I think this may be a first: a bit of self promotion about my upcoming speaking gigs:

The Public Relations Society of America T3 Conference, September 11, NYC

Hot Topics: Prominent PR Bloggers Speak Out

Phil Gomes, Phil’s Blogservations (philgomes.com/blog); vice president, Edelman Digital; senior advisor, Society for New Communications Research
Colin McKay, Canuckflack (canuckflack.com); director of research, education and outreach, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Jeremy Pepper, (pop-pr.blogspot.com); POP! PR Jots manager, public relations, Boingo Wireless
Joe Ciarallo, blog: PR Newser (mediabistro.com/prnewser); Horn Group

Social Media For Government in Canada, September 17, Ottawa

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone: How To Build An Effective Business Case For Social Media In Your Organisation

Of course, you can always just send me an email at colin@canuckflack.com - much cheaper, no travel costs, and a relatively customized reaction.

Imagine yourself driving along, singing along to some horrific AC song like:

• El DeBarge’s “Who’s Johnny”
• “Electric Youth” by Debbie Gibson
• “Ears of Tin” by Jethro Tull
• “She’s Gone” by Hall and Oates

Have you ever turned, at that very moment, and realized that one if not more people are staring at you?

Well, behold the majestic combination of wonderful/shocking music the guys at Popdose have lined up in the latest post of Bottom Feeders - the ass end of the 80s.

…but The City Desk, a blog about a fictional urban centre, is pure genius.

A piece from last year reeled me right in, with a mix of nearly believable retail history, technological confusion and urban conspiracy: The Permanence of Gillard’s Electric Typewriter Service

“…All large cities feature that staple of stand-up comedy, the retail storefront which seems to change hands every few weeks, and our own is no exception. The left-center unit of the Pioneer Square strip mall, currently S.E. Huang’s Kenpo-Karaterie, was a Spanish-language tax preparation service catering to the South Street area’s large Ecuadorian population as recently as last November- and, in the summer of 2006, it was a boutique specializing in salsa-related merchandise. Lot 47 in the Galleria at Woldman Heights is particularly infamous in this regard; in the last three years alone, it has been a Wittman’s, a Sunglass Hut, a Gap for Seniors, a Dobbins Farm Dairy outlet store, and a shop where one could commission tailor-made potato chip varieties….

Then the suggestion that actor William Atherton, who I remember most as the EPA inspector from Ghostbusters (”It’s true. This man has no dick”), was in the running for mayor.

The City Desk is magic. It is the paper of record for every neighbourhood you have ever lived in. It’s so familiar, so accurate, it makes you realize how foolish urban life and obsessions can be.

Technorati Tags: urban life, city paper, neighbourhood journalism