When news broke this afternoon that Jack Layton would be holding an afternoon press conference, hearts dropped across the country. Not a word had been said, but we could all imagine that this presser could only bring bad news.
Ever brave and optimistic, an obviously gaunt Layton explained that he would be stepping aside, temporarily, as leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition. His cancer was back in a new form. Layton’s speech was eloquent, honest and humbling [read it here]. This sort of announcement could have been disastrous for a newly-emboldened …

On Saturday Feb. 26 I attended PodCamp Toronto (#pcto2011). Here’s what I learned:

This weekend, the new media community will take over Ryerson University for PodCamp Toronto 2011.  The un-conference, now in its fifth year, connects content creators and communicators through self-provided programming. One of the most unique aspects of this un-conference is the concept of “Two Feet”, that is, if participants find themselves not learning from or contributing to a session, they’re welcome to take their two feet and move somewhere they will.

Seeing as this is my first year in Toronto since the camp’s inception (I spent four years doing my undergrad …

When CBS reporter Lara Logan was subjected to a brutal sexual attack in Egypt, LA Weekly journalist Simone Wilson took it upon herself to blame the victim.

I love to be the centre of attention.  I’m ambitious, passionate and love to talk.  I’m a little lavish and dislike the ordinary.  To anyone who’s a zodiac buff, it’s obvious what sign I fall under.  However, I was informed this morning that I am not, in fact, a Leo.  Instead, I’m a Cancer. (Full disclosure: I’m actually on the cusp, but tend to be more on the Leo side)
Apparently all of my friends and the Twitterati got the memo as well.  My feeds have been riddled with questioning, confused …

They say the youth are apathetic when it comes to politics.
As a young woman of 22, I’d like to disagree. We aren’t apathetic; we just aren’t motivated, at least not by traditional methods of politicking. If you want the youth vote, you can’t confine your canvassing to knocking on doors. Obviously hokey (read: “hip”) attempts to engage our demographic often have the opposite effect and only attract ridicule. To catch the attention of the largest untapped voter base, you need to get online and do it well – legitimately and …

In social media, authenticity and engagement reign supreme.
Given this, it’s quite surprising that so many politicians, specifically mayoral hopefuls, are willing to pass off their social media ventures to staffers.
In a blog post about Rob Ford’s latest social media venture (a YouTube video depicting the ‘party’ at City Hall), the Toronto Star brought up a valid point:
|   “…given that authenticity is considered a primary currency of social media, and that Ford carries a not-so-smart flip phone and doesn’t send out his own tweets or Facebook posts, it will be interesting …

Let me preface this by saying I’m not even going to touch the issue of police brutality yet. That’s a complete other topic (and likely will be another blog post).  So, please, if you feel the need to comment about how I’ve focused only on the protesters…don’t. Save it until we have more information on the policing situation & I post something on that.  Moving on…
Toronto, we have lots to be angry about.
I spent Saturday afternoon glued to the TV screen and my Twitter feed, unable to even …

Source
When I exposed myself as a BBM addict (no surprise to many), a friend of mine said, “Well, that’s all well and good…but what I want to know is why people can’t put down the phones when they’re out with friends. I feel like people are losing the ability to communicate in person!”
It’s been well-documented (see: here & here) by this point that when asked to go even 24 hours without technology, Gen-Yers and millennials experience withdrawal symptoms you’d expect from an alcoholic denied their beverage of choice for a …

Are we virtual hoarders?
I am nearly certain that, if there were such a show, I would be starring in it.
Social networking sites, email accounts & blogs have become the new under-the-bed shoebox.  As we become increasingly reliant on our online existence, it is only natural that we also form a growing attachment to things that exist online.  Everyone has felt that pang of loss when your computer crashes, taking all your photos and class notes with it, but how will we feel the day Facebook is gone?  What effect will …