fact, Googling has now officially become a verb in the English language. The very first thing that someone does when looking for a product or a service is to type the name of the company in Google.com (or Google.ca for us based out of Canada)
Many successful organizations (micro and small) have blogs, for many reasons. The first one, to maintain an online presence (a pre-requisite in this day and age). The second, to communicate with their customers (both existing and potential). The third one, to showcase their products and services. I could go on, but I’ll assume that I have convinced you to have a blog by the time you’ve read this paragraph.
So you’ve decided to start a blog and you need to get down to business RIGHT NOW. And thus, you need a “Blogging 101 for Small Businesses” guide. Well, you’ve come to the right place. I am going to give you my experience blogging distilled in 5 easy lessons. Well, maybe NOT all of my experience, but at least the top 5 elements that I think you need to consider, and the strategies you should use.
Credit: Christina B
1. Write good content. I can’t emphasize this enough. It doesn’t matter if your website is pretty, if it uses the latest Flash animation (by the way I think Flash should be banned from any site, but that’s the topic of another post). If you write crappy content, you’re going to get a one-time visitor who will then gladly forget that you exist. And there goes your potential business. Make sure that the stuff that goes up on your website is good. If necessary, hire a freelance writer (there are tonnes out there). You’ll be thankful you hired someone to do the writing for you if you hire the right person (another whole blog post in and of itself, but we won’t go there here).
2. Tell a story. This is something that most businesses forget. “What do I write about?” they ask me. “I am not funny, I can’t tell a story or a joke to save my life”. Well, you don’t *need* to be funny to tell a story. What you need to do is to think hard about what is the main message you want to communicate. Your business is a jewelry-making micro-enterprise. Tell me (tell your readers) why did you get into making jewelry? How did you start? What types of jewels are there? What have you read lately or seen lately that has caught your attention? Focus on one element at a time, don’t try to tell a full story in a single blog post.
3. Be authentic. Nothing worse than a post written in a way that conceals the true nature of the business or the intent. There is really no need or justification for lack of authenticity. Some of the largest corporations worldwide have taken substantial blows to their reputations when customers discover that behind an apparent authentic face hides an ugly monster of deception. Take responsibility for what you say, be authentic, transparent. Disclose your ties with other businesses and communities and make responsible choices as to what you say online. Being authentic pays.
4. Just let the words flow. This is perhaps the one piece of advice that nobody who teaches Blogging for Business seems to convey to their students. Writer’s block is a real phenomenon, and I have seen many micro-enterprises suffering for lack of inspiration or a fear of writing content that may seem trite or not useful. How to counter that? The best advice I got with my writing came from a professor with whom I took Environmental Policy Analysis when I was doing my PhD. He said “write like you speak – then go back and refine it”. That’s what I advice my undergraduate and graduate students, and that’s what I suggest to business owners. Tell me (the reader) a story about your company/product/service in your own words. Write the first few blurbs that come to your mind. Then come back and revise it. Check for spelling mistakes, typos, grammar. But always, ALWAYS let your first draft sit for a little bit and THEN come back to it. You can always edit something in draft form, but you can’t edit something that hasn’t been written.
5. Choose a versatile platform for your blog. Nothing worse than having a great write up, the perfect content for your blog and then realize that your blogging platform does not showcase how great your business is because it’s not versatile enough to allow you to do the things you want it to do. The platform I have used for all of my sites (my consulting practice, my research and my personal blog) is WordPress. While you can start with a free WordPress.com hosted site (i.e. you don’t need to have your own domain nor pay for web hosting services) I would STRONGLY recommend that you pay those small fees (web hosting AND domain acquisition). You’ll thank me later, trust me. WordPress is an extremely versatile platform (I don’t get paid for this endorsement, I just have really enjoyed the versatility that this content management system has given me.
So there you have it, Raul’s top 5 tips for blogging for small businesses. Implementing all of these five will cost you the incredibly amount of nothing (except, of course, for the time you’ll invest in them, but as I mention, it will be an investment, NOT an expense). Feel free, of course, to contact me should you want to delve in more detail on these topics.
I would also want to give a big recommendation to Small Business BC. It is a non-profit organization that is intended to help small and micro-businesses launch. I recently had the opportunity to quickly tour their infrastructure and offices and was thoroughly impressed. You should check them out.
If you would like me to write a blog post about your company or a topic of your choice and pledge to the charitable cause I am supporting, please get in touch with me via my contact form. Sponsorships range from $ 50 to $ 200.
