I have been thinking of putting together a full-fledged page on “My Rules of Engagement” (e.g. my criteria for following, my rules of commenting, etc.). But I really don’t have the time, and I think there many rules I have, so it’d take me a while to put together. All of the above said, there is ONE thing that is, and continues to be my eternal pet peeve – the direct message. I hate them. I hate them SO much. And for so many reasons.
Primarily, because it makes a really bad assumption – that I am going to read it, because, “obviously, I’m on Twitter all the time” (I am not, you see – right now, I pre-schedule my tweets much more than I used to last year).
First off, I recognize that I don’t follow everyone back. I don’t have the brain capacity to do so. I follow about 650 people and that’s about 500 too many. And the problem is, I do follow some “DM-happy people”. You know, those who send DMs for just about everything. I have been THIS close to unfollowing them all. There’s only about 10 people in the whole world whose DMs I pay attention to. The rest, I ignore.
There are many types of DM that I really dislike, and some that I do enjoy. I dislike DMs that ask me stuff that can be public. “How are you doing?” is not precisely something that needs to be hidden from the world. “Thank you for that retweet” is not something that needs to be hidden from the world. But, seriously – do you need to thank people in private? As my parents taught me, scold people in private, praise or thank them in public. If you were asking me “I heard that you have been feeling depressed, are you ok?” by direct message, sure (and even then, I’m so terribly public most likely I wouldn’t mind if you asked me by @ mention). Or if you are feeling down, of course I’ll respect your privacy. Or stuff that is just between you and I, and that is really private. For example, if you really didn’t like someone’s behavior with regards to how they treated you. That’s confidential, and personal. We can talk about that via DM.
Lots of people think “well, Raul, there are so many things that can be resolved so fast via a very quick DM“. That’s not true. If you have access to my DMs (e.g. if I follow you), in all likelihood you have my cell number. Which means, you can text me. Which means, I’ll get it pretty much instantaneously because, contrary to Twitter, I *do* carry my cell phone EVERYWHERE. AND I can respond to you pretty much immediately.
I know, I have my rules, my quirks and I know that many people get annoyed by them. So be it. If you want to reach me, there’s my contact form, there’s email, there’s a text. Heck, there’s even a public @ reply. But DMs, I really, really don’t need to clog my DM inbox. Plus, can you imagine if Wikileaks released my DMs to the public? There would be a diplomatic debacle! đ
PS – Before anybody thinks that this note is aimed at anyone in particular, IT’S NOT. My beef with DMs and DM-ing stuff that can be public has been publicized widely, both on Twitter and here on my blog.
At that time, I posted:
I am fiercely protective of my email (I receive hundreds of them) and of my DMs. I find direct messages, intensely private. Because I live such a public life (and because I donât give a damn if people think I clog their feeds â after all, itâs their choice to follow me, and being too noisy on Twitter is one of the characteristics that define me), I use DMs only, and only ever when I am saying something that REALLY needs to be private. Otherwise, I live (as my friend Chris Walts says) on my @ replies tab.
When I follow someone, I give them access the capability to send me a direct message. I hope and expect that they are judicious in their use of DMs. This may sound awful, elitist, snobbish or whatever. But itâs how I feel. I donât force anyone to follow me. But when I choose to follow someone, I choose to give them access to the possibility of telling me stuff in private that they might not want to have on public streams (and that is of very confidential nature!). I trust them, and implicitly, I expect them in return to make the best use of that access.
I also unfollow most people who unfollow me not out of a âTHERE, if you unfollowed me, I can unfollow you tooâ. I unfollow them to remove their ability to send me a private message. It puts us back again on an equal ground.
One of the reasons why I spend SO MUCH TIME on Twitter is responding @ replies, and I try to make a point to respond to each and every one, because I feel that, even if I donât give everyone access to my private DMs, I give everyone equal access to a conversation with me.
I pride myself in my blogging. Being as I’m about to have my fifth blogiversary in April 2011, and how I am the organizer of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup, I like to think that I blog responsibly. I write stupidly long disclosure statements whenever I get anything complimentary, use photos that are only Creative-Commons licensed and link back and credit to the photographer (except, obviously, when the photo is mine), I link back to people’s websites, etc. In the particular case of photo attribution, I work hard at trying to find out from the publicists who pitch me who was it that took the photo and provide credit, on Flickr all the time.
I was recently contacted by a very close friend of mine whom we will call the Photo Credit Police for purposes of this post. My good friend indicated that I had not provided credit ON THE BLOG POST, even though I was linking back to the original photo on Flickr and there, I filled a complete credit line. I’m glad my friend caught that, as I agree with this viewpoint. I’m not perfect, and even though I do think that I am a pretty damn fine blogger, I could perhaps improve on my practices. So I will be going back on my posts trying to catch where I did not provide credit on the blog post.
I will also continue with my extensively long disclosure statements. Why? Because I think I need to be one of the people at the forefront. If I am to be considered a power blogger, then I need to hold myself to high standards. And for 99.99% of the time, I think I hold myself to really high standards. But I must set the example, so I’ll make damn sure that I provide credit ON the blog post IN ADDITION to on the Flickr upload. If you see photos that are not credited (and you are 100% sure that they are not mine) then do let me know and I’ll fix it.
Yeah, I don’t want that to happen to me. That I have no clue what I am supposed to do? Never. So, I schedule my life to the very last minute. Do you? Slowly, my life has evolved in a way in the past couple of years, that I have found a way to commit to work on doing both things (my academic/consulting life and my social media life).
The way I manage my life may not work for everyone, and admittedly, I do sometimes look exhausted when it’s 2:30pm (or 6pm, usually when the workload hits me – think about it, I wake up every morning at 4:45am). But in order for me to be able to complete everything, I schedule my life to the very minute. I book every single appointment on my Google Calendar and then I sync it to my iPhone Calendar application.
I even book time to eat and sleep! And in the past few months, I’ve booked time ONLY to do research and ONLY to read. And for those of you who think I don’t socialize – I book time for my friends, and my loved ones. And more importantly, I make sure to prioritize my loved ones before anything else (there’s one person in my life who gets to schedule time with me before anything else gets in the calendar). Work/life balance is always SO important!
That I am in love with Granville Island is not a surprise to anyone. If you have read my blog for any length of time you will know that I spend a ridiculously large amount of time on Granville Island. I often attend plays at the Granville Island Stage or the Revue Stage, I have had dinner at the Dockside (actually, now that I recall, one of my Valentine’s Day celebrations was there), I have profiled the former industrial nature of Granville Island. I have written about the floating houses on Granville Island and the need to keep the Olympic Streetcar. And of course, I have had beer there! (thank you Granville Island Brewing Tap Room!)
I got invited recently to a media preview of the I Love Granville Island tour, associated with the Granville Island storytelling contest. I am, by definition, a story teller, and thus found this invite quite compelling. While I did not do everything in the tour (glass-blowing, paint-making, dinner at The Sandbar) I did visit the Granville Island Brewing Tap Room and had a wonderful tour of their brewing facilities. As a chemical engineer, just bring me to an industrial plant and I’ll love you forever.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we want your stories of love and other adventures, intimate tales of intrigue or chance meetings! Fill out the form below before Feb 10, 2011 at midnight for a chance to win! Three winners selected each week between now and February 10th. Music, video and photo submissions can be emailed to stories@granvilleislandworks.com.
If you do enter the contest and know about it via my site – there’s an option there that says “how did you hear about the contest” – please add Hummingbird604.com there under ‘Other’. I definitely love knowing that my readers get places via my site!
Photo credit: {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester} on Flickr
Anybody who knows me well knows that I’m always skeptical of anything that looks or smell like a fad (did anyone say Google Buzz? or Formspring?). Given my social media activities, I’m always exploring new platforms, knowledge sources, etc. But I’m not a bandwagon-jumper. Thus, despite the recent hype on Quora, I haven’t joined. I’m very wary of following an overwhelming stream of content, and thus, I’m pondering whether to join Quora.
So, those of you who DID join Quora – why did you do it? What are the advantages you see in it?
Photo by Chris Randle. Used with permission from the Talking Stick Festival.
