For the first time, BlogWest2012 will be in Edmonton on March 8-10, 2012.

The topics presented at BlogWest2012 will range from inspirational, to technical to business focussed. The premise of the conference is “for Western Canadians by Western Canadians”

The key note speaker has been announced as Angela Saclamacis. Saclamacis is Manager, Public Relations and Broadcast Programming for The Walt Disney Company (Canada), Parks & Resorts. BlogWest2012 organizer Felicia Dewar describes Angela as “a leader in her industry, working with traditional, trade and emerging media to increase awareness and affinity for the Disney Parks & Resorts brand in Canada. “

Two more speakers that are being announced today are Julie Cole and Sarah Deveau.

Moderator Julie Cole, Co-Founder of Mabel’s Labels and mom of six, will lead a panel of experts featuring Theresa Albert, Kathy Buckworth, Maureen Dennis and Alyson Schafer in a lively discussion on “Parents as Brands”. They will explore parenting, public perceptions and the effect of those on their brands. Be prepared for a dynamic debate on brands evolving as children age and expertise areas change.

Sarah Deveau, author and freelancer will be leading: Crafting the Perfect Query: Getting Published (and Paid) by Magazines and Newspapers is a workshop for writers looking to break into paid print or online writing markets. Whether you’ve never written a query before, or need help brushing up your skills, this workshop is for you. You’ll learn how to brainstorm and organize your ideas for submission, and how to craft a query that will sell. You’ll learn the essential ingredients of a successful query, including how to grab and hold an editor’s attention and querying etiquette.

In addition to authoring two personal finance books, Deveau has written for every major newspaper across Canada, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun and Toronto Sun. Her articles have also been published in a number of national magazines, including Today’s Parent, Style at Home, AirLines and more. Deveau runs her own blog at blog.moneysmartmom.ca, blogs for YummyMummyClub.ca, and contributes to a dozen other parenting blogs.

Other topics will include:

• Monetization of Your Blog
• Using Your Power for Good, Not Evil
• WordPress 101 & 201
• Plus many, many more still being finalized

Early bird registration runs from January 9, 2012 to January 29, 2012 for $199, and regular price of $249 after January 29, 2012.

Venue has yet to be finalized, will release next week.

For more information:

http://blogwest2012.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/BlogWest2012

The book is surely worth $15, so this may be a no-brainer purchase for those who have read Chris’s previous book Trust Agents  (which I really liked ), heard him speak or follow his Blog. He is an authority on social media, and if you may ever want to write a book I am sure the video series will be quite helpful.

I just purchased the Google+ For Business Kindle book and emailed Chris my receipt… seems like a smoking deal for only $9.99.

Simply buy the Google+ book through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or 800 SEO Read, then send your receipt to nl@bteam.co (note: not COM, it’s CO), before 10PM ET on Saturday (Dec 31, 2011).

Visit Chris’s blog for more information.

All links are Amazon affiliate links. Learn more here. Only products adored are promoted by sbk.

“….being organized to hold monthly get-togethers and discussions around the WordPress blogging platform. This group is suitable for designers, developers, and bloggers of all levels (including beginners). The focus is on the creative use of WordPress for site design and development. The group will also address topics related to content such as WordPress SEO, though may or may not deal with content development in and of itself.”

All of the blogs I maintain for myself, my daughter, my volunteer work and my clients are on WordPress. I have tried serveral other platforms and enjoy WordPress the most. I also factored in that many successful bloggers I follow also use WordPress. I figure that if the pros use WordPress then it has to be a leader in blogging software, and I haven’t been disappointed.

The group has been around for about a month and has nearly 25 members so far. It look like the group will be officially launched in January of 2012.

If you are using WordPress and want to get better or learn new skills join the group!

The required courses are

• Introduction to Social Media for Business
• Social Media Strategy
• Branding and Online Communications
• Social Media Analytics and Optimization
• Social Media Final Project

Required courses for the certificate program range from $399-$599 and are 5-10 classes in length.

The Univeristy also offers workshops. They are NOT part of the above certificate program. They are:

• The Power and Perils of Twitter for Business
• The Power and Perils of Blogging for Business
• The Power and Perils of LinkedIn for Business

Workshops range in price from $199-$299 for 3-6 hour classes.

For more information on these classes and workshops visit MRU’s site.

If you don’t have a Kindle no worries, you can get a free app for any smartphone or tablet… just go to your the app store/market. Tweet me if you need help doing this @sbkelsick.

The Flinch is self described as “a taut and uncompromising manifesto that aims to help readers conquer the root of what holds them back – the belief that pain and failure should be avoided rather than embraced.”

I just started reading The Flinch, here’s a clip from the intro that caught me and made me want to share it:

“In a fight, there is a fundamental difference between boxers and everyone else. The guys who have trained are different. If you hit them, they don’t flinch. It takes practice to get there, but if you want to fight, you have no choice. It’s the only way to win“.

Read on.

sbk

Use sbk’s discount code of ccnSBK to recieve $100 off. 

Non-Member tickets at $159, with the ccnSBK discount the event is only $59. There is also a $29 student rate available.

Christmas @ Cannes is an evening of media networking with an exclusive pre-screening of the 58th Cannes International Advertising reel.

On November 30, 2010, Calgary CMA succeeded in creating the world’s largest charity screening of the Cannes Lions Winners Reel. A whopping 724 people attended the inaugural Christmas@Cannes event and a total of $25,078 was generated for NABS, their largest single donation of the year.

Details:

• December 2nd
• Place: Flames Central, 219-8th Avenue SW
• Start time: 4:30pm Registration and Networking
• Food from 5:30pm – 7:00pm (included)
• Screening starts at 7:00pm
• Big fun & philanthropy from 9:00pm to infinity…
• Cost: Students: $29.00
• Members: $59.00
• Non-members: $159.00 (use discount ccnSBK for $100 off)

This event will fill up fast, so book your ticket today!

Learn more about the Canadian Marketing Association – Calgary Chapter.

Follow @CalgaryCMA on Twitter.

Twitter hashtag #CannesYYC.

Being tagged as #OccupyMelrose, this month’s topic is tagged as “Changing Stock Prices One Tweet at at Time”.

Although Third Tuesdays have been free in the past, this month it looks like the organizers are changing it up a bit. The fee is $15.00 and it includes two drinks and “plenty” of shared appetizers.

This month’s speaker; Howard Lindzon is the co-founder of StockTwits – the fastest growing social media network for credible traders and investors who share real-time ideas and information.

Howard is also the Managing Partner of Social Leverage. He has over 20 years of experience in the financial community, he created Wallstrip and more than 400 original web video shows.

Register here. Everyone is welcome!

Follow the chatter about the meetup with Twitter hashtag #TTyyc

Have fun.

What I am particularly interested in is Geoff’s knowledge and passion for cause marketing. He focuses on cause marketing and was speaking about online fundraising and other nonprofit and social enterprise related topics.

Geoff is doing something that I am totally going to take advantage of, he is offering his new book, for free, via 15 minute podcasts on his Tumblr blog. He has already posted 14 podcasts.

Hope you enjoy!

Keep track of examples on my specific O&G / social media site called Digg Energy. I posted a brilliant video by Suncor highlighting a dinosaur find and escavation that brands Suncor very well. It is likely one of the best examples I have come across yet.