This is Entry # 9 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Since I was very small I’ve always been fascinated by space. There is so much out there to explore, so much we don’t know about, and most importantly, so much potential.
Humans first stepped on the moon almost exactly 40 years ago to the day. It can’t be underestimated how much of an amazing feat that was. In the span of eight years the US went from barely being able to get a satellite orbiting the Earth, to putting a man on the moon and bringing them safely back home.
It’s quite amazing what people can accomplish when they really want to get something done. More so, it’s quite amazing what people can accomplish when they get competitive. Would the US have put a man on the moon in such a short amount of time if the Russians weren’t potentially going to beat them to it? Probably not.
Competition. It’s what’s been missing for the last 40 years, and in my opinion probably one of the main reasons why we’ve been stuck in manned low Earth orbit missions since.
It’s my belief we should be pushing for a manned mission to Mars. I think we can learn a lot about mankind by visiting and digging on that planet. We’ve found water (albeit salty) and no more than 20 years ago this was unthinkable. Where there is water, there is usually life. Even if we find nothing, we will have broadened our horizons past the Earth-Moon system.
We have the technology to send people to Mars today. The Mars Direct program proves this. We don’t need to establish a base on the Moon first.
What’s the hold up? Nothing. We just need another Space Race.
Andy Peatling is a Social Engineer for Automattic, the creators of WordPress. He created BuddyPress, a platform to transform WordPress into a social network. Andy is also a good friend of mine, an avid soccer player and knows way more about beer than I do (which is good).
This is Entry # 8 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
My parents always wanted their five boys to be well-rounded and able to engage in a variety of activities. Since we were little, we took piano lessons. Me, always the black sheep and the rebel, decided that I was going to fulfill my parents’ desires to be artistic (we had four areas: humanitarian and volunteer activities, art, science and sports) by undertaking theatre and dancing.
I have to say that while I thought I was much more passionate about being a stage actor, soon after I found out that I have always had a passion for dancing. I have taught dance (salsa primarily, although I do a bit of tango) and since I went to graduate school (which left me without much time to strut my stuff) I have regretted leaving competitive dancing. I plan to come back eventually, just not sure when.
How about you? Are you passionate about dancing or any other artistic pursuit?
This is Entry # 7 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Steve Anderson’s passions include ensuring that people have equal access to the internet and the democratization of media. Creative Commons licenses contribute to this democratization by ensuring the broad sharing of knowledge and information while maintaining copyright and ownership of the content for the author. This guest post is a re-share of a previous column on The Tyee by Steve Anderson, Common Ground, Rabble.ca, The Tyee, VUE Weekly
When I began writing and distributing this column, I wanted to find a way to both make it free and easy for bloggers, small non-commercial publications and individuals to share it, whilst also giving syndicating publications something they can stake a claim in.
Luckily I was aware of a new copyright licensing system called Creative Commons that enables such a hybrid model of media production. Not only is it a useful tool for media producers, it’s also an important part of the larger trend that is blurring the lines between producers and consumers of media.
Established in 2002, the Creative Commons (CC) license system allows artists, both professional and amateur, to copyright their work with as many restrictions as they choose — including the ability to un-copyright works completely. According to their website, “Creative Commons provides free tools that lets authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry.”
Creative Commons allows cultural producers to easily add an individually defined copyright badge to their work (usually a small graphic). These badges provide a clear indication of the specific copyright restrictions (or lack thereof) for other cultural producers and users.
Big corporate media organizations use synergies and joint ventures to bring in larger audiences. Independent and online media need to create their own synergies by building and sharing audiences using their own unique strengths. So I figured what better chance to experiment than with a column focusing on the intersection between media, culture and technology.
The Creative Commons license I use asks each organization that publishes the Media Links column to post a statement at the end of each article acknowledging and linking to all the other syndicating publications. Creative Commons and the open Internet enable this, and other new forms of collaboration and synergy.
Are we all produsers?
Some people consider Creative Commons to be a key element of a new category of media content producers/users called “produsers.”
According to Axel Bruns, who coined the term “produsers,” the “traditional value chain of producer-distributor-consumer has condensed to a singular point, the produser, interacting with and potentially enhancing existing content.”
Thus, we now have produsers with “fluid roles” and perpetually unfinished media.
While media production has always been a collective process involving production ingredients from our collective cultural heritage, Creative Commons further enables (or perhaps re-enables) and encourages a more remixing-friendly media system and culture. Rather than conceiving and distributing media items as commodities, Creative Commons (CC) encourages the production, circulation and reception of media as a continuous and shared process.
