Announcing Community Divas!

I’m passionate about a lot of things.

One of them is Bargainista. Why? Because of you! Without you, it wouldn’t exist. If no one was here reading, leaving comments or writing guest posts, I don’t think I’d still be here doing this almost two years later. We are all part of this community.

And that leads me to another one of my passions: community, especially the ones I belong to online. They are made up of real people sharing common interests and ideas while forming real friendships. Many of us have been able to get together offline too.

The podcasting community is one of those online communities very near and dear to my heart. With the urging of my friend Connie Crosby, I joined the PodCamp Toronto organizing team last fall and attended Podcasters Across Borders (aka PAB) in June. I didn’t have a podcast but I didn’t let that stop me.

Now all that has changed. With the help and support of many of our friends, Connie and I teamed up and we decided to host our own podcast about online communities and some of the social networking tools that help build them. It’s called Community Divas. The first two episodes feature an interview with our friend and community builder, Jay Moonah. We hope you’ll listen and participate by giving us your feedback and offering suggestions on how we can make it more meaningful for you.

Follow Community Divas on twitter; join the fan page on Facebook.

If you’re interested in learning more about podcasts and social media, consider attending Niagara on the Lake Podcasting and Social Media Meetup next weekend and PodCamp Montréal, September 20 & 21. Admission is free for both events.

photo credit: Glow Bracelets on PAB Cruise by Andy Caster on flickr

Just One More Book celebrates episode 400!

Just One More Book is a wonderful podcast about children’s books. Husband and wife team, Andrea Ross and Mark Blevis (two of the co-organizers of Podcasters Across Borders) have been sharing their passion and knowledge for 2 years. Today they reached 400 episodes.

Andrea and Mark record four episodes each week from their favourite Ottawa coffee shop, discussing their favourite books for kids of all ages, including a weekly interview with a different children’s book author.

It’s labour of love and an excellent free resource for parents, teachers and anyone else who wants to expand their knowledge of children’s books. Just One More Book has exposed me to new titles and authors and I’m sure it will do the same for you.

Congratulations Andrea and Mark for your generosity and support of literacy in the community!

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Join me at PodCamp Toronto 2008

Last year I extolled the virtues of PodCamp Toronto and told you about some of the wonderful podcasts available. But PodCamp isn’t just about podcasting. It’s THE unconference for podcasting and social media. This year, PodCamp Toronto is taking place February 23 and 24 at Ryerson University in Toronto.

I learned a lot and had a great time meeting new people last year. So when Connie Crosby asked me how I felt about joining the 2008 organizing team, I jumped at the chance. In addition to Connie, this year’s team includes: Dave Fleet, Rob Lee, Katherine Matthews, Sean McGaughey, Jay Moonah, Tommy Vallier and yours truly.

Less than five weeks away, there are already more than 200 people registered and a slew of jam-packed sessions. There is an exciting new concurrent track – From Zero to Podcasting (Z2P) – offering a mix of campfire style discussions and technical presentations aimed at helping everyone, from newcomers to advanced podcasters. You can even start from nothing and learn the skills necessary to plan, prepare, produce, publish and promote your own podcast.

Have a listen to the audio promo.

Hope to see you there. Did I mention registration is FREE! Sign up on the wiki. Volunteer, it’s a great way to get involved and meet new people. If you have something to share, why not offer a session. I am.