Is Somebody Singing With Col. Chris Hadfield On #MusicMonday

Social Media In Space

If you follow any of my feeds you know that I am fascinated by Col. Chris Hadfield's tweets from the International Space Station.  Everyday you get to learn about the earth from the perspective of an astronaut by watching his @Cmdr_Hadfield twitter account.  Of course I was very excited when he tweeted our pics of Kitchener-Waterloo and Southwestern Ontario.  Another great moment was when he spoke to University Of Waterloo Students from space but my favorite moment was when he sang a duet with the Barenaked Ladies.



Watching this video always gives me chills!

Yesterday Commander Hadfield added to my enjoyment of this the I.S.S. watching with a rendition of ISS - Is Somebody Singing by participating in #MusicMonday.  #MusicMonday is the first Monday in May and celebrates music in Canadian schools.
This year #MusicMonday was extra special with schools from coast to coast singing along with Col. Chris Hadfield through a livestream from the I.S.S
(if the video below doesn't work you can watch it here http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2383654893/ )





Now that is cool!  If only they celebrated #MusicMonday when I went to school. 
It looks like I would have participated! Here's the scene from the elementary school I went to A.R. Kaufman Public school with their school celebration.

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=920769&binId=1.1147261&playlistPageNum=1

Five FREE Sites To Clean Your Twitter

Keep Your Twitter Clean - Yes Go Ahead And Giggle At That One

Near the end of every month I try to check my twitter network to make sure that it is free of spam and content that shouldn't be there.  I also check on what was popular that month and see what topics would great opportunities going forward. If things don't look fresh on your twitter feed you could end up looking like a spammer.

Five FREE Sites To "Clean Your Twitter"

1. Untweeps

Untweeps.com is a site that lists stale twitter accounts.  Just login with your twitter account and click the List Stale Tweeps button.  Within a few minutes you will receive a list of twitter accounts that you follow, that have not tweeted in more than 30 days. Just click the check boxes beside the names on the list and at the bottom click the unfollow button.  This will take another couple of minutes and then you will see that you no longer follow those inactive twitter accounts.  ** Note you can only use untweeps.com once every 30 days.

2. Faker

Faker by Status People is great way to ensure you have true twitter followers. Once you login with your twitter account it will give a list of how many fake and inactive accounts follow your twitter account and will give your account a rating. You can also put other twitter handles in the search bar to see how many fake followers other accounts have. When people have oodles of twitter followers you would think they would provide you with great info, but some buy fake followers to increase their ranking. You can learn the importance of Faker by Status people over at SocialNorth.

3. Social Mention

Social Mention can give you a lot of info about your twitter account, the things you tweet about and who you tweet with.  Just put your twitter handle in the search bar, and soon a list will be populated with your recent tweets.  Make sure to pay close attention to the left side bar.  It gives you a snap shot of what is going on with your twitter account.  Another great use for this tool is any hashtags you are using or topics that you mention often online.

4. Kurrently

Kurrently is another listening tool for twitter. It is great way to get a 2nd opinion about hashtags and topics you are tweeting about.

5. Trendsmap

Trendsmap lets you know what people are tweeting about all over the world in real time.  You can search by topics and cities to see what those in your area are talking about.  This can be handy when looking to connect with other people on twitter that live near by.


Do you have any sites that help you "KEEP YOUR TWITTER CLEAN"?
Did you try out any of these sites? Be sure to leave a comment about your experience with them.
Do you have any suggestions about twitter? Make sure to leave them in the comments!

Find The Inner And Outer Beauty

Am I Pretty?

Several years back I watched a video called PRETTY.  Many of the statements Katie Makkai made in the video have stuck with me.

If you haven't watched it yet please take 3 mins and watch this poetry slam




It was the moment when she said the word pretty should never be used on it's own that has always been my memory of this video.
You should not just be PRETTY
instead you should be

• PRETTY INTELLIGENT
• PRETTY CREATIVE
• PRETTY AMAZING

Those are the statments that have always propelled me forward.

I think this is why I resonate with the Dove Realy Beauty/Self Esteem Campaigns.

Through the years there have been some very powerful Dove videos.  This is the one from Dove Canada always stands out for me.....

..... until I saw this one today

How Do You Find The Inner And Outer Beauty?

The latest Dove video goes to show that many do not know that beautiful they are in the eyes of others.
We often talk about focusing on our inner beauty, yet so many don't realize that their inner beauty does show outwardly.  I truly believe that our inner beauty can be seen outwardly as well.

