Thanks For A Great November Meetup!

November 17, 2009 By
Courtesy flickr: Kingstonist

Courtesy flickr: Kingstonist

So… I’d planned on doing a nice, long post today and add in a paragraph about last night’s meetup… but writer’s block struck and I’m stumped… So all you get today is the meetup stuff.

Last night the LNMG entered our 3rd year of meetups by getting people together at the Coffeeco location at the Kingston Centre for some coffee, snacks and tech talking. In addition to our largest turnout yet (11 people showed up, but we only had 10 simultaneous there), we launched a new format for the meetups with a local speaker and discussion, followed by the more general tech chatter we’re used to.

We opened the meetup around 6:30 or so (Though official start time was 7:00) and invited our guest speaker – Rich Ottenhof of Coffeeco – up to speak around7:30. Rich talked about how the company is using Twitter to build brand recognition using geocaching-style giveaways every week and then asked everyone for some feedback on a larger-format, Twitter-based game he’s been thinking of.

The snacks (Thanks, @delilahevening!!) were tasty, the coffee was flowing and the chat was wonderful. Thanks to the whole crowd who came out last night! Stay tuned to this blog, the LNMG blog and the @LimestoneTweets account and we’ll announce December’s as soon as we confirm the date.

Filed Under: Archives, Local

Local Hashtags: A Twitter Proposal

June 24, 2009 By

[Loooong post alert. Grab a coffee.]

So, the past week has brought a lot of interesting events and happenings in Kingston. From PAB, to Doors Open, from Teddy Bears to Music Festivals and from fires…. to, well, bigger fires. I’ve been watching it all very closely on Twitter and trying to keep up.  It’s been hard, though, because while big events (like PAB) have dedicated hashtags, smaller going-ons never do. We chatted about this a bit at the last meetup, too, and are beginning to think of a solution, but I’ve been doing some more thinking on my own, too.

First, I pondered the idea of a single, generic tag that could cover all local events. Something like #kingstonon, or #kngon (to keep it short – on Twitter, every character counts) or something like our airport code #ygk… But none of that seemed right – a sweepstakes at the mall and a parade downtown then share the same tag… And until local events begin to have their own tags, that’s going to get very confusing, very quickly. So I thought we could break up the city in a way that would make sense… And the more I thought about this, the more I realized it was already done – by Canada Post!

The Down-Low on Postal Codes

Ahh, the postal codes – something I’ve been developing more of a personal interest in. The postal code system in Canada is set up with 6 characters, three letters and three numbers, formatted as D1E 2F3. The first three characters are the FSA (Forward Station Area) which break down a specific area of a province or city and the last three are the LDU (Local Delivery Unit) pinpoint a specific area within the FSA such as a street, block or sometimes a single building. Because of the way the FSAs work in Kingston – I decided that breaking the city up along those lines made the most sense. If you want to learn more about postal codes, check Wikipedia.

The Hashtags

So I’m proposing we begin tagging news, events, important updates and similar using the FSA as a hashtag. I’ve set up a rough map showing the rough areas according to the Canada Post map. I’m also providing a list of major landmarks within each hashtag zone, along with a specified suggested colour. Click on the read more link below to read all about the new tag zones for Kingston. Part of the beauty of this system is that it can be easily adapted for use anywhere across the country.

I’d appreciate feedback on the hashtags – the idea is to help bring the community together on this, so redefining them together is alright by me. Also, if I missed any notable landmarks, I’d appreciate knowing those, too.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Archives, Local, Projects, Twitter

Meet @limestonetweets

March 23, 2009 By

So, slowly but surely, new online media stuff in Kingston is starting to grab hold. There are still [mostly] monthly meetups taking place to talk web technology and social networking, there are radio stations, newspapers and hockey teams on Twitter, and there’s a killer blog that’s starting to gain momentum. The last, oh, 6 months or so have seen an EXPLOSIVE amount of locals on Twitter, likely in a growth rate that rival’s the main site, and I thought it was time to do something with it.

