why i live my life on facebook

i woke up with a start at 420 am (yeah) with some ideas that i wanted to write down. including some new antics for chausette, my new born stoner sock puppet. after writing furiously so i wouldn't forget anything, i am now completely buck awake.

coffee? of course. i fired up the espresso machine and made myself a tall water with lime.

i realized again why i like facebook & blogging. my days are so free form, around meetings and shooting and playing and creating, all on my schedule. when i write things down on facebook it's like an electrical journal for me. i still have paper notebooks too, mostly for drawing.

i remember writing a facebook note after a friend had said "what's it like with a job where you're not really helping anybody". my friend wasn't interested in the answer but i was. so i wrote it down... and then people commented and discussed... and i realized that storytelling can be the best way to help someone. so yeah, thanks facebook.

i love going off the grid just as much. i'm not big into rules or doing something just for the sake of doing it. right now i will live my life on facebook.

lisa anita wegner

boss lady of the dufferson herman arts umbrella/ mighty brave productions

This Is Toronto - Facebook Fan Page

This Is Toronto, the podcast dedicated to Toronto's arts and culture community, now has a FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.

The fan page will offer many more features. It's also a better way for Torontonians to connect with each other and discuss art and culture.

Join the movement and tell all your friends.

More Reasons Why Radio 3 Can't Axe Radio 3

In the last post on CBC funding and Radio 3 I said that it would be foolish for the CBC to axe Radio 3. Radio 3 appeals to a segment of the population where the CBC has little other appeal. Radio 3 is the CBC's primary presence for those who place the internet at the center of their media - people who practice and understand social media. The results of my efforts so far fully bear this out.

On February 25 I launched an online campaign to urge parliament to increase the CBCs funding. The following day I launched a second one to urge the CBC to keep Radio 3. The results so far are very telling 689 people have so far signed up to help increase the CBC's funding and 1,144 have signed up to save Radio 3 so, in online communities there are more people willing to support Radio 3 than the CBC as a whole. The Radio 3 supporters have also done more 'passing it on' there are still 3,121 open invitations to the Radio 3 group compared to 1,853 for the CBC funding group.

Online communities are more involved and proactive than communities that form around more traditional media and online communities represent the future audience for all media. The numbers above, I think, represent what killing Radio 3 would imply for the CBC's future audience. Hopefully Parliament will do something to help the CBC through the current economic crisis and hopefully the CBC will think twice before doing anything to Radio 3. What they decide to do though will be a clear statement of how the CBC feels about it's online audience and how it feels about it's own future.

First Boost Group Crosses 1000 Member Mark

The Boost groups that I've introduced over the last few months were designed to offer publicity to arts and culture in Canada (to date - music, film and television, art and literature). The idea is as simple as I could make it. People opt in to the groups and are, once a week, sent things they should take a look at (trailers, music video etc). What I hope to do is provide publicity where there is little or no budget for publicity, sadly this is usually the case in Canada.

Today I'm happy to announce that the first of these groups Boost: Canadian Music has crossed the 1,000 member mark at 1,032 members as of this moment. That means that when the mailing goes out this week it will be seen by people in virtually every part of Canada and several other countries.

Beyond the music group Boost: Film and Television has 832 members and is still growing steadily, and Boost: Canadian Literature and Boost: Canadian Art which launched on January 8 are approaching 250 members and are growing by the day. It will take some time to get each of these to the 5,000 member target but as free publicity goes I think it's all off to an excellent start.

Live on Your Computer: Nathan Lawr, Hawksley Workman, Bison and Vancougar

Coming up on Wednesday the podcast (mp3) version of Vancougar's session will be up on the Radio 3 site. But as posted yesterday on the Radio 3 site. There are new full sessions up that you can listen to (but not download) from Hawksley Workman, Nathan Lawr, and Bison as well as Vancougar. If some live in Studio performances in the comfort of your own home would brighten up your weekend pay them a visit.

By the way, for anyone who missed the news somehow there is a new
Facebook group and Facebook page up for the Radio 3 Sessions as well as a new fan page for Canadian Music in general.

Facebook Sued over Privacy

According to internetnews.com the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) is suing Facebook charging 22 distinct violations of Canada's privacy laws.

""Facebook purports to provide users with a high level of control over their data," said Harley Finkelstein, one of the law students who wrote the complaint. "But our investigation found that this is not entirely true -- for example, even if you select the strongest privacy settings, your information may be shared more widely if your Facebook friends have lower privacy settings. As well, if you add a third-party application offered on Facebook, you have no choice but to let the application developer access all your information even if they don't need it.""

Publicbroadcasting.ca = Some Changes + More Facebook Stuff

I've done a bunch of maintenance stuff today, some things are gone - others are new.

