Marketing’s next wave: How technology can bring change

Came across this interesting article in the latest Village Vibes, from Charity Village.


By Elisa Birnbaum
June 18, 2007

If someone had told you a few years ago that they produced a video showcasing their organization’s cause and were uploading it on the same site that houses Saturday Night Live sketches, political campaign speeches and amateur musicians, you would have thought they were joking. Yet, that’s exactly what Christian Children’s Fund of Canada did recently when they placed a clip with their moniker on YouTube, a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. No longer considered unusual, nonprofits are becoming increasingly innovative to get their word out in a competitive charitable marketplace. And technology, in all its incarnations, is playing a key role.

Read the full story here...

Children's Poetry Workshop

World Poetry proudly presents

Children’s Poetry Workshop

For ages 8-13
multilingual participants welcome.

Within every child there is a creative poetic adventurer waiting to explore ...

This workshop features readings from children’s poetry and others, introduction of several poetic forms and interactive, fun exercises with the objective of helping each participant to create poems and present them.

Workshop Program

The workshop consists of three sessions.

Session 1

Introduction to poetry with readers from various countries.

§ An overview of simple poetic forms.

§ The brain and creativity.

§ Inspiration for writing using such tools as the treasure box, coloured pens and large pieces of paper.

§ Finding expression and creating poems.

§ Sharing the poems with the group.

Session 2

Additional poetry readings and review.

§ How to deal with critics, both external and internal.

§ Creating additional poems, sharing them with the poetic group.

§ Simple editing of poems.

§ Selection of performance poems to be read at the World Poetry Children’s Show § Performance skills for reading.

Session 3: The World Poetry Children’s Show .

§ This show will showcase the participants from the World Poetry Children’s Workshop along with a featured musician.

§ A World Poetry Certificate of Completion will be given to each participating poet.

§ Friends, parents and other family members as well as the general public will be invited.

In addition:

§ Selected poems from the workshop will be read on the World Poetry Café Radio Show on 102.7 FM and published in the World Poetry Electronic Newsletter.

§ Selected poets are invited to read at the World Poets’ Night Out Venue and at the World Poetry Reading Series at the Vancouver Public Library (Central Branch) as time permits.

The Workshop will be held over three sessions.
The first two sessions will be 2 hours long (10 minute break in between) New Westminster Arts Council, Queen’s Park, New Westminster.

Dates: August 2, 9, from 1-3 pm.

Performance: The Orange Room, 620 6^th Street, 3-5 pm.

Fee: $ 35.00 per participant for three sessions.

For more information call 604) 526 - 4729

Workshop Presenter

Ariadne Sawyer, M.A. (C. P) is a Peak Performance Plus Trainer and the CEO of Peak Performance Plus Training.

She is a former teacher and has had two private schools. Ariadne specializes in creativity and enhancing performance. She has worked with writers and performers of all ages from Canada, the US and Europe.

In her work with children and youth, she has helped them to create and present in various venues at different festivals.

Ariadne is the co-founder and co-host of The World Poetry Reading Series, Radio Show, The World Poetry Electronic Newsletter (with over 2,000 readers in 20 countries and includes a children’s section) and World Poets’ Night Out , a new venue which trains women co-hosts. World Poetry in Vancouver consists of over 300 poets, writers and musicians originally from 60 countries, including a strong Canadian and First Nations component.

Ariadne is the host and producer of Creativity Rocks! heard every Tuesday at 9:00 PM on CFRO. 102.7 FM

She is the winning recipient of the MacLean Hunter Award for Programs of Excellence for her tape: Discover Your Creative Worlds which has been played on radio stations across Canada and has had poems and writings published in anthologies and magazines.

Her new book is called: Creativity Rocks! Answers to your Creative Questions.

Artist of the Year Award 2007 by Project Cultural South.

For more information about Ariadne you can contact her at ariadnes@uniserve.com

Volunteer specialists asking "Who Cares?"

Linda Graff and Paul Reed, two leading experts on volunteerism in Canada, have put out a compelling new call over the internet. They want all Canadians to become more aware of the threat to our communities that is posed by the declining number of volunteers across the country.

In Canada, 67% of all volunteer work is done by just 5% of people, and those numbers are continuing to become even more lopsided. The Reed-Graff Conversations explore the data and ask the important question: "Who Cares?"

The website includes a terrific series of audio conversations and supporting text documents that highlight the issue and offer suggestions for how communities can begin to tackle it together.

Take part in the conversation yourself, and share it with leaders in your community. The website is at: www.canadawhocares.ca

Z95.3 Fades Into History

Once dominant rock station rebranded with a 'new name and new direction.'

