The Gastown Business Improvement Association founded the Gastown Blog in the summer of 2009 to breathe some new life into this historic community. With daily features, history lessons and business profiles, it’s a one-stop source for Gastown information.

Over the last few weeks the Gastown Blog launched an initiative to put QR codes on old buildings where passers-by can scan the code and call up a post from the blog about that building. Ray Kanani, who worked on the project, explains in this video:

Your smartphone’s camera acts as a scanner while processing the symbol, which looks like a scrambled bar code. The QR code contains information that can be accessed with an iPhone or Blackberry application, instantly calling up a webpage with Vancouver Archive photos and historical facts about the building.

You can find these QR code stickers on over 20 buildings in Gastown and they’re hoping to expand. If you happen to walk by a building with the QR code sticker in the window, give it a try and learn more about the neighbourhood. The QR code technology is still pretty new to Vancouver (although it was developed in 1994) and it’s currently widely used in Asia.

Links:
Gastown BIA
The Gastown Blog
QR Code Generator
QR Code Application – ScanLife (Free on iTunes)
QR Code Application – QuickMark ($0.99 on iTunes)

Google has just launched their “Favourite Places on Google Maps” for the first time in Canada and they have profiled spots around Vancouver. The favourites are all marked on the maps with little maple leaf pins and have been hand-picked by local experts.

This includes venues and destinations submitted by: Premier Gordon Campbell, Olympic Gold Medallist Ross Rebagliati, Olympic Gold & Silver Medallist Simon Whitfield, Iron Chef Champion Rob Feenie, Singer-songwriter & breast cancer survivor Bif Naked, Children’s book writer Kit Pearson, Monte Clark of the Monte Clark Gallery, Public Policy Entrepreneur David Eaves, and yours truly – Rebecca Bollwitt of Miss604.com.

John Lee from Lonely Planet also provided some recommended destinations last October.

The Google Maps “Local Experts” mashups can all be searched and found on their Favourite Places site. The global database includes Tony Hawk’s favourite places in Manhattan, Kevin Rose’s top spots in San Francisco, and Mockmoon’s best venues in Tokyo.

I was honored to be asked by Google to be a part of this project. We have had a great relationship over the last year or so and they certainly know my site’s reach better than I do. They have also referred to me as the “Best Blogger” in Vancouver, which is either a reference to my Georgia Straight Best of Vancouver award or a name they have given me. Either way, I am humbled by the opportunity to be among such a great group of people and especially to have the chance to showcase some of my favourite local places.

These are just a few of my top picks as I tried to expand the scope a little bit and go off the beaten tourist path. Stanley Park will always be the key to my heart but I love many other parks and beaches in the region. If you could make up a Google Map of all your favourite places in the Lower Mainland (or if you already have) what would they be?

In just a few minutes I’ll be heading over to V in Yaletown (at Earls) for the launch of Foursquare in Vancouver. I’ll be liveblogging from 5:00pm until 8:00pm so you’ll be sure to get the entire scoop about this latest craze.

For an overview of Foursquare, check them out here.

Update: To use Foursquare terminology, I have now checked-in at V in Yaletown (at Earls). I did a quick interview with John Biehler to introduce Foursquare and the reason why we’re all here this evening.

Update: Some people without smart phones (iPhone or Blackberry) are trying to “check in” using an SMS (text message) short code. It doesn’t seem to be working for Vancouver locations at the moment but maybe that’s something yet to be activated on the system.

Update: Heather Watson (aka Hez) just told me about Darren Barefoot’s blog post today about Foursquare’s launch in Vancouver and what it could means for businesses.

A Game-Changer for Local Business…. “Talk about an enticement to frequent visit this cafe, eh? I’m not sure what they are yet, but I can imagine that there will be all sorts of creative applications for real-world businesses. Consider, for example, a restaurant where each subsequent check-in in the same week gets you an additional 10% off? It feels like a game-changer for local businesses who haven’t necessarily seen the point of having a robust web presence.”

Update: You can also read this article from Mashable: Foursquare: Why it May be the Next Twitter.

Update: I’m trying to figure out if there’s a Mayor of Earls in Yaletown yet. Apparently if you check into a location the most, you become its “Mayor” on Foursquare.

Update: Regarding Foursquare’s privacy issues, since you do share your phone number and exact location, I got some feedback from Travis Smith of Hop Studios. “I think it’s going to be interesting to see who “friends” who,” said Travis. “Because you can follow people on Twitter but on Foursquare you’re sharing much more personal information about yourself.”

Many people compartmentalize their social media spaces… for example my husband only approves and “friends” people on Facebook that he’s met in person. As for Twitter, that could be more informal and you could follow back anyone that looks interesting. With Foursquare, you share your location (and in turn your phone number as it is a mobile application) so it definitely changes things.