First, I've added a DIY Intervew thingy - more on that in a few minutes (it'll be the next post)

Second, I've removed the notice board - too much time spent separating the vast amounts of spam from the few real submissions. The CanCon cast has also gone away for now, I simply don't have the time - but I hope to bring in a new mixtape podcast at some point

Third, there are some new links in the vast list entitled 'More Links' that appears on every page

Fourth, I've added a bunch of new things to the 'Facebook Links' section. The new additions are:

Art at Elite

Bound to Create Theatre

Canadians for Net Neutrality

CBC Radio 3

CBC Radio: Fuse

the Diableros

Events Toronto

FUSE magazine

Gentleman Reg

the Islands

Just Canadian Talent

Keep
your censoring hands off of Canadian film and TV! No to Bill C-10!

Mint Records

Most Serene Republic

Newsoundspace

rabble.ca

Rural Alberta Advantage

Save Jpod Now!

Show & Tell Gallery

Stop the Throttler (Bell)!!!

Superfantastics

Support the new CBC 2

Theatre in Her Shoes

Toronto Film Network

Toronto Free Gallery

Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival

Toronto's Official Dance Theatre and Opera Group

TWM @ Rancho Relaxo

Wavelength Music Arts Project

White Whale Records: Making Music With Your Friends

Toronto the Good

Toward the end of 2007 the Parkdale Food Bank came close to closing, this week the calls went out the help those who lost everything in the Queen Street fire.

In the hope of faster response when these kinds of crisis happen I've created a new group on facebook called Toronto the Good the plan is for this to be a low traffic group - in other words fairly quiet most of the time, but when a situation arises where our fellow Torontonians need our help and support that word can get out quickly - to alot of people at once.

If you are in or around T.O. and willing to help out when there is a need, please consider singing up and inviting friends.

Admin: Brand New Stuff on Publicbroadcasting.ca

So I spent alot of time today on administrative stuff. Fuzzy Logic was added to the main links (the ones that show up in the right hand column on every page. But, beyond that I've added a new links section devoted to Facebook - it's not really to promote Facebook itself, they don't need it, but this is the justification I put on the pages.

Love it or hate it there are now over 8 million people in Canada with a Facebook account, including an estimated 1 Million in Toronto alone. It may eventually burn out, but for the moment it's a great way to meet people, network and stay 'plugged in'. Since this site exists primarily to promote Canadian Arts and Culture and because I feel that one of the ways this is best accomplished is through community building I've put together this extra section to point you to good and/or useful Facebook groups to help connect you to the things you care about. note: I am not necessarily a member of all of these groups. But you can certainly add me if you like.

I'm also getting ready to add a new Toronto section. There was a time when I tried to build alot of local/regional areas for the site, but it was just too difficult to maintain, especially since I don't live all of those other places. So this new section will be exclusively to the best Toronto stuff, from all the other categories.

Edit: Both of the new sections are obviously works in progress, it will take a bit to get it all shiny.

Facebook Tally

Here is some information you can share at the dinner table, at a party, or when you are trying to impress the opposite/same sex.

Let's begin:

- There are 236 Facebook groups related to Stephen Harper. Some groups support the Prime Minister. Others are against him. My favourite group is, "Give Harper Time To Write His Book About Hockey."

- There are 13 groups related to Erik Bedard. Three of the 13 groups want Bedard to win the Cy Young award. He has a shot, but Josh Beckett and Roy Halladay are definitely in front of him.

- There are only two groups dedicated to Buck 65. That does not seem fair.

- There is a group related to the Arcade Fire with almost 2400 members.

- There is a group dedicated to Global's Leslie Roberts. It's called "Leslie Roberts is a DILF Fan Club." No, I am not kidding. Here's the group's description: "Leslie Roberts is a pimp, in the sexy sort of way.... I mean, just look at what his seed created!!! From his dashing good looks (emphasized by his sea-blue eyes), incredible sense of style (supplied by Global CanWest Media) to his poise and articulation on the news to even his 'silly laugh' and soulful voice singing "sexyback" by Justin Timberlake."

- There are no groups specifically for Olivia Chow. However, her husband is the subject of 64 groups.

- There is a group called "Friends of Relic From The Beachcombers." It has 85 members.

- The "Jenny Gear Fan Club" only has six members. Ouch.

- There are four groups dedicated to Danger Bay. One group wants the series remade.

- Finally, PublicBroadcasting.ca has a Facebook group. You should go join that.

P.S. Put the Radio 3 Player on Your Site!!

One More Thing - The CBC Radio 3 Player is now Embeddable.

"Sure, the player may look the same, but it's what's new under the hood that counts. You can now add it to your Facebook, MySpace, or blog, and rig it to play your personal playlist, that of another user, all the songs on your favourite band's page, or even our web radio stream."

Visit Radio 3 for details!
Expect me to make full use of this after I'm back from Vacation. See you all next week

The Wish List

My good friend Kirsten, was the organizer of the second most popular wish on the CBC/Facebook Great Canadian Wish List.

Here's a news clip about the campaign. It features Kirsten, as well as the controversy surrounding certain wishes.