I am a Montreal-based marketer who loves social media and technology. With 18 years marketing experience behind me, I understand that social media is only one driver in my marketing toolbox. 
Today I reached a personal Twitter milestone with my 10,000th tweet. It seemed appropriate that it should come after my most intense week of social media mayhem since SXSWi last March.
Like many who attended PodCamp Montreal this past weekend, I am experiencing a bit of a social media hangover. For me, it’s not alcohol-induced. Instead, it’s the feeling of letdown that comes after the headiness of meeting so many like-minded people in one place. Maybe I’d already met some people online through Twitter, Phreadz or Seesmic. Maybe I’d just met them at the event for the very first time. Either way, the experience of finding so many creative, articulate, funny and technically savvy people in one place was intoxicating.
One thing that is helping me with my social media hangover are the avatars being sported by my new American PodCamp friends who are positively giddy over the Quebec 24-hour convenience store chain, Couche-Tard, which means “night owl”. This store became a middle of the night beacon for party supply runs and now is a symbol the good times that were had at PodCamp Montreal, complete with memories of terribly pronounced French. The avatars are even starting to spread to Canadians who were at PodCamp Montreal.
So, when I pondered what to Tweet for my 10,000th update, I realized that I wouldn’t have met *any* of these wonderful people without Twitter. I wouldn’t have had the business opportunities that I’ve had in the past year. I wouldn’t have felt connected to a diverse community coming together under the umbrella of technology. This community is there for me when I’m having a bad day, as much as they are there cheering for me when I have something to celebrate. They answer my questions when I’m baffled. They give me so much to consider and learn. They make me laugh and inspire me. And they make me better, every day.
So, thank you Twitter, for providing the platform that has so enriched my life over the past 17 months. But, my thanks especially go to the fine people who make up the community. As I’ve said many times before, on Twitter, I am humbled by the company I keep.
18 responses so far ↓
1 MeadowsLing // Sep 24, 2008 at 1:53 am
Adele, thank you for that. I enjoyed meeting you and sharing in this wonderful experience. Once again, it was truly amazing.
2 Nicole // Sep 24, 2008 at 1:56 am
goosebumps
3 Jonathan Boyer // Sep 24, 2008 at 2:36 am
Your presentation about Twitter at Podcamp Montreal was very helpful to me to get in touch with more people who care about social media..
Quebec Province has a language barrier that needs to be transgressed and i think that people like us can make the difference by spreading the word!!
4 tapps // Sep 24, 2008 at 3:14 am
awesome podcamp. check. terribly pronounced french. check. couche-avatard. check. awesome people. yep. got lots of those as well.
social media is pretty amazing how we can connect with a group of people who are scattered throughout the world.. yet have so much in common. it was awesome hanging out with you last weekend. i wish we all lived closer and we could do that again every weekend.
anyways. keep being amazing. that draws other amazing people into your life.
5 Gavin // Sep 24, 2008 at 7:50 am
Adele, that was a really fantastic post. Congratulations on tweet #10,000! I’m right there with you in my PodCamp hangover. I met everybody for the first time in real life this weekend. Of course, now my head is just swimming with ideas and inspiration, and it’s so comforting to know that these warm, inviting, creative and insanely talented people are out there. It would have been easy to feel like an outsider in a situation like that, but everybody stepped up and made me feel welcome, like part of the family. It’s no over-statement that it was one of the best weekends of my life, and it’s all because of people like you.
(cue sappy music…)
6 Tim Walker // Sep 24, 2008 at 8:13 am
Good post, Adele. I think that what you’re experiencing is a great example of the “because” effect: it’s not just that you made these new friends / connections and it happened to be on Twitter — you made them *because* of Twitter. That’s powerful stuff, for you and for the folks who run Twitter.
7 Adele McAlear // Sep 24, 2008 at 9:31 am
MeadowsLing, Nicole, tapps, Gavin: It was great meeting you and spending time together too! You’re welcome back to Montreal any time.
Jonathan: Thank you for coming to my session on Twitter. You are right, there is a language barrier here that needs to be broken down, and I’m with you in your hope that social media can help to do that.
Tim: And let’s not forget, I met YOU because of Twitter too!
Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful comments.
8 Jim Long // Sep 24, 2008 at 10:04 am
well YOU are definitely one of those “creative, articulate, funny and technically savvy people”. Keep it up! congrats on tweet 10K and your growing fan base.
9 Adele McAlear // Sep 24, 2008 at 10:35 am
Jim: My congratulations go to YOU for reaching your own Twitter milestone of 10,000 followers this week. That’s like having a small town following you around! I guess that’s what happens when an extraordinary life is documented, 140 characters at a time. It doesn’t hurt that you’re a Jedi Master of mobile Twittering and all-round nice guy.
10 Sarah (rojopelo) // Sep 24, 2008 at 10:47 am
Adele, It was so nice to meet you eventhough we really didn’t have the opportunity to spend too much time together. But then again, the reality is that because of twitter we can now get to know each other even better.
I so loved your #10,000 because i saw you on phreadz working on your blog post and preparing something so very meaningful (as always).
11 Daniele Rossi // Sep 24, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I love how Twitter fads/memes start
12 Laurent LaSalle // Sep 24, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I think it’s obvious we should ask them to sponsor’s next year event, isn’t it? I went as far as to forward Tracy the crazy TV ads campaign that were here a couple of years ago…
13 Rob Blatt // Sep 25, 2008 at 7:38 am
PodCamp was by far the most social I’ve seen one of these events. I’m pretty sure that nearly everyone spoke with nearly everyone else and most people also managed to raise a glass to each other as well. These tools are helping us stay connected in whatever form we want. We want short chat like text? Done. Silly dancing video? Done. Long meaningful live audio or video chat? Done. A place to post photos and video that no one else can see? Done that too.
And the Tavatards started on a Sunday night and by the end of Tuesday everyone had custom ones. Most of that time we were partying, sleeping or traveling.
14 Adele McAlear // Sep 25, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Sarah & Rob: I’m sorry that I couldn’t join you on Sunday night, but it was really great to meet you.
Daniele: This is one special meme. I can’t recall any other that started as a result of a PodCamp or other social media event.
Laurent: I think Couche-Tard would be excellent sponsors for next year’s event!
15 Dana (aka. WankerGirl) // Sep 26, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Without a doubt, meeting you Adele was one of the hightlights of Podcamp Montreal. You are a true joy
16 The Couche-Tard Legend Continues // Oct 3, 2008 at 10:37 pm
[...] a week-and-a-half ago, I wrote about the Couche-Tard avatars that popped up at the end of PodCamp Montreal. The Couche-Avatards, as they’ve come to be [...]
17 Alexandre // Oct 4, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Couche-avatards are sooo much better than mangavatars…
18 Adele McAlear // Oct 5, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Dana, I’m so glad to have met you and spent time with the woman who smashes so many stereotypes. I’ll never think of St. John’s the same way again.
Alexandre, it’s true, they are *much* better than mangavatars.
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