Toronto Blogger Dinner Bigger than Me

I just had the genuine pleasure of meeting Jeremy Wright for the first time.  We were outside the New Communications Forum, which began in Palo Alto with a three-track bootcamp for social media newcomers today. We were discussing writing books and speaking in public when the conversation landed on Toronto. 

He told me he planned to fly up for the bloggers dinner and I was a bit incredulous.  In fact I told him that I was sort of surprised at how big this even has grown.  He explained that it was not really about me. It was about a blogging community that was just coming together and that Toronto had not previously had an event of this nature. He never said it, but in fact, it became clear that my being in town was just a pretty good excuse for the blogging community to come together in this way.

This could not possible make me happier to hear. All over the world, geographic communities are being populated by blogging enthusiasts and their relationships are being bolstered by face-to-face meetings like this one. I hope it is the first of a great many activities.  In fact, Mark Evans of the National Post s already planning the first blogger conference in Toronto and ex-Toronto Rogue Tara Hunt and I will be among the many speakers in early May.

If you are a blogger in the Toronto community, I do hope you will attend this dinner. The beers are only three bucks each.  A few students ave asked about this event and I really hope you attend. I'm as good excuse as any to get together and share our passion and experience as bloggers and blogging wannabees. It fact,  feel quite honored.

Comments

[Jeremiah Owyang]

Shel

I look forward to seeing you at the conference today, hopefully you'll be able to attend the corporate blogging case studies session this morning. Very much looking forward to the closing keynote on Friday from you and Robert

(A minor thing, but the link to Newcomm is incorrect in the post above)

jko

[GadgetMan]

Hi Shel,

It was great meeting you last night at Shoeless Joe's in Toronto. We had a great discussion last night. As promised, here's my link to my blog (http://www.the-gadgetman.com/blog/2006/03/met-shel-israel-in-toronto-last-night.html) of which photos have been posted from last night. Please do keep in touch virtual online through blogging. I'm still reading the book and looking forward to finish reading it (when I need a little break from my research and writing papers!)

Alvin

[GadgetMan]

Sorry, the correct link to my blog entry is http://www.imedia.mie.utoronto.ca/~achin/blog/2006/03/met-shel-israel-in-toronto-last-night.html.

Thanks,

Alvin