20 Years of Miss604 – A Blog Anniversary
byHello, I’m Rebecca.
I operate the most award-winning, longest-running, woman-owned independent online outlet in Western Canada: a little blog called Miss604.com. Today, I celebrate 20 years of this chapter in my life. It was on November 22, 2004, that I clicked ‘publish’ on my very first blog post (spoiler: it was about pancakes).
I wish I could say the 20 years have been one incredible adventure after another. In a way, they have been, but that’s not the whole story.
I started my blog before social media existed, before I knew the incredible highs and darkest lows that were possible in this business – whatever business I am actually in.
I’ve never quite fit under any one label. I wasn’t taken seriously as media, even when I was accredited for the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup. I wasn’t seen as an influencer, since I wrote on a blog and wasn’t part of an Instagram pod. I wasn’t recognized as a writer, even though I’ve co-authored and edited books, been a columnist for magazines and newspapers, and worked as a travel writer with three continents and fifty bylines to my name. I wasn’t acknowledged as a photographer, mostly because I use my iPhone (and an old Nikon), even though my work has been published in print, featured in books, and sold as art
I have been cyberbullied, stalked, and threatened with violence.
I also have an anxiety disorder, and single-sided deafness, which takes a toll on me when I engage in some social situations and events.
So why on earth do I still do this incredibly public work after two decades?
I love telling you about my walks in the park.I pass over a sidewalk stamp, wonder what it is, research it, then tell you all about it. I love taking photos of nature and the city, which are so closely intertwined here. I love shining a light on incredible, selfless people in the community. I love helping raise funds for causes.
I am committed to reconciliation through several projects and initiatives.
As soon as my voice and following grew online, I knew I wanted to use it as a driving force for community impact. Whether it’s helping you plan a memorable date night in the city, raising thousands of dollars for a charity, sharing details about a warm clothing drive, or literally putting the town of Sechelt on the (Google) map, I’ve always focused on making a difference.
Bridging the online realm with in-person events, I was the first to introduce a “Social Media Sponsorship” of events, starting with the Surrey Fusion Festival in 2008. Now, Social Media or Digital Media Sponsorships are a standard. This concept has since led to lasting partnerships, such as the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards, which I first sponsored in 2010 and continue to support today. I’ve been proud to sponsor and collaborate on more than thirty other community events and campaigns every year since.
Offline, I’ve shared my expertise as a speaker and keynote at nearly a hundred events and conferences. My journey has taken me across platforms—from MySpace to Instagram, Threads, Mastodon, and Bluesky—always with the goal of helping people succeed, learn, and share stories about the remarkable individuals in our community. For me, it’s about connecting through this incredible place we all call home.
I have also made incredible friends. A tribute to them would take another 1,500 words. You know who you are and I love you, so, so much.
Now, you can go check out the largest broad-leaf maple tree in Canada in Stanley Park this weekend. You can also check out the free Rainbow Youth Project storytelling event at the library. You can walk by Eihu Lane in the West End, wonder about its origins, and pick up the book “Stanley Park’s Secrets” by Jean Barman. It’s great, I just finished it. You can support Indigenous artisans and entrepreneurs. And if Miss604 had a hand in helping you do any of those things, then that’s why I do this. That’s all I need. That, and some pancakes.
20 Years of Miss604 – A Timeline
I used to blog a “year in review” every December, which came in very handy for this list! I stopped in 2020 because – gestures at everything – but I will start again in 2024. I like this kind of “personal archeology” as my friend DaveO would say.
2004
- Started blogging on a Blogspot site. The first website I ever published was a band fan page in 1997 with bios, discography, and live concert photos. I taught myself HTML to make that and when blogging platforms like Blogger came around, I jumped back into online publishing.
2005
- I bought the domain Miss604.com.
- John moved to Vancouver to be with me. He already had a music podcast and we started hosting it together.
2006
- We went to our first podcasters’ meetup, and our first Unconferences (BarCamp) discussion the future of “Web 2.0”.
- I contributed to a group blog, Metroblogging Vancouver
- I married John. I still get butterflies.
