Archive for the 'Twitter' Category

26
Mar
11

Sydney Twestival 2011

By Timinator Leave a Comment
Categories: Sydney and Twitter
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I was one of the volunteer organisers of the Sydney Twestival last year. Twestival 2011 was a couple of nights ago, and while I didn’t volunteer this year I did buy a ticket and go along to the Sydney event.

It was a great event. There were obviously folks with much more PR experience involved this time around: the place was packed. It was held in the courtyard at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills, and the buzz was genuine. It was difficult to move without bumping into folks, there were several raffles and auctions, and they raised what appeared to be lots of money for kids’ cancer charity Redkite.

Well done, folks. The night was further proof that social media is one more excellent way to get folks together to help out a worthy cause.

I even met some cool new folks, and managed to get into a gig later in the night.

19
Nov
10

Twestival Global 2010 In Liberia

By Timinator Leave a Comment
Categories: Twitter
Tags: ,

Earlier this year I volunteered for the Sydney contribution to Twestival, the global Twitter effort to help raise money and awareness for the education programs of charity Concern Worldwide.

That effort has not gone to waste. Here are some of the things that Concern has done with that money since then, plus a video.

Liberia, Senyah Town: School Construction
Thanks to Twestival 2010 funding, approximately 3,000 families in Senyah Town will benefit directly from a brand new school. Construction of a safe six-classroom school is underway, and will include new latrines and a hand-pump well for safe water, as well as a staff room and principal’s office. Twestival funding will also provide the classrooms with desks, chairs, and blackboards.

Burundi, Cibitoke Province: Improving Access and Quality for Extremely Poor and Marginalized Primary School Children
The project, funded with donations from Twestival 2010, will train 56 teachers in 56 schools in Citiboke, one of the poorest rural areas of Burundi. The project will also repair and rehabilitate 2 primary schools, benefiting 1,941 children who would otherwise have no access to education.

Haiti, Port-au-Prince: Child Friendly Spaces
Twestival funds will allow Concern to train 200 new teachers and give 14,600 displaced, earthquake-affected children access to education as well as psychosocial support and a safe place to play in camps in Port-au-Prince.

Malawi, Nsanje District: Education for Girls and Vulnerable Children
In one of the most impoverished districts of Malawi, Concern will use Twestival funds to bring education to 18,736 out-of-school girls and vulnerable children. The project will also provide training to 197 teachers and 500 School Management Committees and PTA members, and will work to establish community support for education through mother’s groups and child protection committees.

Twestival Global 2010 In Liberia, posted with vodpod

01
Jun
10

Wagamama tweetup for Save the Children

By Timinator Leave a Comment
Categories: Sydney and Twitter
Tags: , ,

Last night there was an Australia-wide tweetup at Wagamama restaurants. We got to preview the winter menu. I had the broiled duck, and it was quite good. Definitely flavourful. I wasn’t so impressed with the presentation or amount at first, but perhaps I was being greedy, as I was full when I finished.

What’s even better: our tickets for the night benefited Save The Children. That’s a win-win in my books.

I also had a good laugh with the other folks at my table. Librarians, ex-boyfriend dopplegangers, Asahi Darks, and how rubbish men really are was on the menu with the noodles and the fundraising. Nice night.

27
Mar
10

Twestival

By Timinator 2 Comments
Categories: Sydney and Twitter
Tags: , , ,

I haven’t blogged in the last week because most of my spare moments have been spent preparing for the Sydney Twestival (I blogged about this back in February). I was helping with media, but like all volunteer efforts, you need to pitch in with whatever on the night. I’m glad that there were other volunteers a whole lot more resourceful and dedicated than I was, too.

The night was a whole lot of fun. I would have liked more people there, but as the media and PR person I can only point at myself. Still, we raised as much money as last year, and Twestival globally has collected more money than last year. That’s a good thing, because the charity we Twitter folk were raising for – Concern Worldwide – does really good work.

If you want to know more about Twestival, which is now an annual global Twitter event, and how to join – or start! – a Twestival near you, click here.

To read about Concern and their education programs in developing countries, click here.

To read the blog (most of which has my hand in it) about the Sydney event, read backwards from here.

To see what we were tweeting on the night in Sydney, click here.

10
Mar
10

Wagamama Tweetup

By Timinator Leave a Comment
Categories: Sydney and Twitter
Tags: ,

I was lucky enough to get invited to some pretty cool social media + online foodie stuff in London. I may be getting back into that scene now that I’m here in Sydney.

Last night I was at a 5-city Tweetup (twitter meetup) hosted by restaurant chain Wagamama. It was fun, I met some folks, and we got to preview the upcoming autumn menu. The duck noodles with black cherry hoi sin sauce was a hit.

There’s a writeup on this and other events – including Foursquare’s explosion and the Twestival, which I’m involved in for Sydney – on mumbrella (that’s me to the left of the photo).

26
Feb
10

Sydney Bloggers Meetup

By Timinator Leave a Comment
Categories: blogging, Sydney and Twitter
Tags: , ,

Last night I attended my second Sydney Bloggers Meetup. Like the first one, it was at The Arthouse Hotel. Also, like the first one, it…wasn’t over-attended.