Enabling sharing
While the open sharing elements of the Creative Commons license system are voluntary, according to a 2007 survey of CC users, more than 80 per cent of the CC-licensed works permit derivatives — meaning they allow others to build upon their media. While many media producers and users do not yet use Creative Commons, it is becoming more popular.
As of 2007, there were an estimated 60 million Creative-Commons-licensed cultural artefacts on the Internet, and CC use is still increasing. In an unprecedented move, Yahoo! announced plans in 2007 to allow users to employ Creative Commons licensing in their huge menu of online spaces and tools.
While it doesn’t appear that their plan has come to full fruition, it has at the very least meant that it’s popular photo sharing service Flickr has remained Creative Commons-friendly.
Creative Commons licensing is not limited to media production. There is also the ever-expanding open-software movement, and in the U.S., the Creative Commons group also recently launched a new project called the ‘Legal Commons‘ that will “collect and make available machine-readable copies of government documents and law.”
Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess. Let’s just share the idea and see where it leads us.
This is Entry # 6 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
When I heard that Raul was going to be doing a Blogathon for BC Cancer Foundation again this year, my first thought was ‘that’s pretty cool!’
I’m still relatively new to this social media business (read my blog here), and it continues to impress me how much potential there is to reach out to new people and to fundraise in new ways.
First of all, I need to say thanks to Raul on behalf of The BC Cancer Foundation for doing this and for choosing the BC Cancer Foundation as his charity. I know that he, like too many of us, has been touched by cancer, and I think it’s great that he wants to do something to fight the disease.
As the fundraising arm of the BC Cancer Agency, the BC Cancer Foundation is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in B.C. You know that the funds raised for us through events such as this blogathon, stay right here in B.C. and go directly to the BC Cancer Agency to help cancer patients and their families.
I know Raul will be sharing experiences with his friend Derek, who is bravely fighting colorectal cancer.
It never ceases to amaze me how many incredible stories of courage, hope and bravery cross my desk nearly every day. For example, just check out the Foundation’s amazing new event, The Ride to Conquer Cancer and read a few of the personal stories there. Of the 1701 riders who crossed the finish line after riding 240 kms, almost as many personal stories, memories and sadly, some angels too, crossed with them.
You can support Raul, and the BC Cancer Foundation, by clicking here.
Hopefully, one day, we won’t have to have blogathons for BC Cancer Foundation anymore. I’ve said it before – it’s up to all of you to put me out of a job!
Best regards,
Nick Locke
Senior Vice President, Development, BC Cancer Foundation
This is Entry # 5 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
I grew up in Germany and received what they call there a “humanistic education” in high school – e.g. there’s quite an emphasis on classic and new languages (Latin, Greek, German, French, English) and history. It was a bit weird, looking back – all the teachers were still strongly influenced by the war, and many of the male teachers were guys who had come back from battle, didn’t know what to do with themselves, and got thrown into teaching. Most of them were very wounded psychologically. (As if growing up with the German idea of “breaking the will of the child” wasn’t enough for them, never mind the war).
All that weirdness aside, and also the fact that I had enough of it by the end of Grade 9 and dropped out, I have to tell you that the best thing I ever learned in high school was Latin, closely followed by Greek. Yup, those dead languages.
Language, by the way, comes from “lingua”, which means “tongue”.
So that’s something I’m passionate about: the importance of those dead languages Greek and Latin. It’s one of the reasons why language dances for me. Words are not just sounds and black scribbles – I know where they come from. The word “language” immediately makes me think of the feel of words in my mouth, how my tongue moves to make an “L” and a “G”. Knowing Latin and Greek opens up language and makes it easy. Learning other European languages is way easier when you know them. Understanding complicated terminology becomes a breeze.
I don’t want to be one of a few people who got lucky enough to learn this. I’d love it if North American schools taught Greek and Latin. In the meantime, it’s a good thing this stuff is old – so it’s open source – here for example.
This is a guest post by Isabella Mori, one of the many Vancouver bloggers. She blogs at change therapy about psychology, creativity, spirituality and social issues such as peace and social justice.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
I had talked about Blogathon with several of my friends who have asked me whether I’m 100% insane for wanting to write 49 blog posts in 24 hours. The first year I did Blogathon, I was on Blogger (yes, you can laugh at me now). I wrote about what made me think, about my family and friends, I wrote on topics related to the environment. Through these conversations I came to realize one of the most important qualities I have: I am very passionate.