So about 2 months ago, sitting alone in a hotel room, I created @limestonetweets. It’s a twitter account devoted entirely to the local Tweet scene and those involved in it. Beyond that, though, it’s been an experiment for me on multiple fronts:

  1. @limestonetweets is a directory, more than it is a soap box. The account follows(*) only people in (and around) Kingston, making it a perfect “first stop” for people in the city to find, and connect with, other locals. Sure, I use it occasionally to gather feedback, or announce a meetup, but it’s “following” list is a directory first and foremost.
  2. It’s also a chat room. Any DM sent to the account is broadcasted to the world – giving locals a chance to announce where they are to the whole community at once, and allowing for completely impromptu meetups to happen. Yes, similar COULD happen using something like BrightKite… but that’s not where the masses are.
  3. The account has also served as the test of my own abilities to manage multiple accounts. Verdict? Still out. For a while, I was really good at followbacks – that’s been tricky recently, but doable.
  4. It’s also been interesting to watch how the account has shifted from me working like mad to find locals, to other people finding it through friends. I spent hours combing the Twitterverse in serach of people from Kingston Ontario – as apposed to the Kingstons in Nova Scotia, Jamaica or the UK – to follow. These days? Not so much.
It’s a fun little experiment, though, and I think it’s proving useful.  I’m hopeful that in time, it’ll connect more people together and help the community in Kingston grow. That said, if you know someone I’m not yet following with it (I just cleared out a backlog) send me a personal @ or DM – or send a message @limestonetweets.
* More specifically, the software I’m using for the DM chat room stuff auto-follows, and I periodically go in and pull anyone not in the area. It’s toally a judgement call, but I err, usually, on the side of acceptance. I do, though, sometimes go through it’s list of followers, and see who they’re following, and who’s following them, to find other locals.
As an aside, hello blogosphere – It’s been too long.
Filed Under: Archives, Local, Projects, Twitter

Getting Back To Local

February 8, 2009 By

So, a little over a year ago now… Almost a year and a half ago, actually, I started up a little project I called the Limestone New Media Group. When I got it started, I was about the only guy in town on Twitter but I’d heard a few other people were listening to podcasts. I figured that 3 or 4 people had to only be the tip of the iceburg, and that we should probably all get together for a beer, coffee or lunch. While it did take a few months more before anything other than a 1-on-1 meetup happened, they did eventually happen. And they happened regularly… For a while.

The past few months, though, have seen a real steep decline in the “real-world” gatherings of local people… And that saddens me. The local meetups were something that brought together three things I enjoy: Kingston, the web and meeting people. The meetups, from day one, were always planned to be social, for-fun gatherings and I think most people who attended had a good time. So a few friends of mine, and I, are going to start to get them going again.

I regularly say that one of the things I find most rewarding in this new digital web media space is building connections between two people. Watching partnerships, ideas, friendships and even relationships bloom as a result of a simple introduction tweet, email or phone call is a lot of fun. It’s even more fun when you can do that on a larger scale. So a few weeks ago I created the @limestonetweets account. It’s serving, right now, as a directory of local Twitterers, but will likely be used for announcements and such as time goes on. It’s my hope that it will help unite more people and build some connections between folks with similar interests.

But back to the meetups. I mentioned we’re getting them going again, and we are: The firs local meetup/tweetup/gathering will be helpd tomorrow, February 9th, at 7:00pm, at The Merchant Taphouse. This keeps it on it’s original schedule of the second monday of the month, and at our regular location. Come out for dinner, come out for drinks, or come out just to say hello! We’ll be there. I’ll be in a bright shirt, and the sig with the LNMG logo will be on the table. (We’re usually in and around to the left). If you can, give me an RSVP (here, twitter, email, wherever) so that I can hold a big enough table.

See you tomorrow!

[wpcf]

Filed Under: Archives, Events, LNMG, Local

Introducing: The Limestone New Media Group

November 13, 2007 By

So, last night the handful of us new media guys in town got together at The Merchant Taphouse to hang out and talk new media over a few drinks and some wings. We’ve now establish a name, a domain is forthcoming, and a frequency. We got a lot of work done too on where we want to go with the local new media stuff, too. More details on that will be established as we go forward – but the wheels are in motion for some exciting things in Kingston.

Thanks to David Bailey and birthday boy Francis Wooby for making the trek downtown to be a part of last night’s meetup.

Want to join us for the next one? It will be held on the second Monday of December (That’s the 11th) and will be held once again at the Merchant Taphouse once again at 7:00pm. Are you coming?

Filed Under: Archives, LNMG, Local

Kingston’s Second New Media Meetup Is A Go!

November 3, 2007 By

So it’s been over a month already since the last new media meetup happened in Kingston – and while additional details will be ironed out over the next few days, I’m ready to announce the date, time and location now.

Kingston’s SECOND new media meetup will be held:
When: Monday, November 12th, 2007, 7pm – 9:30pm (Or later as things happen)
Where: The Merchant Taphouse, 6A Princess St, Kingston. Located beside the Holiday Inn. [link]

I’ve got a handful of smaller things to work out, so you can expect more details on this likely on Tuesday… But if you’re in the area, mark your calendars now. See you then!

Filed Under: Archives, LNMG, Local
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