June: Underwire Newsletter

Geek It Up: Attend a Conference
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SFU Summer Workshops: July 17, 19, 27
One-day workshops or week-long workshops on technology and the publishing industry. Spots are limited and registration deadlines are looming.
If you are interested register today:

July 17: Online Marketing for Book Publishers, presented by Monique Trottier.
Full-day session on online marketing. We will cover search engine marketing, email marketing, community-based marketing, website promotions. Everything web.

July 19: Self-Publishing, presented by Bruce Batchelor.
Great afternoon session on marketing and distribution for self-published authors. Bruce is the former publisher and CEO of Victoria-based Trafford Publishing.

July 27: Online Marketing for Magazine Publishers, presented by Monique Trottier.
Full-day session on online marketing. We will cover search engine marketing, email marketing, community-based marketing, website promotions. Everything web from a magazine-publisher perspective.

July 26-27: Search Engine Strategies Conference, Travel Edition
Located in Seattle, this 2-day conference focuses on search marketing for those in the travel industry. If you want more info, here is the link:
searchenginestrategies.com

August 9-11: Gnomedex in Seattle
Great speakers and great audience members. It is hundreds of bloggers, podcasters, and tech-savvy enthusiasts. A 3-day conference.
Register here.

Tech 101: Thinking of Blogging?
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Tom Johnson has a great post on I’d Rather Be Writing:
Twenty Usability Trips for Your Blog

Here are the top 5 things:

1. Pick a topic for your blog
2. Encourage comments
3. Make it easy to subscribe
4. Include an About page
5. Present your ideas visually

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See Also:
Underwire Newsletter for May
Work Industries Blog
Monique’s Personal Blog

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BarCamp Vancouver 2007: register now!

As one of the organizers for BarCamp Vancouver 2007 I have a bit of an inside track on information. At least, I thought I did.

Then I looked at the BarCamp Vancouver 2007 registry and (gulp!) we were almost halfway to capacity! That was late last week, so I registered myself and Monique.

As I write this, 78 people have registered — 78 out of a maximum of 120 spots!

So if you want to come to BarCamp Vancouver 2007, go to the attendees page and add your name by clicking on Edit at the top of the page. That’s our formal registration process. We may also ask for a donation of $20 at the door. C’est tout.

So what is BarCamp?

The standard definition:

BarCamp is an ad-hoc un-conference born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from attendees.

In my experience, it’s a 24-hour, loosely organized, collaborative event with a focus on community, discovery and relationship building. We create a space that is intimate, open, casual and modest. Professionally, it is a refreshing and inspiring place to be for a few days. No one is selling you on the idea, we’re inviting you to be a participant.

Because everyone is a participant to the degree they’re comfortable. If you want to present, you’ll have a chance to present. If you want to just watch, you’re welcome to do so. If you want to see interesting, creative people in action and take part yourself, you have to see it to know it.

From about 6 pm on Friday, August 17 to about 6 pm on Saturday, August 18, we’re going to take over Workspace and participate in the making of culture.

Sponsor BarCamp Vancouver 2007

Of the organizers, Megan Cole and I are responsible for rounding up sponsors. So would you like to be a sponsor?

Sponsorships are $500 and limited space is available. Deadline for sponsorships commitments is Friday, June 22, but don’t wait because we anticipate being over-subscribed. In fact, we already have 5 companies signed up. More information is available on the BarCamp Vancouver 2007 sponsors page.

If you’re interested, get in touch with me and I’ll fill you in on the details.

Product Safety and Alternative Pet Foods: North American Market Outlook

Packaged Facts released a consumer report today on Product Safety and Alternative Pet Foods in the North American market. Access to the report will cost you $1,495 US for an online download. A little too rich to simply satisfy my curiosity.

The abstract suggests that the findings are significant enough that the big brand pet food manufactures will pony up to see the results.

The report identifies “Alternative Pet Foods” as high-end natural and organic pet foods; fresh pet foods including raw/frozen, refrigerated, and homemade; and 100% U.S. sourced, locally grown, and other smaller-batch pet foods.

Together, these product segments currently account for less than 10% of North American pet food sales, but the growing consumer perception that these products are safer than traditional mass-produced pet foods—on top of numerous other favorable trends covered in the report—virtually guarantees high double-digit growth rates for at least the next two years.

My curiosity is a result of working with Jamie Young on his recent dog food cookbook, Grrrrowlicious Food for Hungry Dogs.

Jamie is an Australian dog food chef who is buying local and making his own pet food. He’s as alarmed by what goes into dog food as I am about what goes into my human food.

The recipes in his book, including Bacon and Cheese Cookies (which you can download as a PDF), look so damn yummy that I’m hoping he’ll do a “Dogs and You” cookbook, which will let dogs and owners nibble off each other’s plate.

If you’re a dog owner, or simply interested in projects we’re working on, have a look at the Grrowlicious website and the press release.

Work Industries was involved with the online marketing of Grrrrowlicious Food for Hungry Dogs by Jamie Young.

Work Industries heading east to Ottawa, Toronto

We leave this morning (Jun. 7) for a week in eastern Canada.

Our first stop will be in Ottawa for the wedding of two good friends. Then, on Sunday (Jun. 10), we be joining some friends returning to Toronto from the wedding, and we’ll be in Toronto until Wednesday (Jun. 13) evening.

Since we’ll be travelling, our ability to be in contact over the course of the next week may be intermittent. Give us a try at the usual coordinates and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can, between soothing the hurt of Senators fans and negotiating the hot, hazy and humid conditions of Toronto.