Michael Kane, Vancouver Sun

Published: Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Z is dead. Z95.3, Vancouver's dominant rock and pop radio station in the '90s -- and source of the decade's most popular bumper sticker -- is off the air, a victim of declining ratings.

The station signed off at midnight Sunday and will relaunch "with a new name and new direction" at 7 a.m. today, said general manager Gary Russell. He declined to reveal details except that the new format will be pitched to an older audience.

Read the full story here

What To Do With All That Art You Have Lying Around

Robert Genn is a great artist with a great, no nonsense approach to the business of art. His website, The Painter's Keys is full of useful, practical information. This article was the most recent piece from his "Twice Weekly Newsletter". Well worth the read.

Yesterday Juliana McDonald of Ottawa, Canada wrote, "I have
been a prolific painter over the last 7-8 years and my older
work, large and small, is piling up without much hope of
display or sale. I would like to invite people to buy them from
my studio at a discounted price (say half of the value, taking
off what a gallery would take) so that they can be moved on to
a new home, and I could recoup some of my investment of time
and energy. My concern is I don't want people who bought work
previously to feel that the work is devalued through such
action. Any suggestions?"

Thanks, Juliana. In professional circles the only person you
sell to at half price is your mom. All others pay at or near
the established prices. That's what keeps you professional and
dealers coming back for more. Sometimes painters find it hard
to realize that all paintings can't be sold, nor need to be.
This may be because they are substandard, but not always.
Perhaps they number too many for the market to bear. Apart from
destroying them, consider making the odd discreet gift. Life is
a gift, why then not art? Charities make noble recipients.
Giving the gift of art is a chance to show your love.

Having said all that, a possible route is to auction the work.
People understand that auctions often do not realize
"realistic" prices. Auctions generally operate outside the
gallery network. It's important not to flood this market--you
must still keep your work rare. Auctions are full of
bottom-feeders these days, as well as folks with vested
interests who want to push prices higher. Participating in the
auction world, particularly with outstanding rather than
marginal work, can actually have a beneficial effect on your
career.

Another route is to assemble a retrospective of top quality
pieces, perhaps thematic, and offer them to public galleries.
This manoeuvre opens new friendships and adds legitimacy. If
that fails, offering them on permanent or semi-permanent loan
to any number of worthy institutions is also good business.
Hospitals, clinics, tax offices, as well as the foyers of
public buildings often have a need for art. While it can be
expensive to frame and display such a project, the exercise can
be worthwhile. Finally, if you don't feel like lending, you
might consider leasing to some office or other private space.
Lessees often see art as an opportunity to deduct the cost of
looking good.

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "Love has always been the most important business in my
life." (Stendhal)

Esoterica: Many countries in the western world are currently
enjoying buoyant economic times. Art prices follow general
liquidity, and abundant cash is being thrown at substandard as
well as quality work. This is no time to lose your head. Good
times offer the opportunity to raise personal creative
standards and to learn to handle the market in a responsible
manner. Markets fluctuate, but an artist should never forget
that art is for all time. Day-to-day as well as long-term
personal integrity is all-important--and that goes for moving
your stuff too.

Current clickback: If you would like to see selected,
illustrated responses to the last letter, "Good question,"
please go to: http://clicks.robertgenn.com/good-question.php

If you would like to comment or add your own opinion,
information or observations to this or other letters, please do
so. Just click 'reply' on this letter or write
rgenn@saraphina.com

Give the gift of the twice-weekly letters. We are currently
snail-mailing a free copy of The Painter's Keys (the book) to
current subscribers who go to the URL below and send us the
names and email addresses of five or more of their
creatively-minded friends. No strings, just a thank-you. We
make it easy. We even send your friends a personal letter to
let them know the twice-weekly connection is from you.
http://www.painterskeys.com/clickbacks/giftscribe.php

It's a big world! A Premium Listing in the Painter's Keys
Directory is the most effective thing an artist can do to be
tastefully and respectably noticed. This listing--really a mini
web page--costs $100 per year--and we do all the set-up. You
can find out how well it might work for you at
http://www.painterskeys.com/art-directory.asp

Yes, please go ahead and forward this letter to a friend.

If you think a friend or fellow artist may find value in this
material, please feel free to forward it. This does not mean
that they will automatically be subscribed to the Twice-Weekly
Letter. They have to do it voluntarily and can find out about
it by going to http://www.painterskeys.com


(c) Copyright 2007 Robert Genn. If you wish to copy this
material to other publications or mail lists, please ask for
permission by writing rgenn@saraphina.com Thanks for your
friendship.