Canada’s original personal blogging conference, founded in 2005, will be taking place this weekend out at UBC. Northern Voice has been bringing bloggers together to talk about everything from transit and politics to journalism and knitting with a core focus on sharing, collaborating, and blogging your heart out in whatever capacity.

I have been attending Northern Voice since 2007 (it would have been 2006 but we couldn’t afford it back then). What happens when you get a group of over a hundred bloggers, innovators, and social media enthusiasts together is something pretty magical.

I often receive emails asking me if I know of events or workshops about these topics and at the top of my list of recommendations is Northern Voice. It’s not about making money blogging, it’s not about how businesses are using Twitter. It’s about people who create the things that we use, read, share, and love online.

You don’t just meet passionate people from the community, you are instantly a part of it. A few of the topics this year include:

Social Media and Online Defamation: Keeping Out of Court
Naked Truth, Canadian Science Blogging Scene
Your Blog is Boring and Your Photos Suck
Be Rocktacular: Stories from a Music Blogger and Indie Rock Nerd
Sex, Lies, and Wikipedia
Parenting Online, Families, Blogs, and Social Media
… and more

Both Friday and Saturday will also start out with Yoga for Geeks in the morning. They will also have MooseCamp which is an unconference – meaning you show up, pitch a topic, and could be a speaker as the schedule is made on-site.

Tickets are still available for $50 one day, or $90 for both days. Follow @northernvoice or the tag #nv11 for updates and information about the conference.

I will be doing a shift at the WordPress help desk so come by and see me during the day if you have any WordPress questions.

The Vancouver Film School’s Game Design Expo is coming up next week from January 22nd until the 23rd. Consisting of a speaker series and hands-on test drives of the latest student-made games, it’s a homegrown production that is drawing big talent.

The speaker line-up for the Industry Day on January 22nd will include the makers of Angry Birds, World of Warcraft, and representatives from Sony, Microsoft, Propaganda Games, EA/Visceral, and more. On January 23rd, VFS will host a Game Design Open House with Microsoft, Nintendo and Playstation kiosks. They are also offering $100,000 in scholarships for their Game Design Program as well as the $50,000 “Women in Games” scholarship for female game designers.

VFS has offered a ticket giveaway (value $125 x two tickets) for the Industry Speaker Day this Saturday, January 22nd. Here’s how you can enter to win (for yourself, or that gamer in your life).

I will draw two winners at random from all entries at 12:00pm tomorrow, January 18, 2011.

Update The winners are BJ and @donnamatrix – have a great time!

Rather than post a typical event listing for BarCamp Vancouver I thought I would share my personal experience with this event. It has meant a great deal to me, as well as the Vancouver tech and social media community over the years.

Many people have asked me how I got into blogging — how did I go from writing about what I had for breakfast to taking this site full-time and writing professionally? I then often pinpoint the exact moment in time that I decided to take Miss604.com seriously. It was August 26th, 2006, the opening day of the first BarCamp Vancouver at WorkSpace in Gastown.

The night before I was invited to do my very first live blog in the living room of local singer/songwriter Matthew Good. John and I went to Gastown first to pick up our lanyards from BarCamp then we missed the opening night party so that I could cover this private concert. The next morning I took my new live blogging skills to BarCamp and sat in on some amazing sessions. There I met people like Kris Krug, Boris Mann, Ryan Cousineau, David Drucker, Arieanna & Ianiv Schweber, James Sherrett, Megan Cole, and Roland Tanglao.

The format of BarCamp (or any actual unconference) is to show up, present a topic you’d like to speak about then the schedule for the day is made on the spot using all of these submitted ideas and discussions. I listened, I learned, I typed. There wasn’t even a term for “social media” at the time, all I knew is that this is the space I wanted to be in. I wanted to collaborate, write, and share this information with others.

Being 26 and newly married I didn’t have a lot of money but what I did have was an online outlet. I live blogged BarCamp, DemoCamp, and even SuperHappyDevCamp so I could give back to the community in some way. I have worked in online media for the last 10 years and have been working with online media since 1997. The people, the discussions, and the creative atmosphere at BarCamp Vancouver was a game-changer for me.

