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Great site with lots of tutorials on internet video.
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Posts from October 2008
Interesting Vancouver Is Happening October 24
I first read about Interesting just after getting back from TED in 2007. Russell Davies decided that instead of spending his TED money on TED, he'd do something for the community:
The TED conference has just finished in Monterery. Sounds like a fantastic lot of speakers. I was lucky enough to go last year and I'd put aside the money to go again this year. But, a while ago, it occurred to me that I could take that money and we could maybe organise a conference of our own here in the UK, which might be even more interesting. Or at least easier to get to.
So this is the plan:
The plan is to have all sorts of speakers speak about all sorts of stuff. Not brands, advertising, blogging and twitter but interesting, unexpected, original things. I'm hoping to find fascinating people and to just ask them to speak about something they care about. I want to replicate the experience of clicking from one really good blog to another, ranging across sciences, arts, musics, jokes and whatever. There will be 20 minute slots and 3 minute slots. Some people will play music or sing. And some people who can't be there will be asked to send three minute videos. Perhaps. I reckon we can squeeze a lot of interestingness into a day. And then have a party afterwards.
Well, Interesting has taken off. There have been five since the inaugural one in London last summer. And the sixth Interesting will be happening in Vancouver on October 24. Brett MacFarlane initiated the idea and with a small team of enthusiasts is bringing it to life.
I love the idea of Interesting. A collection of interesting people talking for a 20 minute or a 3 minute slot about something they are passionate about.
I also like that it isn't a typical unconference. And I especially like the fact that it isn't free (even for speakers and organizers). It's $20 for 3+ hours of Interesting - which is a pretty darn good deal.
There are still tickets available - so do yourself a favour and sign up for a small dose of Interesting!
Oh yes, it's Catmas!
I don't know if anyone is celebrating Catmas this year, but I'm a fan, so I will celebrate it quietly. Happy Catmas, everyone!
What is Catmas? Joey deVilla says ...
Back around the fall of 2003, Ross and I wanted to come up with a little event to commemorate the launch of Blogware, the software with which our blogs (and this blog) are built. It didn't take long for us to settle on "Post a Picture of a Cat to Your Blog Day", an unwieldy title that refers to the cliche that bloggers always post pictures of their cat on their blogs. The day took place on Friday, October 3rd, 2003 and enough blogs participated for us to call it a success. From that day forth, we declared that the first Friday in October would be the official day on which you should partake in that most bloggy of blog activities: posting a picture of a cat on your blog.
The following year, we gave the day a pithier name: BlogACatMas, and more people participated. By 2005, BlogACatMas had caught the attention of the Canadian national newspaper, the Globe and Mail, which made mention of our holiday in an article titled The Truth About Cats and Blogs.
There isn't a post about Catmas 2008 up on their blog, but that's OK. Catmas 2008 Lives! We'll keep the torch lit this year. And I look for a resurgence of Catmas in 2009!!
Launched: ShareSavvy.ca, Canadian City Guide for Moms (client plug)
Recently, SavvyMom.ca [Sarah and Minnow's blog] (a client of mine) launched ShareSavvy.ca - a community where moms can share local resource recommendations. So, their favourite restaurants, kid-friendly stores or professionals. Moms can also ask questions and get answers/recommendations.
I'm a fan for a few reasons. Personally, I think hyper-local is in. And these aren't just city-based recommendations, but neighbourhood-based recommendations. So, I can find a stroller-friendly coffeeshop in the Beaches in Toronto or in Kitslano in Vancouver.
Secondly, SavvyShare.ca is a perfect resource for families who are traveling to cities they aren't familiar with. Want to know what you and your kids can do while you're visiting Edmonton - check it out on ShareSavvy.ca.
Finally, it's not just for moms (shhh ...). I'm not a mom, but I found this awesome party spa service here in Vancouver.
Launching ShareSavvy.ca
The launch of ShareSavvy.ca was a soft-launch with some ongoing social media activities and blogger outreach. One of the pieces that I was most excited about was the social media release that SavvyMom created. The SMR as a tool is still evolving (and should, ultimately, evolve into a digital press room), but there were a couple of interesting elements in this one. First, we did a Twitter summary. The idea was first suggested in a post by Jeremiah Owyang (further riffed on by Todd Defren) offering his thoughts on SMRs. This was the summary:
Just launched for Canadian Moms! Share your neighbourhood favs and trusted mom resources at ShareSavvy.ca http://is.gd/2xnQ.
As you can imagine, it was met with some skepticism by the socmed folks on Twitter. Legitimately, the question was raised about whether or not anyone would use it. To date, I don't think anyone has; however, that, for me anyway, was not the only goal. It was a good writing exercise to get the summary of the launch and a link into 140 characters. And having it, as well as other multi-media chunks, has shaped how we think about the content we provide to the people we'd like to have write stories about us.
A Contest - Win A Range or Groceries
And for those of you who are inclined to write a review or two of your favourite local resources ... there is a contest happening right now on ShareSavvy.ca. For every review you write, you receive an entry into a draw for either a Whirlpool Gold ® Free-Standing Range worth $1599 courtesy of Whirlpool® Home Appliances or $500 worth of groceries courtesy of President’s Choice. You can sign up over at ShareSavvy.ca.
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Smaller Bites
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