If you're in Vancouver this weekend, keep your eyes open for citizen journalists in action - the bloggers are in town!  Northern Voice, Canada's leading Social Media and Personal Blogging Conference, begins tomorrow at UBC.  Now in its fifth year, there was so much excitement this time around that tickets sold out in just three days!  For those of us lucky enough to be attending, it looks like we're in store for an outstanding weekend

Meet the Candidates!

Rolling along with the SXSW Get the Vote Out campaign, today's potential presenter is me, Dave Olson.

A wee rookie at last years' SXSW, I fell into a groove and rocked it hard, producing an epic barrage of social media extravaganza.

As for presentations, i'm a guy who obsesses about doing something innovative in form and message - i avoid hackneyed acronyms and run o' mill tech babble to create sessions with a positive vibe and useful edu-tainment which you ain't heard before. Here's what I offer for SXSWi 2009:

For your Consideration:

1) F@ck Stats, Make Art - Dave Olson - solo

Via a pictorial journey through his own career of creating grassroots art and publications, renegade social media producer and writer Dave Olson will extol, encourage and explain the importance of taming the intimidation, solving conundrums and digging deep to muster authentic creative self expression in the digital era.

2) Social Media for Social Change - Dave Olson + panelists

Tips and case studies on how social change focused groups with limited resources can use the web, and internet tools including mobile technologies, to spread their messages effectively and inexpensively, as well as rapidly activate constituents for campaigns and activities to effectuate local or international change.

Having both a fine arts and a new media background, on Feb 21st I attended Moose Camp hosted by Northern Voice at UBC during the day and Fuse at the Vancouver art gallery during the night. It was here I got to observe these two cultures close at hand. Just like Dian Fossey and the Gorillas, I couldn't help but to compare the males of these species.

With Vancouver personal expression conference Northern Voice approaching, Dave O, Roland Tanglao and Richard Eriksson preview the Internet Boot Camp track at Moose Camp (Friday Feb 22, 2008).

This year at Moose Camp, Richard will present Blogging 101 and Roland (along with Jordan Behan and Warren Frey) will present Video Blogging 101 to go along with the ad hoc track. On Saturday's Northern Voice, Dave will lay out his pitch to encourage the assembled folks to seize the opportunity to make creative endeavours with integrity and not get hung on stats and fleeting noteriety. Then, plates of steaming tasty Cantonese food arrives to the table at The Boss cafe in Vancouver's Chinatown.

Raincity Studios' Dave O and Roland Tanglao at New Town Bakery in Chinatown discussing upcoming Vancouver social media and open technology conferences, Northern Voice (including Moose Camp and Internet boot camp) and Open Web Conference - both in Vancouver in the coming months.

They talk about some presentation ideas, advantages of attending and handy tips for transport and sustenance while enjoying bowls of tasty food and strong tea.