New Media

In 2008 Currents has garnered a steadily-growing readership for its coverage of a range of topics, from current events and politics to the environment social media and tech trends — all things that I have a deep interest in, even if I don’t always have the time to give each topic the attention it deserves every week. I’m grateful for all of your comments and looking forward to an even better 2009

Here’s are some of the highlights of the year gone by:

January. For no particular reason, I set out to become the most searchable Vancouver blogger and come pretty close to achieving it before setting off the Vancouver Blogger Nerd Fight, in which I choose not to run.

February: At Vancouver’s premier blogging conference, Northern Voice, I meet the guy who makes this blog possible.

March. One Thousand Stories, a documentary about my friend and gifted Vancouver-based writer Kevin Spenst’s literary adventure wins the Paul and Ben Film Festival for best short film. Here’s an interview I did with Kevin after his victory.

April. On the political front, the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee starts enjoying some success in its goal of helping Canadians understand why we need to be involved in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, on the social media scene, Hummingbird604 (then known at the time as a Student of the Environment) provides a blog-inspiring mantra and social media consultant Monica Hamburg gives me a lesson in crowdsourcing.

May. I wander around the world-class UBC Museum of Anthropology and make a video. Also, some people do actually pay me to write for them, and I finally cobbled together some tips for copywriters on my WRITEIMAGE blog.

June. I write about the Great Firewall of China and ponder Vancouver’s success in creating a more environmentally sustainable transportation model.

July. I explore whether us bloggers can and should attempt to provide better web security for our readers when large corporations and public organizations are falling down on that job. Also, Omar Khadr gives me an ethical conundrum and a very bad headache.

August. My preference for more discrete breast-feeding habits for mothers in public spaces makes me a bit of a caveman. On the plus side, I’m told I can now pick my nose and scratch my scrotum in public with no social consequences. I have yet to test out this theory.

September. Dedicated and hard-hitting journalist and author Terry Glavin reminds us again why we must stick to the mission in Afghanistan and ignore the heckles of so-called “peaceniks” who would abandon millions of Afghans to the predations of murderous thugs.

October. A little teaser for the present Israeli-Palestinian conflict plays out on video outside a Vancouver liquor store. Also, I celebrate that it’s time for change in Obama’s adopted hometown (well, before he moved into the White House).

November. Vancouver’s new mayor Gregor Robertson takes on homelessness, just in time, before the cold weather really hits. I have a Super Cool Weekend in Vancouver. Jihadi terrorists bring tragedy to Mumbai, though getting a certain local blogger to express solidarity with the victims against the barbarians is a little like pulling teeth.

December. Currents wins a runner-up award for Best Politics Site or Blog from Miss604’s Best of 604 Awards after a hard, bare-knuckles blogging campaign. A cold winter snap descends on Vancouver. Meanwhile, there’s a political crisis in Ottawa. Vancouver’s indie media tries to work with the Olympics, sparked by Dave Olson and Raincity Studios’ open letter to VANOC, with some excellent commentary on the situation by the OlyBLOG. And just as the year is about to end, I protest for democracy and peace for the Israelis and Palestinians against a bunch of Canadians who don’t seem to really understand what it’s going to take for both sides to get there.

Those are the highlights. Looking forward to a great 2009.

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.

Some advice for renters and condo owners in Vancouver’s overheated real estate market: if you don’t want to get woken up in the middle of the night by loud noise, don’t live downtown.

Really, I do sympathize with Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, who came up with the unprecedented idea of allowing firefighters to keep their fire engine sirens off at night so that he could sleep soundly in his Yaletown apartment. Vancouver’s fire brigadiers have announced that they have not the slightest intention of turning off the sirens, since, um, pedestrians and drivers really ought to be warned to get out of the way of three-ton machines hurtling down streets at 100 km per hour.

I am cursed by Superman-like hearing at night that can pick up the sound of a rubber pin falling on carpet. The slightest bump can wake me from a slumber and jumpstart my heart into a less than serene wakefulness.

That’s why I knew I couldn’t live downtown. Surely a man of Sullivan’s keen intellect would have understood that emergency vehicle operators just can’t shut off their noisemakers to ensure everyone gets a good night’s sleep.

There are some new condos coming on to the market right in my neighborhood in Mount Pleasant, though. Perhaps the mayor could find some quieter digs a little closer to Vancouver City Hall?

Vancouver bloggers, beware! Open warfare has broken out in the Vancouver blogosphere. Well, it was bound to happen. My (admittedly self-serving) Vancouver blogger SEO experiment did indeed put my blog up on the first page of Google searches for that search term.

But when the rest of the local geek squad (and I write that as a Level 4 Geek) found out about my dastardly shenanigans, it was open season on Currents and Jonathon Narvey’s search ranking. The Vancouver Blogger challenge was born, thanks to Vancouver communications guru and media maven Michael Klassen. 2008 Tech Woman to Watch Miss604 has also entered the running and she seems fairly intent on grinding Currents’ search ranking into plasma. As for Duane Blogwalker, may the Force be with you.

It is with a teary eye and a humble heart that I announce that I will not be taking part in the Vancouver Blogger Challenge.

It was never my intent to provoke such a terribly obscure bloodletting. I’ve had my moment of glory. I would certainly invite my readers to link to this blog, Currents, if and when a post on this blog seems to warrant a friendly nod or an honest rebuke… But in the words of modern philosopher Jerry Seinfeld, I CHOOSE NOT TO RUN!

To all those who wish to compete in the Vancouver Blogger challenge, I wish you the very best. In my books, you’re all winners.

The Internet is a treasure trove of odd yet compelling bits of fiction, often authored by nameless wordsmiths with no desire for fame or the rewards fame reaps. Like many writers in high-priced Vancouver who will gladly take a certified check, I’m not one of them. But I certainly am grateful for the free content, creative geniuses. Keep it coming.

My latest find is an author of savagely funny and earnestly strange prose who I hope will one day reveal himself (herself?) and take a bow for the following story excerpted below and found in its full form at Fast Fictions:

The Bad-Ass MoFo with the Ouija Board Tattooed to his Stomach

One day he was mowing the front lawn which totally sucked because he only got ten dollars for doing it but it took hours and hours to do. This black van pulled up and these guys dressed like real ninja’s jumped out. They ran over to Stan who tried to run but it was too late. They stuffed him in a black sack and threw him back into the van. From the black sack he could hear the van peel out. Of course he was scared (wouldn’t you be ?) but then he heard them playing Metallica and he thought maybe he’d be okay.

Oh, it’s good.