Tagged: Winnipeg

Friday afternoon

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This guy made my day.
 

All right spring

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you can show up any time now.

 

Dear Metric Marketing

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I'm writing to you because I think we should be friends.

(and by friends, I mean you should hire me to be your Social Media Marketing Associate -let's not mince words here)

I feel like I embody some of the core values that make Metric what it is. That is to say, I'm a super-driven gal who also happens to be completely obsessed with social media marketing.

Thus far I've managed to turn that drive into a ton of personal opportunities: I have a crazy-strong presence online, I speak regularly at Red River College about Social Media and Personal Branding, I was a panelist at the 2014 Manitoba Blogger's Conference. I've also worked with the Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition, Vine Multimedia, and Direct Focus Marketing Communications.

I've been able to create these opportunities for myself because I'm passionate about what I do, and I don't believe that it's possible to succeed online unless you're passionate about succeeding.

When I think about social media marketing I tend to refer to the 36 Social Media Rules of Engagement, from t2 Social's blog:



Because that's the thing about online marketing -your audience can tell when you don't care. When your Facebook page hasn't been touched in weeks, your Twitter responses stagnate, and your LinkedIn profile never goes anywhere, people won't see the value in connecting with you online because, obviously, you aren't online.

(At least not in the meaningful way that brand need to be in this day and age.)

I believe in creating and maintaining interesting and valuable social media presences, and I think I could do a wicked job of it at Metric.

So give me a shout (alyson.shane@gmail.com works best) because I'd love to have a chat about how I can be a valuable asset you, and to your clients.

Sincerely,

Alyson Shane

aka 'The Queen of the Internet'

PS I also promise to never do this:

 

It's been blizzarding again and I need a break

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Real Talk: I LOVE winter. Love, love, love it.

But this it getting to be too much for me.

I need some days when I can walk around and enjoy the scenery. Relax and enjoy the outdoors without freezing my toes off.

Actually enjoy my Canadian winters outside.

So when I was offered an opportunity to go and tour the outdoor Thermëa Spa being built at Crescent Drive Golf Course my heard skipped a beat -this is definitely the kind of "winter activity" I can get into during a winter like this one.

So I bundled myself up last Saturday and went to meet the GM, Frederic Jenni, who walked me around the grounds and explained the different services that the spa is going to offer once it opens in the early spring.

He explained that Thermëa is a Scandinavian-inspired spa, so it offers humid & dry saunas, a hot tub, cold & temperate pools, and a Finnish Sauna (which hosts an Aufguss Ritual twice a day) in addition to massages, body treatments and etc inside.

(Clearly not taken on the weekend. This gives you a better idea as to what it will look like than my snowy pictures will and also makes me yearn for summer... sigh...)

Honestly though, when I was standing in the middle of a bunch of snow in -35 weather, shivering in my jacket, toque, winter coat, mittens, boots, etc I wasn't quite sure if the idea of sprinting from one warming hut to another in a bathrobe was really something I'd be into.

Then I was told that there will be heated pathways during the winter.

(I think my toes just sighed at the thought of it. Clearly I need a space heater.)

It's funny how a detail like that can make all the difference, though: I immediately went from being a bit skeptical of the whole idea to being absolutely in love with it.

The idea of sitting in a hot tub or a sauna in the middle of a crisp winter day seems like such a great way to unwind, doesn't it?


(Here's a more winter-y version of what the finished site will look like.)

Until last weekend I'd never considered myself a "spa" person. I'm super anxious by nature (remember when I told you I got stressed out during that massage?) and until last weekend the idea of going somewhere specifically to relax seemed like a super weird idea.

However, after going and learning about all the careful planning and care that goes into building something like Thermëa, and the effort involved in crafting an experience where you basically show up, hang out, and relax, I'm really excited to check it out!

The spa is scheduled to open in late April, so I'll definitely be going at least once during the summer, But it's during the winters that I think the experience they're going to offer is really going to stand out.

I can't wait!
 

Still on a bit of a high since MBlog

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aka the New Media Manitoba Blogger's Conference

aka #NMMBlog

aka that panel I spoke at on the Friday night with the James Hope Howard, Liz Hover, and Colin Fast aka @policyfrog.

It was also MC'd by my buddy Kenton Larsen -hello!
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We fielded the usual questions -where we can be found online, our thoughts on the future of blogging, etc

(Liz got into a heated debate with one of the audience members as you can see in the photo)

Overall it went pretty well.

The crowd was fantastic & engaged and I feel like we covered some really interesting and relevant topics.

I just wish we'd had more time -panels always start to get good right towards the end, don't they? That's when everyone gets fired up!

I had to jet to a million other things that night so I couldn't stick around, but I managed to make it to the daytime event the next day in time to catch Liz's interview with The Bloggess, who was even more charming and clever in person than on her blog which I didn't think was possible.

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I sat with my homie James and we took dumb photos. Obviously.

It was really cool & inspiring to see local people talk about their experiences and share their stories, and to put faces to so many avatars and profiles that I've creeped online for so long. It was a fantastic day and I feel so honoured to have been asked to be a part of it!