I feel lucky and honored to have the opportunity to showcase First Nations’ work. In previous months, I gave away festival passes to the Louis Riel Festival, to Thunderstick (a theatre show) and now I’m very happy to promote the 10th Annual Talking Stick Festival, taking place over 13 days, presented by Full Circle: First Nations Performance.
The 10th Annual Talking Stick Festival will take place in venues across the city. As indicated by the organizers:
The Aboriginal community will gather to partake in a wide range of disciplines â the traditional, contemporary and blend of the two, which include dancing, drumming, hip hop, fiddling, comedy, live music, performance poetry, storytelling, and more. In celebration of the 10th year, the 2011 festival will play its opening week (February 1 â February 6) at the Roundhouse Community Centre before moving into the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver (until February 13) and will feature diverse programming, highlighting the talents of participating artists from Ontario, the United States and the Yukon Territories, and as well as our talented artists here in Vancouver.
The festival kicks off with the traditional Gala Opening Celebration on Tuesday Feb 1 at 7pm at the Roundhouse. The continuing 13 days are filled with traditional and contemporary Aboriginal arts. There is the ever popular Ab-Original Cabaret – featuring performers like Leanne Goose (Yellowknife), Digawolf (Yellowknife) and Murray Porter (Vancouver) and comedians Ryan McMahon and Elaine Miles. Dance works include the contemporary dance piece Fragments, by Laura Kramer (Quebec) and a MĂŠtis social night where you can stomp your feet, clap your hands and kick up your heels. Programming includes a soulful evening of jazz and an evening of slam poetry night, From Talking Stick to Microphone. There are also a number of Professional Development workshops, Artist Talks, and a wide variety of events for the whole family.
Also, on exhibit at the Roundhouse from Feb 1 â Feb 9, is a photographic exhibition by Nadya Kwandibens of Red Works Studio (Toronto). Nadya Kwandibens is of Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) / French heritage from the Northwest Angle #37 First Nation in Ontario, Canada. She is a self-taught, dynamic photographer specializing in artistic natural light portraiture, fashion, promotional sessions, and event photography.
I’m really looking forward to the Talking Stick Festival. For tickets visit ticketstonight.ca or call 604-684-2787 – Ticket prices range from $12 – $25, Festival passes – $96 adults, $77.43 for Seniors/Student. For further details and the full schedule of events visit the Full Circle website.. The organizers have given me 2 full-festival passes (worth $96 each) to a couple of lucky readers of mine. To enter my giveaway, please let me know which one of the events of the Talking Stick Festival are you most looking forward. Seeing as I am a former competitive dancer, I will fully admit I’m keen on checking the traditional dance components. How about you?
For an additional entry, on top of your comment, you can also tweet the sample text below:
Entered to win passes to the Talking Stick Festival http://is.gd/eyASaf from @hummingbird604 – check out the lineup of events!
I will draw 2 random winners on Friday January 28th at 5pm. Good luck everyone, and hopefully you will get a chance to check out the Talking Stick Festival.
UPDATE – I just got a pair of tickets to the opening gala of the Talking Stick Festival at the Roundhouse Community Centre. I will draw these separately, in a Twitter-only contest. You can tweet the sample text below to enter this draw.
Entered to win tickets to the opening gala of Talking Stick Festival http://is.gd/eyASaf from @hummingbird604 – check it out!
I’m at Third Tuesday Vancouver (#3tyvr) liveblogging C.C. Chapman’s Content Rules talk. You can have your tweets integrated by using the hashtags #contentrules and #3tyvr
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:26 Raul
6:29
Lahey13:
@monicahamburg Oh I’m being a mouthpiece … still a rockin’ event even if it was outside đ #3TYVR[via Twitter]
C.C. Chapman is a media creator, online marketing expert. CC has helped people in brands (Coca Cola, HBO, Warner Brothers).
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:37 Raul
6:37
LindseyLe:
Thank you for organizing #3tyvr@jeremylim!! Always fantastic! [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:37 LindseyLe
6:38
Raul:
C.C. Chapman is yelling and speaking loud and clear. “A little louder”. He did theatre for years, he does this as a second nature.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:38 Raul
6:39
TeamCain_Guerin:
Between #contentrules and #inboundmarketing my brain is too full …oh hell, who needs weekends anyway! Fun useful and insightful stuff [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:39 TeamCain_Guerin
6:39
Raul:
C.C. “I’ll apologize now if I am a little sleepy, I woke up this morning and honestly I didn’t know where I was. Honestly I had no clue where I was – I had to call my wife to ask her ‘where am I'”
CC is still waiting for someone to be reading the book at the airport.
The big thing about content is that it is not rocket science. You can set up a blog in five minutes and start producing content. You can set up an Instagram and produce content. Creating content is super easy.
No, it’s not. Creating good content is hard. It’s hard to create strong, punchy, compelling content. Creating good content is really hard depending on the medio. CC has a really hard time creating audio or video content.
CC.- He can take a really good photograph, but how do you take the content you are creating and make it engaging. Because everybody can create content, there’s a lot of content out there that is BAD, it’s crappy.
1. Eleven content rules. 2. “How to” section. Â 3. Ten case studies – here’s how different people are doing it and here are ideas you can steal from them.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:43 Raul
6:43
rahelab:
#3tyvr#contentrules if a book doesn’t have a how-to section, it’s not helpful. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:43 rahelab
6:43
tbains:
#3tyvr nothing sucks more than a biz book without a how-to section via @cc_chapman[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:43 tbains
6:43
Raul:
While he is not going to go through all 11 Rules, CC wants to talk about a few of the rules. He is hoping it will help inspire you and take whatever you take from his talk.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:43 Raul
6:43
TimothySerrano:
Creating content is easy. Creating good content is hard. C.C. Chapman at Vancouver Meetup #contentrules[via Twitter]
One of the rules – not to shill – show or teach, but do NOT shill. “Buy my product”. Do not DM people “hey check my site”. Nobody likes that, everybody hates that guy/girl.
What is the Chinese dry wall problem? Â They put Chinese dry wall that has all these chemicals and mold, kids were getting really ill, it’s not like mold that you can easy fix. Millions of dollars in lawsuits. There is a site (clearinghouse for this problem).
What is interesting is that it’s a law firm doing this. Â
What this law firm has done – this a different approach – it’s a website that is really informative. It’s really subtle, but they are doing a really good job of getting people to come to the site, hang out and then they will get hired.Â
Listening to C.C. Chapman talk about content strategy at Vancouver Meetup #contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:46 seanweller
6:47
jason_baker:
45 min now. @CeilisVan Looking forward to #3tyvr, but @ColleenCoplick & I have been waiting for a beer for 15+ mins. Help? [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:47 jason_baker
6:48
Raul:
CC.- One of our rules – you need to build a camp fire. CC was going to put the instructions in the book. Putting bigger logs, etc. When you think about your content strategy, you can’t just dump the logs and light it. You will have a big blow up of fire, and then they are gone.Â
CC – “you can make a really compelling video, but YOU CAN’T MAKE THINGS GO VIRAL”. Think about the metaphor of the camp fire. You need some little things to get it started, and then you need some more stuff long term. If you stop producing that great content, you are going to lose your readers.Â
Think about a publishing schedule.
It’s a really good thing to think like a publisher. W
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:49 Raul
6:49
tbains:
#3tyvr Client: make me a viral video. Me: No. I’ll make you a quality video. Via @cc_chapman[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:49 tbains
6:49
Raul:
One of the things they did at Digital Dad – Mondays is this, Friday is a cooking day, Wednesdays is a video day, etc.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:49 Raul
6:50
Raul:
What are we going to publish? How does it tie into the events we go to? How does it tie in to everything we do?
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:50 Raul
6:50
rahelab:
#3tyvr#contentrules@cc_chapman advocates editorial/publishing schedule (but doesn’t walk the walk). He can focus w/o one. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:50 rahelab
6:50
TimothySerrano:
Create a regular publishing schedule to focus on what and why C.C. Chapman #contentrules[via Twitter]
Think about the schedule as your link – it focuses you on what you are going to create. Instead of having your CEO come and say “we need to do Twitter, Facebook, etc.”. You can instead think “this is the strategy we are going to follow”.
