As the holiday season comes to a close, everyone’s buckling down with work, taxes and the idea of no more stat holidays until March. Fear not social media and internets enthusiasts of Vancouver because our hyperactive community is putting together a schwack-load of events to keep you networking and scoring drink tickets. Here’s what’s going on it Vancouver’s Social Media Scene in the coming month:

Launch Party Vancouver 3: “…a lively mixer for the city’s brightest entrepreneurs, tech junkies, and bloggers, who are doing it, have done it or want to make their ideas happen here.” [more info]
When: January 25th @ 5:30pm
Where: The Lamplighter in Gastown

Photo credit: Phillip Jeffrey on Flickr

Third Tuesday: “…a free monthly meetup for Vancouver area communications and marketing folks interested in learning/sharing more about the practical applications of social media in society, organizations, business and government.”
When: January 28th @ 7:00pm
Where: Opus Hotel Lounge

Vancouver Blogger Meetup: “A group of people in Vancouver interested in blogging – from beginners to experts. We meet once a month, usually around the middle of the month.”
When: January 30th @ 7:00pm
Where: Century Restaurant and Bar venue updated to Our Town on Broadway

CaseCamp3: “…a marketing unconference open to anyone. Presenters share case studies of their work, with the goal of creating a commons for discussion, learning and networking.” This is the latest “camp” that I’m aware of and sounds pretty neat. It’s marketing oriented so perhaps it’s a perfect forum for all those Third Tuesday-ers. CCV3 is also looking for sponsors so visit the website to find out more.
When: February, 20th 2008
Where: (TBD)

Stay tuned for more information about each of these events as they happen. Also, as it pertains to local bloggers doing cool things, be sure to set your VCRs to record our local contestants who are a part of the national “Blogger Team” on the CBC’s “Test the Nation” on January 20th. If anything else is going on and you’d like people to know, drop me line or leave a comment.

What’s better than your husband, with all his media connections, getting you up to the Jim Robson Brodacast Gondola at GM Place?

The “Voice of the Vancouver Canucks” and me – Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Having him take your photo with John Shorthouse and Tommy Larscheid – that’s what.

But back to the real theme of this entry… Last year I initiated a “Free Cause it’s Your Birthday” post in Vancouver, to which anyone could add any establishment they knew of that gave you free stuff for your birthday. Well this year, I’m putting it all to the test. Throughout the day today I’m going to travel to various restaurants to collect my free loot. Watch for updates as they’ll be time-stamped starting with my free breakfast at Denny’s.

Update: 6:40am – Just going through last year’s list there are a lot of free desserts out there but I’m determined to find more cause well, it’s my duty as the kind of blogger I am AND I’m a cheapskate. I just got a “Happy Birthday” email from 99.3 The Fox’s Morning Show. They sent me 10,000 club points (whatever those are) and a coupon for a free appetizer or dessert at Players Chophouse. Since John and I have dinner plans, I may have to make this my lunchtime destination.

Update: 8:00am – Success at Denny’s. It’s fun getting ID’d for breakfast hehe. Here’s the meal I enjoyed and could not finish cause it was just TOO much food.

Update: 8:30am – Forgot that Old Spaghetti Factory will give you a free meal on your birthday as well. Check last year’s post as many places in Vancouver just offer desserts. Also, Mr. Sub apparently gives you a free birthday sub – not sure of the size or where you can get the coupons (tried looking online).

Update: 10:00am – Just tried Blenz in Yaletown, “Yes, Blenz does give out a free birthday beverage of your choice… just not this location.” Pffft!

Update: 1:30pm – Okay so I couldn’t find any place that would give me a free lunch BUT I do work with a great group of guys that covered my meal today at Honjin – thanks guys!

Update: 3:15pm – Was just on 95 Crave with Buzz. Gonna try another Blenz on the way home and maybe tonight, if I’m good, I can get my free scoop from Mondo Gelato.

