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Thank you Oliver!!

A few weeks back I got an email from SAC (Songwriters Association of Canada), of which I am a recent member, about a ‘contest’ called the “Canadian Songwriters Social Media Challenge”

I thought this dovetailed with the recent visioning that I have done with my wife & music partner, Cailin Green. We knew we needed to find a way to play and write more music, bring more art and travel and experience into our world. Our goal setting – still in progress! – has brought us to the point of realizing we need to change our home, our day to day work and other rather major changes.

So, why not help propel the music part of this equation with getting more connected and ‘social’?

Now, I have to admit, I am in the IT / web end of things and one would be correct in assuming I should know that stuff but I usually leave the ‘Social Media Stuff’ low on my list. My clients can do that for themselves or hire me or a contractor to assist. I know the nuts and bolts but don’t get into the application much.

Well, after looking at the things we have on our goals and our to-do lists I realized that somebody has to get on it and be prepared to take our music to the next level. Cailin is busy with her music, artwork and graphic design business and I, being somewhat workaholic, elected myself!

The first day got me going with a teleconference with 60 other people and the main organizer Ariel Hyatt http://arielpublicity.com/ and her able SAC contact on this project, Lily Cheng http://songwriters.ca/lilyc.aspx . I downloaded Ariel’s recent update of her book Music Success in 9 weeks http://www.musicsuccessinnineweeks.com/  and got started on Monday January 9^th

The first thing to do in the challenge? Read and work on chapter one and blog about it.

9 – 7 = 2…

Okay, the first blog post? That was over 2 weeks ago! What’s up with that, eh? (FYI for US people “Eh” is kind of like Canadian for “Hunh”)  Well, with all the work and excitement in October and November I got sick on Dec 2^nd  – the same day we hosted the fabulous Gregory Hoskins http://gregoryhoskins.com/  for a concert then a songwriting workshop the next day. The Flu. It was brutal, then bronchitis and now sinus infection! After 7+ weeks I STILL have not fully kicked the damn thing. Anyhow my energy for doing a blog post was lost. And now I am writing the first weeks post (aka book) 2 weeks late…

The task list…

The task for the first week was essentially to do with Goals and setting timelines for your goals. The idea being, as most goal setting advises, that you set time lines and state as already achieved…. so here are a few of mine/ ours. (Not all the personal / financial nitty-gritty stuff but some of the points).

• Make Posting #2 before end of THIS week and include a photo or two.
• Make Posting #3 a video posting and do it before week #4 is due!!!
• Feb 1 – my health is great and I am able to keep up the pace, walk the dogs and exercise again!
• March – Our website is refreshed with new photos/promo and the mailing list functioning and has 300 on it
• April – I have been writing about 1 song a week and I now have 8 new songs on paper/draft mp3
• May – final dates are booked for our summer tour returning to the interior of BC.
• June – We have 12+ tracks done and 2^nd CD mastered
• June – I love my new keyboard suitable for road gigging

And the list goes on… ! Suffice it to say that Cailin and I are both eagerly working on our future together in music and life. I will be blogging Week 2 next – “The Elevator Pitch”

 Re: Please maintain or increase funding to the CBC

Dear Mr. Kamp,

Hi Randy… I am using this form letter much as you usually do when communicating with constituents. They sometimes have an impact; maybe this one will too.

It is my feeling that the CBC (online, radio & TV), while not without ‘flaws’, has been truncated by stupid policy and financial cuts over the years thereby making it an easy target for politicos to say, “See? We must cut them from the trough’.

Maybe some clear thinking about the effects, both culturally and financially, that regressive policy (such as increased detention vs. education & supports for instance) would help. Rather than ‘go for the votes’ or knee-jerk tunnel-vision reactions, we could be progressive and proactive and use gov’t funds effectively.

The value of CBC online, radio & TV to communicate our culture and “Canadian community” across this land is something you cannot measure with polls and perceived outcomes.

We can take a lesson from the ‘Arab Spring’ on the value of communication and awareness; don’t hamstring that in our country.

and now your form letter….

——————————–

I am one of your constituents and I am worried about the federal government’s plan to cut CBC funding deeply.

As you know, previous governments diminished the CBC with severe budget cuts that forced our national public broadcaster to chase audiences and ad dollars with American game shows and more commercialization.

The federal government’s investment in CBC has declined over the years while government spending in other areas has increased substantially.  In other words, the CBC has not contributed to the deficit problem and it should not be punished for being efficient.

Reducing the CBC’s budget by more than $100 million would have serious and highly visible consequences for the CBC.  Stations will close, programs will vanish, and popular personalities will disappear from the air if this cut goes through.

I note that your party promised before, during and after the election to maintain or increase funding to the CBC.  I expect you to keep your promise.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Campbell
Maple Ridge British Columbia
V2X 0V8

Robert & Cailin