Back for its 5th year this fall, BarCamp Vancouver is mixing things up by running for 23 straight hours at the newly renovated and remodeled Waldorf Hotel.

Registration is still open and $20 gets you entry to the kick-off party on Friday November 19th, access to a block of workrooms at the Waldorf Hotel, entry to the unconference on Saturday, November 20th, a t-shirt, and free beer.

They are still looking for sponsors so if your company would like to support this community and get some fantastic exposure, inquire here. BarCamp along with Northern Voice are the two “must attend” events in Vancouver each year that I fully endorse so be sure to get your tickets now.

WordCamp Fraser Valley returns for its 3rd year of talks and workshops in Surrey on November 20th, 2010. WordPress is the top blogging platform in the world however it is also used to power millions of websites that you visit each and every day. Its endless theme and plugin capabilities make it one of the reasons why I have been building a business around the platform since 2008.

My company develops WordPress websites, specializing in social media newsrooms that tie blog and multimedia functions into a much more robust website platform. Along with Brave New Code, we hosted WordCamp Vancouver this year and received a fantastic response. I’m hoping that those interested in WordPress, from design and code to using it as a writing tool, will check out WordCamp Fraser Valley this weekend as well.

Speakers include my husband (and business partner) John Bollwitt who is an engineer at CHUM Radio Vancouver. He’ll be talking about how companies can built intranet sites using WordPress to keep their teams informed and in the loop. John has been using WordPress since 2005 and got me hooked on the platform in 2006.

He’ll be joined on the roster by Tris Hussey (author of Using WordPress), Dave Zille, Lynn Robson, and Kulpreet Singh. Raul Pacheco, Danny Bradbury, and Leah Cross will also address how to write and publish your various forms of content using WordPress.

Tickets are still available for $45 so if you’ve ever been curious about WordPress as a user, writer, or developer, these sessions and networking opportunities can’t be beat.

The inaugural Fresh! Fraser Valley is taking place this coming Saturday, September 25th. Co-founded by Kristi Ferguson (Fraser Valley Pulse) and Danielle Knowles (Red Pencil Editing Services) the single-day event aims to bring together the Fraser Valley community with home-grown businesses and shops.

“There is really two sides to Fresh!,” Ferguson told me by email. “The first is the showcase of locally owned, independent businesses (we have folks from White Rock to Chilliwack exhibiting). These are true “mom ‘n pop” type ventures.”

The other side focuses on the development of local business with over a dozen 20-minute sessions. The talks will be on everything from intellectual property law to social media for business to how and why to hire a virtual assistant. Ferguson says, “Anyone in business will find value in these quick, exciting workshops. Not just independent business owners – realtors and anyone who uses the internet for work will find some great tips and tricks from these Fraser Valley professionals.”

Where Ramada Plaza & Conference Centre, Abbotsford
When September 25, 2010 from 9:00am – 5:00pm
How The showcase is free to attend and workshops are $10 individually. You can purchase a full day pass for $50.

“The ultimate goal is ‘shop local’,” added Ferguson. “Everyone is invited to attend. The public especially, other local business owners, visitors to the valley etc. There will be lots to sample, discover and buy!”

The annual Internet Marketing Conference is happening in Vancouver next week featuring keynote speaker, Guy Kawasaki. I liveblogged several sessions at the IMC in 2008 and found that they were a great group of people who recognized the importance of social media in today’s marketing landscape.

Photo credit: nrkbeta on Flickr

The two-day conference at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown will feature a keynote from silicon valley venture capitalist and author Guy Kawasaki.

He is the founder of Alltop.com, where you can find feeds from the top sites in the world listed in practically any category imaginable. Kawasaki is also a legend in the marketing world for being the man behind Apple’s 1984 Macintosh campaign.

His keynote will be based on his new book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions.

I have a ticket to give away for Guy Kawasaki’s keynote at 9:00am on September 23rd. This ticket for Day 3 of the Internet Marketing Conference is worth $595.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

The Internet Marketing Conference takes place in 10 cities around the globe and the Vancouver event will feature many local business owners and marketing professionals who will share advice, stories, and lessons to be learned. The winner of the ticket to the keynote will be welcome to stay for the rest of the day’s sessions as well as coffee breaks and lunch.

I will draw one winner (at random, from all entries received) tomorrow at 5:00pm since the event is happening next week.

