Tweblog - Toby Getsch

http://northernvoice.ca/

Northern Voice is a two-day, non-profit personal blogging conference that’s being held at the UBC main campus on February 23-24, 2007.

I am a Technologist, Strategist, Evangelist, Blogger, Program Manager, Project Manager, Entrepreneur, etc.  The point is there are lots of titles, and blogging fits right into the middle of all of them.  Northern Voice is a “blogging conference” that covers a variety of interests, has some community involvement, is very low cost ($50 CAN), and it is simple!  I like simple.

I live in Bellevue, Washington and am starting to actively participate in various groups and organizations in support of blogging, podcasting, startups and technology in general.  Why?  I’m doing this because I am passionate about technology and because I am starting an organization called:

Technology Proliferation Foundation (TechProfound.org)

TechProfound is all about taking the geek out of technology.  This month is our kick-off month.  (Nice timing to have Northern Voice happen this month!)  Our web site and blog will evolve. - - We work with end users to help them adopt technology, and we work with the other side of the equation, the innovators as they make new technology, so it is designed in a way that is easier to adopt.

As a new organization, we need to get out and learn and listen to others as they work their way through life and their various communities.  Northern Voice is a great opportunity to get involved in the blogging community - with other people and companies and locations.

Northern Voice is offering six travel bursaries of CAN $500 each.  Funds at TechProfound are currently at $0.  That translates perfectly into any international dollar value. 

This post is my submission to try to get that badly needed bursary.

• The contributions you can make to the conference
  • Increased exposure via blogging and networking
  • Active participation in sessions and ad hoc gatherings - This will be my first “un-conference” and I’d love to participate even more after seeing how they work.  Not sure if I’m ready to lead any sessions yet, but probably will be after learning more.
• Your level of need
  • This one is not hard to figure out.  We have $0 and depending on if we get this bursary or not, will determine if we can go.  Hopefully we can bring up both of the co-founders (That’s myself and one other young buck who just turned 25 yesterday.  Happy Birthday Dave!) and can video blog the trip up, podcast various meetings, and really have a fun time helping and participating in the community - - if we can get there and back and pay for hotel, etc.  That’s where the bursary comes in.
• The quality of your submission
  • Well, I’ll let the folks at Northern Voice be the judge of that.
• The diversity you might bring to Northern Voice
  • Having various experiences with contract work at Microsoft, nonprofit exposure on several levels, running a small consulting business, active involvement in a couple current startup businesses (besides TechProfound), and this new organization - - trying to feel our way around… I think there is a bit of diversity.

This conference looks like it fits our goals and our budget.  It looks simple.  And, it looks fun!  That’s why I want to go to Northern Voice.