Biggest thanks go out to Alison Kirkland from the Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba, Kathy Driscoll of New Media Manitoba, and of course the dear Kenton Larsen for having me!

xox yr Shaner
 

The MB Music Music Rocks bonspiel has left me mildly crippled (but it wa

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I should also not that it's in the weirdest place possible: behind my right kneecap.

It's also led me to the startling realization that my job isn't as sedentary as I would have previously claimed because getting up a million times to go of the fucking printer hurt like a bitch

But enough about my lady pains (wait what) here's photographic evidence of stuff we did yesterday:

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John used the booze phone on the ice.

(Best sport ever or what?!)

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Other teams had amazing names.

(Ours was "Get Your Rocks Off" for those interested)

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Trophies were presented.

(We didn't win any)

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We also had a pose-off on the ice.

(And by that I mean John had a pose-off)

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Obligatory shot of the sheets.

(Not "lanes"!)

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The Sweeper Mario Bros won best costume.

(For obvious reasons)

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The House Burglars, who won the gold and played against us on the first draw.

(They were also AMAZINGLY NICE and I'm so glad that they won)

Props to Manitoba Music for organizing the bonspiel and the Granite Curling Club for being a fantastic venue to toss some stones!|

Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go soak my leg in a bath and read some Vonnegut. Oye.
 

Tyrone was all "I want cake"

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and I was like "okay".
 

Weeknight wings

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Post-gym we met up with @adriantrimble to catch up on stories and giggle like schoolgirls.

The last frame is empty because our server was so efficient that she cleared away my empty bowl before I could take a photo.

I was impressed/annoyed.

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Cheap okay-ish beer. Suitable for a Thursday, though.

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Fortunately Adrian is much taller than me and blocked a lot of the wind as we walked home in a snowstorm.

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Still had time for a selfie, though.

 

On Winnipeg, and negativity

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One of my most popular posts is a post I wrote praising Winnipeg a few years ago. I still stand by it.

But I didn't always.

I used to be one of those winter-hating, downtown-bashing, sad excuses for citizens who felt that the only positive aspect about living in Winnipeg was that I was able to bitch about it.

I used to think that moving to Toronto would solve all my problems. That it would make me happy.

Who the fuck knows why.

A bigger city doesn't make you a better person.

A different climate doesn't change your personality.

A subway system or some skyscrapers or more clubs to visit on the weekends doesn't improve who you are.

Only you are in charge of that.

This seems to be something that people from Winnipeg forget about. People I see on Facebook and on forums and in newspaper comments.

They become so obsessed with associating their identity (read: personal misery) with where they live that they blame their city for causing them to be bored, broke, stuck in a rut or otherwise unhappy with their lives.

As though a city is to blame for their own personal choices and mistakes.

When someone posts something negative about Winnipeg, I wonder if they realize that it's a reflection of themselves? When they say "eugh what a shit-hole! This city sucks!" do they realize that they live here. They're a part of whatever problems they feel the city has because they're a citizen here.

Any by rejecting their own personal responsibility they put down those of us who are trying to stay and make things better.

By saying "I'm better than Winnipeg!" what they're saying is "I'm better than everyone who chooses to live here. I'm better than you."

Because instead of trying to figure out why they're unhappy here they blame Winnipeg. And they run away.

(Or say they're going to, anyway)

Most people who claim to "hate" Winnipeg never seem to actually go anywhere. They stay here and gripe because it's far easier to bitch about it than to actually take all the steps necessary to move away.

This is because people's perceptions of their problems are so deeply-tied to Winnipeg that most people don't ever actually leave. It provides people with a reason to be upset, with an easy scapegoat.

"My life would be so much better if I left this place"

"My career would be farther along if I lived somewhere else"

"I'd be a happier person if I didn't live here"

I hear people make these statements and it makes me sad for them. That their happiness is contingent on a population size, on street names, on landscape.

What a horrible way to go through life.

Don't get me wrong -I'm not saying nobody should ever leave. There are a multitude of good reasons for anyone to move anywhere.

But a shitty attitude shouldn't be one of them.
 

I know some brilliant people

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One of them is Skot Deeming aka mrghosty, who I met years ago through Tyrone and currently stalk via the interwebs since he moved away to Toronto and now to Montreal to earn his doctorate and become drghosty.

Today though he was in town to give an artist talk at Videopool about curating games and game-based networks as you can see in the above photo.

Because in addition to being a grad-and-now-phd student studying digital games (among other things) he's also interested in having conversations about games as art, the physicality of games, the ephemeral nature of pop-up arcades, and a multitude of other intellectual subjects pertaining to gaming that most of us don't think about day to day.

As an avid gamer myself I'm always interested in what Skot has to say, and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to hear him speak.

My Toronto peeps should make a point to check out Vector Gave + Art Convergence Festival which runs Feb 19-23 and everyone should make a point to keep up with Skot's work is through his twitter @mrghostyx.

As always Skot, it was a pleasure seeing you and getting to witness all your smarts.

xox yr Shaner
 

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