Let the tweeting begin!

From the moment we climbed the stair case at Earl & Angelo’s restaurant in Belleville, the #bvilletweets excitement began. We were greeted by staff and management, and assured that we were free to roam the premises –  anything we needed we could ask for. Drinks were ordered and free appetizers were given as tweeter after tweeter entered into the lounge, filling out name tags with their Twitter handles, and sparking conversation. A great time was had by all, and we can’t wait to do it again soon!

Special thanks to the Winding Violets, who once again came out and documented our revelry on film. Make sure to follow the Winding Violets on Twitter and Facebook. For a complete album of pictures, check out our Facebook Fan Page.

Here’s what our interns had to say about their experience:

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Hey everyone! As you’ve probably noticed, the blog has been quiet lately. When I initially began working at Engine, my primary responsibility was to create our social media presence, and to maintain those accounts. Needless to say, the past eight months have been exciting. Our social media has taken off, and we’ve got clients creating great content all over the web. As a result, my job has grown as well. Lately it seems we’ve been so busy that generating new, exciting blog posts, has been difficult. That’s why I’ve brought in some help.

Let me introduce you to Bryan, our new Online Community Manager.

I was introduced to Bryan via Twitter, and his personal blog. I was impressed from the beginning. His consummate professionalism, creative ideas, and fresh outlook, make him stand out from the online crowd. When I wanted to partner with someone to manage our social media, Bryan was an easy choice.

I hope you enjoy our collaboration.

Bryna

I really appreciate that Bryna, I am incredibly excited about being able to share my ideas on the Engine Communications blog.

If you were to ask me if I would picture myself in this type of role a couple years ago, I would have definitely said no. In fact, the role of Community Manager is a new job that is a reflection of a new era in society in which content is constantly being created and consumed.

From a marketing standpoint, customers are ready to consume. These people are actively searching out information at every step of the buying decision-making process. I think Brian Solis said it best:

“Attention becomes the major currency in content commerce.”

So am I here, fighting for your attention? Sure, I guess you could put it like that. Am I trying to sell you something? Not at all. I was brought on to create content that Engine Communication’s readers would enjoy and hopefully find valuable.

My goal is to be a good reflection of the Engine team’s voice and consistently share our passion for graphic design, marketing, public relations, web development and social media. Bryna and I have been chatting and we have some great posts planned for you. Stay tuned!

Bryan

Four of my favorite foods have made the spring top 10 list, Premium Beef Burgers, sweet potatoes, bacon and Mangos. And guess what, we can have all four in one sitting!

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Isn’t it just awesome, another long weekend has arrived! The sun is shinning, the birds are singing and the anticipation of a weekend filled with chocolate is mounting!

Easter is another splendid excuse for feasting with family and friends, and of course the traditional Easter Egg Hunt – tons of chocolate, hidden in those “oh so hard to find” places. Kids madly running around trying to make sure that they get more than their share. Little do they know, that after all of their hard work, they’re going to have to split their stash up amongst everyone just to keep things fair! I can hear it now, “come on mom, really?”

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Spring is finally here, and there is no better way to usher in the new season than to celebrate all that is green! Last Thursday night I went to the First Annual Prince Edward County Green Gala at Books and Company in Picton. It was a fundraising event in support of the new community park at Shire Hall. The Prince Edward Community Greenspace Project has been working tirelessly since last May to make this dream a reality….and with much support from the local community, work on the park has begun. Plans are in the works to enter the park into Communities in Bloom by June 28th. Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization focusing on the promotion and value of green spaces in urban settings. This is usually a televised event on HGTV, so it will be great to see the new park featured nationally!

Guest speakers included well known gardeners, Mark Cullen – TV personality, Author, and Owner of Cullen Gardens, and Denis Flanagan – Landscape Ontario and HGTV, as well as local speakers – Stephen Poole – Connon’s Nurseries, Scott Wentworth – Wentworth Landscape Group, and Veronica Schroder – Terra Vista Landscaping.

Along with the garden and floral displays, sample Maple Madness menus were featured, with wine tasting hosted by Black Prince Winery.

If you are interested in learning more about gardening, or if you have some questions that you would like answered, Connon’s Nurseries will be hosting a series of gardening seminars. Please check out their website connon.ca for dates and times. If they are not yet listed, the will be soon!

I am most excited to have met Mark Cullen, he was very down to earth (no pun intended!) I have watched him on tv for years, and have visited his garden center several times. I purchased one of his latest books – A Sandbox of a Different Kind – and he was kind enough to autograph it for me! Copies are available at Home Hardware Stores and Chapters locations. If you would like more information about the Community Greenspace Project please contact Pat Dubyk, Project Coordinator at [email protected].