You need to ask your CEO “why do we need to do this” once they ask you “do this”. Asking why is so critical. You will not be successful if you don’t have a strategy. You need to know WHY you are doing what you are doing and why you are publishing what you are publishing.
Melrose Med Mile – last night they did something so simple – it was really smart. After the event, they started talking to every person on Twitter and replying, via @ reply (mention). It took them a while, but they could definitely look at some degree of measurement. That little thing they did was so simple – it’s not rocket science. But by doing that, people are seeing the responses.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:52 Raul
6:52
TimothySerrano:
Base content development on marketing strategy C.C. Chapman #contentrules[via Twitter]
CC prefers to do things from the heart. But when you do a campaign, the PR folks, the legal folks, the comms folk. They want the speaker/CEO to speak on the speaking points, etc.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:54 Raul
6:55
kslean:
Wish I’d learned about Third Tuesday Vancouver sooner. Sounds like a great event! RT @thornley Third Tuesday Vancouver is packed #3tyvr[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:55 kslean
6:55
Raul:
Lawyers are there to protect you, but the law around online content is very iffy. Now Jason Baker is sharing his story about a viral video.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:55 Raul
6:55
rahelab:
#3tyvr#contentrules be aware of legal, PR, marketing folks who want guard up, buzzwords, lack of humanity. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:55 rahelab
6:55
TimothySerrano:
#Kanban will work well in content development due to interruptions. Where was I? #contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:55 TimothySerrano
6:55
Raul:
They end up using Black Eyed Peas (one of their songs). They didn’t get their rights to the song. They went viral. But now who wants to go to a law firm that has a problem with copyright law.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:55 Raul
6:55
photodreamz:
lol RT @lmatecha: Web content dev: use kindling not gasoline. #3tyvr[via Twitter]
#3tyvr#Content Rules Build a content strategy like you would a campfire. Start w a spark then add twigs & logs to keep it burning strong… [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:56 zenhousemedia
6:57
zenhousemedia:
#3tyvr#ContentRules Build a content strategy like you would a campfire. Start w a spark then add twigs & logs to keep it burning strong… [via Twitter]
#3tyvr#contentrules if you don’t attribute music, photos, etc, you should be hunted down and killed, as per @cc_chapman. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:57 rahelab
6:57
Raul:
Get the clearances for video, etc. Every city in the world have indie musicians. CC is very fond of musicians. Find who they are and attribute and credit. If you don’t attribute you should be  hunted down and …. etc. You get CC’s point.Â
But the lawyers get in the way of being human. CC was doing a project for Coca-Cola – CC wanted Mike to respond right away. “get on the video camera and talk to this guy, answer him”. A week went by and he hadn’t done it yet, because the lawyers hadn’t cleared him yet.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:57 Raul
6:57
MortgagesVanBC:
RT @rahelab: #3tyvr#contentrules be aware of legal, PR, marketing folks who want guard up, buzzwords, lack of humanity. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:57 MortgagesVanBC
6:57
HerraincoBrand:
People who don’t respect IP should be hunted down and killed! Yup! .#3TYVR [via Twitter]
CC recommended that Mike from Coke answered questions directly via video, and he got a lot of flack. They should be able to trust him, but apparently they weren’t very happy. 3 pages social media strategy at Coca-Cola.
It was one of those learning processes where the company didn’t realize – think about the way you talk things and then say it. Don’t be scared to let your employees respond, and be human.
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:58 Raul
6:59
MortgagesVanBC:
All about being human on Social Media Content #3TYVR[via Twitter]
CC is a big fan of Ask for forgiveness, not ask for permission – hehe, I am too (Raul).
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:59 Raul
6:59
JillBenedict:
#3tyvr Want long-term success in social media? Develop a publishing schedule (via @cc_chapman) [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 6:59 JillBenedict
7:00
Raul:
Put some trust in your employees. The other organization that does this very well is the Army. Army-strong stories. Every single active duty soldier has a story to share. The interesting thing is – they can post video, they can post audio, they can post any content. They have 200 bloggers posting stuff, unfiltered. Men and women in bases, war zones, etc.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:00 Raul
7:00
lmatecha:
Your law firm viral video story was hilarious. @jason_baker#3tyvr[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:00 lmatecha
7:00
Raul:
The US army published their social media guidelines – it isn’t 3 pages like Coke, it’s like 50 pages. CC wants to steal from it!
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:00 Raul
7:00
Raul:
It’s on SlideShare – checklists for commanders, enlisted people, it’s broken down by location services, etc.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:00 Raul
7:01
TimothySerrano:
Humanized branding is the manifestation of humanized content #contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:01 TimothySerrano
7:01
Raul:
“My company can’t do that” – CC always brings up the Army. “listen, if the Army can trust its people, so can you”. Pretty relevant example, hospitals/pharmaceuticals, you need to play by the rules. But if you are playing by the rules, there’s no reason why your company can’t do that.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:01 Raul
7:02
Raul:
How do you guys define content?
Just scream something “stuff” – “useful information”
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:02 Raul
7:02
MiriamShanny:
Viral media only sparks a day or two of interest. Real importance lies in longer consumer engagement. #3TYVR#contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:02 MiriamShanny
7:02
tbains:
#3tyvr woot! Shout out from CC! Yeah I created the department’s SM profiles and then told’m. What what? [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:02 tbains
7:02
HerraincoBrand:
US Army trusts their folks to create content, surely anyone can @cc_chapman#3TYVR[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:02 HerraincoBrand
7:03
Raul:
The way CC – parts of a story (that’s what I said). – no one ever says that.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:03 Raul
7:03
rahelab:
#3tyvr#contentrules if the army can let 200 bloggers w/o guidelines, so can your company. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:03 rahelab
7:03
MiriamShanny:
Biz always say “we can’t do social media bc of liabilities”. Yes you can, you just need to set some boundaries. #3TYVR#contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:03 MiriamShanny
7:03
Raul:
The way I define content – it’s what an individual or an organization creates and share to tell their story. And you have to focus on the storytelling side. That’s what makes it compelling. “we don’t have a story to tell” of course you have a story to tell
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:03 Raul
7:03
jason_baker:
@CeilisVan Thanks. @ColleenCoplick & I got our beer. Thanks for listening, but you may want to have more than 1 waitress for #3tyvr[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:03 jason_baker
7:03
masalapuri:
“@tbains: #3tyvr Be human. Love it. #contentrules Marcomm, PR, don’t get in the way of the real.” Awesome [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:03 masalapuri
7:03
thornley:
I love this: @cc_chapman asks what content is. Person in the crowd responds: “human readable contextualized data.” #contentrules#3tyvr[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:03 thornley
7:04
Raul:
Focus on what your voice is – how are you going to share your story? how do you elicit an emotional response from people to your content. If your content is not engaging people, then it’s not good enough.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:04 Raul
7:04
photodreamz:
Everyone has a story. Not everyone can make it entertaining. #3TYVR[via Twitter]
Organizations have a story to tell but it needs to compel as to stir an emotional reaction #contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:05 TimothySerrano
7:05
Raul:
Hopefully you will be able to elicit that emotion from people, you  have to be able to be passionate.Â
1. Focus on the strategy – why you’re doing it and why are you doing it – please measure it – social media is very measurable. – Scotty Monty – you can’t measure the ROI on … (I missed what CC said)
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:05 Raul
7:05
kaaist:
Content strategy is not a mechanical process, it requires personality to bring your stories and brand to life. #3tyvr#contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:05 kaaist
7:06
thornley:
If your content fails to trigger an emotional response from your audience, you’re doing something wrong. @cc_chapman#contentrules#3tyvr[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:06 thornley
7:06
Raul:
Before you even worry about views, uniques, etc. We did things because we wanted to have fun.
When you create content, HAVE FUN WITH IT. Figure out what you want to do and do that stuff. You don’t have to do video, you don’t have to blog. You can do whatever you want to do.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:06 Raul
7:07
Ben_Shute:
Loving #contentrules. Thanks CC and Ann. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:07 Ben_Shute
7:07
Raul:
You don’t have to do everything, don’t think you have to create content with everything, but just have fun. Whatever you create, just be human, speak from the heart, make sure that people are excited about what you create.
