Calgary Joins Over 100 Cities to Celebrate Twestival, 2009

By Lyn • Jan 23rd, 2009 • Category: News

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(Calgary, AB) Twestival Calgary presents an evening of social media discussion, education and celebration for Calgary’s Twitterati (twitter users, live) to meet up with each other face to face along with the social-media-curious. Join us to learn about social media, network, celebrate AND raise money for CHARITY:WATER to provide clean drinking water to impoverished communities.

Last year, the first Twestival was orchestrated in London, England by twitter users to raise money for the homeless. Over the year, other similar initiatives have been observed in the twitter community. So this year, Twestival goes international and celebratory events are being organized in cities round the world. (see www.twestival.com for an event in the city nearest you) All of the work on this initiative is organized by volunteers and this year all of the proceeds from all of the events will go toward the work of CHARITY:WATER. More specifically, all of the proceeds will go directly towards the drilling of wells for water in communities around the world. Why?

• Right now 1.1 billion people on the planet don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. That’s one in six of us.

• Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

• Many communities in developing nations often have a plentiful supply of clean drinking water just below the ground, but no way to get to it.

• This is where CHARITY:WATER and their partner organizations come in. Drilling a well can cost from $4,000 - $12,000 USD and many living on less than $1 a day cannot afford one in their community, even if the money is combined.

Join us for the Calgary Twestival, February 12, 7 pm at The Auburn Saloon, at the base of the Calgary Tower,
163-115 9 Avenue SE, Calgary, AB. The event includes social media workshops, live music and a silent auction.

COST: Early Bird Special
$30.00 bring a friend (2 tickets included) until February 2, 2009
$20.00 advance purchase, $30.00 at the door
Tickets go on sale Monday, January 26

Ask us about advertising opportunities by sending an email to calgarytwestival@west17media.com

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To interview organizers Wil Knoll or Roger Kondrat, contact Lyn Cadence at lyn@cadencepr.ca

BACKGROUNDER

ABOUT TWITTER
Twitter was founded in 2006 in San Francisco, CA and is used in countries all around the world. Twitter is a micro blogging service used to share information in 140 characters or less. It is simple to use and is available across multiple platforms (web, smart phones and sms).

Twitter users include the general public, governments, companies, non charitable organizations, and newspapers. Barack Obama used Twitter in his campaign in the US to connect with Americans; civilians used Twitter to update the world in real time about terrorists attacks in Mumbai; and Calgary Arts Development uses Twitter to notify people of updates on their website and create awareness about the arts.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS

ROGER KONDRAT is a former national team ski jumping athlete and x-country racer. He started his career as an entrepreneur in 1996 launching a landscaping company and in 1998 selling the profitable business to launch West17 Media (www.west17media.com) a venture that quickly led to being hired by Cybersurf working to rapidly design and develop new innovative products and services.
From 2002 Roger worked as a consultant on many projects for organizations as large as the Calgary Board of Education to multinational startups in the UK where Roger learned a great deal about online platforms, web 2.0 and mobile technologies.
Roger has just recently landed back in Calgary and intends to continue his consultancy here as a Social Media & Web Innovation Marketing consultant.
Links
Linkedin: http://cli.gs/rogerslinkedin
Facebook:http://cli.gs/rogersfacebook

WENDY PETERS is a web design and marketing professional in Calgary. She has always maintained an interest in participating in the community she lives in. Currently, she is a leader with a Girl Guide unit in Calgary, an active frisbee player in the Calgary Ultimate Association and an avid participant of many design, social media and marketing interest and user groups in Calgary.
Wendy moved to Calgary in 2005 and has since pursued her interests in web design, internet marketing and online communications. She works full time as a communications professional and runs a web design company part time.

WIL KNOLL (GCIA Gold) is a network security analyst and theatre performer in Calgary. He has spoken about varied computer security topics for SAIT and SPIE (Security Professionals Information Exchange - spie.ca).
Wil found himself honored to be a guest on “The Lab with Leo Laporte” where he educated about firewalls and web servers (episodes 168 and 180). His recent theatre credits include Rosencrantz in Christmas Hamlet (Swallow-a-Bicycle) and a short stint wielding a
megaphone on the roof of the EPCORE Centre in -30 weatherin Freak Show (Swallow-a-Bicycle), during the opening weekend of One Yellow rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo.
Wil believes that social media is about participation and leading through example. He dislikes writing bios.