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.
I know I’m posting this a little late, but perhaps not getting things done right or on time is sort of in keeping with the tradition: to all my weed-loving friends in Vancouver and elsewhere in our great hydroponic-friendly land, happy 420.
And to all the organized criminals using proceeds from BC’s big cash crop to fund gun-running, human-trafficking and sex-slavery operations, you all suck. Oh, wait, all my weed-smoking buddies are helping you guys pay your bills… Not good.
The ethics of this situation may seem a little confusing when you’re in a pot-induced haze. But when you’re not…
They certainly do politics a little differently in Zimbabwe. Twenty-eight years after he first came to power, President(?) Robert Mugabe is clinging to power with his bloody fingernails. He has accused the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of treason and plotting with Britain to “overthrow” the government (Associated Press).
To which most Zimbabweans must be thinking, “great!” Overthrowing a regime that has brought about 80 per cent unemployment, hunger and deprivation seems like a pretty laudable goal to get behind. Tsvangirai likely did win the election (overwhelmingly, assuming Zimbabweans are like the rest of the human species in preferring the benefits of a better economy and political freedom). But even in the extremely unlikely event that Zimbabweans voted for another term of hunger and repression, if there was a time for a Boris Yeltsin-on-a-tank moment for Tsvangirai, this is it.
But it still may be far from over. A commentary in Vancouver’s paper the Georgia Straight predicting the end of the Mugabe regime from nearly a year ago repeated all the reasons why this societal wrecking machine has to go — and the situation is far worse now than it was then.
Is Vancouver such a young city that we have to invent a colorful heritage out of thin air? Vancouverific blogger JZ at Beyond Robson has posed an interesting take on the gritty, lantern-lit Chinatown street known as Blood Alley (BR): according to his findings, the distinct-looking street with the intimidating name (conjuring up images of a young, crimson-spatterd, mourning Bruce Wayne — yes, I know it was Crime Alley, fellow comic book geeks) seems to have no real connection with anything all that grisly, much less super-hero spawning.
Chinatown and Gastown do actually have pretty rich histories, for those who take the time to do a Wikipedia search. Why embellish when the real thing is awfully interesting– and on occasion, actually bloody, to begin with?
“The Canadian Military Should Leave Afghanistan at Once“. That’s the topic of the debate going on at the Vancouver Public Library next week. Representing the side of good will be Canadian Women4Women in Afghanistan co-founder Lauryn Oates, versus a spokesperson for the morally-bankrupt propaganda ministry that is Stopwar.ca.
DETAILS
LOCATION: Alice Mackay Room, Lower Level,
Vancouver Public Library, Downtown (Homer & Robson)
Doors open at 7:15 pm. Seating limited to the first 300.
Langara Dialogues
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
7:30 – 9:00 pm
On the one hand, I suppose it’s a good thing that the public gets another chance to think about our involvement in Afghanistan in a public space. On the other hand, I can’t believe we’re still here, talking about nonsense resolutions that have no bearing on what’s happening now, as opposed to five years ago.
In poll after poll, Afghans tell us they want international forces in Afghanistan (even in the Pashtun areas where the Taliban got their start). The UN has repeatedly voted to support this mission and UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon is an enthusiastic supporter of our Canadian efforts. Our parliament has voted to extend this mission to 2011. Most importantly, everyone — even the Stopwar.ca people — know that if NATO leaves Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of people will die.
Canada may not be the most powerful country in the world, but we have the eighth-richest economy, a well-trained professional army and a heritage of fighting the good fight for freedom and human rights. We’ve shown leadership on this. Hell, we are leaders on this — the US marines are taking orders from us in southern Afghanistan.
The mission is a good one. Rather than beating a dead horse about whether we should stay or go, now is the time to decide how best we can help Afghanistan now that we are involved for the long run.
If you agree, please consider joining a group that believes that human rights are universal and worth fighting for.
Currents has entered the world of viral video with an in-depth interview in Vancouver with local writer Kevin Spenst.
As reported earlier on Currents, 1000 Stories is a short film about Kevin’s marathon 50 readings in a day from his book of short stories, Fast Fictions. The film won for best picture in the Paul and Ben 2008 Film Festival. Kevin talks about the process of writing a short story every day for three years, making the film and getting accolades for his storytelling prowess on the SkyTrain.
More videos to follow, hopefully with actual on-camera people — just as soon as I can find a brave soul willing to look into the terrifying depths of my Macbook’s built-in camera. In the meantime, viewers will just have to be content with video stills of yours truly in comic book rendering.
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