- We started the very first group Canucks podcast with other hockey bloggers: Dave Olson, JJ Guerrero, Alanah Downie.
- I was asked to liveblog a special in-home concert for a well known musician. It was where I met one of my future BFFs, Keira-Anne.
2007
- Thanks to Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo, I participated in my first influencer campaign. It was such a novel new thing, it was written about in the Wall Street Journal.
- I founded Blogathon Vancouver, based on Blogathon global, and encouraged other bloggers to join me. For one day, we all posted on our sites every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight, in support of the cause of our choice.
- I went to SuperHappyDevHouse and met one of my BFFs, John Biehler
- As press at the Commodore Ballroom, I interviewed the band that inspired my first website, which I built in 1997.
- Went to many more concerts, including some during the last days of Richards on Richards, to interview and photograph bands for our podcast.
2008
- John and I founded sixty4media, our WordPress development and content strategy agency that’s still going very strong (even though I don’t talk much about my work there or my clients).
- I had a weekly radio segment on Talk 1410 about “What’s Trending” online, the first of its kind in the province.
- I taught “Podcasting 101” on the Lab with Leo TV Show.
- As part of the Canucks Fan Zone social media team, we were included in an advertising campaign that had us pasted on buses and at SkyTrain stations.
- I was named a “Tech Woman to Watch” in Vancouver.
- Keira and I interviewed Hanson at the Commodore for John’s podcast .
- Started writing for E! Online.
- During Blogathon this year, I set a one-day fundraising record for the Union Gospel Mission.
2009
- I went on my first press trip with Destination BC.
- Vancouver Opera embraced “new media” and hosted us for Bloggers at the Opera.
- I signed a book deal with Pearson/Que.
- I interviewed George Stroumboulopoulos for our podcast.
- I was accredited for the JUNO Awards, got flown to New York with a printer company and ended up hanging out with NHL brass, and went on a press trip to Switzerland. My first press trip to Europe was all about the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games so we went to the IOC, the Olympic Museum, and the birthplace of the bobsleigh in St. Moritz.
- I was they local organizer for Twestival Vancouver (which ran until 2011). This was a global event where people from Twitter would come together in person, for one night, and raise funds for a cause.
2010
- I began sponsoring the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards (I am still their Social Media Sponsor to this day).
- The Vancouver 2010 Olympics changed my life. They made my career. First, I got to ride in the torch relay past my grandmother’s house in Surrey. Then, I spent the next two weeks writing 120 articles about fun things to do around the city during the Games.
- In the spring, my book Blogging to Drive Business was published.
- The Vancouver Sun named me one of BC’s Top 100 Women of Influence.
- I went on a press trip to Ghana, I covered the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, toured the Badlands in Alberta and stayed in a teepee at Blackfoot Crossing with the Travel Media Association of Canada.
- Andrew Lavigne released his documentary, With Glowing Hearts, about independent media at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and our squad of citizen journalists was featured.
- I sat on the original Vancouver Heritage Foundation “Places That Matter” committee.
- I started a column for TV Week.
- I was named one of Canada’s Most Beautiful People by the National Observer.
- A press trip to Quebec with Michelin, another trip to Hawaii with Tourism Maui.
- My second book was published.
- I took my mother to New York for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and partnered with the W Hotel.
2013
- I attended SXSW in Austin, and was invited on a press trip to Disneyland with my niece.
- I began sponsoring the Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala (and am a Canuck Place partner to this day).
- I had an events segment on television with BC1.
2014
- We went to Las Vegas and Palm Springs on press trips.
- Won “Best Blog in Western Canada” from the Notable Awards.
- Canadian PR for the Real World listed me as one of the top digital influencers in Canada.
- I was signed to another book contract.
2015
- I was the City of Vancouver’s official blogger for the FIFA Women’s World Cup
- I feared for my life during a press trip where we did heli-hiking, whitewater kayaking, and via ferrata. It wasn’t that bad. Kinda. The photos are epic though.