But there were new faces, included someone whose stuff I’ve read at ScienceBlogs: Tim Lambert at Deltoid. That was very cool, as I’d seen Tim’s ongoing battle with the climate denialism of newpaper The Australian. I spoke to him briefly on the recent increase in denialism due to the media throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

The lovely Catherine from Domestic Joy was there again, too. My London blogging experience with food bloggers was that I sometimes got to ride their coattails to foodie events. I’ll be sticking close!

I was also asked to speak to the gathered few about my experiences with Twitter, and about the upcoming Sydney Twestival [web page | facebook | twitter].

The only downside to the evening was that – due to an overzealous doorman’s dress-code application at the admittedly swish Arthouse – I had to sneak my shorts-wearing self up the back stairs. He gave me a dirty look when he saw me leave, but TOO LATE, SUCKER!

I definitely plan to keep up with the Sydney Bloggers. The conversations are always good, and there’s certainly room to grow it.

03
Feb
10

Sydney Twestival

By Timinator 1 Comment
Categories: Sydney and Twitter
Tags: , ,

On March 25th, cities around the world will hold Twitter Festivals (Twestivals) to show that social media can have social impact. We’ll be gathering to raise awareness and funds for Concern Worldwide, a charity that does lots of good work around the world. The focus of this fundraising will be on their education programs.

I’m helping out with the Sydney Twestival. The venue, entertainment, and fun will be set soon. For now, you should follow Sydney Twestival and Concern on Twitter, and become a Sydney Twestival fan on Facebook.

Much more to come!

11
Sep
09

Twestival!

By Timinator Leave a Comment
Categories: London and Twitter
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Last night’s London event for Twestival was really cool. I had a blast chatting with people I know well, a couple I’d only spoken to once or twice before, and some brand new folks.

We raised a bunch of cash for children’s helpline ChildLine. We saw a bunch of live bands at the cavernous complex that is Vinopolis. And we showed that Twitterers are a pretty sociable bunch. Technology seems to be as a driver as any other for getting socially conscious people together.

I’m glad to see Twestivals are catching on all over.

London Twestival DJ room. Photo from Adam Tinworth via Creative Commons license

London Twestival DJ room. Photo from Adam Tinworth via Creative Commons license

08
Sep
09

Twestival Local London in aid of ChildLine

By Timinator 1 Comment
Categories: London and Twitter
Tags: ,

Remember when I attended the last London Twestival? It was an example of how Twitter folks can gather together for fun and do so with a social conscience.

There’s another Twestival on Thursday. This time it’s in aid of ChildLine (the free 24-hour counselling service for UK kids). I have my ticket and plan to have some fun.

From the Twestival page:

Every single penny of the money you spend on tickets to Twestival Local London goes directly to funding ChildLine’s work answering calls from distressed children in London.

Come and enjoy…

  • Entertainment from The Hours (fresh from their tour with U2), joined by OneTaste (London’s renowned music and spoken word collective) and The Parks Dept, plus three great DJs
25
Apr
09

Spanish wines: Twitter taste live

By Timinator 1 Comment
Categories: Twitter and wine
Tags: , ,

In December, Wine Conversation blogger/twitter Robert McIntosh held a special session at one of the London Blogger meetups. Rob instructed us in the use of the “taste test live” hashtag (#ttl) for Twitter. This gave the companies who had provided the wines real-time information about what we – a specific group, now all identifiable online – thought of the wines.

I’ve continued to meet up with Rob at other events: more wine tastings, blogger meetups, and at Twestival, for instance. Taste Test Live has continued as well, and I know there have been a few other live, Twittered wine tastings with groups around the world all simultaneously participating. There’s even a dedicated web site for the events that makes contributing and following them easier.

This week Rob dropped a note to his Twitter feed that he had a spot open for another TTL event. I jumped at the chance. It happened last night.

The London group – just five of us, a nice, manageable size – were graciously hosted by Ricard. The other folk were myself, Rob, The Wine Sleuth (whom I’d met before) and UltimateWines (whom I’d not). There were other tasters participating too; mostly from Spain, though we saw some Chinese input too.

You can try to read through what we thought of them live in the tasting notes at TasteLive, or doing a Twitter search or hashtag search. There were four Spanish wines for us to try:

  • Gramona Imperial Brut Gran Reserva (Cava) 2004
  • Pazo de Senorans Albariño (Rias Baixas) 2008
  • Espelt Sauló (Emporda) 2007
  • Coleccion Vivanco (Rioja) 2005

They were all good. I learned that I should be paying more attention to Albariños. The smell of the Vivanco really roped me in, and the taste showed me that I can do better when it comes to riojas with balance.

We didn’t keep perfectly synchronised with the other groups. But it was a lot of fun to share tweets, pics and video with folks ’round the globe enjoying the same wines at the same time.

After the tasting Ricard put on an awesome spread of food, and we all chatted and laughed and drank some more wine. I hope the producers who supplied the wines got as much out of it as I did.

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