I love completely, utterly, entirely, unabashedly and passionately. I am one of those people who doesn’t know how to do things lackadaisically. I am not very much a man of spectra. I remember that my brother S once told me “sometimes, I envy you, Raul. You are capable of feeling SO intensely.” And that’s very, very true. I love profoundly, and when I have been heartbroken, I have hated intensely. But I’m not all emotions, lest you think that. I am an intellectual as well. My Dad once said Raul, your capacity to think is only surpassed by your capacity to love”. That’s high praise coming from Dad.
I am passionate about living life to the fullest, about my friends and family, about dancing, I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with the world, I absolutely love creating communities and being part of one. So now, on to you. What are YOU passionate about?
This is Entry # 3 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
You want to know what I’m passionate about? Raul asked, so you get to find out, too. It’s not a thing that I can buy in a store, or a hobby, or a dream of fame. It’s a little more abstract and a lot less tangible.
I spent the majority of my life catering to others. A constant people-pleaser, I would do whatever was necessary to make the other person my universe was focused on happy. This meant that I was often, nearly always, really, unhappy. I was constant pursuing the goal of being better: a better girlfriend, daughter, student, employee. I woke up every morning with a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I wasn’t good enough and that I had to work harder to try to be even better than good enough.
Around my mid-twenties, I had an epiphany that came along with a breakdown. This light bulb moment spoke to me, expressing what I had always wanted but never really had: to be know what it was that I wanted and to wake up every morning, wanting to make myself happy.
I dropped the acts. I quit hiding behind common courtesies and the need to please. I was no longer interested in forming myself into some shape of what I thought people wanted me to be to them. I simply started listening to my own thoughts, wishes and dreams. I started planning my rebirth. I started to get to know who the person deep inside of me was – the one I’d never really let out before.
I’m still being born, half a decade later.
Because I’m no longer hell-bent on making others think I’m good enough, because I’m using my own measurement instead of others’ body language, praise or dismissal, I have become a new person. I’m no longer able to contain rage at injustice and I’m always speaking – often out of turn. I don’t have the self-censorship that I grew up with any longer, and so I’ve become known as someone who will at any time, and often too bluntly, tell it like it is.
I’m now honest, to the death, with everyone and myself. I’m free to wear pajamas in the middle of the day because it’s what I want to do, and you can often find me walking down the street with my daughter, singing out loud.
I grew up expecting to spend my life being the person that others thought I should, but now I’ve found a new passion: being me, whoever that may be today, regardless of who isn’t happy about it.
Want a bio? Here’s the standard one:
When she’s not rocking a one-woman, one-toddler mosh pit in her Vancouver living room, Terra blogs her angst out as Zoeyjane at Mommy is Moody, works from home as a freelance blogger and virtual assistant, and Tweets like it’s going out of style.
This is Entry # 2 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Last year, the only surviving sister of my Mom, my auntie M, passed away from cancer. In 1999, my auntie L (who was like my second mother) succumbed to advanced lung cancer. In 1997, I lost my grandma M (my Dad’s Mom) to pancreatic cancer. I have fought many battles with cancer and this year I am doing it again by writing 49 blog posts in 24 hours. I dedicate this Blogathon to my beloved family members who have died the disease and to my good friend Derek K. Miller who is bravely fighting (and doing well!) against colorectal cancer. Please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. Every little bit helps!
This is Entry # 1 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Recently, Twitter has become more mainstream as a tool for internet-based marketing. Many companies are realizing the potential impact that having an account on Twiter can have. Despite the ups, downs, “Fail Whales”, TwitterGates and “Twitter is Down”, FriendFeed and the likes, people still seem very drawn to the microblogging platform. I sure am addicted to it!
I do believe in the power of Twiter as a tool to raise awareness and I advocate its use as part of a comprehensive social media marketing strategy (clients will buy your product if they can find you), but I’m also well aware that there are many people on Twitter who feel annoyed by the fact that some businesses aren’t using it in a way that is perceived as effective.
Recently, Twitter itself launched a Twitter for Business 101 guide. I believe it’s a good stepping stone, but I am not sure it replaces real solid advice from consultants. I asked on Twitter:
Does the fact that now Twitter has a Twitter 101 for Businesses put out of business some social media consultants? What do YOU think?
Several friends responded with very insightful thoughts, reproduced below.