- I created the Social Lounge for Variety BC’s Show of Hearts telethon, gathering volunteers (bloggers) to post updates on social media and help spread the word about the event while the telethon was live on TV
2016
- I got to fly around in the Goodyear Blimp.
- I did a commercial for Lexus (didn’t get to keep the car).
- I became an instructor for CampTech.
- I was a YWCA Women of Distinctions Award Nominee (Entrepreneurship & Innovation)
- I was part of a BC-wide social media workshop campaign where we traveled from Kelowna to Cranbook, Quesnel to Port Alberni to facilitate sessions for local business owners.
2017
- My first board role !I was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for Variety – the Children’s Charity of BC.
- Press trip to Ottawa to see one of John’s photos (from the Surrey Fusion Festival) which was added to the permanent “Canadian History Hall” collection.
- My sister and I also went on a press trip to Maui.
2018
- Lots of travel writing this year, from hiking on the sunshine coast and staying at the Indigenous-owned Klahoose Wilderness Lodge in Desolation Sound, to sunrises in Port Alberni, dark sky in Manning Park, and staying in a lighthouse keeper’s house on the Oregon Coast.
- I got to hike out to the ancient village site of Kiixin with a guide from the Huu-ay-aht First Nations.
- I spent a lot of time in Victoria, Tofino, Ucluelet, the Okanagan, and finally made it to the Yukon with John. That’s where we took a tiny plane up to the world’s largest non-polar icefield and walked around, and became Sour Toe members in Dawson City.
- I also flew in a glider this year, in Port Alberni, for a story.
- My face was on a billboard, for a great cause.
- One of my travel assignments led me to an old residential school in Cranbrook, which is now a thriving hotel and golf resort run by the Ktunaxa Nation. It was an experience I’ll keep with me always.
2020
- Miss604 became the Blog Partner of Covenant House.
- I joined the Board of Stanley Park Ecology.
- I joined the Board of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame.
- I took some formal reconciliation training through the Indigenous Canada program.
- I was a business coach for the BuyBasin workshop series for small business in Eastern BC.
- I helped run the Fighting COVID Together fundraising campaign for local charities.
- I offered free nonprofit consulting to get through tough times during the pandemic.
- Ryan Reynolds donated to my Food Bank campaign (thanks, Ryan).
2021
- The Knowledge Network ran a feature/vignette of me.
- I became a columnist with Megaphone Magazine.I am so thankful for this opportunity, I love writing this column and featuring so many incredible organizations and the people behind them.
- I was a YWCA Women of Distinctions Award Nominee (Entrepreneurship & Innovation)
- I signed on as a blog sponsor of Big Sisters BC Lower Mainland, the VGH Foundation as well as a #JeanUp Ambassador for the BC Children’s Hospital.
- I stopped drinking. Which doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the milestones achieved here but as someone in the influencer space that is invited to many a restaurant, winery, and brewery, it definitely made an impact.
2022
- I edited two books. Being a Technical Editor is one of my favourite things.
- I joined the Board of Dan’s Legacy Foundation.
- I was a #NEAB workshop series business coach for small business in North East Alberta
- I started my “Today in Vancouver” photo series from my daily walks.
2023
- I became a sponsor of the BC Achievement Foundation award programs which includes the BC Reconciliation Award, the Polygon Award in First Nations Art, the Indigenous Business Award, and the Sam Carter Award in Art and Design.
- I sponsored the Talaysay Tours App, which helps visitors explore Stanley Park through an Indigenous lens.
- I sponsored National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Maple Ridge.
- I became a judge for the Travel Media of Canada Association’s annual awards.
2024
- Continuing as a columnist for Megaphone Magazine, I got to do a cover story featuring Nardwuar (a highlight of the year for sure).
- I edited two books.
- I sponsored over 35 community events and campaigns (the most to date in a year)
- I was elected Vice President of one of my boards.
- I continued as blog sponsor with Covenant House, Canuck Place, and also signed on as a sponsor of the 2025 Hope in Shadows Calendar.
Now, please enjoy these resources for holiday fun around Metro Vancouver:
