Vancouver Blogger Meetup May 2009

My first blogger get-together was in the summer of 2006 and in 2007 John and I attended an official Vancouver Blogger Meetup. Since that time the group has evolved, welcomed many new faces, and ushered in my friend Raul as the organizer (with Isabella still being an active member). It’s a great way to learn about tools and tips, while interacting in person with those you might only know from an online space.

Throughout the years its kept the same casual meet & greet style, which is always very welcoming (and fun) however this month they’re shaking things up. I spoke with Raul to learn a bit more about what can be expected this time around.

“I had received a lot of feedback from people about varying the format and having speakers/discussions, so I figured I could ask Lorraine, Shane and Colleen – with whom I had already talked about speaking on social media etiquette – to speak in a panel format,” said Raul. “I wanted to provide a different feel, and it’s sort of an experiment.”

The panel will host a discussion while offering various points of view when it comes to etiquette online.

Etiquette is frequently seen as a constraining set of behavioral rules, delineating what behaviors are appropriate within a certain social arena and which are not. But in a context of online multiverses, each with its own culture and demographic, what is truly the “right” thing, and how can we know it? Culture clashes and rapid evolution of social norms are ubiquitous in social media: why? What is appropriate etiquette? Is it portable across platforms? What are the ‘right’ kind of rules and norms in an unruly arena such as the online social media world? The participants in this panel will engage in a conversation about what constitutes etiquette, whether or not it relates to a moral imperative, whether it emerges as self-appointed leaders create specific sets of norms and discuss the evolution of etiquette in emergent social media. The implications for codes of behavior and etiquette in Web 2.0 are also discussed.

The May 2009 meetup will take place Thursday, May 28th (@6:00pm) at the St. Regis Hotel and everyone is welcome to attend (blogger or not). I’ll be off to San Francisco that day but will look forward to a recap that is often generously provided by Jan Karlsberg.