Social Media Week Vancouver

Incase you don’t know – this week is Social Media Week!

From September 19-23 social media summits are taking place all over the world. From Berlin – to Moscow – to Chicago – to Milan – to Beirut – to Vancouver, conferences have been organized and facilitated by social media experts, gurus and professionals. When I heard about #SMW, I knew I had to attend sessions that would provide insight into my sector and be a good opportunity for professional development.

The two I attended were: Government 2.0 / Open Government Summit and Mobile and App Summit.

The first was Gov 2.0 early this morning and I honestly have to say it was absolutely phenomenal. It was well-organized, the speakers were well thought out to provide a diversity of perspectives and not only that, it’s a topic I’m very, very interested in. I met a new friend @Astra_PT, engaged with some great speakers and fellow attendees via twitter: @davedotca, @tantwy, @naomiyamamoto, @jonmccomb980, @jenn_wint, @jenn_wint, @ThePej, @KristineCarrick, @sengsuriya.

The points I found the most interesting from the summit were how politicians and government divisions are not only adapting their communications plans to integrate social media… they are engaging with their public and seeing pretty decent response rates. Also, I very much enjoyed hearing about past experiences of how the public’s input via social media was collected and integrated into policies accordingly. It will be interesting to see where this new acceptance and use of social media platforms will sit when it comes to policy making – and all I know is that I want to be apart of it. This was only the tip of the iceberg for me, I can’t wait to dive in and get my hands dirty with political/governmental public engagement!

The second was the Mobile App summit. Although I thought this might even be more engaging and informative than the first conference I attended, it proved to not live up to its expectations. I’m not sure if I read the description incorrect, or if most people who are interested in how to engage the public on mobile devises are purely marketers… but the panel seemed to be slightly biased. Their own agendas and mandates that related directly to their companies… was the vehicle in which they provided responses to the questions, and although useful – not exactly what I was hoping to get out of it.

All in all, I’m so very glad I had the opportunity to take part in this incredible summit. I wish I would have been able to attend more than 2, but duty calls! I can’t wait for the next SMW coming up in February 2011! If you want to take part – you better have a twitter handle and start engaging and developing professional relationships online!

Did you attend any summit’s this week? If so which ones and what did you think about them?

Let me show you what I can do

Have you ever wanted something so badly that, ever though you thought knew you were capable of it, you were terrified to start?

You know you have the drive, determination and discipline to reach that goal, but have no idea how to get there?

I’ve held a personal challenge that I keep telling myself I will try once I get  “there.” There, is a fitness goal that is not defined by a scale, but rather by subtle differences noticeable only to myself and my mirror. So getting “there”  all depends on how I see that person staring back at me in the mirror.

A friend of mine recently reminded me of this challenge and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head… the thought of pushing myself to the complete edge is exciting and terrifying all at the same time… and yet I want it.

The Challenge: Crossfit

The passion that Camille LeBlanc- Bazinet eludes for crossfit is exactly the kind of approach I take any type of fitness challenge… I like crazy fitness and pushing myself to the limit to find out what I can do. I really should have been an extreme sports enthusiast when I was younger – I’m too reasonable now to start. Crossfit however, is the way of life I could see myself leading…

I know I keep preaching to find what it is you want and to go after it – stop sitting around watching time go by – but even I find it hard to find the courage and determination to stay focused.

I can promise you one thing, I will get to that point, I will walk through the crossfit doors and I will push myself harder than I’ve ever pushed myself before.

Now I just need to figure out where to begin… I want to walk though those crossfit doors and say: “Let me show you what I can do.”

Any crossfitters out there have any advice/support of where and how I should begin?