Update: When you check in this evening you will get a stamp or ticket, which you can redeem for a Foursquare cocktail (a watermelon martini).

Update: Heather and I keep being mistaken for the “hosts” of tonight’s event since we’re both sitting here with laptops… in a bar.

Update: There are a lot of new faces here tonight, and by new I mean those I don’t usually see at social media events. It’s a good thing as it means the word is spreading about these applications (even if they’re just for fun… err or badges… or global domination).

Update: Chris Mathieson just arrived and overheard someone leaving the event saying, “I thought there were going to be more nerds.” I guess I know a lot of nerds.

Update: Just to explain a bit more about Foursquare… when you get to a location, be it a coffee shop, pub, or library of choice, open up the application to check in. You can either select the venue from the list or add the venue to the directory. When you add a venue or location you collect points. When you check in to a location you get points as well. At some point these turn into badges, which are the ultimate marks of uber-Foursquare…ers.

Update: Stacie Biehler just discovered that when I posted my check in to Earls, it published to Twitter as “I’m at V at Earls Yaletown w/ @StacieBee. http://bit.ly/gVfkk”. We figure that we both checked in at the same time so it automatically said we were together. Cool. A little creepy. But cool.

Update: To further the “multiple check in” features, apparently when you check in to a location at the same time as 3 members of the opposite sex you are awarded a “Player Please” badge. Jenn Lowther just received this at Earls, as displayed automatically on her Twitter profile: “I just unlocked the “Player Please!” badge on @foursquare! http://bit.ly/iAZy5″

Update: People are coming and going while I update and try to re-upload my introduction video, which took me about 50 minutes to process last time before it got lost. With the new waves of Foursquare enthusiasts come first-time meetings with a lot of my Twitter followers.

Brian Wong of FollowFormation, just stopped by and told me about 140tc, a Twitter conference at the end of this month down in LA. Halfway through our conversation a bird was spotted. Yes, a real live bird is here to collect Foursquare badges (I wonder if Twitter put him up to this).

Update: I’m getting more information about the “Mayor” process. Apparently if you’re the first person to check in twice to a location you then become its Mayor. I’m not sure if this changes hands or what… but I’ll investigate further.

kk & miss604 – Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr

Update: Okay solved the “Mayor” mystery… just by checking the FAQ: ” Pretty simple: If you’ve got more check ins than anyone else at a particular place, we deem you “The Mayor” of that place. But once someone else comes along who has checked in more times that you, they then steal the “Mayor” title back from you.”

Update: Tip for iPhone users, once you sign up you’ll be getting notifications to your email or phone for everything… when people add you, when you unlock a badge etc. You can turn notifications off by going to Settings > Notifications. You’ll still be able to see your messages but only when you open the app or login online.

Update: I’ve heard the after party is happening over at Glowbal in Yaletown. Head on over there to check in with Foursquare and enjoy more festivities.

Update: In case you were wondering, it has been confirmed. The parrot’s name is Baby Picasso.

About a year ago I wrote about t-shirts designed with the geek girl in mind and I’ve always been a fan of techno-savvy tops (although in an early post from 2005 I did feature HTML underwear). Today a trending topic on Twitter is “Twitter Tees” as it appears Threadless has come up with these amusing styles for the Twitter-minded.

I still like the cheeky “Show Me Your Tweets” shirt I got from 6S Marketing, I enjoy the “Robots – No Follow” shirt I got for John and we have a few favourites that will never go out of style like “There’s No Place Like 127.0.0.1“.

So with these Twitter Tees selling like hot cakes today, I’ll ask… what’s your favourite geeky t-shirt? The one with the audio meter that lights up? The wifi detector? The molecular structure of caffeine? “I Know H.T.M.L“? User-made coffee mugs? If you have a photo of yourself wearing any of the above (or something similar) add it to the Miss604 Flickr group and I’ll post them on this entry. Feel free to share your source for the tees as well (online and off).

Everyone’s favourite microblogging site, Twitter, has been going down for maintenance quite frequently lately. This could be due to its massive and rapid growth, the upgrading of features or because millions have flocked to the service to see what Ashton Kutcher or Oprah are doing minute-by-minute. However since it is currently out of commission (for the next hour or so) I thought now was as good a time as any to share this clip… ROFLcopter

I discovered a new iPhone app today called Mo Discovers: Stanley Park and as I spend much time trekking through Stanley Park’s trails, slipping in its mud, photographing its natural beauty and have blogged about it for the last five years so, I figured this application was worth a download.

The Mo Discovers: Stanley Park was produced by the folks at CellMap Inc., whom I’ve heard of thanks to various tech events around town. It features a very basic map of Stanley Park along with video highlights of several areas of interest: Beaver Lake, Storm Damage, Salmon Stream, Lost Lagoon, Nature Centre and Seawall.

