a peek inside the fishbowl

Confession: I am a jaded conference goer. I have high expectations, not just of the speakers but of the whole event itself. If I’m going to give up a day or two of my life for learning and networking, I need to get something out of it.

Last year around this time I attended the BConnected Conference. I was on a panel about media using social media and my co-panelists included Katherine Dines, Ian Mendes, and Catherine Clark. It was a rich topic and the questions from the audience were very good too. And then I went on to thoroughly enjoy the rest of my day.

I’ve been in the web/blogging/social media sphere for many years and I often feel like there’s not much left to learn. (This is a mistake, I know, but I can’t help how I feel.) Well, this jaded conference goer – and I’ve been to many conferences – went home from BConnected last year with plenty to think about, not to mention a to-do list of practical things to implement as well as a renewed sense of purpose. What’s more, I connected with some great people. For me, this is one of the most important benefits of attending conferences like this one.

Although I have drastically reduced my speaking and media engagements this past year I felt really strongly about being involved in BConnected again in 2016. This year I’m leading a roundtable about media kits and rate cards. This is a topic I am very passionate about and I love love love the roundtable format. I like to encourage bloggers to strike out on their own and create their own revenue streams: whether it’s from direct ad sales, sponsored content, or a combination of the two. This roundtable will help bloggers – no matter whether they’re starting out or a little bit more established – learn from some of the mistakes I made along the way and set out on their own path.

Apparently there are only a handful of passes left and sales are wrapping up April 14. So if you’ve been waiting to buy a ticket to BConnected, I recommend you do it sooner than later. And if you see me there, please come over and say hi! I would love to meet you.

Travel Massive is an organization that brings together travel writers with industry people at free events all around the world. I’ve been aware of them for some time and there have been Travel Massive networking type events in Ottawa over the past while, but for one reason or another I haven’t been able to attend.

A few weeks ago I heard that the next Travel Massive event was to take place at the Czech Embassy with representatives from the Czech tourism board and fellow writers. There was no way I was going to miss this one. You see, my parents are Czech (although I was born here), I speak Czech, and I have been to Prague.

My goal for this evening was to connect with likeminded people and learn more about some of the lesser-known destinations in the Czech Republic.

And I’ll tell ya: (a) there’s a lot to discover and (b) there is so much beauty.

Prague itself is a real gem. Many people I speak to would love to visit but, for some reason, if they can only visit ONE place in Europe, cities like Paris and London tend to win out. If you’re a fan of arts and culture or a history buff, Prague is the city for you. Take Charles University in Prague, for example. It was the first university in central Europe, founded in 1348. And there’s Charles Bridge, one of Prague’s most famous landmarks. Construction began on the bridge in the mid-1300s! In terms of Canadian history, keep it mind that it wasn’t until 250 years later that Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City. :)

I got to know Prague a bit while visiting family there. The first time I was there was in 1990 or 91. The Berlin wall had come down and the country had just recently elected its first democratic government. It was a very exciting time to visit as it was a country very much in transition. Department stores were just starting to accept credit cards. I saw the Rolling Stones and the Cure. I remember being in the main square – and there was a sign posted in the front window of a hamburger joint (why do I think it was a Harvey’s?) that read: WE SELL CANADIAN HAMBURGERS. I never did figure out what that meant. Maybe there was bacon involved?

The people were friendly everywhere I went. It was something that stayed with me and something I remembered when I returned later when my grandmother was in the hospital. It came back to me again at that Travel Massive event at the embassy. There is so much to learn about Czech culture, and the people are so proud to share it. I think they’re extra pleased when they meet Canadians (actually, I know this for a fact). Canada and it’s glorious wilderness (not to mention many parallels involving beer and hockey culture) occupies a soft spot in Czech hearts.

In fact, there’s a very famous folk song about Niagara Falls that every single person in the Czech Republic knows. (I am not even kidding.)

Na brehu Niagary, stojí tulák starý,
na svou první lásku vzpomíná.
Jak tam stáli spolu, dívali se dolu,
až jim pulnoc spadla do klína.

And my attempt at a translation:

On the banks of Niagara stands an old wanderer,
he remembers his first love.
How they stood together, looking down,
until midnight fell into their laps.

Anyway, this was all swirling around my head as I chatted (in English and my underused Czech) to the embassy staff and to representatives of the tourism board and munched on traditional Czech foods that tasted of home. I also enjoyed some Czech beer, of course.

If I ever go over to the Czech Republic again – and it WILL happen sooner or later! – I will bring my family and go beyond big cities to explore the countryside, the smaller castles, and the parks. (Of which there are many! I had no idea.) I am particularly smitten with Bohemian Switzerland and Bohemian Middle Mountains. And the spas! My grandmother swore by their restorative powers. I’d love to be able to experience a bit of what she did.

The girls are proud of their Czech heritage and I know they’d get so much out of a trip over there. I can also show them why it feels like home away from home. Time to start doing some research…

Take a deep breath and watch this lovely time-lapse animation: “Field of View’. https://t.co/k5pphDeelp pic.twitter.com/ODlCZhRZoX

— Slate (@Slate) April 9, 2016

• The Introvert’s Guide To Painless Personal Branding, fastcompany.com
• 14 Old-Fashioned Words for Writers, mentalfloss.com
• The Weird, Wonderful Job of Being a Tour Guide in the Age of Google, theatlantic.com
• A Week Behind The Great Firewall Of China, fastcompany.com
• 9-year-old reporter breaks crime news, posts videos, fires back at critics, washingtonpost.com
• Watch: this artistic interpretation of animal courtship