Category Archives: Web 2.0 - Page 2

ThisCityRocks Impressing The Prairies

Posted by on April 5, 2007 No comments

Lead guitarist Ryan Lejbak for HoneyBlu in Saskatoon had some kind words to say about our video podcast, ThisCityRocks:

“…This City Rocks is the best though. It focuses on Canadian indie artists. These are the bands that are heard on college radio, found on Pitchfork and that tastemakers listen to. TCR is a high quality videocast put together by hipster Megan Cole and videographer Warwick Patterson. It is brief, to the point and enlightening. They have a perfect blend of music, info and interviews. Megan and Warwick do this project on the side. Their passion for social media and the music scene shines through…”

Thanks Ryan – glad you love the show!

We’ll be starting to post shows for this amazing Spring jam-packed concert going season in mid-April, as soon as the first few are perfectly edited and put togetehrt o release to the masses! This season, we’ve got a few interviews already under our belt: DJ Champion, Malajube and YouSayParty! WeSayDie! – more to come with Great Lake Swimmers, who just signed with infamous Vancouver label, Nettwerk Music Group, The Parlour Steps and artists and bands at the Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival, New Music West and Wakefest.

Subscribe to our feed over on the TCR site!

Publishing Your Work Online: The Pacific Festival of the Book in Victoria

Posted by on March 26, 2007 6 comments

I was honoured to be asked to participate in The Pacific Festival of the Book in Victoria this past week-end, and to conduct an afternoon workshop on publishing work online in an introduction to social media.

MediaNet asked me to visit Victoria to give a presentation at the festival, and to hold a workshop afterwards with the members of MediaNet, highlighting some useful online tools that independent filmmakers can use to promote their work and grow their online community and presence.

The presentation was really well received, and I know this fine fact from the number of excited participants expressing their sincere thanks and gratitude to my time, effort, knowledge and energy. To be perfectly honest, the energy and time given to sharing what I have learned and know is the fun part. It wasn’t that long ago when I was in their shoes and very new to the material, so I know when certain things are over some heads, recognizing and relating to the blank stares and glazed-over eyes. I’m happy to be able to talk to people who know very little about the power and use of the internet and introduce them to the space. And mostly, this is easy and enjoyable because I love it. A-ha! And therein lies the answer!

Thanks to Peter at MediaNet, Passia Pandora (check out her new blog!), Scott Amos, all the participants in the afternoon workshop – I look forward to your high-powered blogs!, Pattie Lacroix, Izzie Egan (once again, your story drove home such an important point for paper-driven businesses!!), Krug (we checked out your flickr during the presentation and talked about your professional photography in relation to your CopyCamp copyright story on the London pics!), and last but not least, Kelly and Meisha.

Victoria + internet jargon = good times all around!

Victoria: Marketing Your Film Online at Media Net

Posted by on March 20, 2007 2 comments

This week I am heading over to lovely Victoria, BC, to conduct a workshop on marketing your film online at Media Net. Last fall, I was invited by Telefilm Canada to spend some time in Newfoundland at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, where Pattie Lacroix and I spoke to the film participants about promoting their work online. To a large degree, it was essentially an introduction to social media, showing the internet-curious audience how to tap into softwares that are easy and accessible to help promote and share work online.

One of the participants of the workshop in St. John’s was Passia Pandora from Victoria. She and I have continued to stay in touch since the festival, as she quickly became excited and addicted to the online space, once she witnessed the power of it all first-hand! Passia has since connected me with Media Net in Victoria, which is where I will spend an afternoon this week, as a part of the Pacific Festival of the Book.

I’ll also be joined by podcaster Scott Amos. We’ll each spend about an hour introducing some technology and showcasing tools, and then all participants will spend some time getting their hands dirty on computers, online!, setting up profiles, becoming familiar with the various softwares and interfaces and walking through the features.

Looking forward to meeting some more internet inspired creative people!

Heading To Saskatoon: Speaking At The Saskatchewan Interactive Conference

Posted by on March 7, 2007 4 comments

Tomorrow I am off to Saskatoon, and I can’t WAIT!