When you click on any of these destinations you get a great-looking video with information provided by hosts Peter Graham-Gaudreau and Jennifer-Juniper Angeli. The 1-2 minute clips show some of the park’s captivating scenery while providing history notes and other facts researched by Margo Langford and the Stanley Park Ecology Society.

I can see this being useful for children (since there are some cute icons like Mo) for locals who want a refresher about the city’s crown jewel, and for tourists.

However personally, I was really hoping for a full trail map and maybe even other highlighted points of interest like Siwash Rock, or the Seven Sisters. Something like the trail map would make the app continuously useful (for each trip we take in the park) instead of just a one-time viewing experience.

If you’d like to check it out for yourself, it’s available in the iTunes App Store for $2.99.

Disclosure: I purchased the app for review

I love random stats and tidbits of information which is why I’m currently addicted to Google’s Insights for Search feature.

Basically you can pop in a search term and see trends such as which cities or countries search what term the most, where people are located, what are some top searched words, and various other statistics.

I just received an email from Google letting me know some of the top Canucks trends, and I thought these were definitely worth noting:

Biggest Googling Canucks fans in BC…

1. Delta
2. Langley
3. Coquitlam
4. North Vancouver
5. Williams Lake
6. Surrey
7. Vancouver
8. Kamloops
9. Courtenay
10. Kelowna

What Canucks fans are searching for:

You can also text Google to get scores on the fly using their sms search service by texting the words “canucks score” to 466453. The result is a message in return that may look like this:

Vancouver Canucks (45-27-10)
Last game: 30 Apr, Vancouver Canucks 5 – Chicago Blackhawks 3
Next game: vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 2 May 10:00pm ET
canucks.nhl.com

It’s pretty evident that Canucks fans are connected, which you can even tell on game day when the term #Canucks is one of the top ten in the world on Twitter. I’m really liking the text feature and I think the search data may be valuable information for hockey bloggers and content creators.

Finally, according to Google, Canadians search for “hockey” more than any other country in the world, they search “NHL” more than anyone else and in BC, “hockey” is more popular than “Britney Spears”… as it should be in my books.

Photos in this post are from the Round Two Canucks #NHLTweetup

With practical, helpful and innovative applications such as TweetDeck revamping their memory-guzzling ways the race to provide the best Twitter manager is still going strong. This past week we saw the launch of Seesmic Desktop, a TweetDeck-like app from the creators of Twhirl, as well as Nambu for Mac users.

I’ve been using Nambu all day and I love it more than any other app I’ve tried for Twitter over the last two years (and it also supports FriendFeed). It’s smooth, simple, and runs like a charm. Here’s a quick demo:

And an alternate Nambu view:

I’m really glad that there are so many more options for desktop Twitter management and I’d love to hear a review of the Seesmic Desktop app if anyone’s tried that yet as well.

This morning I was reading Is Twitter the New MySpace over on TechCrunch and was inspired to do the second part of my Twitter Quick Tip demo series (basic/beginner).

Note: I only suggest using another’s background as a template so that you can get your placement and sizes right – I do not recommend using any part of someone’s original design – re-create and make it your own, use it only as a guideline.

In this video I reference the “Top Ten” backgrounds on Twitter, which you can find here, and also submit your own for their directory.

The 2009 PopVox Awards are upon us and the people’s choice nominations are now open.

If you have created a project, submit a video by April 30th, 2009 for consideration and the winners of the following categories will be based on popular vote:

Best Student Project
Best Start Up
Best Do-Gooder (Social Change Initiative)
Best Design (Website)
Best User Experience (Website)
Best Viral and/or Digital Advertising Campaign
Best Company Use of Social Media
Best User Generated/Crowd-sourced Content Site
Best Mobile Application
Best Game (Handheld)
Best Social Media Application
Best Game (PC/Mac/Linux)
Best Game (Console)
Best Digital Learning Initiative (Instructional Design)
Best Digital VFX (Film)
Best Digital VFX (Television)
Best Digital Animation (Film)
Best Digital Animation (Television)

I can instantly think of some shining stars in the Vancouver tech realm who should throw their hats in the ring. Such as, the folks who brought us all HootSuite, Handi Mobility with their mobile Translink application, or how about that Strutta who appears to be hosting the video voting system for this year’s awards. Even my good pals at BraveNewCode could be contenders given that I’ve used their WordTwit plugin for years (and I know Duane likes making videos…)

There are also the ISO (Individual Standout Awards) which are nominated by the public but unlike the awards listed above, winners will be chosen by a panel of judges:

Held during Vancouver Digital Week, PopVox is brought to us by New Media BC and awards will be handed out during their gala on May 13, 2009. You can follow @popvoxawards on Twitter for updates.