As always, I love to open the discussion on my comments section. What do YOU think about the Twitter 101 for Business guide? Do you think it’ll put pressure on social media consultants to provide more/better value? Will it be a good stepping stone? Would love to hear your thoughts.
One of the things that just amazes me and makes me proud about the people that are in my Twitter network is that everyone is focused on one goal, regardless of who they follow first – HELPING. I have noticed many of my fellow Blogathoners retweeting my requests for donations to my BC Cancer Foundation cause, and I have also done it myself (re-tweeting their requests for pledges).
Really heartwarming as well, many of my own followers have retweeted my requests on behalf of my friends and colleagues. This “rippling through the network” effect enhances the individual efforts, it does not weaken them. Strength in numbers, indeed.
Kudos and thanks again to Rebecca Bollwitt for organizing the Vancouver edition and kudos to the local Fraser Valley organizers and those in other parts of the world. The global Blogathon 2009 page is here. I totally copied the list of bloggers from Rebecca’s sidebar, so I am pretty sure all the participants are there!
I am always delighted by the many ways in which I can enjoy the city I live in. It’s a beautiful area for the better part of Spring and Summer (as you can see from the photo below).
So my question to you is … what have you done recently on a beautiful summer day like this?
I’ve written before on my blog how, in spite of the fact that I have a doctorate in Resource Management and Environmental Studies, I have never felt part of the crowd at Green Drinks. Maybe it’s the fact that my line of work and research are not in the mainstream sectors (green energy, climate change, green buildings), or the fact that the event itself has felt “too network-y”, but I had lost any interest in Green Drinks. Up until the last Green Drinks that I attended, where I very publicly and heart-felt-edly vented to Wendy and to Christina. And I felt better.
In spite of anything, year after year, Green Drinks’ summer picnic has been, every year, a consistent hit and I absolutely adore the work that Christina, Lyda and Wendy have put into organizing (in volunteer manner) Green Drinks. Also, I’m trying to get back into the environmental community at large (it’s not like I’ve ever left, but I’m somewhat peripheral, given my strong involvement in social media/PR/tech). Therefore, I’m going to transcribe the email that I received as an invite to this summer’s Green Drinks.
The regular July Green Drinks is being replaced by our annual outdoor event that will take place Tues, July 28 from 6pm-9pm at Jericho Park East. DO NOT go to Steamworks this month. We will be back inside at our usual time and place in August.
Green Drinks Picnic
July 28 (Tues), 6pm-9pm, Jericho Park, Eastern pond picnic area
This is a BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything) event. There will be no cooking or washing facilities at the site so please plan for a basic cold food picnic. The theme of this mission, should you choose to accept it, is local and sustainable food. So bring something appropriate if you can, enough to share if you’re willing…and hey, there might be a contest. Details forthcoming.
Basics to bring:
*yourself and any interested friends or family.
*your own food, drink and necessary dining implements: plates, cutlery,
etc.
*willingness to pick up all of your refuse when you leave.
Other items we’d love someone to bring:
*games or sports equipment (volleyball & net, badminton, bocce, etc).
*a BBQ that you are willing to share – please get in touch if you can for sure bring this.
*non-amplified musical instruments and your singing voice.
What not to bring:
*glass drink containers
*booze – parks officers don’t want to see that
*amplified music or public address systems
*advertising
*electricity
*structures, fences, poles, tents, stages, etc
We’ll be in the same place as previous years, which is not far from where the back of the main stage at folk fest will have been the week before. See the Vancouver Parks website for details & map of “Jericho Pond”:
Here are the transit options:
*Bus 4 – get off 1 or 2 stops west of Alma along 4th Ave.
*Buses 7, 44, or 84 – get off at Alma & 4th and walk a few minutes
westward.
*Buses 9, 17 or 99 B-line – get off at Alma & Broadway and walk north to
4th and then west to Jericho.
Of course, there is plenty of space to park your bike or kayak!
Christina on behalf of the other Vancouver Green Drinkers/Picnickers
![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
I grew up in Germany and received what they call there a “humanistic education” in high school – e.g. there’s quite an emphasis on classic and new languages (Latin, Greek, German, French, English) and history. It was a bit weird, looking back – all the teachers were still strongly influenced by the war, and many of the male teachers were guys who had come back from battle, didn’t know what to do with themselves, and got thrown into teaching. Most of them were very wounded psychologically. (As if growing up with the German idea of “breaking the will of the child” wasn’t enough for them, never mind the war).