I do my best to surround my self with positive people.  The ones that are cheery and helpful.  Those are the people I think are PRETTY AMAZING! You can tell who they are.  They are the ones that always are smiling and have kind words to share.  They are taking their inner beauty and showing it outwardly. That is the outer beauty that I am speaking of. 

Are You A Social Influencer?

Four Years On Twitter (Double that on Facebook)

Earlier this month I celebrated four years on twitter.  Many people didn't even realize that twitter had been around for so long. From the time I began to present day I have noticed quite a shift in my thinking about social networks.

I have always been a big fan of connecting whether it be for networking purposes or for social interactions.  This is why I took to facebook right away. Soon after came twitter. Next came this blog, which turned into a few other blogs and guest blogging.  I have dabbled in the land of youtube and over the last year or so I have started to enjoy using, pinterest, foursquare and instagram. Ok I'll admit I'm on linkedin and google+ but I don't really put a lot of effort into thoses sites.  All the while I thought of it as making connections.  Soon I was winning Tassimos, receiving tickets to events, and getting prize packs in the mail.  I was thrilled to be so lucky.  I had no idea that my status posts and tweets were thought of as marketing tools for others.  What I know now is that I was adding my influence to those campaigns. I am careful what I talk about online. I know it gives people a sense of who I am.  What you say online leaves an impression on others.  See what I mean in my TV WATCHING of social media below.

What Social Media Influence Means To Me

I think of social media as broadcast tv network and if I don't like something I change the channel

• Nightly News

Many know that I don't watch the news. I find it filled with so many negative stories. If I see a lot of that coming out of your social media sites, then know I don't watch you. What you are saying about yourself (and your company if you have one) has no influence on me.

• Comedy Channel

I have a strange sense of humour so if you keep it funny, without being too vulgar, then I'm your audience. I am the one that tries to re-tell the joke to others. In other words you'll see me hitting the Share Button a lot on your content.

• The Food Network

I love food, so if you talk about it chances are I'm watching. Many times you'll have influence over my weekly grocery shopping.

• Sports Television

I may not be an uber fan, but I'm not a bandwagon jumper either. If you're talking about the teams and sports that I watch, then I will the one to interact with you.

• The Weather Network

I am Canadian which means I talk about the weather. If you do as well then there is a good chance we have been in contact when I hear about severe storms heading this way. Your expertise helps me prepare for what might happen. I see you as a go to source of information.

Should I be watching you?

What does your Social Media Channel line up look like? Let me know in the comments below! Do you fall into any of the "CHANNELS" that I'm currently watching or should be? Let me know what you are a great source of info for.

Below is a great infographic about how influential word of mouth marketing is.  In other words this is what your influence on social media can mean.



Image compliments of MBA in Marketing Degree Guide

International Womens Day

What Do You Do To Show Your Feminine Side?

I'm the first to admit that I don't know much about Politics or Feminism, but I do know that they are two areas that are of great importance.  That is why I always vote.  Women before me made many sacrifices in order that females in Canada had the right to vote.  This is not something I take lightly.  I know so many other women around the world do not have the opportunity to vote.  Infact many countries do not give women rights at all.  That is why I always recognize International Women's Day.

It Is A Day To Celebrate and Conjugate

International Women's Day is a day to celebrate everything women have accomplished and figure out what initiatives need to begin to better the world for women everywhere.  You see there is still much work to be done when it comes to women's rights.  I always go back to the ARE WE EQUALS? video from the 2011 International Women's Day.  I think this video will always strike a chord with me



Conjugate on that.

What Will I Do To Help Make A Change?

I always seem to have a problem with this one.  You see I don't run into gender inequality issues much in my daily life and I know I should make it more top of mind. This year I have started attending Women Powering Technology events in my area and it has been very eye opening.  I hope by helping to make changes where I live, it will have a ripple effect. I'm not saying that its an answer to worldwide human rights issues, but when I see a problem I do my best to create a solution.  Who knows what changes will be made by next year's International Women's Day?

I would love to hear about ideas and events you attend when it comes to making changes where you live.  How do you support local initiatives? What do you do when you see a problem?

If nothing else I hope this post made you ponder these questions, even if just for a moment.

