Campy videos pillory Social Media pundits 

“Social Media Camp has grown to one of the top social media education events with a line up of respected speakers and industry specialists,” says co-founder, Chris Burdge. “We wanted to get the word out about Social Media Camp and also have a little campy fun with some of the bad social media advice that we have heard of.”

The first set of videos includes classics like:

• Bringing MySpace Back   (with Dustin Timberfox)
• Pinning for Profit   (with Pinnie Smalls)
• Tweet and Grow Rich   (with @ HashTag)

Series of campy videos poke fun of bad advice from self-proclaimed social media experts

A whole new industry of social media consultants has emerged – some of whom are very knowledgeable and some of whom are not yet aware that Facebook has rules about promotions.” Burdge says, “Co-founder, Paul Holmes and I are passionate about educating people about social media. We are more than willing to get campy to get the word out about Social Media Camp.”

This is the second in our “Social Media Secrets” series of vignettes.  Other classics include:

• Tweet and Grow Rich
• Bringing Back MySpace

This is the third in our “Social Media Secrets” series of vignettes.  Other classics include:

• Pinning for Profit
• Bringing Back MySpace

Here’s the deal.

We’re going to give away 5 copies of “Google+ for Business”. The catch is that the winners need to agree to read it, and then write a review on their blog. Not so hard, eh.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below. Doesn’t matter what you say, just leave a comment so we know who you are.

On Wednesday April 11th we will choose the 5 winners – assuming there are 5 comments.

But wait, there’s more. 

We’ll choose 1 of the 5 blog posts to be featured on the Social Media Camp website along with a full profile of the blogger – that’s you.

The fine print (in the same 12 pt font). Your blog post must:

• Appear on your blog (any platform) by April 27, 2012
• Be more than 300 words
• Include a picture of the book cover
• Link to the Social Media Camp site

That’s it. So put your cursor in the comments box below, click it, leave a comment and you’re done!

Of course, if you’re going for the brownie points you’ll Tweet it as well…

Updated May 3rd with blog post reviews from:

• Leah Baade http://www.leahbaade.com/google-plus-for-business
• Don Power http://donpower.me/social-media/brogan-google-plus-book-review/
• Brian Clendenin http://brianclendenin.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/google-for-business/
• Two more to come…

Danella Parks, Community Investment Manager

We hope that each $100 bursary will help the organizations learn how to expand their reach and their impact using social media. The fact that our members Chris Burdge and Paul Holmes from Social Media Camp are personally matching the bursaries with 10 additional $100 discounts on their social media training rate, is a bonus.

Social media is not a trend that is going away.

Bloggers Lee Bogner and Spurspectives explain why non-profits need to embrace social media now rather than later. They show how early adopters can enhance their organization’s profile, recognize donors and attract new support, among other benefits.

Take this opportunity to provide training for your staff by registering at the non-profit rate of $249 (using coupon code: VolVic50) and then contact Volunteer Victoria, attention Lori Elder to inquire about the bursary distribution. (If you are lucky enough to receive one of the 10 bursaries your organization will be refunded the $100.)

And, as a way to thank Vancity for supporting the not-for-profit community, be sure to follow them on Twitter and watch how they are facilitating community impact on YouTube. Who knows, you could be so inspired you decide to join their banking revolution –  Vancity’s current vacancies are on LinkedIn!

“The #60seatlimo package is a great opportunity for Social Media Campers to practice their skills, share with other newbies, active learners and digital gurus, and get a great deal without having to worry about the travel logistics,” said Paul Holmes, co-founder of Social Media Camp. “We wanted to make it easy for anyone from the Lower Mainland to attend Social Media Camp without worrying about ferry lineups, parking, or driving directions.”

 $499 package includes Social Media Camp registration, accommodation, transportation and a bus-full of fun

Compared to the standard Social Media Camp registration fee of $495 Cdn, the #60seatlimo package costs $499 Cdn per person (or $399 Cdn per person, based on double occupancy) and includes:

• Round-trip coach transportation from Richmond, BC
• Two nights at the Accent Inn Victoria
• Registration for Social Media Camp
• Transfers to/from the hotel to the conference
• Complimentary lunch on Friday and Saturday
• A copy of keynote speaker Chris Brogan’s latest book Google+ for Business.

In addition, ‘Campers’ will board the coach with Social Media Camp speaker Rebecca Bollwitt, owner and founder of Miss604.com, who will lead an informal on-line learning experience throughout the trip. The coach, operated by ITT Wilson’s Tours, departs from the River Rock Casino on Thursday, June 7, 2012 and travels directly to the Accent Inn Victoria (via BC Ferries). Return transportation is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, June 9, 2012.

Registration for the #60seatlimo package is available until May 1, 2012. For more information and to register, visit http://smc.eventbrite.com.

About Miss 604.com

Miss604.com is Vancouver’s most award-winning blog, named “Best Local Blog” by readers of the Georgia Straight in 2009, 2010, 2011 and “Best Local Blog” by the Westender in 2010, 2011. It has been nationally-recognized and featured on Canada AM, CTV, CBC News, and more since it began in 2004. Rebecca Bollwitt, who also co-founded sixty4media – a WordPress web development company – has also been named one of BC’s Top 100 Women of Influence by the Vancouver Sun.

Social Media has increased awareness for Country Grocer, has increased traffic to our website, allows us to communicate more frequently and effectively with customers and Team Members, makes it easier for us to follow our competition and allows us to measure how often we are spoke about.

About us:
Country Grocer is a Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island family-owned and
operated grocery chain with stores in Victoria, Cobble Hill, Salt Spring
Island, Lake Cowichan and Nanaimo. Our grocery stores provide exceptional
products, service, pricing, and community support. We strive to provide our
customers with the freshest products available and to support local British
Columbia suppliers whenever possible.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter or visit www.countrygrocer.com

Social Media Camp is for you, too!

In fact, we have loaded the first half of Friday, June 8th with hands-on workshops just for you. Learn the basics of:

• Social Media Security
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Wildfire
• PageModo
• YouTube and
• TweetSpinner

…with professionals and experts from Victoria and around North America.

Once you’ve got your feet wet, you’ll be ready to explore the many other sessions available. We have separated all our sessions into “Beginner” and “Advanced”, so you’ll have a pretty clear idea ahead of time where you want to go.

We also have the “Knowledge Cafe” a special place where you can hang out, and pick the brains of some of the speakers and other experts who are ready and able to help you with your specific questions in a small-group, or 1-on-1 session.

Don’t miss the numerous networking opportunities, including the West Coast Social Media Awards on June 8th, to meet people and discuss innovative approaches to social media.

Once the weekend is over, you’ll already be tweeting, Facebooking and building your LinkedIn network, and wondering why you took so long to get started!

Click here to Register today!

Tickets are limited.

Here is all 15 minutes of the interview.