Usually I promote upcoming meetups and unconferences that circle around social media however a large part of my audience is not involved with blogging (and isn’t concerned with whether it is dead or not). I’m thankful for all of my readers who find my site through Google or other sites (or even my mom). I find it’s just as important to note various other community events – they may not be techie, may not be downtown, but will still be super fun for anyone. With that, I’m happy to share the following:

Also, please remember that if you live in the Vancouver-Burrard or Vancouver-Fairview districts that you need to get out and vote on October 29th and most cities in the region are having their municipal elections November 15th.

Parsing through my Delicious links this morning I came across two articles that John sent me (yes, I become giddy when I notice my husband tagged something for me in Delicious).

The title of the first bookmark was “Blogs More Relevant Than Ever” and the next one, right on top of that listing was, “Blogs are so over”. The interesting thing is that they are both referencing a Wired article by Paul Boutin.

Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And if you’ve already got one, pull the plug.

Writing a weblog today isn’t the bright idea it was four years ago. The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. Cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths. It’s almost impossible to get noticed, except by hecklers. And why bother? The time it takes to craft sharp, witty blog prose is better spent expressing yourself on Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter. [Wired]

Let’s start with the seemingly glass half empty post from Mathew Ingram, quoting the Wired article with his tongue way in his cheek:

To tell you the truth, I’m kind of surprised that Paul didn’t put a headline like “Twitter and Facebook have killed blogging” on his piece. Things are always killing other things in the kind of world Boutin describes. And what evidence do we have that blogs aren’t the place to be any more? Just this: Jason Calacanis quit blogging and moved to an email newsletter, and Robert Scoble is mostly doing video posts and Twittering. So there you have it. Case closed.

Then there’s the post by PureBlogging, which quotes yet another response to the Wired article, from Dwight Silverman, “Are Blogs Obsolete?”:

Like any other publishing medium, blogging is a tool for getting information to other people. The fact that other ways of doing it have come along doesn’t mean blogging doesn’t belong in your toolbox. It’s still an effective way to communicate ideas, news, images, video, audio. It remains a simple and powerful way to not only share your thoughts, but point others to valuable info and insights elsewhere on the Web.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Blogs are not obsolete. You know why? Because I still read them everyday. I still write for them nearly everyday. And so do countless others (that probably includes you). If you ask me, blogs are more relevant than they’ve ever been, because they are more mainstream than they have ever been.

I’m starting to see a pattern here. First, blog about how blogging is dead. Next, watch all the bloggers blog about how blogging is not dead. Sit back, and watch blogging thrive and have your post spread like wildfire through the blogosphere.

Here’s an update that Mathew Ingram made to his post:

Seamus McCauley calls Boutin’s post “flagrant flamebait,” which I think is probably true. And I fell for it 🙂 And so did Tish Grier.

Translation, the post was asking for controversial discussion (being “flame bait”) so that people would blog about it for better or worse.

I have been noticing changes in blogging patterns – at conference there are more Tweets than live blogs and those who write uber personal posts are being unfollowed on Twitter or blasted for sharing too much information, although this is really where blogging go its start isn’t it? That’s even how the Wired article begins.

I think blogging is changing (not dead); it’s evolving into something much bigger, allowing for more applications and tools to emerge in the online realm. It’s changing the conversation and allowing for more of a two-way street; you and your audience, wired and mobile, on and offline. In that regard, I’m pretty glad this article came to be.

Today is Media Democracy Day across the nation and Vancouver’s festivities are taking place until 6:00pm at the Vancouver Public Library.

Since 1996, there have been several efforts by concerned citizens and media activists to build coalitions to make the media more democratically accountable in the US as well as Canada.
Initially MD Day was organized by local Toronto and Vancouver groups of the CPBF — modeled after its British namesake, a coalition of groups which came together in 1996 to challenge Conrad Black’s takeover of much of Canada’s press, and the threat to diversity posed by media concentration. Early supporters included the Council of Canadians, the CEP union, the Canadian Media Guild, the Graphic Communications International Union, the CLC, and the Periodical Writers Assn. Today, the tradition of MD Day is carried on by local citizens and student groups in Canada and around the world. Events were organized in 2001 in Toronto, Vancouver and Kitchener-Waterloo Canada.

Speakers and presenters in the ‘fair‘ can be found on the Vancouver’s MDD site, check DaveO’s sweet preview post on the Raincity blog and visit the folks from Beyond Robson. The event is free so head on down if you have time (and conveniently there is a pub – or two – between the venue and either the BC Lions or Canucks games later as well).

Thursday night John and I attended the Arts Club fundraising gala, Glitter. I have a brief interview with the Arts Club publicist, Nicole McLuckie (below) as well as a detailed post over on E!Online.

The event honored three Arts Club alumni who have made profound contributions to the Vancouver theatre (as well as film and television) scene; Janet Wright, Leon Bibb, and Morris Panych.

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Bill Millerd, Janet Wright, and Leon Bibb
Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

There are additional photos from the evening available over in John’s Flickr set.

There are 15 speakers in the room this evening for Interesting Vancouver at the Vancouver Rowing Club, all from diverse and unique backgrounds and each with something interesting to say. I’m sitting here looking up at the Rowing Club’s Roll of Honor for men who gave their lives for their country in from 1914-1918.

Upon arrival we were each given a clothespin on which to write our names (wooden name tag FTW) as well as a blank index card and some instructions, “Write, draw, paint, collage or whatever your thoughts, opinions, inspirations may be and drop in the basket. Everything will be scanned and shared anonymously at interestingvancouver.com.”

Since there is only bar service available (no food) attendees were encouraged to bring their own snacks to enjoy before we got underway. I smell McDonald’s in the room – this definitely will be an interesting evening.

As announced on sixty4media earlier today, I will be supplying the live blog tonight so stay tuned.

Update: Organizer Brett MacFarlane has just taken the stage to warn us… “it’s not as stuffy as some other conference, and probably not as loose either.” … Continue reading this post ⟩⟩