I am speaking at the Saskatchewan Interactive conference, which is pretty damn exciting, and I hope to share some useful knowledge and insight with the participants in attendance. I will be speaking about social media and user-generated content, in general: what is it? how do you tap it? what do you tap? what has it done? what can it do?…..

There seems to be a bit of disconnect across Canada. Go figure. But I’ve been, and spoken with people, from coast to coast over the past few months, and it’s interesting to discover that not very many people understand, or even know, what Web 2.0 is? I’m generalizing, yes, but while the tech folks in Vancouver and Toronto are trying to find and use another term for it all, because this one has been around for soooo loooong, there is a vast amount of Canadians who might like to hear a little about this stuff. At least hear it, try to grasp it and maybe even use it, and then decide if they like it, or can see the power of it. I hope to be a small part of the discovery for some of these people because it wasn’t too long ago that I was one of them.

I think the conference will be fantastic – check out what’s laid out for us all in the schedule.

On to a slightly more exciting aspect: I am going back to a town where I lived and loved living in for 2 years. I always maintain that Saskatchewan is one of those hidden gems of Canada, kinda like Newfoundland, and they’d like to sort of, maybe, keep it that way to a certain degree, kinda like Newfoundlanders. (psst! It really is a dry cold that isn’t so bad, and killer mosquitoes don’t really exist!)

I am most excited to see old friends and the folks at zu.com – they were an intricate part of why I loved living in The Toon, and I am happy to reacquaint with some stellar, lovely, genuine, salt of the earth people.

Can’t wait to hit The Yard!

Another Blog Worth READING: The Contemporary Collectors Club – Art and Travel

Posted by on March 6, 2007 3 comments

Let’s face it: reading a blog has now become a bit of an archaic activity. With our online news sources, blog feeds and Google searches, there’s no time to really read and absorb all we would like to online, just as it goes when you have, or had, 30 minutes in a morning to read the 5 sections of the morning newspaper. It’s all about the scan.

But this blog, you should read. Spend some time with it. It is written by the gallery manager of the Monte Clark Gallery, Izzie Egan. I met Izzie last year, and she has since become one of my dear friends. So, as bias as this post may seem, I truly mean it – I love her blog. And it’s only 2 months old! Izzie comes from an art background, having acquired her Masters Graduate from the infamous and prestigious Sotheby’s in London. In a nutshell, she has a lot to offer and recognizes how the internet is changing the traditional art world. The blog is jam-packed with art knowledge, inspiration and recommendations, with a little travel advice to boot: a treat.

Izzie is also the founder of the Contemporary Collectors Club. Currently, participation is by invite only, but you can read all about it here, and discover how you can get involved.

From a somewhat rookie blogger to another – bravo to a unique and fabulous newbie to the blogosphere!

Interview For Capital Magazine With Sol Guy, 4Real TV Series

Posted by on February 28, 2007 2 comments

I have recently started to play a small role for Capital Magazine, videoblogging interviews with various artists and people who have a story to tell, people who are making social and economic change through art, film, music, television and life – most accurately, people whose stories deserve more attention. Here’s an excerpt from their site, better explaining Capital Magazine’s purpose and goals:

“Capital Media is a non-profit entity dedicated to the sharing of information and encouraging the spread of ideas, modes, and movements. Our collective is dedicated to the untold story. We strive to give voice to people and issues that haven’t been given adequate attention…. We aspire to promote the value of cultural movements, of people’s passions, interests and expressions, and most importantly, to demonstrate the worth of the story untold.”

I interviewed Sol Guy, the host and producer of the television series 4Real – a show that highlights young people around the world who are using art and culture to deal with pressing social issues. Several shows are already in the bag, with the likes of Joaquim Pheonix and K’naan, with more to go before it goes to air this fall on MTV Canada.

All you need to know is here in the inverview, so check it out over at Capital Magazine.

Hi To BarCamp Saskatoon!!

Posted by on October 28, 2006 4 comments

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