Social Media, Citizen Engagement and Municipal Politics – October 17, 2011 @ 6:45pm

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Posted on 11th October 2011 by Paul Holmes in Events

You are invited to attend Social Media, Citizen Engagement and Municipal Politics on Monday, October 17th at 6:45pm at the University of Victoria, David Strong Building, room C126.

Mat Wright will be asking a panel of municipal candidates and political organizers their thoughts on Social Media as it effects municipal issues, in particularly the challenges and opportunities for citizen engagement at this level.

All municipal candidates who are using social media as a component within their campaign are invited to be part of the panel. Please contact @MatVic on Twitter.

Social Media Basics – September 19, 2011, 6:45pm

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Posted on 7th September 2011 by Paul Holmes in Events

Join us at UVic on September 19th, 2011 for our first Social Media Club meeting of the new season!

To kick off the new year, we’ll have 3 presentations targeted to beginners, as well as some networking time:

The meeting kicks off at 6:45pm, and wraps up at 9pm. Meet in the David Strong Building C126 at UVic. The meetings costs $5 at the door; UVic Students are free (with valid ID).

Copyright and Creative Commons Do’s and Don’ts

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Posted on 8th June 2011 by Cindy Stephenson in Events |Speakers

Our June 20th meeting focuses on Creative Commons Licensing: the do’s and don’ts of content sharing and the right way to “borrow” information, quotations and images for your blog and social networking profile. On the flip side, we will also look at how to go about copyrighting and licensing content for the online world.

Our featured speaker is Scott Leslie.

Scott is a self-described educational technologist, hacker, researcher and open content/open network activist. He currently works as the Manager of Client Services in Open Education for BCcampus, a province-wide post-secondary agency in British Columbia, Canada.

Well known to the local #yyj Twitterverse, Scott is an engaging presenter, and very passionate about open content and open educational resources. Follow him on Twitter here. He blogs at EdTechPost.

Please join us!

  • Monday June 20th, 2011
  • University of Victoria - SSM A102 (Social Sciences and Mathmatics Building Room A102)
  • 6:45 – 9:00 pm
  • Cost is $5.00

Social Media and Disaster Planning

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Posted on 5th May 2011 by Cindy Stephenson in Events |Speakers

 Floods, tornadoes, earthquakes – it seems that not a week goes by without news of a major natural disaster wreaking havoc somewhere in the world.

What role can social media play when it comes to responding to these emergencies?

This is the focus of our May 16th meeting, led by Hervey Simard with the Victoria Police Department. His presentation will  touch on:

  • Examples where SM has helped during a major disaster – such as Haiti (to include videos) 
  • SM in Disasters & Emergencies (American Red Cross Study) 
  • 5 lessons for Emergency Managers
  • Ushahidi 
  • VicPD moving with SM: what we are planning to do and what we are already doing with SM 
  • What can you do to help? (discussion)

Hervey Simard is the Information Technology Supervisor for the Victoria Police Department. He is responsible for the design and implementation of the first and cutting edge social media strategy and program for VicPD which has garnered national attention from police departments all over Canada. His experience as an early pioneer of interactive marketing and PR has made him a highly sought after speaker to discuss social media strategies and new technologies, specifically as it relates the world of policing.

Hervey was the project leader for the 2008 and 2009 on-line Annual Report for VicPD which was recognized nationally as an innovative application in law enforcement and he initiated the 2010 Olympic Torch Run mass media communications plan using Twitter and Facebook to fan-out updates and general information during the first day of the run in Victoria.

You can connect with Hervey on Twitter via @HerveySimard.

Meeting Details:

  • Monday May 16th
  • University of Victoria - SSM A102 (Social Sciences and Mathmatics Building Room A102)
  • 6:45 – 9:00 pm
  • Cost is $5.00



Join us for Twestival Victoria – March 24th at 7 pm

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Posted on 3rd March 2011 by Cindy Stephenson in Events

In lieu of a regular SMC meeting in March, we invite you to attend Twestival Victoria – a fabulous charity fundraiser on March 24th at 7 pm in the Bengal Lounge of the Fairmont Empress Hotel.

Just exactly what is Twestival? Click here for more info.

This year’s event is aimed at raising funds for Victoria’s Cook Aid Society, with all proceeds going directly to provide computer equipment and food to some of Victoria’s most disadvantaged citizens.

Here’s your chance to join the Victoria Twitter community for a fabulous evening of food, drink, music and conversation with performances by local talent plus door prizes and a silent auction.