Source: google.ca via Lisa on Pinterest

Angel Investors VS Venture Capitalists For Newbies

Finding Where To Fit In

Last month I attended my first Women Powering Technology Pub Night at The Huether Hotel.  It was one of the first times I had ventured out beyond work and groceries after feeling so ill for so many weeks.  I really enjoyed myself and although I do not work in the tech industry I talked about how I loved being online even though I have no idea how it works, and mentioned that I would be going home to Google most of the terms that were used in the True Stories. The always wonderful Julia Rosien spoke up and put me on the spot about organizing the the first 140 Characters Conference in Canada, and suddenly I was in a rapid fire of questions. Truthfully I prefer Q&A over public speaking at an audience any day!  I didn't find an opportunity to fully express how immediately accepted I felt by this great group, but I was taken aback by the amount of women who approached me to say they were in the same boat I was.  One of these great ladies was Roshan Grossman who did a wonderful job of recapping the event over at quillandcurio.com .

This month I was again walking in as newbie.  The topic was Angel Investors.  I knew the term, I knew what the general idea was behind it, but I really didn't know much else about it.  Being the curious sponge I am, I wanted to soak in all the info I could.  Why? I'm really not sure.

That was one of the first questions Golden Triangle Angelnet (GTAN) Chairperson Randall Howard asked.

• Who was in a startup looking for an investment?
• Who was looking to see how to become an investor?
• If you didn't put up your hand, what made you come to this session?

I didn't have an answer other than I loving this community and wanting to connect with all the great people who do so much for it. I really enjoyed the session and although I am not a big note taker here are a few of my takeaways from the event.

Angel Investors VS Venture Capitalists - What Is The Difference?

The big difference is the investment structures. Venture Capitalists (think Dragon's Den and Shark Tank) were once the first round of funding for new companies, but with less and less VC companies in the Canadian market (due to VC regulations and the dot com downfall) it was becoming harder and harder for small startup companies to find funders. This is where Angel Investors step in.  Angel Investors are sought out for their seed funds and knowledge of the business industry. These Angel groups are in for the long haul.  They know companies need time to grow and they are there to mentor them on their journey.  Some companies start with a small investment from the Angel Investor group and after experiencing some business growth they are able to apply for a second much larger round of funding.

Another way that Angel Investors differ from Venture Capitalists is the motives behind their investments.  Venture Capitalists are generally there as profit seekers looking for the next big thing.  Angel investors know that in order to keep their communities in good standing, companies in the area need to be profitable to keep residents working. Angel Investor groups want to see their communities thrive.

The last way to compare Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors is how startups and growing companies apply for investments.  Most VC companies in Canada are based on Bay St. in Toronto. Their meetings as usually setup through a banker or lawyer and done in very structured way.  Angel Investors take a different approach.  They screen applicants through different sources.  Here locally GTAN connects with Communitech's HYPERDRIVE and University of Waterloo's VeloCity.



The applicants that make it through the preliminary screenings are able to present to Angel Investors group and matched up with investors that are interested in pursing the investment opportunity.  In both cases due diligence investigations are performed before any money is invested.

To find out more about Angel Investors, make sure to visit the GTAN website and read the articles under each heading.  To see what is next for WPT be sure to visit the Women Powering Technolgy Facebook Page and click on the events tab. 

Did I Cover The Basics of Venture Capitalists VS Angel Investors?

I hope these takeaways give a you a good idea of how Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists work in Canada. Obviously attending one event about this topic still makes me a newbie. Do have some great information about Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors? Make sure to leave it in the comments below or send me a tweet!

Pinterest Link-Up

Post Your Pinterest Link

Last year I did a link up post for Facebook Fan pages and it went very well, so I decided it would be a good idea to do another Link-Up.  The theme for this 2013 hop is Pinterest.  Not sure what Pinterest is all about? Be sure to read my Top 10 Reasons To Join Pinterest.  On that post I did a link-up for those who were joining Pinterest Pals on Facebook. 

This time I thought I would make it open for all.  If you have a Pinterest Page then join the linky below.

Here are the FIVES RULES for this Pinterest hop!

1. Add Your Pinterest Page Name To The Linky Below IE Pinterest.com/Those2Girls
2. Put your email in the second field (required by Linky, but will not be displayed)
3. Post your Pinterest URL in the third field IE http://pinterest.com/those2girls/
4. Click submit link (it may take a few minutes to appear
5. Repin this post from this link http://pinterest.com/pin/43699058856569523/

Make sure to visit the Pinterest Pages on this Link-Up.  You may just discover a new interest!