Content is both ‘human created contextualized data’ and absolutely necessary for storytelling #3TYVR#contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:07 masalapuri
7:08
jason_baker:
Love the personality of @cc_chapman, but where is the Boston accent?! Love it & want to hear it. #contentrules#3tyvr[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:08 jason_baker
7:08
Raul:
There’s content everywhere, and finding the content is really hard, and if it scares you, or you don’t have the time.Â
Content Curation
Curation is when you put together the stuff and content you find – you may not create but you would share with your audience. Links to best posts, best videos.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:08 Raul
7:08
tbains:
Remember how it felt to tell a story as a kid. RT @roxannestp: #3tyvr Focus on the strategy… And have fun doing it! [via Twitter]
RT @thornley: If your content fails to trigger an emotional response from your audience, you’re doing something wrong. @cc_chapman #contentrules #3tyvr [via Twitter]
Do people really pay for an email of ten blog post IDEAS? People without their own ideas shouldn’t try to blog #3TYVR#ContentRules FACT [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:10 raincoaster
7:10
Raul:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
– How long have you been doing this? Blogging for 8 years (a journal, paper journal, he just starting sharing his thoughts). He just blogs when he has things he wants to say and share. Â
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:10 Raul
7:10
LindseyLe:
RT @rahelab: #3tyvr#contentrules you put on clothes each day tho you can’t measure ROI. Sometimes take a risk. Have fun. The ROI will f … [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:10 LindseyLe
7:11
Raul:
Dads are “outside” they are Mr. Moms, they take care of the kids.
If you ever want to interact with dads just let CC know.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:12 Raul
7:14
BeeVancity:
RT @masalapuri: Content is both ‘human created contextualized data’ & necessary for storytelling #3TYVR#contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:14 BeeVancity
7:14
jeremylim:
I want to keep @cc_chapman for our community. Quick, #3TYVR, game plan! Bribe him with salmon and snowboards! #ContentRules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:14 jeremylim
7:15
Miss604:
RT @raincoaster: Do people really pay for an email of ten blog post IDEAS? People without their own ideas shouldn’t try to blog #3TYVR # … [via Twitter]
Can you speak to ethical conundrums when doing content for business.
 Does ethics factor when you post content, or when you are posting comments, etc.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:20 Raul
7:20
TimothySerrano:
@cc_chapman Comedy Clubs should be tailored like this, good laugh, knowledge sharing & real people having a good time #3tyvr#contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:20 TimothySerrano
7:20
DesireeRD:
RT @raincoaster: Do people really pay for an email of ten blog post IDEAS? People without their own ideas shouldn’t try to blog #3TYVR # … [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:20 DesireeRD
7:21
tbains:
#3tyvr all the same content rules apply for both B2B and B2C. [via Twitter]
It’s a company outing someone? It’s a great question – somebody else’s ethics and my ethics are probably different. I don’t even know how to answer this question.
If you say it, it’s out there forever. @cc_chapman#3TYVR[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:23 HerraincoBrand
7:23
Raul:
Ethics are really, really important. Everyone should understand it.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:23 Raul
7:24
Raul:
QUESTION – Do you tweet and post as yourself or as a business?
The age-old question – Scott Monty works for Ford, but it’s Scott Monty, not Ford. If you are a small business, for brand recognition. Tweets done by Tony – shows a human side. “I also tweet as The Company Name”.
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:24 Raul
7:24
lmatecha:
Best quote of the night at #3tyvr re tweeting: ‘karma is a bitch’ Be careful of what you say. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:24 lmatecha
7:24
MiriamShanny:
Establish what your client wants to achieve from their #socialmedia plan in order to accurately measure your success #3TYVR#contentrules[via Twitter]
Totally agree! RT @lmatecha: Best quote of the night at #3tyvr re tweeting: ‘karma is a bitch’ Be careful of what you say. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:26 alexjuy
7:26
Hussle24Seven:
Totally agree! RT @lmatecha: Best quote of the night at #3tyvr re tweeting: ‘karma is a bitch’ Be careful of wha… http://bit.ly/fc7LRm[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:26 Hussle24Seven
7:28
photodreamz:
Contests also drive traffic, aside from buying. #3TYVR[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:28 photodreamz
7:28
jeremylim:
I think my favorite quote from #3TYVR was, “You put on your pants everyday, but you don’t measure ROI on it.” Who said that again? [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:28 jeremylim
7:29
HerraincoBrand:
RT @jeremylim: I think my favorite quote from #3TYVR was, “You put on your pants everyday, but you don’t measure ROI on it.” Who said th … [via Twitter]
Yes! RT @Lahey13: This is going down as 1 of the finest #3TYVR events I’ve seen. @cc_chapman is quite the animated speaker w/ great advice. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:33 tbains
7:33
jason_baker:
RT @lmatecha: Best quote of the night at #3tyvr re tweeting: ‘karma is a bitch’ Be careful of what you say. [via Twitter]
@raincoaster yes on over-sold but keep it content related & it can build a twitter following. #3TYVR[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:34 photodreamz
7:34
Raul:
Anybody can take a picture, not everybody can take a photograph. There’s a time and place. Just don’t assume that because you can create stuff that you shouldn’t outsource. SO DAMN TRUE ^rpv
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:34 Raul
7:34
raincoaster:
RT @tbains RT @Lahey13: 1 of the finest #3TYVR events I’ve seen. @cc_chapman is quite the animated speaker w/ great advice. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:34 raincoaster
7:35
rahelab:
#3tyvr#contentrules outsourcing content is OK but use a professional to keep the quality up. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:35 rahelab
7:35
thornley:
RT @Lahey13: This is going down as one of the finest #3TYVR events I’ve seen. @cc_chapman is quite the animated speaker w/ great advice. … [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:35 thornley
7:35
tbains:
@raincoaster yup. I’ve seen it with social activism too but that’s not community. It’s just gaming the system. Empty. #3ryvr#contentrules[via Twitter]
Quality & engagement RT @buizachristina: Big Twitter question: Quality or Quantity? Which one gets you more followers? #3TYVR#ContentRules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:42 jason_baker
7:43
CoreyDilley:
Disagreed with @cc_chapman about 1 thing – start with the objective, not the strategy. #contentrules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:43 CoreyDilley
7:43
Raul:
Once you have it, it takes a lot of work to keep it (it’s like a child/baby). Set aside the time, resources, etc.
Q should be: Which 1 gets u QUALITY followers RT @buizachristina Quality or Quantity? Which one gets u more followers? #3TYVR#ContentRules[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:45 KevinJagger
7:47
jeremylim:
Quality! RT @KevinJagger: Which 1 gets u QUALITY followers RT @buizachristina Quality or Quantity? Which one gets u more followers? #3TYVR[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:47 jeremylim
7:47
Raul:
ok, I need to stop the liveblog right now as I’ve been tethering for a while, so I hope you enjoyed it!
Well said Raul! RT @hummingbird604@buizachristina Why care about # of followers? Should be quality of followers, not the quantity #3TYVR [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:49 buizachristina
7:50
lmatecha:
Totally agree with #3tyvr Learn by doing with social media is the only way. I’ve been saying that for about five yrs. [via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:50 lmatecha
7:50
buizachristina:
That definitely sounds like a better question than the previous ones. RT @KevinJagger Q should be: Which 1 gets u QUALITY followers #3TYVR[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:50 buizachristina
7:51
misscheryltan:
There is nothing that says that you NEED to be on Facebook, Twitter etc. Do it if you want to and if it works for you @cc_chapman#3tyvr[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:51 misscheryltan
7:51
CrushMarketing:
RT @lmatecha: Tweeting for your business? ‘Make sure you’re listening!’ #3tyvr quote. [via Twitter]
If your client is going to have #SM make sure they have content to support it. 140 characters is not enough; it’s just a springboard #3TYVR[via Twitter]
Thursday January 20, 2011 7:53 MiriamShanny
7:55
rahelab:
#3tyvr#contentrules content killers: piss people off, delay responses, overeact, @ instead of DM. Think worst case, plan for it. [via Twitter]
@tbains I came and left! Missed you đ Was great topic speaker- content is king! #t3yvr#contentrules now @#roundhouse for youth vote disc [via Twitter]
Thx to all who tweeted about #3tyvr! SO upset I didn’t make it, but very appreciative of your play-by-plays. I’ll see CC at Confab 4 sure. [via Twitter]
Writing a book about water governance in Mexico while hosted by a LEED-designated hotel seems like a no-brainer, right? That’s why I am always amazed at Luba Plotnikoff’s wizardry: she completely understood what I was looking for when finding accommodations on Vancouver Island for my writing retreat.
The Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa in the capital city (Victoria, British Columbia) was simply spectacular, and the staff treated me like royalty. And not only me, EVERY guest. I talked to folks while I stayed there and they loved it.
Parkside is a sustainable resort hotel targeting LEEDÂŽ Platinum Certification. It features a 25-metre ozonated indoor pool, hot tub, spa, private movie theatre, fitness centre and rooftop gardens with sweeping views of the city and the Pacific Ocean.
The resort consists of 126 fully furnished designer suites in two independent seven- and eight-storey towers joined by a three-storey glass garden atrium. Parkside’s Discovery Centre features a complimentary iPad Bar.
Photo credit: Suzanne Teresa & Alec Watson. Used with permission from the Parkside Victoria.
Yes, this is what the kitchen looks like. My own iPhone photos don’t do justice (still, should you want to see them, they’re on Flickr) so I used theirs to illustrate my post.
Photo credit: Suzanne Teresa & Alec Watson. Used with permission from the Parkside Victoria.
And I slept in a bed like this
Photo credit: Suzanne Teresa & Alec Watson. Used with permission from the Parkside Victoria.
And the dining room and lounge are spectacular.
Photo credit: Suzanne Teresa & Alec Watson. Used with permission from the Parkside Victoria.
Overall, I would definitely recommend (very strongly) the Parkside Victoria. I just found out about a really inexpensive deal they have (for $99 per night), and for a writing project, it’s a very good option if you just want to get away (like I did) and focus on a project for a few days. And it has a number of sustainability features, so trust me, I really enjoy that element.
Disclosure: My stay at the Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa in Victoria was sponsored very generously by the hotel as part of my recent Vancouver Island writing retreat (which included stops in Victoria, Courtenay/Comox, Nanaimo and Parksville/Qualicum Beach). I covered every other single expense I incurred during this travel, including (but not limited to) breakfast, lunch, dinner and transportation (except when explicitly indicated). I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this blog entry is just to describe and document my experience at the resort. 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.
I considered not writing about Dine Out Vancouver (which takes place from January 24th to February 6th) as my relationship with Tourism Vancouver is not precisely stellar. But my readers take precedence over any sort of disagreement, so here are my picks for Dine Out Vancouver 2011 (I have also written about Dine Out Vancouver every year and I wasn’t about to stop doing it this year).
The first disclaimer: I have been invited to Dine Out previews at Charm Modern Thai and the entirety of the Glowbal Group restaurants. I have had dinner at Charm on my own dime before as well as the Glowbal Group so my suggestions are not biased by having been invited. The second disclaimer: I have not been invited to any other Dine Out previews. These are only my views from what I have tasted before.
Beachside Forno – My friend Phil is the general manager and I’ve been dying to try them out. I would just recommend them for the adventure, the decor (I’ve seen it in photos) and just because it’s in West Vancouver
The Charles Bar – I had a very good experience there for dinner, and in a return visit for Rebecca’s birthday, so I’d recommend them.
Chutney Villa – I haven’t checked the menu but it’s good Indian food. I’d go there again.
Kerkis Taverna – Absolutely. Greek food made with interest. Off the beaten path on 4th Avenue.
Pier 73 – I got invited to check it out once and I did enjoy it, I’d love to try it again. In Richmond, just FYI.
Sanafir and Society – I’ve dined at both restaurants on my own dime, and enjoyed the food. And the drinks are spectacular
Arms Reach Bistro: Without a doubt, one of the best restaurants in North Vancouver. And it’s Deep Cove. And it’s romantic. And the food is stellar.
Campagnolo: Man, this is comfort Italian food made the right way. I keep fond memories from this place from one night when I had dinner there with Anthony Nicalo. Fabulous. And off the beaten path as it’s on Main St. near the Skytrain.
Charm Modern Thai: Been there before, had also the Dine Out menu on a media preview. Stellar, and the service is very good.
Horizons: If it’s the same Horizons in Burnaby where JT and I spent one of the best Valentine’s Day ever, then it’s totally worth it. The menu looks delish.
Italian Kitchen: CB took me there for lunch and we had a spectacular time. I would love to return, and the pastas here are simply delish.
Maurya: I’m in absolute love with this place. Best Indian food I’ve had almost, this side of Vij’s and Rangoli. But I have very fond memories as my good friend Andy Peatling took me there for lunch before he left town. I’d recommend it.
Prestons: Went to the media opening, and then returned for two events. The food is good, and I’d definitely try it again. It’s off the beaten path in Coal Harbour, which is nice.
r.tl (Regional Tasting Lounge): I am in love with r.tl. Been there more than 3 times, and it brings me great memories as it marks my Friendaversary with Jason Sanders. Food is very innovative and well paired with wine and drinks.
Seasons in the Park: Went there for my good friend AF’s wedding and the service was spectacular. Besides, have you been to that restaurant? The view makes it worth it.
The Point: I’m surprised The Point is on the high-end or middle-of-the-ground list, as it’s a restaurant that has fabulous tapas (Mexican and Spanish) but it didn’t seem so expensive to me when I went. At any rate, worth checking out, on Commercial Drive.
Glowbal Grill: Most of the food I’ve had hereB has been lunch-style, but if I were to try it for dinner, I’d probably come for their Dine Out menu.
Bridges: It’s on Granville Island, it’s romantic, the food is stellar. What else is there to say. They had me at mojito.
Goldfish Kitchen: Totally. Goldfish has always been good to me, when I went and tried their set 3 courses menu, it was spectacular (I took JT with me and he liked it too).
Le Gavroche: Absolutely. This is a must-not-be-missed during Dine Out. JT took me there for my birthday and it was simply spectacular.
Q4 al Centro: I’ve had dinner at Q4 in Kitsilano and it was simply unbelievably good. I suspect Q4 al Centro is about equally good. I’d try their Dine Out menu on my dime.
The Observatory: This is one I have never tried, but if I were to spend $38 of my hard-earned money, I’d just try it for the view and the romantic scenery.
Potential (good) surprises might include La Terrazza, Le Bistro de Paris. I’m obviously open to others’ suggestions. I’ll be trying a few restaurants on Dine Out. But the above, I’ve already tried (with the exceptions noted), and those are my recommendations.
Disclosure: I have only been invited to (and attended) Charm Modern Bistro and the Glowbal Group restaurants’ group (which I am attending tonight). That said, as I mention above, I have eaten at all the restaurants mentioned (with 2 exceptions I’m curious about) and paid on my dime, so my opinion is unbiased. In any case, as all restaurants know, I retain editorial control on any review.
As you know, I’m a big supporter of the PuSh Festival 2011, and I recently attended the launch of the Vancouver 125 Anniversary celebrations, as well as the launch of the PuSh Festival. I have been given tickets to a wonderful triple-header that you may enjoy. Close at Hand 8pm / Inventions & Mysteries 9pm / The British Columbians 10pm – a triple header at Club PuSh, Friday Jan 28 – Performance Works.
Photo credit: Promotional material provided by PuSh Festival
Close At Hand 8pm
Tanya Podlozniuk, Tanya Marquardt, Caroline Liffmann and Billy Marchenski
Inspired by a picture of skeletons moshing at a death metal concert, a line of text from Samuel Beckett, and the Hall and Oates song âYou make my dreams come trueâ, Close at Hand is filled with games, songs, and improvised monologues, all rooted in the question, “what was your first experience of death?”