Tickets are $25 and $40 (with Twag bag) and you can purchase online by going here.  Please note that tickets for this event are limited and will likely sell out before the event.

SMC takes a peek at online dating

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Posted on 31st January 2011 by Cindy Stephenson in Events

According to Pew Internet and American Life:

  • 31% of American adults say they know someone who has used a dating website 
  • 15% of American adults – about 30 million people – say they know someone who has been in a long-term relationship or married someone he or she met online.
  •  Three out of four internet users who are single and looking for a romantic partner have done at least one dating-related activity online—ranging from using dating websites, to searching for information about prospective dates, to flirting via email and instant messaging, to browsing for information about the local singles scene.
  • 37% of those who are single and looking say they have gone to dating websites. A majority of them say they have had positive experiences and believe their use of such sites helps them to find a better match. A notable number of these online daters have found firsthand that lasting romance can be forged online; 17% of them say they have entered long-term relationships or married someone they met through the services.

At the same time, while online dating is becoming more commonplace, there are still concerns in the wider public about the dangers of posting personal information on dating sites and about the honesty of those who pursue online dating.

We’ll explore these topics and more at our February 21st Social Media Club meeting. Leadership team member Sean Dhillon is assembling a lively panel who have said they would be willing to share their experiences first hand. Join us for an interesting and entertaining evening:

  • Monday February 21, 2011
  • 6:45 – 9:00 pm
  • 1415 Broad Street, Victoria BC
  • $5.00 admission

Mobilizing communities through social media!

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Posted on 5th January 2011 by Cindy Stephenson in Events |Speakers

Our January meeting features three great examples of using social media to mobilize a community for a good cause.

  • Janine Theobald was new to Twitter and blogging (but not to community activism). She recently ran a very successful #twamper drive for Christmas – sourced entirely through her blog and Twitter.

Join us January 17th:

See you on the 17th!!

Some Great Sponsors!

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Posted on 7th December 2010 by Paul Holmes in Events |News

A special thanks goes to Mike Simister of Domino’s Pizza – Quadra for donating pizza for our last two meetings! The pizza itself was second only to your generosity!

This month, Boulevard Magazine will be giving away a copy of their brand new Boulevard Design Home Annual (which, by the way, would make a fabulous Christmas present). You must be at the December meeting to win!

Thanks to our latest sponsors for their support!

If you are interested in supporting Social Media Club, please contact us. Please remember to RSVP for the December 20th meeting!

Holiday “Open Mic” Event!

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Posted on 25th November 2010 by Paul Holmes in Events

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Our next regularly scheduled Social Media Club meeting is on December 20th at 6:45pm (it’s now the third Monday of each month).

It’ll be held again at the Victoria Event Centre.

Instead of having a formal speaker, we’ll have our usual announcements, then open the floor to people to talk about how Social Media has changed their lives…

  • Professional Life
  • Personal Life
  • Relationships

This is for pros, cons, success stories, failure stories, challenges, etc.

If you plan to speak, please prepare for 5-10 minutes (there’ll be a computer operator who can load up a website for you on the big screen, but power point and such will be out).

Post a comment below to indicate that you would like to speak, so the M.C. knows who is speaking ahead of time.

There should be some time for mingling, Q&A and a fun, informal time.

The latest on social location technology and apps

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Posted on 8th November 2010 by Cindy Stephenson in Events |Speakers

Social local technology and applications is the topic for our upcoming Social Media Club meeting Nov 15th – with guest speaker Glenn Letham.

Glenn has over 15 years experience with Geospatial technologies and GIS. He’s also well known as the founder and publisher of the first popular daily GIS news publication & “geo news-zine”: GISuser.com.

Glenn is recognized internationally as a leading media analyst for GIS, geospatial & mobile technologies and is well connected throughout the industry. He’s worked as a GIS consultant on numerous projects, and written extensively for popular GIS and related industry online and print publications.

He graduated from the University of Victoria (Geography/GIS) and moved back to Victoria this summer, from northern Colorado.

Glenn will speak to Social Media Club on different social location technologies and applications. If you’re on Brightkite, Foursquare, GoWalla, or Waze – or want to find out about these apps and others – please join us.

Event Details:

Date and Time:           Monday November 15, 2010 - 6:45 pm – 9:00 pm

Venue:                         Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad Street

Please RSVP on Facebook.

This will be our 20th meeting, and the first night at our new downtown venue!!

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