We’re stationed out in Surrey today to celebrate Canada Day.
Though I went to bed with a fever last night and woke up shifting between being extremely pale and extremely red-faced, I just figured my body was showing its patriotism. We made it out in time for the opening ceremonies (including Mayor Diane Watts & Vancouver 2010 gold medalist Denny Morrison) and took a walk around the slightly soggy grounds before photographing some of the early afternoon entertainment.
My photos are up on my Flickr account and John’s will be up shortly on his Flickr account.
The rain has moved off for now and there’s plenty of activities, rides, food, and entertainment to enjoy until 11:00pm tonight. Come on by with friends and family, all concerts are totally free to enjoy including Dragonette, Stereos, Odds, and Honeymoon Suite. A full schedule and list of activities is available on the Surrey Canada Day site.
To mark the end of Bike Month in Vancouver, today’s Archives Photo of the Day features the Vancouver Bicycle Club at Prospect Point.
Description: The Vancouver Bicycle Club in front of the observation point at Prospect Point, 1895
Photographer: From the Major Matthews Collection
Archives item#: St Pk P174
Today’s Archives Photo of the Day features two young Vancouver children and their “pet” bear cub.
Description: Ken & Theresa Quiney with bear cub at 1820 Waterloo Street in Kitsilano, 1910
Photographer: James Luke Quiney
Archives item#: CVA 7-29
Today is Social Media Day around the world as initiated by the top social media resource (and most influential Twitter account on the planet) Mashable.
While Vancouver hasn’t officially declared today “Social Media Day in Vancouver” like they did in Victoria, the social media community is hosting a meetup to get together and celebrate.
It’s on this day that I would like to take some time to reflect on the changes social media has made in my life. There’s so much more to “blogging” and being a web-based business owner than sitting behind a computer screen. Social media allows you to connect with people on and offline, and I truly believe it helps you get out and about – meeting real people, making real connections.
Through social media my website and event fundraising efforts (Blogathon, Twestival, etc.) have raised close to $20,000 in the last few years for local and global causes. I have made connections with other local business owners, I have been able to support other campaigns and give promotion to those who couldn’t otherwise afford advertisement. I have met some amazing people (other bloggers from around the globe), and even booked a hotel room based on a Tweet recommendation.
Social media isn’t just a mass megaphone for proclaiming your love for Justin Bieber. It connects people, it’s powerful, and it’s helped shape our world today.
Tonight’s Social Media Day event will be at LUX (965 Granville Street) and you can RSVP online. The tag to follow on Twitter today is #smday.
Update July 1, 2010 In case you missed it last night, Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable, was in attendance at the Vancouver event.
The City of Vancouver also presented a proclamation that June 30th was Social Media Day in Vancouver.
The third annual Worldwide Photo Walk takes place July 24th and will see photographers of every level heading out and snapping photos as they stroll with a group.
A photo walk is basically a walk around with your camera where you snap photos as you go. I’ve done photo walks alone or in groups of about 100 people and each experience is unique. Everyone tells a different story through their lens, whether they have a professional setup or a camera phone.
Last year there were 900 photo walks organized on the same day with over 32,000 participants.
Registered photo walks in our region so far include: White Rock, Vancouver (Mount Pleasant & Olympic Village), North Vancouver (Lonsdale Quay), and Abbotsford (Downtown/Old Abbotsford). On the Island there’s Victoria (Old Town), Cumberland, and Nanaimo (on the Waterfront).
Photowalks are limited to groups of 50 photographers so if the one in your area is full, you can even register a new walk, in a different location (say, if Mount Pleasant is full you could head up a Chinatown photo walk).
All walks will need to get approval first and walk leaders will be responsible for creating a Flickr group for their walk. They will also get to select the best images from the day and submit them to the the Worldwide Photo Walk 3 group on Flickr for the chance to win prizes.
All Worldwide Photo Walks are free to attend but be sure to register ahead of time as spaces may fill up.
