Category Archives: Vancouver

Last Chance For VinoCamp CheeseCamp Tickets

Posted by Megan on August 4, 2009 No comments

vinocamp cheesecamp
[Update: Wow! What a day – from all accounts, everyone had an amazing time, plenty of wine and cheese was had by all, we learned a ton, met new people and enjoyed a civilized ad-hoc afternoon. Thanks to all of our sponsors – check the Flickr Pool for photos of our day (thanks to one of Vancouver’s best photographers), our Tweets and tags and hash tags #vinocamp and #vccc09 for all the updates. Thank-you to everyone who helped (especially the MAG team) and to all of our speakers and participants. See you next year…]

There just might be RAIN this Saturday in Vancouver. We need it. But even if it doesn’t rain, I say after all of this heat wave, it’s the perfect timing for the perfect pairing and staying inside to taste (drink) fine wines, eat delectable cheeses, learn from the best in the business and, if you are so inclined on the “geekery” side of things, going tech with what you are taking in – blogging, flickring, tweeting all of your new wine and cheese knowledge and experiences, all day.
Check out the line-up of amazing Speakers and the Schedule and Sessions – including a few lightening talks in the breaks and a Live Twitter Tasting with Stag’s Hallow.

Hope to see you there – Keynote with Dr. Donna Senese begins at 12:30pm.

Follow @vinocampvan
Official Tags: vccc09 | vinocampvan09 | vinocamp | cheesecamp

Chicks Who Click: In Vancouver!

Posted by Megan on June 18, 2009 No comments

~~EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS TOMORROW!~~ JUST GO AND REGISTER NOW

OK Vancouver: This new conference, born out of Boulder, Colorado (in case you didn’t know, a tech hub you need to get to know) is hitting a mere FIVE cities across the continent on tour this year and Vancouver is the ONLY Canadian stop! Take advantage of these precious 1.5 days with ladies who tech, Chicks Who Click. (The other gender is of course most welcome. I like the reverse odds for you guys, kinda like a BlogHer – and to all the dudes out there: you will like these odds. And… for those of you with women as your target market, or if you need the support of or want to connect with the top female social media evangelists, this is a not-to-be-missed 2009 event.)

Want to be enpowered? Want to participate at a tech event surrounded by your peers – brilliant and fabulous women? You need to read all about it here and then register now and join us on June 26th and be the chick who clicks that you really are, or at least, be inspired by some great insight, conversation and practical knowledge.

I am speaking on a panel with Victoria Revay (skyping in live from Nunavut – totally random, completely awesome) and with the lovely Alex Samuel from Social Signal. We’re speaking about women in tech entrepreneurship, the glass ceiling that’s still relevant, or is it?, being in the Tech Startup land Dude-Fest, the challenges, the differences, the advice given, good and bad, the path, good and bad, the successes, the inspirations, everything we’ve learned as female entrepreneurs in technology – we want to pass it all along and start a smart and healthy conversation around it.

Erica at Ahimsa did a great little post on CWC last week and nicely broke it down for you.

See you next weekend!

Quick Links:
Follow the Conference on Twitter and tag all of your content #CWC09
Follow Denise Smith (organizer) on Twitter @Deetells
Become a fan on Facebook
Read the CWC Blog at chickswhoclickblog.net

Vancouver Digital Week – Get Involved.

Posted by Megan on April 27, 2009 1 comment

Yet another example of how Vancouver is a Digital Media Mecca: Vancouver Digital Week May 11 – 14 / 09.
Sign up, join the convo, submit your company for Pop Vox. Here are a few channels to get you into the mix and a lovely little vid from our friends and yours at Giant Ant from last years Digi week:
VanDigWeek Twitter
PopVoxAwards Twitter
Submit to PopVox
All of your Van Digi Week INFO
IPF

Setting Your Alarm Clock To Drink Wine

Posted by Megan on August 16, 2008 No comments

It’s 10:45am. I am tasting my first wine: a Sauvignon Blanc from Wild Horse Canyon – yes.

VinoCamp has commenced… the day started with a pick-up at 8:15 of fellow comrade committee guy, Boris, where the joke of setting your alarm clock to get up and have a day full of wine first got its legs (thank-you to the man/driver on this morning, who never fails to supply me with all my material).

We are in the beautiful Botanical Gardens at UBC, thankfully in a shady, breezy room on what is supposed to be a hot 33 degrees summer Saturday. Everyone has arrived in one shape or another, they have collected a fancy Riedel wine glass for keeps, a lovely bag of truffles each, a beautiful program and lunch menu (well done Lori) and we are deep into the Okanagan Valley region as Kathy Malone (from our major sponsor the Artisan Wine Co.) takes us from the Island, over the Pacific and through to the Interior of BC so we’re all better equipped with the knowledge of the BC wine Regions.

This is already a great day and we’re only into tasting one. Let it be known: I really don’t mind drinking wine before breakfast.

Our sponsors are fantastic – Cheers to you all for making the inaugural day happen:
Artisan Wine Co. / Puddifoot.com / Riedel / Taylor Hill / Kitsilano.ca / Techvibes / Miss 604 / Joeys / Farmstead / The Player’s Chophouse / Blue Water Cafe / The Cascade Room / Unwined / Trattoria / Habit.

~~(more links later people – I gotta drink some vino!)~~ Mostly done.

flickr pics here!

Wine Tasting On A Whole New Level

Posted by Megan on July 23, 2008 1 comment

What more do you want than a whole summer’s day set aside for wine tasting, a Mediterranean spread, wine learning from some of best wine-makers and minds in the country, all the while surrounded by a quiet, lush setting at Vancouver’s Botanical Gardens. Enter VinoCamp.

What exactly is Vinocamp?

This is definitely not the wine festival. In a more unstructured form than a standard conference, VinoCampVancouver brings wine, people and technology together in one place, making wine accessible, educational and fun.

VinoCamp was inspired by techy-turned-wine-o expert Lori Pike. There is a small crew of us helping to piece this together, but we could definitely use some help, outreach, link love, spread the love… This event is fast approaching and tickets are selling – register now to reserve your place as there is not a ton of room on this bill.

When: Saturday, August 16th — 10am To until the last bottle is drip-dry.

The speaker list is building and includes the likes of Brad Cooper, Wine Maker at Township 7 and Wine Maker Kathy Malone from one of the major sponsors, the Artisan Wine Co.

If you want to help, we’re still on the hunt for more sponsors, speaker suggestions and people to help on the day as well.

Also:
Facebook Group
Facebook Event Page

This is going to be an amazing day of fine wines, delectable foods and promised sunshine – don’t miss out. Dare I say it? – Summer is closing in and it’ll be gone before we know it! More vino please.

VIDFEST Back On Granville Island

Posted by Megan on May 23, 2008 1 comment

Not to knock any of the content, speakers, sessions, people I met, old friends I enjoyed seeing again, but I just have to say: thank-you VIDFEST for coming back to Granville Island this year. It’s one of the reasons why I think this conference is *extra* special. That, and the lack of the ocean of glowing blue bodies in the crowd from laptop monitor blasts and yes, more WOMEN! Fellas, wasn’t that nice? Lots of lovely ladies at VIDFEST. It’s a nice switch from the usual 10 to 20 per cent of the crowd that’s wearing a bra (or so I assume).

Best quote: “There are more people online than there are people in the world.” Grant McCracken (excellent name, btw)
Most shocking note: OMG – Impact Research spent what?! $150 THOUSAND dollars on a Facebook application campaign and got a mere 7,000 installs. Did I hear that right? Ouch.
Most enjoyable: The locale, the sun and the zu crew, what little there was for visiting hours.
Best new experience: Listening to Chris Anderson while watching him move around the stage in that slick, black suit.

I do have to duck out of VIDFEST early this year – the festival is still happening as I write. But I have a Slumber Queen to catch and a 3-day music festival that is rivaled by very little. Sorry VIDFEST, Michael Stipe and The Cure win this time around.

Follow the rounds of the festival over the last few days on twemes to get a snippet of all that shook down.

VIDFEST: 2008 Coverage

Posted by Megan on May 21, 2008 1 comment

I am quite certain there will be a decent amount of coverage on this year’s VIDFEST across the various channels.

Starting with the mobile, check out cellmap for mapping out your whereabouts and getting VIDFEST right onto your cell.

Moving into the internets (slash mobile to some extent), you can keep up with various bloggers and writers on the VIDFEST blog, or you’ll likely find VIDFEST coverage here here here here and here here here, and no doubt many others.

If you’re Twittering, don’t forget the tweme hash mark like so “#vidfest” for your fellow tweeters tweeting to follow and, uhm, tweet back? (what exactly is the correct cyber name for these bloody things? I stopped paying attention to all of the cute online naming conventions.)

I think you can still register… perhaps – even if it is just for one day or feature.

Enjoy the show!

Up For A Yoga Challenge, Or Rather, Adding Some Structure?

Posted by Megan on May 19, 2008 4 comments

I decided to do this Yoga Challenge thing. I bought a pass at Semperviva last fall for 3 months and really enjoyed my (mostly) daily practice (Cameron rocks). I signed up to be on their mailing list. I don’t particularly like mailing lists and avoid them at all costs, but I figured getting a peaceful reminder of what yoga has to offer me this month is a lovely item to have in my inbox every so often. I got one of their notes last week about a 40-day yoga challenge and I thought I could use a bit of that. I’m on day six and so far, so good. My body hasn’t magically transformed, not even a pinch, but I feel absolutely fantastic.

I enjoy Yoga. I used to do more of it and have found myself wishing as of late that I did more of it – isn’t that always the way with the practices and exercises we all know will make us feel better in the end? That’s one reason for starting this Challenge thing: I want to do more. Or is it: I need more structure?

I lived in LA 10 years ago for just shy of a year and practiced yoga almost every day (you kind of have to in order to survive that town). That was when I realized that taking an hour out each day is a really good thing. Then running became my daily meditation, and still is on some days. I am one of those people who loves running. The amazing shot of endorphins is one reason, getting in great shape is another, setting a goal and reaching it to run a marathon is another. But more than anything I think it is the structure I crave. It definitely feels good to have a daily physical regime. I think it’s important to take time out, even though I don’t do it nearly enough and I am guessing not a lot of people do. If you all do, please tell me your rhyme or reason in how you do it and how you keep up! It’s not enough for me to just say, “I’m going to exercise every day this week”. I need a goal and I need some form of routine and structure to get me there.

Hence the 40 days I suppose. It kind of feels strangely religious, the whole 40 day thing. I guess that’s not a bad thing considering Yoga comes from a very spiritual place on the Globe and “place” in general and it’s the most spiritual practice I’ve experienced. (Sorry mum, those Sundays in a church pew for my entire youth just didn’t cut it.)

Best part about this challenge: it’s ONLINE! These beautifully-sculpted lovely ladies give you a zen hour online – from grassy meadows, flowing rivers and mountain vistas in Wyoming. I enjoy yoga studios like the next gal, but I am really enjoying the online yoga at home. It equals structure for me and I guess that’s part of it too.

So now that I am challenging myself (as are two of my pals: Go Kel! Go Glen!), the challenge is out there to anyone and everyone. One hour a day, at your pace, in your own time, online, all for you.

VIDFEST 08: For The Artistic Geek And The Geeky Artist In All Of Us

Posted by Megan on May 19, 2008 No comments

vidfest-warren Most conferences I attend or participate in, or co-produce for that matter, tend to lean a tad more toward the “geeky” type of affairs as opposed to the more creative. Working in social media and technology for the past several years, this fact is just par for the course and happens to be the kind of event I enjoy, much to my own surprise and even though some of the time those uber geeky topics and conversations are over my head. It is these conferences that have helped in convincing the rest of the world that being geeky is in style and they have assisted in bringing the affectionate term “cool geek” into the mainstream.

I definitely don’t rank in the cool geek stardom status. I can write *some* code and I built an entire Flash website from scratch, once. I was the art student who wished her ways of straight-A’s in math didn’t up and vanish from the left brain after Math 12. I love technology and everything fabulously geeky about it. I dream about better applications and how I could implement them, but I can’t build them. I think what I love most about technology is how creative it can be. I think that’s why I’m still here. What does any of this mean and where might you fall? Are you a geeky artist? Or an artsy geek?

vidfest-josh VIDFEST is the perfect answer for the creative geek and techy artist in you. This year will be my third consecutive year at VIDFEST and it’s one of my favourite conferences for this reason. It tends not to focus so much on the business of technology or creative content, but more on creative content and contribution itself – how creativity advances technology and how technology inspires us all to think creatively. It fuels my definition of inspiring. It’s the perfect equation, if you will, of techy and creative, where geek meets artist.

If you’re visiting the VIDFEST site in these last few days and hours before things kick off, wondering if you should attend, you should, no matter what side of the brain is urging you to. The official program alone is reason enough. But if it’s not, speaking from an artsy-geekish perspective: You will meet great people, you will have memorable connections, you will have fun, you will be inspired.

Photo Credits: kk+ and Mark Busse
xposted from VIDFEST Blog

Blog Talk Radio: Kinzin Is The Better Choice For Privately Sharing Photos

Posted by Megan on April 23, 2008 No comments

Last week Blog Talk Radio featured an episode about photography and kids with “Taking Better Pictures of Your Kids”. The show featured Tracey Clark and Kate Inglis from the newly launched site Shutter Sisters, a photo blog full of passion and beauty in imagery and words, giving away their tips and tricks in photography. Inevitably, a question from a listener came up about online privacy and the security of posting pictures of your children online. The show’s host, Kristen Chase, refers to Kinzin as a great choice if you’re looking for a private, niche network, to securely post photos of your kids, saying:

“… there are a bunch of really great private websites out there… called Kinzin.com and they are invitation-only access”.

Kate goes on to mention some of Michael Fergusson’s thoughts on online safety in photography: to say the internet is inherently bad is the same to say that kissing is inherently bad because it can spread disease. True enough. You can listen to the show on Blog Talk Radio in its entirety. (The Kinzin mention comes at about the 22:00 minute mark of the show.)

It’s a pretty good show and has a lot of useful content to share from both the experts in the community, the host and from participating listeners around the Internet.

Websites like Shutter Sisters and Kinzin are those special, niche networks that people are gravitating toward more and more. I’m not tired of Flickr (far from it) or Facebook (god forbid) but quality on the Internet has become more and more apparent and absolutely essential, and these specific spaces online thankfully provide me with a rich user experience.
(xposted from Kinzin Blog, with some add-ons)

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