Welcome Spring, and have fun gardening

I don’t know about you, but I love a nice photograph. There is just something about the way the photographer has captured the essence of the subject, whether it is your best friend, the wonders of nature, or the awesome design of modern architecture.

I’d like to introduce professional photographer, Diane Laundy. Engine has worked closely with Diane, who also owns Behind the Scenes Conference Planning, over the past four years on various conference planning materials. She is having a solo photography exhibition coming up March 3 – 28th at ViewPoint Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Fabrications is a series of recent photographs in which modern architecture is abstracted, re-imagined and playfully re-assembled into quilt-like patterns. Check out her work online at dianelaundy.com

We at Engine applaud her work, and we hope you do as well. Enjoy!

If you are interested in more information about Diane and her work see her Press Release.

Between my kids hockey and the Olympic hockey that is scheduled for this weekend, I’m feeling a bit like an Olympian myself.

I’m sitting here thinking about how busy this weekend is going to be and what I can feed my brood of boys while they are entrenched in the hockey that will no doubt be displayed on every TV in our home!

One of my family’s favorite game time snacks is Sloppy Joes, it’s super easy and it’s what’s on the menu at our place tonight! So pull up a comfy spot on the couch, grab your TV table, you know the one, it’s been in your family for generations, and enjoy a good ole favorite.

Serves 4, you may want to double the recipe, I know I do!

• 1 pound lean hamburger, browned
• 1 small onion finely chopped & sautéed
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 large clove garlic pressed
• 1 10 ounce can tomato soup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 cup water, or as needed

Brown ground beef & onions in large skillet. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, heat on high till starts to bubble then simmer on low for 15 min.

Serve with whole-wheat buns, or even yummier, cheese buns! A tossed salad on the side completes the meal! For dessert, sundae’s anyone?

Cheers, Happy Friday!
Kerry

As I mentioned yesterday, I had the privilege of hanging out with the students of the Art & Design Foundation program at Loyalist College. I was there to present a workshop on “Social Media for Creatives.”

The idea was this: Many of these bright, talented young design students, will be small business owners someday. We wanted to help take them from the notion of “starving artist” to “social media savvy entrepreneur”. Low cost marketing options are great for new grads, and for anyone in the creative class.

Between myself, and Lucas from Winding Violets, we were able to talk about the technical side of this (me), and the application of these technologies in viable ways (Lucas).

At the end of the morning, Lucas did the coolest thing for us, and took everyone out into the hall for a photo shoot. All the students (and I) have swanky new pics for their various social media avatars! Take a look!

Here’s the slideshow for you to take a look at. If you have any questions, give us a call.

I’m a consummate learner, and yesterday I was lucky enough to be able to indulge my academic yearnings by spending the morning with a group of students from Loyalist College’s PR (@loyalistpr) program. They’re helping us to plan a Tweet Up to raise money for Flights of Hope and their relief efforts in Haiti.

After our brainstorming session, I was able to stop by the Art & Design Foundation (@artdznfndation) program to sneak a peek at their current projects, to talk internships and to start thinking about the workshop we’ll be doing with them later in March.

If you’re like me and crave learning, here’s a list of events to teach and inspire you:

Social Media Week – It’s happening in Toronto, as we speak! With a great line up of guests and events, this is a great follow up to Ad Week.

Toronto Works for Haiti – Yes, I blogged about them last week, but they’re doing amazing work to benefit the people of Haiti; they deserve the air time. (Plus, they got a site redesign! Slick!) I love the concept of delivering a valuable service for donations. It’s so much cooler than just asking for money. This is the kind of model any business could implement. They’re hosting a networking event in Toronto tonight, and I’m so sad I won’t be able to attend.

Eat, Drink & Give – Eat, Drink and Give has teamed up with a number of Toronto restaurants and Ontario and international wineries, to plan an evening of food and wine, with all proceeds going to Doctors without Borders. The event will be held on February 9, at Roy Thompson Hall. This event has been planned, in part, by one of our Twitter friends, Suresh (@spotlightcity)–one of the best food bloggers around.

Maple in the County – Another great event, this one local, to learn about all things Maple Syrup! Could life really get any sweeter?! It’s perfect for the whole family, and this year, they’re going interactive. Follow @CreativeDanT, @OntarioCulinary, @blackprincewinery, @TastetheCounty, @SandbanksWinery, and @saraswatispa for more info as it unfolds.

Tweet Up Quinte! – On February 18, 2010, Engine Communications and Loyalist College’s PR program will be hosting a Tweet Up to raise money for Flights of Hope’s relief efforts in Haiti. There will be amazing door prizes, lots of networking and talk of all things social media. It’s going to be happening at the Boathouse Restaurant from 5:30-7:30. We’ll post all the details on our Facebook Fan Page.