Most magicians spend a lifetime chasing the spotlight, Bro Gilbert has spent his hiding in the shadows. Bro Gilbert is a magician, writer and creative consultant who actively works behind the curtain with many of the best magicians in the world. For one night only he speaks about astonishment, performs mysteries invented by strange men in small rooms, reads your mind and influences an evening of spontaneous miracles
The British Columbians 10pm
In the spring of 2009, The British Columbians were first brought to the public’s attention when they were unanimously voted “Canada’s Best Undiscovered Band” by a virtual who’s who of the Canadian music industry.
Tickets for this event are $25, and it promises to be a fantastic show. You can check the rest of the lineup for the PuSh Festival here. To enter my giveaway, just drop a comment on this post telling me how long have you lived in Vancouver (or the Metro Vancouver area), just for history fun purposes. I’ll draw a random winner on January 26th, 2011 at 5:00pm.
On the first leg of my Vancouver Island book writing retreat, I made a quick stop in Nanaimo. Chelsea Barr from Destination Nanaimo invited me for dinner at The Diner’s Rendezvous the first night I arrived. Located in the Old Downtown Quarter (on Commercial Street), The Diner’s Rendezvous is a beautiful place with fantastic food and ambiance.
I ordered a Pasta San Jorge ($16, penne tossed with chorizo sausage in a sun dried tomato tapenade with fried capers & basil) which was incredibly flavourful and very filling. If you compare the price point and the quality I would say it’s at least as good as Q4 or Italian Kitchen, but a little less expensive. The Diner’s Rendezvous’ menu is varied and creative.
The decor is absolutely beautiful.
And the starry-ceiling is spectacular.
Overall, I strongly would recommend a visit to The Diner’s Rendezvous. It’s centrally located, the food is spectacular, the service is fantastic and the owner is an absolute sweetheart. Next time I am in Nanaimo I will definitely pay it a visit back.
Disclosure: My dinner was paid for by Chelsea Barr (Destination Nanaimo). I wasn’t paid to write this blog post, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this post just to describe my dinner experience at the restaurant. As with any review or complimentary post 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.
Blogging has been for me a labour of love. Sharing my story with the world for almost 5 years now has become so important to my life that I have committed to maintaining a full-time academic/consulting life and social media/blogging life. One of the bloggers I didn’t get to meet and wish I had is Eva Markvoort (a New Westminster blogger well known for her blog 65 Red Roses). Eva Markvoort passed away last March after a lifetime battle with cystic fibrosis. My good friend Kim Bowie is organizing a benefit concert at the Massey Theatre in New West on Feb 11th.
Headlining is Dan Mangan with the Zolas and Hannah Georgas as well as Corrina Corrina. All of them are doing it for free with all ticket sales going to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Eva’s name. Dan performed the closing track on Eva’s multiple award winning film, 65_RedRoses. Philip Lyall co-directed the film and he will be emceeing the event.
I have been given a pack of 4 tickets for the concert with additional perks. The bands have all agreed to meet the winners backstage and hang out with them. The winner of my giveaway will get 4 tickets, meet and greet with the bands and transportation to and from the event, plus signed stuff from the bands. To enter my giveaway, drop a comment on this blog post telling me about your favorite flower and/or color. I do know from what I have read that Eva’s favorite color was red (hence the title of her blog, 65 Red Roses). This is an amazing opportunity to see some spectacularly good musicians for a very good charitable cause and I would strongly encourage you to buy tickets to the concert. The link to the Facebook event is here.
You have until January 26th at 5pm to enter my giveaway. You can also earn an additional entry to the contest by tweeting the text below:
I want to win tickets to the 65 Red Roses concert from @hummingbird604. Support the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! http://is.gd/uK6AbG
These are by no means MY own reasons, but I find it funny how the stereotype is that we (educators/teachers/professors) have holidays during the summer. In fact, we don’t. For me, the summer season is when I get to do most of the fieldwork for my research projects. For others, it may be a holiday, but for me it isn’t. Still, I love this and that’s why I had to blog it.
Every time someone asks me whether I blog about art, I roll my eyes. If anybody has spent any time on my site, they will know I blog about all types of art – performing and fine arts. Thus I am always keen to showcase not only theatre productions, but more importantly, productions that are showcase a crossover of the performing and the fine arts. This is the case with My Name is Asher Lev, a lovely production that will be opening soon at the Pacific Thearte. Director: Morris Ertman. Featuring: Katharine Venour, Giovanni Mocibob, and Nathan Schmidt. My Name is Asher Lev will be playing Jan 28-Feb 26 Wed â Sat at 8pm with 2pm matinee on Saturday at Pacific Theatre, 1440 W 12th Ave.
I love that Pacific Theatre has this pay-what-you-can preview Jan 27. Artist talkback Friday, Feb 4. For tickets ($16.50-29.50, HST not incl.) call 604.731.5518 or buy tickets online. More on My Name is Asher Lev:
When a young Jewish prodigy paints The Brooklyn Crucifixions, the reaction of his Orthodox community forces a terrible decision â between family and vocation, between his love for God and his desperate need to make art. A poignant coming of age story, as intimate as a family dinner and as vast as a young manâs dreams. Heartbreaking, triumphant.
Pacific Theatre, with whom I have a long-standing collaborative relationship, has given me one pair of tickets to give away for Saturday January 29th at 8pm. To enter this contest, you can either drop a comment on this blog telling me about what type of art do you enjoy doing. You don’t need to be a full-blown artist, you may just like to sing, dance, do some theatre acting here and there, draw, something. You have until Wednesday January 26th at 5pm to enter my giveaway. You can also enter by retweeting this post, either from my own timeline or from the Pacific Theatre one. I will be searching all tweets until Wednesday January 26th.
It sounds like My Name is Asher Lev will be a lot of fun, and I hope I will be able to have a chance to check it out. Opening night is January 28th and I am hoping I will be there. You should get tickets to this play soon!
As I mentioned in my review of the Backstreet Pub, Royston is where the Kingfisher Oceanside Spa and Suites is. And it’s just a few kilometres away from Courtenay and Comox. I did not know that. I did not expect that the Kingfisher would be a bit further down the road from Courtenay. Whenever I undertake a trip organized by my good friend Luba Plotnikoff, I just go with it, rarely ask any questions – I trust her THAT much.
Luba is an expert in the travel PR business and has a number of client properties in Vancouver Island. I am grateful Luba arranged for an invitation from the Kingfisher to stay with them and write part of my book there. The Kingfisher is just slightly out of the way (if you have a car, it is a minimal distance, less than 10 minutes by car from the Courtenay-Comox bridge), but it is just the right amount of “far away”. Frankly it was like a little slice of oceanside paradise.
Staying at the Kingfisher allowed me to concentrate on writing my water governance book rather than seek to go out on the town as I normally would be tempted to do. You can read my travel-related posts here. Writing my book was the goal of this trip to Vancouver Island, so it worked out perfectly.
The Kingfisher suite I stayed at was bigger than my own apartment! And so well distributed – I also liked the French doors, and the distribution and layout of the suite. You don’t have to spend a lot of money while having an extended stay, as the suite has a full-sized kitchen with microwave, coffee maker, electric stove. That was something I really liked because I know that if my readers were to visit, they’d probably want to find ways to save money.
Even better? It comes with a wall-mounted bed, so you could have easily up to 4-5 people comfortably staying in the suite (okay, maybe 5 would be pushing it a bit too much). But a family or group of friends? Not a problem.
Overall, I really loved staying at the Kingfisher, not only because of the spa and the fabulous suite, and the oceanside views, but because it provided me a much needed respite to focus on my writing. I’ll definitely come back and have another extended stay (this time, on my own dime!). Most likely, with my Mom this summer so that she can come and finish her own book.
Disclosure: My stay at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa in Royston/Courtenay was sponsored very generously by the hotel as part of my recent Vancouver Island writing retreat (which included stops in Victoria, Courtenay/Comox, Nanaimo and Parksville/Qualicum Beach). I covered every other single expense I incurred during this travel, including (but not limited to) breakfast, lunch, dinner and transportation (except when explicitly indicated). I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this blog entry is just to describe and document my experience at the resort. 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.
