Comments for Community Intelligence http://www.communityintelligence.ca Smart communication for your community Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:37:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on Engaging the electorate by admin http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287&cpage=1#comment-83 admin Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:37:58 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287#comment-83 I totally agree. They can't say not in my backyard when they don't participate in the first place. I totally agree. They can’t say not in my backyard when they don’t participate in the first place.

]]> Comment on Engaging the electorate by admin http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287&cpage=1#comment-82 admin Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:36:59 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287#comment-82 That's another blog post I was planning to write in the near future. Thanks for your comment! That’s another blog post I was planning to write in the near future. Thanks for your comment!

]]> Comment on Engaging the electorate by Sirthinks http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287&cpage=1#comment-81 Sirthinks Mon, 02 Aug 2010 04:44:44 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287#comment-81 Let's hope the noise being made on Twitter, Facebook, websites and in the mainstream media about important issues such as the arena project and the closure of CCA are the catalysts which will bring more voters to the polls. When asked why I am so adamantly opposed to the airport closing my answer is, "I'm not." What I am adamantly opposed to is City Council making this decision without consulting the shareholders, the taxpayers as they have in the past where airport decisions where made. My thinking is, while you are at the polls voting on the fate of CCA, take a moment and vote for your councillor and a mayor. Perhaps these issues will wake people up to what happens when the electorate is complacent. Let’s hope the noise being made on Twitter, Facebook, websites and in the mainstream media about important issues such as the arena project and the closure of CCA are the catalysts which will bring more voters to the polls.

When asked why I am so adamantly opposed to the airport closing my answer is, “I’m not.” What I am adamantly opposed to is City Council making this decision without consulting the shareholders, the taxpayers as they have in the past where airport decisions where made.

My thinking is, while you are at the polls voting on the fate of CCA, take a moment and vote for your councillor and a mayor. Perhaps these issues will wake people up to what happens when the electorate is complacent.

]]> Comment on Engaging the electorate by Michael Janz http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287&cpage=1#comment-80 Michael Janz Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:50:15 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287#comment-80 Don't forget about School Trustees as well! Half of Edmontonians who vote for mayor and council usually just leave the last half of their ballot blank! I'm campaigning hard to make sure everyone in Downtown/University/Riverbend/Ward F knows that their are trustee options and that whether they have kids or not they should be voting! Michael Janz www.michaeljanz.ca Don’t forget about School Trustees as well! Half of Edmontonians who vote for mayor and council usually just leave the last half of their ballot blank!

I’m campaigning hard to make sure everyone in Downtown/University/Riverbend/Ward F knows that their are trustee options and that whether they have kids or not they should be voting!

Michael Janz
http://www.michaeljanz.ca

]]> Comment on Engaging the electorate by carebaer322 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287&cpage=1#comment-79 carebaer322 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:52:24 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=287#comment-79 LOVE this blog article! Totally appreciate and agree with ALL of it. As someone who is personally actively involved in politics on the bottom level, it's seriously annoying and frustrating when people complain verbally but do nothing with their vote. THAT IS WHERE THEIR POWER IS! And I think this is a great reminder to the electorate that political parties should be remind them of and emphasizing! Thank you for adding your voice to the matter :) LOVE this blog article! Totally appreciate and agree with ALL of it. As someone who is personally actively involved in politics on the bottom level, it’s seriously annoying and frustrating when people complain verbally but do nothing with their vote. THAT IS WHERE THEIR POWER IS! And I think this is a great reminder to the electorate that political parties should be remind them of and emphasizing! Thank you for adding your voice to the matter :)

]]> Comment on The influence of words by Tweets that mention The influence of words – Community Intelligence -- Topsy.com http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=274&cpage=1#comment-75 Tweets that mention The influence of words – Community Intelligence -- Topsy.com Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:59:35 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=274#comment-75 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tamara_Stecyk and Tamara_Stecyk, Dale Hudjik. Dale Hudjik said: RT @Tamara_Stecyk: New blog post: The influence of words http://bit.ly/cAbZqZ << a good read Tamara [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tamara_Stecyk and Tamara_Stecyk, Dale Hudjik. Dale Hudjik said: RT @Tamara_Stecyk: New blog post: The influence of words http://bit.ly/cAbZqZ << a good read Tamara [...]

]]> Comment on Are we all talk and no action? by Patrysha http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=261&cpage=1#comment-69 Patrysha Fri, 11 Jun 2010 01:22:08 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=261#comment-69 I learned last summer though that you have to talk before the action. If you barge through with your own ideas and don't take time to communicate your plans and ideas and goals with your community, it's impossible to grow it into something bigger and become the big thing you want it to be. When you leave that part out, it's everyone's loss if the vision was a solid one. Building community is a slow process...but it's worth the fight and the frustration and the false starts. I learned last summer though that you have to talk before the action. If you barge through with your own ideas and don’t take time to communicate your plans and ideas and goals with your community, it’s impossible to grow it into something bigger and become the big thing you want it to be. When you leave that part out, it’s everyone’s loss if the vision was a solid one. Building community is a slow process…but it’s worth the fight and the frustration and the false starts.

