Alphablogs

Sunshine in Vancouver brings out the best in us all, and no one wants to stay indoors unless forced. So yesterday I played up on the roofdeck with the Photo Booth application that comes with the mac.

I love the automatic way it forces out an iconic image. Plus there’s video too. It’s dead easy to work and there is some serendipitous stuff that just happens with this software.

And don’t forget the Warhol homage:

It’s been a busy month, with all the activity of spring - new projects brewing and more to do than time to do it!

I recently interviewed Social Media Evangelist/Consultant and woman-about-town Monica Hamburg about one of her areas of expertise: Crowdsourcing. Check it out here in the YouTube version:

One thing this video doesn’t convey is Monica’s terrific sense of humour. You can find out more about that side of her through her blogsite(s). Contact Monica here.

Looks like this will be one of those “mark your calendar” events in Vancouver.

Bridging Media: Addressing the Challenges - this Saturday, March 29, 2008, 9:45 am - 3pm

Aimed to provide a bridge between the two communities of film/television and interactive/social media, I think this event comes just at the right time. The expertise we have here in Vancouver is remarkable, and the panelists assembled for this event have a lot to share in the short time they have available, so it looks like the whole day will be power-packed.

The tools are here and easier to use than ever, and the panelists are articulate and experienced in the slippery ever-shifting world of web/mobile/social media. Its free, its informative and it can change what you think you might know about social media, and more. Plus there is a door prize: a free pass to nextMEDIA, just before the Banff Television Festival.

Want to know who’ll be there? Go to the registration site and take a peek.

And did I mention that lunch is sponsored? Yes it is a free lunch!

Brainchild of Megan Cole and Erica Hargreave, the event now has a terrific team putting this together, with good will and sharp skills:  Cinci Csere, Monique Trottier and Monica Hamburg. I’m really glad to help out with this event and be in their company!

Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing video series. Isabella Mori talks about what goes on in the mind of a blogger, and  I play a little with the camera as she speaks.

Today is Friday. You know the drill. Frozen Peas and Boobs on Ice. We’re all working on making breast cancer become obsolete.

Today I’d like to show you what Voxant is doing about helping people with breast cancer. They have put together a news feed on anything related to breast cancer. If you embed the feed in your blog and follow these instructions, any resulting revenue will go to the Frozen Pea fund, plus Voxant will donate an equivalent amount.

As you can see, our Alphablog media dog is learning fast! He’s been reading some Barrington Nevitt, an old colleague of Marshall McLuhan’s. (Yes, he can read. Why not?)

Meet our new dog, we’re trying him out to see how he fits with our approach here at Alphablogs. We think he’s fun, and he has a lot to say!

Do you want to have a dog too? Or a “person”?

Click on this banner to find out how.
(Apologies for the voice that just comes up on loading. I’ll try to fix that next pass.)

People, I like blogging so much - what did I do before this medium came along?

There are so many things you can do with blogging. Here’s a terrific project by my friend David Alexander (yet another person I met through Stumbleupon). David has a blog, Planet Thoughts, about Global Warming, Peak Oil, Resource Depletion, and Sustainable Living. David is really committed to this, he doesn’t just talk about it, he’s also taking action. Here’s his project:

We all want to do what we can to reduce the global warming gases that get emitted, especially in our own areas of living and working, where we have the most direct influence. To add another dimension, it would be great to congratulate others who are doing something to help the environment.

For these reasons, we have created the Super-Cars Shout Out Competition™ (SCSOC). This contest allows you to place a simple, colorful flier on high mileage cars that you encounter, showing the vehicle owner that she or he has done something worthy by choosing a leading-edge (in fuel efficiency) vehicle.

… when you are outside look for vehicles that are on the list of high-efficiency vehicles, those that officially achieve at least 40 mpg US (16.74 kmpl) on the highway. Place a flier on the windshield, keeping it as straight as possible, then step back and take a clear photograph showing the flier, and enough of the car to determine the make and model.

Here are the instructions in point form:
1. Download and print one or more of our fliers (recycled paper preferred)
2. Find a 40+ mpg US (16.74 kmpl) car from our list (or make a request that one be added)
3. Place our flier under the windshield wiper
4. Use a digital camera or good cell phone to photograph
5. Upload the image or images to the PlanetThoughts.org Web site

(and 6: Wait to see whether you’ve won the contest. Yes, you can win up to $500 with this. Go here to look it up. The contest is up until June 2)

Anyone can participate, from anywhere: from Alaska to Argentina, from Tokyo to the Tuscany.

I have to confess that I’m not much of a picture taker at all but this is such an interesting and important project, I’ll commit do doing this at least once before June 2. And I bet my partner Carol, who is much more of an image person, will participate, too. After all, here in Vancouver we like to think of ourselves as environmentally conscious people. Time to walk our talk!

Talking of which, let’s drum up some more participants. I’m calling on some of my Vancouver connections: The King of Compost, Al the Bokashiman; Nancy Zimmerman, our super-enlightened money coach; Beyond Robson, one of our “all about Vancouver” blogs; our green writer Mr. Narvey and of course our transit camp hero, Paul Hillsdon. Oh, and even though he’s not in Vancouver, my buddy Kilroy, I know he likes taking pictures.

People already involved in this are Sustainablog, A New Green Earth and Pelf-ism is contagious.

(This post was included in the Green Living Carnival)