You may remember that last year I reviewed the Hewlett Packard HP Photosmart Premium C309 All-In-One Printer. I recently published a third post indicating that I finally figured out how to scan-to-PDF using the USB wired connection to the printer. And you may or may not know this, but I’ve been a fan of Hewlett Packard for decades. Most of the stuff I have bought (and all of my printers, so far) have been HP.
HP Canada has been kind enough to offer a lucky reader of mine a chance to win an HP Mini 210 (the actual code for this netbook is HP Mini 210-2090CA). My contest is particularly relevant in light of the recent opening of the HP store in Vancouver (I attended the launch a few weeks ago). I requested a few relevant facts on the HP Store|Vancouver:
The HP Store|Vancouver is HPâs first retail store in Canada. Located at 1162 Alberni Street in Vancouver, British Columbia, it opened on December 3rd, 2010 and is operated in collaboration with B.C.-based MarkR Management Inc., an IT Management Solutions Company. HP Store Employees will be sporting Uniforms Made in Canada. The organic HP Store uniform tops are created by Mark Trotzuk, a Vancouver native who has raised the bar for environmentally responsible clothing in North America. Customers will take their new purchases home in HP Store Bags made from 50% recycled materials (pre-consumer and post-consumer waste). The HP Store Bags are 100% recyclable.
I have yet to visit the HP|Vancouver store but I plan to make the trek soon, probably to check out the HP Mini 210 which I am now giving away. I particularly loved the sleek design and the red colour. Crazy but true: even as a geek, I’m all about the fashion and style.
Prepare to be noticed when you take this netbook out on the town. Small, slim and stylish, the HP Mini 210 lets you surf the web, stay connected, and be entertained wherever you go. Amp up the fun by playing videos and music or showing off your photos. Exclusive, integrated software keeps you in sync with your life by letting you e-mail, chat, and instantly access your files even when youâre away from your main PC.
Environmental elements of the Mini 210-2090CA
As a leader in environmental responsibility, HP is committed to reducing our impact on the earth. Renew, recycle, rethink with HP.
⢠ENERGY STARŽ qualified and EPEATŽ Silver registered(1)
⢠Mercury-free LED display with arsenic-free display glass
⢠Delivered exclusively by SmartWay logistics partners
⢠Free recycling of your old computer hardware
(1) EPEAT registered where applicable/supported. See epeat.net for registration status by country. Please recycle
For a chance to enter my giveaway, comment on this post and tell me how having a netbook would impact your work day. Would you use it on the Canada Line enroute to work? Would you go away for an extended holiday and take it with you? What use would you give it?
As usual, for an additional entry (e.g. on top of the comment entry, you can earn a second entry into my giveaway) by sharing the sample tweet below with your Twitter followers.
Entered to win a HP Mini 210 Netbook from @hummingbird604 and HP Canada â read how I will use it if I win! http://is.gd/KFnErt
I will draw the winner of this giveaway on Monday January 24th at 5pm. Good luck everyone!
You may wonder “so, where exactly is Royston”. Well, Royston is where the Kingfisher Oceanside Spa and Suites is. And it’s just a few kilometres away from Courtenay and Comox. I did not know that. But I am glad I did not because it gave me an option to explore areas that I did not know very well before. During my stay at the Kingfisher I had dinner and breakfast there (posts forthcoming) but I wanted to check out any local pubs.
Well, there’s NOT a lot of local within walking distance of the Kingfisher, BUT there is a little market AND a pub. And you know me, I’m all about promoting the local guy, the unknown, the “dark horse”. So I ventured to the Backstreet Pub and was NOT disappointed. It was fun to see a local pub very well visited by local patrons. The Backstreet Pub offers traditional pub fare, but tasty and at somewhat wildly reasonable prices.
I ordered soup and a burger, simply because those are relatively safe options for lunch. The soup was very good and the service was impeccable. There’s also an ATM machine on site but they do take credit cards. It’s always nice to see local, small pubs thrive even when they look somewhat out of the beaten path. Next time I’m in Courtenay, regardless of whether I stay, I visit the Backstreet Pub at least once.
I know that The Green Hornet got mixed reviews from a number of media outlets and I quite frankly don’t quite understand why. The thing is, unless you followed The Green Hornet’s mythology and history, you probably wouldn’t get much of what the movie is all about. Yes, it is self-contained. But the great thing about what Seth Rogen did with this movie is – it showed you the history of The Green Hornet AS WE KNEW IT. As we heard it (if you listened to the radio show) or as we saw it (I saw re-runs in my childhood).
I thoroughly enjoyed this remake because it stayed as true to the story of The Green Hornet as humanly possible, from what I can see. For those of you who didn’t see The Green Hornet show in your childhood, Britt Reid is a millionaire heir to a publishing empire (The Daily Sentinel). Reid’s father (founder and editor ) is found killed one day and Reid is left with leading the newspaper. In a city dominated by a gang overlord (watch for a fabulous cameo by James Franco, who apparently has become great friends with Seth Rogen), Reid becomes (rather accidentally and only thanks to his father’s former trusty aide, martial arts expert and tech geek Kato) The Green Hornet. Posing as criminals, The Green Hornet and Kato turn the city upside down and become its protectors with their rather unorthodox methods.
And the music – I LOVED IT. Despite the fact that the original theme is only played for about 30 seconds, the rest of the musical score is very enjoyable, powerful and filled with action themes. The original Green Hornet theme was a variation of the Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov (my brothers played Flight of the Bumblebee on the piano, so there are a number of additional sentimental connections to this movie). You can hear the original Green Hornet theme in the soundtrack of Kill Bill.
Of course, if you were expecting any seriousness in this movie, you’re expecting too much. The Green Hornet is a movie that you should go and see simply to spend 2 hours watching a mindless action flick (that, let me add, did NOT need 3D). I had an opportunity to see it at the Rio Theatre on Commercial and it was a lot of fun.
My dislike for Facebook and its continuous campaign to continue erosion of privacy is well known in the social media circles in Canada and worldwide. I’ve written about Facebook extensively here on my site. Regardless of my reluctance to put much effort into this particular social networking platform, it’s widespread use is well known and I finally caved and created a Facebook page for Hummingbird604.com, my blog.
While I have a Facebook page for my academic activities, I had always been on the fence on whether I wanted to have a Facebook page for my blog. I finally caved, but decided to do two things differently. First, I published it on a Saturday night after 11pm, when not many people would be online. Second, I didn’t blast it to my friends “Raul liked this page and thought you should like it too”.
Guacira Naves and Tod Maffin (very good friends of mine both) recently wrote blog posts about growing organically a Facebook page. In the case of Hummingbird604.com’s Facebook page, I am using a non-invasive approach, without blasting it to my networks. Primarily it’s another avenue of engagement. And ultimately, I want to draw my Facebook traffic to MY BLOG – I don’t want Facebook to get more unique visitors from me.
On the Facebook side of things, I also will (eventually, when it comes to my mind and I have enough concentration to do it) set up the “Facebook like” plugin too. Right now, it’s not my major priority. My book is!
Anybody who tells you that they are multi-tasking is lying to you. And if you think you are multi-tasking, you’re lying to yourself too. You are not multi-tasking, you are cross-tasking (and it’s wrong). And I’m here to tell you why. A couple of nights ago, I was staying late at my office at The Network Hub and I had to submit two academic abstracts before midnight. Normally, like any other Multi-tasker Addict I would jump back and forth or other tasks.
This back-and-forth, come-and-go, activity has done for me but distract me and slow me down. And I’m shifting my own behaviour and training myself to just stay focused. This is very, very hard. Despite the fact that I have a PhD, I’ve always been a hummingbird at heart. My attention spans are very short. But I’m working to my strengths and you could too.
You’ll see, when you think that I am publishing a lot of tweets, it’s in fact (most likely), a number of tweets I’ve already pre-scheduled to go live. When you see me retweet stuff from people, it’s me concentrated on the task of sharing interesting stuff to my readers while I commute on the bus.
I have been working the discipline of just focusing on ONE task at hand, instead of cross-tasking. Just in the same way Heisenberg’s Principle applies and two bodies can’t occupy the same space at the same time, your brain can’t really be in two places at the same time either.