Update: 6:00pm – I contacted Blenz via their corporate site to get more info. Just to clear things up, the company’s tradition is a free bevvie on your birthday however, many Blenz locations are franchised so it’s up to the franchisee if they choose to honor this. So FYI, the one in Yaletown is a no go, but a couple up and down Robson will be more than happy to celebrate your birthday with you – just inquire at store level. Thanks to Blenz regardless for replying to my inquiry.

Update Please note this post was composed January 9th, 2008. This post does not guarantee that there are in fact birthday specials at any of the establishments above. I would recommend you call ahead to check if the restaurant does offer a birthday special.

I (heart) Raincity. I do, it’s true. I’m a closet wannabe Raincity girl (since I can no longer be a Bryght Girl). They do amazing work, they preach Drupalese to the masses and their folks have helped put Vancouver on the map in terms of being a tech hub in this country. What have they done for me lately though? Well, you may notice something new on the site…

I’ve been working with Hubert to create the new banner and logo over the last few months, as he was kind enough to take on my project. Another big thanks goes to Robert Scales, who is now over in China setting up Raincity Shanghai. This group of individuals has pretty much given me the rockstar treatment even while they were in the middle of a merge and a redesign of their own site – not to mention continuing to do business for all of their other valued clients.

New Official Miss604 Logo:

Watch for Miss604 Merch Coming Soon:

So, here it is, with lots of potential for merchandising and sticker dispensing at your next local social media event. Leave me a comment, let me know what you think, and none of this would be possible without the super great staff at Raincity Studios Vancouver.

Today I’ll be strapping on my snowboard for the first time in two years and I simply can’t wait.

I learned to ride about 12 years ago at my local mountain of choice – Seymour. This was mostly because it was the quickest to get to from Surrey, it was the cheapest, and had the best runs for beginners. It’s still my ‘local’ of choice so I’m particularly pleased to share the following information about “Guys Night Out”.

Keira first wrote about G.N.O. a few days ago but it wasn’t until today that I actually looked into it a bit further.

The Event
Head to Mt Seymour every Monday evening from January 7th to March 24th for Guys Night Out – Girls Ride FREE. A shared evening of skiing, snowboarding, hanging with your friends, and making new ones.

The Details

* Women must pick up a Girls Ride FREE voucher from one of our retail partners. Refer to the list below.
* Present the voucher at Guest Services any Monday after 6:00pm from January 7th to March 24th to redeem it for a FREE lift ticket.
* Please remember to make a donation to fund Breast Cancer Research.
* Après in the Elevation lounge with specials, ski and snowboard films, and prizes provided by the event sponsors.

The Charity
Supporting Breast Cancer research through Boarding for Breast Cancer and the BC Cancer Foundation.

It was revealed yesterday on the Strombo Show that local rock goddess Bif Naked has been diagnosed with breast cancer. As a dedicated participant of the Run for the Cure, and knowing women who have struggled and survived, I’m always game for something that supports cancer research.

Boarding For Breast Cancer (B4BC) is a non-profit, youth-focused education, awareness, and fundraising foundation. Our mission is to increase awareness about breast cancer, the importance of early detection and the value of an active lifestyle. [B4BC]

So there you have it, you can head to the best in local skiing/boarding and support a great cause while you’re at it. For more information about Mount Seymour visit their website, and stay tuned for a recap and plenty of photos from our girls night out (for a cause) at the mountain.

Update: Everything you’ll want to know about hitting ANY of the local North Shore mountains can be found in Paul’s hugely informative blog post.

This past fall, I was the official live blogger for Vancouver’s first Facebook Developer (and Design) Garage and I’ll be back again for an upcoming event later this month which will feature the Facebook Awards.

The first ever Facebook Awards: Best of the West, brought to us by some great sponsors, will feature applications that were created right here in BC.

As the Best of the West event is fast-approaching here’s a quick round up of all the nominees.

If you’re a fan of any of these, leave me a comment or feel free to submit your favourite BC-made application to Best of the West Nominations or add it to The Wall. Stay tuned to the wiki to find out more about the upcoming event January 28, 2008.