Update The winner is Jane, congratulations!

Our pal and local web and photography icon Kris is currently down in the Gulf of Mexico snapping photos of the oil spill effects before heading to Washington, DC for TEDxOilSpill later this month.

On Twitter June 14th: Looks like we’re headed to Biloxi Mississippi bright & early to photograph a 3-State Rally for Vietnamese Fisherfolk #tedxoilspill #oilspill- kk

Photo credit: kk on Flickr

TED is a non-profit foundation that hosts exclusive conferences that bring together the top minds in the world each year. TEDx events are interdependently-run conferences of the same vein, organized by local groups. While Kris had just returned to Vancouver from a trek across Asia, he took off for this new adventure shortly after we saw him at WordCamp on Saturday.

Photo credit: kk on Flickr

If you’re wondering why Kris, and his fearless companion Danielle, have hopped another plane, this blog post by James Duncan Davidson explains.

Yesterday, I tweeted and posted a Facebook status that I was going to the Gulf of Mexico to document what’s going on down there and to bring back images and stories to TEDxOilSpill.

We have a team of three photographers and videographers—Kris Krüg, Pinar Özger, and myself—confirmed to go to New Orleans on Monday to spend a week documenting the oil spill and its effects from land, sea, and air.

Photo credit: kk on Flickr

They are going to experience, document, and be witnesses to this disaster. Then the group will report their findings, photos, and videos at TEDxOilSpill on June 28th.

Photo credit: kk on Flickr

On Twitter June 16th: Today’s wildlife death tally: 770 birds, 341 sea turtles, 41 mammals. http://bit.ly/9pE96u #oilspill – kk

“There is a sense of anger sadness and frustration building about the oil spill back home,” Kris told me over Twitter. “A feeling that the news we’re getting isn’t the full story. I was asked to go down, check things out, get to the bottom of the story. Report back. We’re talking to locals, fisherfolk, community leaders, etc… to hear whats going on for them. And it’s not pretty.”

Photo credit: kk on Flickr

Leroy Stick (pseudonymous humorist behind @BPGlobalPR) will be at TEDx along with other speakers including Philippe Cousteau and Sylvia Earle. Topics at the conference will include mitigation of the spill and the impending cleanup efforts; energy alternatives; policy and economics; as well as new technology that can help us build a self-reliant culture.

On Twitter June 16th: at the Gulf Restoration Network in New Orleans hearin’ stories bout Leroy Stick of @BPGlobalPR & the $20k he’s donated from tshirt sales – kk

Photo credit: kk on Flickr

There will be TEDxOilspill meetups in satellite locations including a Vancouver event June 28th.

Links:
Follow the expedition online
Follow Kris’ updates on Twitter
View all of Kris’ photos on Flickr
View all of Duncan’s photos on Flickr

FreelanceCamp is coming to Vancouver May 29th at the Network Hub on Richards and Hastings.

I have been attending “camps” for the last five years as I’ve found a large part of being in the social media realm is actually getting out from behind the computer screen and meeting, networking, and just hanging out with others. The beauty of “camp” is usually the loose unconference format (see: BarCamp). You show up and anyone could be a presenter as each attendee can pitch a talk and then the schedule is made on the fly.

“Freelance Camp is an opportunity for freelancers to get together, to learn from each other best practices and to share their experiences,” said organizer Minna Van who also operates The Network Hub co-working space.

I asked Minna about bringing FreelanceCamp to Vancouver, and who would benefit from attending. “Too often freelancers are working by themselves and with this event we want to send the message you can be in business for yourself but not by yourself,” said Minna. “There is a community of freelancers in Vancouver and at this event; we will meet, learn and support each other.”

“It is more of a discussion format than it is formal presentation format. Everyone is expected to be an active participant.

She added that the event is for any kind of freelancer, not just writers. Everyone from developers, consultants, real estate agents and musicians are likely to attend. “We encourage people from different industries to come out so we have a more balanced perspective about business.”

This is the very first FreelanceCamp in Canada and Minna is excited for what will transpire during the discussions and presentations. Tickets are currently for sale online for $10.00 and you can find out more about featured guests, sponsors and activities on the FreelanceCamp Vancouver website.

