I recently had the opportunity to hear Vancouver-based social media evangelist and writer Monica Hamburg give a presentation on crowdsourcing. For social media mavens (and we’ve got quiiiiiiite a few right here in Vancouver), crowdsourcing can be an important part of their toolkit. For businesses, it’s a way of harnessing the wisdom of crowds for fun and profit. For non-profits, it’s a way of building awareness and organizational strength. But what exactly is crowdsourcing and how do I get it to work?
Monica has the answers to these questions and more in this exclusive interview for the latest episode of the Currents vlog. Enjoy.
If you’ve filled up your tank at a gas station or swung by the supermarket recently, you’ve probably noticed prices have gone up. It’s still not too bad for us rich Canucks; it’s the poor people in much of the rest of the planet who are really struggling to feed their children, much less pump petrol.
Biofuels have rightfully taken some of the blame for this. More food crops used in inefficient ethanol fuel production equals less food — and less fuel, in most cases outside Brazilian sugarcane ethanol refineries.
But are biofuels the real reason behind these price shocks, or are there other factors at work? And did you know that environmental heavyweights like the David Suzuki Foundation based in Vancouver were never all that enthusiastic about the short-term potential of biofuels in the first place?
The only honest ‘anti-war’ position about Afghanistan is to support Canada’s military engagement there. The holier-than-Marx fuzzy-brains on the west coast such as MAWO and Stopwar.ca still shout “Troops Out Now” even though they know full well that an international pullout from that country would result in an immediate bloodbath. Fortunately, they are not the only voices out there.
The west coast branch of the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee is featured in the National Post today for our efforts in offering an alternative to the brainless anti-colonial propaganda emanating from the embarrassing coalition of useful idiots that seem to have hijacked the peace movement in this country (BC group fights disinformation on Afghan mission).
An excerpt: …A new countermovement has formed, one that lauds the Canadian Forces and its efforts in Afghanistan. Strange as it might seem, it’s based here in Vancouver, where the political landscape tilts sharply to the left.
Founders of the Canada Afghanistan Solidarity Committee include poets, environmentalists and local authors who will never be mistaken for conservatives, such as Terry Glavin and Stan Persky. Among the many books Mr. Pesky has written is Boyopolis: Sex and Politics in Gay Eastern Europe; one can assume it is not on Rick Hillier’s bedside table.
Other founding members include “academics, gay rights activists, student activists, Afghan-Canadians and feminists,” according to a recent CASC press release. “We are united under the premise that we must honour our obligations to the cause of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan … The only honest ‘anti-war’ position is to support Canada’s military engagement in Afghanistan.”
Not such an easy sell, admits CASC member Jonathon Narvey, a 33-year-old journalist and editor. “A lot of our members are lefties,” he says, but “it’s a bit of a grind” getting across the message that the war in Afghanistan is worth fighting. Much of the effort is used “reminding people of the facts.”
The committee takes direct aim at MAWO, warning students and activists to steer clear of it, and describing it as “a bizarre cult-like group” whose demands for an immediate withdrawal of military from Afghanistan are “simplistic, ignorant and morally disgraceful.”
Further into the NP story, Afghan-Canadian Karim Qayumi, a CASC member and the director of research at the University of British Columbia’s divisions of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, had this to say:
“I know many Afghans who are passionate about the military mission in Afghanistan but they are still critical of it,” Dr. Qayumi said. “I am critical, but I support it, because I know that a withdrawal would lead to chaos. Civil war…
“I am totally amazed by Canadians and their efforts to help in Afghanistan,” he says. “Unfortunately, I have also encountered Canadians who do not understand the problems there… They say there are promoting peace, but what they advocate will lead to more war.” Better than most of us, he knows that extremists cannot go unchallenged.
A blogging superstar has emerged on the Vancouver scene. On his two-year blogaversary, Raul of the Random Thoughts of a Student of the Environment blog can point to a fairly substantial achievement: betwen 3,000 and 4,500 unique visits per month. Raul writes about environmental issues, but also about restaurant reviews, movie reviews, some political commentary and his personal life. The hit counts are not exactly up there with Wikipedia and YouTube, but it’s still the kind of traffic that attracts the attention of advertisers and cyber-stalkers (watch your back, Raul) — and he’s really just getting started.
How did he do it? He covered all the bases that popular bloggers have been talking about for years: write and post frequently, provide interesting content and develop real relationships with other bloggers (not just a one-time link through MyBlogLog).
Nicely done, Raul. And thank you, for your blog-inspiring mantras, pasted below:
I believe that there is readership in the blogosphere for everyone. We all blog because we love it.
I believe that this blog wouldn’t be where it is if it weren’t for you, my dearest and loyal readers.
I believe that we can all get along. It’s not easy, and requires hard work, but we most certainly can.
I believe that my future in blogging looks promising. I love blogging and wouldn’t give it up now.
I believe that my social circle has just grown larger and I am very grateful to the Powers-That-Be for that.
I believe that there will be another blogaversary to celebrate next year
Another shout out, this time to all my eco-friendly associates here in “EcoDensity-Is-Destiny” Vancouver. Quite a number of you great people helped get the word out on the HappyFrog frogblog about the EPIC 2008 Sustainability Expo: Dave Olson, Alexa Booth, Rebecca Bollwitt, John Bollwitt, Keira-Anne, Raul, Greg Andrews, Lisa Tilson, Colleen Coplick, Olga Orga — take a bow.
You’ve helped make our city a leader in a field of green. Happy Earth Day, y’all.
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