]]> Comment on Does engagement lead to activism? by Paula Kirman http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=247&cpage=1#comment-49 Paula Kirman Sat, 15 May 2010 15:16:11 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=247#comment-49 I agree with most of what you have written here, but I take exception with one thing: activism is much more than "waving placards or jumping gin with protesters." Activism is exactly as defined in your post: "vigourous action to support a cause." What that looks like can differ depending on the cause and activist(s) involved. It can be writing letters to the editor or government, organizing a teach-in to educate others on issues from a particular perspective, lobbying the government for change, online information campaigns (we see a lot of this on Facebook and Twitter), and yes, pickets and protests - all of which don't just happen and require a lot of planning for everything from location and logistics to legal issues to sending our press releases to media. I would argue that as a result, those of us on the organizing side of activism also do a lot of advocacy as well, because of the extensive work we do (communications being a big part of this). Let me look at it this way - I do a lot of my activism on Twitter, Facebook, and writing blog posts - with exactly the hopes of getting people to take action if they agree with the issue I am writing about. I also maintain websites for numerous non-profit/activist organizations. Am I less of an activist when I do that as when I am singing in front of a crowd at a rally about peace or the environment? Or giving a speech? What about when I am there but not in the crowd itself because I am running around taking pictures and video for posterity and educational purposes? It's all activism. I would say you are an activist to an extent - pushing people to get involved makes activists out of others, so by extension, so are you. And who knows? Maybe some day there will be a cause that moves you enough to vigourously support it! I agree with most of what you have written here, but I take exception with one thing: activism is much more than “waving placards or jumping gin with protesters.” Activism is exactly as defined in your post: “vigourous action to support a cause.” What that looks like can differ depending on the cause and activist(s) involved. It can be writing letters to the editor or government, organizing a teach-in to educate others on issues from a particular perspective, lobbying the government for change, online information campaigns (we see a lot of this on Facebook and Twitter), and yes, pickets and protests – all of which don’t just happen and require a lot of planning for everything from location and logistics to legal issues to sending our press releases to media. I would argue that as a result, those of us on the organizing side of activism also do a lot of advocacy as well, because of the extensive work we do (communications being a big part of this).

Let me look at it this way – I do a lot of my activism on Twitter, Facebook, and writing blog posts – with exactly the hopes of getting people to take action if they agree with the issue I am writing about. I also maintain websites for numerous non-profit/activist organizations. Am I less of an activist when I do that as when I am singing in front of a crowd at a rally about peace or the environment? Or giving a speech? What about when I am there but not in the crowd itself because I am running around taking pictures and video for posterity and educational purposes? It’s all activism.

I would say you are an activist to an extent – pushing people to get involved makes activists out of others, so by extension, so are you. And who knows? Maybe some day there will be a cause that moves you enough to vigourously support it!

]]> Comment on How much will the Alberta Party hear? by Karren Brown http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=214&cpage=1#comment-40 Karren Brown Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:55:22 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=214#comment-40 A very thoughtful post. Appreciate your insight. I, like many others, was part of the original Reform party and your take on it is right on how it started, and we also collected signatures from people all across Canada to form the party. That was what I think gave it its strength. As I lean toward the social democrat side I did not stay with the party when the traditional Conservatives took over. The new Alberta Party does make Alberta politics more interesting, but I don't see any real change and citizens having any real influence until the election process is changed to a form of proportional representation which Alberta had up until the mid 1950's. A very thoughtful post. Appreciate your insight. I, like many others, was part of the original Reform party and your take on it is right on how it started, and we also collected signatures from people all across Canada to form the party. That was what I think gave it its strength. As I lean toward the social democrat side I did not stay with the party when the traditional Conservatives took over. The new Alberta Party does make Alberta politics more interesting, but I don’t see any real change and citizens having any real influence until the election process is changed to a form of proportional representation which Alberta had up until the mid 1950′s.

]]> Comment on How much will the Alberta Party hear? by Dale C http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=214&cpage=1#comment-39 Dale C Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:14:35 +0000 http://www.communityintelligence.ca/?p=214#comment-39 hopefully, these will be interesting times politically in Alberta. There does need to be another voice in the Leg... my hope is for a more centrist party... and not the wildrose group, with its even more right wing agendas... hopefully there are some political people who can think outside the status quo box, and make the people feel included and that our voices matter. I do think that the best hope for political change is for people to get fed up with the arrogance and lack of caring of the current oligarchy. hopefully, these will be interesting times politically in Alberta. There does need to be another voice in the Leg… my hope is for a more centrist party… and not the wildrose group, with its even more right wing agendas… hopefully there are some political people who can think outside the status quo box, and make the people feel included and that our voices matter. I do think that the best hope for political change is for people to get fed up with the arrogance and lack of caring of the current oligarchy.

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