Today is the first of four speaking engagements I have over the next week. As some may know, Miss604.com is not my full-time job – although with all the fun adventures in which I get to participate, I wish it could be sometimes.

I am the co-founder of a WordPress website development firm and I love to code and build websites for our amazing clients — it’s my “day job”. As such, I’ve been asked to speak at WordCamp Victoria today (and I am also one of the organizers for WordCamp Vancouver this June).

John and I just had breakfast in bed (my first-ever B&B stay) and we’ll be making our way over to University Canada West for WordCamp shortly. I’ll be posting photos, tweets and updates here throughout the day as the agenda rolls along.

Update Things are going great at WordCamp. This morning Tris gave a talk about some nice, clean SEO tips and Lloyd introduced us to some of the features rolling out with the next version, WordPress 3. During lunch I sat on a panel with Raul and Lorraine, which I think went very well. We were all on the same page but had different perspectives to share about writing, best-practices, the future of blogging and citizen journalism.

John‘s been snapping photos so the following is a slideshow from his Flickr set…

Coming up this afternoon I have a talk about plugins and then I’m looking forward to hearing Dave Zille give a talk and be on a panel with Tris Hussey and Lloyd Budd.

Update My talk has just ended and although I breezed through a lot of content in about 25 minutes (of the 50 allotted) there were some great discussions. My slides are posted below:

Update Raul liveblogged my talk here.

My first Day Two session at Northern Voice is How (Should) Journalists Use Social Media, with speakers Lisa Johnson of the CBC and Kirk LaPointe of the Vancouver Sun.

Lisa talked about how she uses her own blog, Twitter and Facebook to reach out and find stories. First off, she explained that using social media makes a city smaller and more friendly.

“A big part of our job is to find out what’s happening,” she noted. By reaching out through online channels journalists in a newsroom aren’t just asking each other “do you know someone who…?” they can ask social networks. She said she’s found people for stories such as accountants, residents of Tsawwassen, business owners etc. just by searching Twitter or asking questions online.

Lisa added that Twitter is “a social scanner, like a police scanner.” You can find news and immediate information about an event, region, or issue. Chances are you can also find someone on the scene or taking Twitpics, immediately documenting the situation.

Kirk presented second as the words, “We will die before the newspaper does” appear on the big screen. While Lisa’s talk was more about how she uses social media to report, Kirk’s is focused on the state of the industry. “No audience problem. No news problem. More business problem,” stated his next slide.

“If we don’t find a business model in this, you’re going to get what you pay for,” he adds in reference to free, digital content. “Our biggest challenge is we need to redefine public and subsidy.”

Moving onto content he says journalists need to rethink the way they approach a “story”. It’s no longer a “story” but it’s a topic. Report on a topic and that’s the starting point — the beginning of the conversation.

“Know more each day about your audience,” said the next slide from Kirk. “We need to know what it is they are consuming, and what they’re not consuming.” He moved onto engagement and community building, emphasizing that it’s not a “frill” – these connections need to be taken more seriously than ever.

Kirk’s final slide reads: “The next decade is messy, but I can be fired more easily than you.”

During the Q&A Linda Soloman of the Vancouver Observer asks about the policy of mainstream outlets drawing inspiration from articles from bloggers but not giving credit. Kirk responded by saying he’s noticed Vancouver Sun content on their site as well however Linda assures him that VO always links and give credit (what we call a “hat tip” in the blogging realm”). Kirk said that everyone gets “ripped off” in some form or another and it’s hard to police that kind of thing, which is very true. Before the back-and-back got a bit too heated, it was agreed to take this particular discussion offline.

Personally I can see where Linda is coming from. Often I’ll see a blogger write something unique or tweet some news that is then picked up by a major outlet, who in turn does not credit the blogger or tweet as the source of the story. This is where I actually see radio stations excelling. I’ll get on-air credit from Jonny Staub at The Beat or James Sutton from The Peak for something I’ve posted online, which is wonderful. I get a shout out, they get to share information in real-time over the air, and in turn I will probably thank them publicly. This helps build bridges and strengthen the online community, in my eyes.

The discussion continued as the room emptied for lunch. This was yet another great panel session at Northern Voice with some great questions from the audience and insight from the speakers.