My friend Pete Quily is an ADHD Coach (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and he has suggested through all the years he’s known me (we became friends as he is also a blogger and I’m the organizer of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup and we see each other at events) that I need to focus on one task at hand. And it’s working.
For example, while I knew in my head that I had to reply to about 6 emails, I decided to just sit down and go through and finish this blog post Even if that means that I have to write down on my notebook “do not forget to respond to X email”, writing the task down leaves my brain space clear from clutter and allows me to focus on the task at hand.
And no, I don’t read self-help books, so this tip did not come from Getting Things Done or any of those books. I eschew those books. I write about my experiences and share productivity tips primarily because that’s how I make MY life work the way it does. And I think these productivity tips might be of use to you too.
I wake up at 4:45am every morning, with regularity. This wake-up time is routine except on very rare occasions when my schedule gets a bit screwed due to unexpected circumstances. The first thing I do is set up my coffee maker, pack my bag and head to the gym. If I have some time before hitting the gym, I schedule some tweets or approve comments (or I read). Some of you have asked me why I keep waking up “at Death O’Clock” Why waking up at 4:45am is smart? Because Peter Shankman said so.
I have been waking up earlier and earlier as I made my own commitment in the past couple of years to maintaining a full-time social media life simultaneously and in synchronism with my academic and consulting life. I don’t want to quit either, so I cram a lot more in the day. As I read Peter’s points, I patted myself in the back “yes, yes, YES. I do ALL of these”. I felt incredibly validated
But this post is not an exercise in self-glorification. It’s a personal self-reflection on the fact that, almost no idea is new. My *brilliant idea* of waking up earlier and earlier and exercise, do my social media, read and work before anybody else is awake is not new. Peter Shankman blogged about it. And I’m sure others have too.
While many, many of my very good friends do yoga on a regular basis (JT included), I don’t seem to be very good at catching the “yoga” bug. I do cardio (run/elliptical/cross-fit and frequently swim) every morning but yoga seems to elude me. My Mom is a yoga practitioneer (that’s how she quit smoking), and I have always been curious to know how people become so enamoured with it.
The 2011 Western Canadian Hatha Yoga Championships aim to demonstrate and educate the general public as to the benefits of yoga. All funds from the event send the top two champions, male and female, Youth and Adult categories to Los Angeles in June 2011 to represent Canada at the World Hatha Yoga Championships.
The 2011 Western Canadian Hatha Yoga Championship is from noon to 4 pm on January 22, 2011 at the South Hall (8273 Ross Street, Vancouver, BC). Adult tickets can be purchased online, early-bird tickets $10 (until January 17); afterward and at the door $15. Children 12 and under are free.
Special Guests will include: Ida Ripley, Six-Time Canadian Champion; and Mari Dickey, 2010 Western Canadian Hatha Yoga Champion. Judges: Cynthia Wehr, 2007 US & World Yoga Champion; Brad Colwell, President of Canadian Yoga Federation; Lisa Ingle & Michael Harris, US National Judges. Event Master of Ceremonies: Craig Villani, Principal Teacher for Bikrams Teacher Training in Los Angeles.
For a chance to win a pair of tickets to attend the championships (I have two sets) you can just tell me either in the comments section or on Twitter if you have ever tried yoga, and how did it go? I will fully confess I have never really tried yoga. But I may have to, this year! I will compile all entries on Twitter and via comment on this blog and draw a winner on January 20th at 5pm. I will announce the winner here so check this post (if you have a Twitter account, please include it with your name and I’ll inform you that route).
Nanaimo (“The Harbour City” as its motto indicates) is a little bit of a perplexing city for me. It’s a point of entry towards the central and even northern part of Vancouver Island. It’s a rather important port. It’s the city you have to go through when you want to go to Parksville and Qualicum Beach, Courtenay/Comox. Yet for some reason, I had never really paid much attention to it, until recently. And I’m very glad I have.
During my water governance book writing retreat in Vancouver Island this past December, I had to go through Nanaimo to go to Parksville and Courtenay. I had been to Nanaimo before on a little bit of a working trip, and buzzed in-and-out every time I went to visit Parksville, but this time, I spent a couple of days just touring the city, and learning more about The Harbour City from one of the best representatives of their city, Chelsea Barr (who works for Destination Nanaimo). On the way in, I stayed at the Coast Bastion Hotel and on the way back at the Best Western Dorchester Hotel.
Incorporated as a town in 1874, and originally a coal mining town, Nanaimo flourished and so did a number of other industries. The first settlements of English families gave way to the beginnings of a community. As noted in their historical overview:
Fishing, logging, lumber milling, sandstone quarrying and transport industries were all developed. Communities were forming around Nanaimo as other coal deposits were discovered and worked. The Wellington Mine, for example, was opened in 1869 by Robert Dunsmuir. He built a rough railway from Wellington to Departure Bay to ship his coal. In 1886, the E & N Railway, also built by Dunsmuir, provided the first land route between Nanaimo and Victoria.
What I found incredibly fascinating is that in the Old City Quarter, some businesses are nestled in actual old-style houses. Like Delicado’s in this photo. I’m always extremely fond of this mixture of local business and housing. Like I wrote on my post on the economic geography of the lower West End, remember that one?
I had the opportunity during my visit (and delight, may I add) to take the train from Nanaimo up island to the Comox Valley, although I really want to take it all the way from Victoria to Courtenay. In the next couple of weeks I will have more posts about Nanaimo, Courtenay and all the other destinations I hit during my writing retreat. You can read all those here.
There are many, many reasons why I love Canada. Its progressive attitude towards same-sex marriage is one of them. Today we celebrate a decade of one of the most important wins in the field of human rights: the right to express love regardless of sexual orientation in the form of a marriage. I’m thrilled Canada is already celebrating this decade, and can’t wait until the United States of America and many other countries follow suit. Even Mexico City has recognized same-sex marriages, a staunchingly conservative Catholic country! Time to move forward with our societal understanding of what love means.
Congratulations, Canadian-married (aka on Canadian soil) queer folks, and kudos to you progressive Canadians!
You may have read my reviews of the HP PhotoSmart Premium C309 last year (read Part 1 and Part 2) . I kept the printer (as per Hewlett Packard Canada’s offer) and I was very disappointed with the fact that I could not scan-to-PDF wirelessly. I don’t know why this problem happens, but I can tell you one thing – I found out how to scan-to-PDF completely seamlessly and that’s why I am writing this blog post. Just connect the printer to your laptop/desktop computer via USB (you will need a long-enough cable or a USB-to-USB cable so that you can connect them).
After I set up the printer drivers (I can’t recall if the software does it on its own, but I do recall that it was an absolutely painless process), I started testing whether I could print (which I could). To print via the USB, you’ll have to choose from your list of printers HP PhotoSmart C309 Copy 1 (USB).
When I tested scan-to-PDF, I simply located the document I wanted to scan and then used the control panel (there’s four options on your LCD screen, you can choose “Scan” and then “To Computer” and then “To PDF”), and then press OK. The printer scanned it really fast and it saved it in My Documents / My Scans. It was a really painless process, and I think that this printer has become about 6 times more useful now that I can actually print easily and scan-to-PDF.
I know that one of the major selling points is the wireless attribute for most wireless printers, but frankly I don’t know why I would want to set it up wireless when I am mostly at my desk all day (except, of course, when I have meetings with clients or students, or when I teach). At any rate, most of the problems I manifested with the HP PhotoSmart Premium C309 disappeared once I connected the printer to my laptop via USB. Maybe not worth a full blog post, but hey, small discoveries and pleasures in life! Also, I hope this post is useful for those who are struggling with the wireless connection.
I wrote a review of the HP PhotoSmart Premium Fax Series C309 (read Part 1 and Part 2) as part of a blogger relations program by Hill & Knowlton on behalf of their client HP Canada. I kept the printer as HP Canada made it clear that I could keep the printer should I desire to do so (I have bought the ink cartridges and paper supplies on my own dime, though). In any review I write, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions or should your company want to send me a product for review, feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
I’m at Third Tuesday Vancouver (#3tyvr) liveblogging C.C. Chapman’s Content Rules talk. You can have your tweets integrated by using the hashtags #contentrules and #3tyvr