Are you Bloggable? Northern Voice and Moose Camp coming up!

Here in Vancouver, groovy high-tech start-ups are blossoming and a true community of collaborative-minded folks are brewing up all sorts creative entrepreneurial endeavours.

One of the noteworthy events of the year for this community (and like-minded bloggers and pundits from around the world) is Northern Voice (FAQ) and it’s nuttier “auto-pilot” cousin Moose Camp. I attended last year and soaked in a batch of workshops, lectures, pow wows and hang-outs with peeps with something to say.

NorthernVoice 2007 goes down February 24, 2007 with Moose Camp the day before (23rd). The evening of the 22nd is a kick-off dinner which i am totally checking out, ergo:

Join us for an opening night party, Thursday, 7:00pm at Heritage Hall. There’s spaghetti for everybody, and Lee LeFever will be talking about how he blogged and podcasted his year-long trip around the world. Admission is free, though we’re asking for a $5 donation to cover food costs. Here are some directions to Heritage Hall.

This year, the event moves on from the Robson Street campus of UBC (as seen in Tony Hawk’s Underground skateboard video game, but i digress) to the Forestry Sciences Centre out at the main UBC campus at the Point Grey area of Vancouver. This is NOT near downtown so wise people will hop on a shuttle or transit. Many trees to entice you out for a stroll too.
Day One is Moose Camp - a self-organizing event in which whoever wants to (well almost anyone) can put on a discussion on a techie topic. It is sorta organized but the focus is clearly on peer education. Last year, I participated in a panel “Blogging your Passion” with skier Andre (Doglotion) and knitter Mandy (Yarnageddon) and photographer Rachael (Rachael Ashe Art).

photo by Laughing Squid on flickr

I was also able to add in a tad of my niche knowledge on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the “I’m not a lawyer but …” session about copyright and/or trademark infringement and libel/slander related incidents.

KK’s photowalk is always a hit and last year’s Bar-B-Q at Second Beach was another highlight (Thanks Quinn from Kyushu for the Japanese Sake).

photo by Laughing Squid on flickr

Day Two gets a bit more “regular” with a couple of tracks of presentations in a auditorium with wise speakers giving a spiel on some blog-related topic. Blogs, podcasts, RSS, photography, community building, activism, outreach, art, commerce - its all covered. Many of those “A-list” bloggers that the cool kids talk about are likely to be there (R. Scoble, C. Pirillo) as well as most of the Vancouver hotshots and the diligent organizers (thanks eh).

Travis Smith, Kris Krug, Lauren Wood, Brian Lamb, Roland Tanglao, Julie Szabo, Darren Barefoot, Boris Mann, James Sherrett, Cyprien Lomas. Photo by KK on flickr.
Bear in mind, this event is for personal bloggers, not corporate wonks but the knowledge is applicable for all. Authenticity and Collaboration are the keys.