Connvoyage: September 2012

Friday, September 28, 2012

My Thoughts on the Social Good Summit

Whew! Last weekend was the 3rd Annual Social Good Summit in New York City and boy, was it an inspiring, emotional, thought-provoking, frustrating, and engaging three days!

Bloggers hard at work at the Social Good Summit's Digital Media Lounge

The weekend was also hectic and exhausting! I arrived in the bustling Digital Media Lounge each day by 11 in the morning and didn't leave until after 7 at night with almost no break in between. Scores of bloggers and independent journalists were tapping away on their devices from morning to night. I have never seen so many people using Twitter all at once before.

US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice speaks to Mashable founder Pete Cashmore

The most impressive aspect of the Social Media Summit was the sheer scope of the participants involved. In addition to the average concerned citizen in attendance (both physically and virtually) from over 153 countries, we had top political figures, internationally renowned journalists, successful businessmen and women, celebrity activists, and well, some really cool movers and shakers in the social media and technology world. I was geeking out in the best way possible with some of the world's best geeks. I felt incredibly lucky, and honored, to have been a part of it.

A highly connected audience listens while surprise guest Peter Gabrial speaks at the Social Good Summit in New York City

I was most disappointed in the actual "global conversation" that took place. Rather, that DIDN'T take place as a huge majority of tweets and retweets flowing in through the #SGSglobal hashtag were quotes and sound bites from the speakers. There wasn't much interaction in the way of people discussing the issues the speakers raised. I tried to start conversations by posing a number of questions during the presentations, but most of my Tweets fell on deaf ears or in this case, silent fingers.

So much of the hype leading up to the Social Good Summit was surrounded by the impression that there would be conversation taking place internationally about the issues brought forth at the Summit. I was truly disappointed by the lack of engagement amongst the global audience and the one question that kept popping up in my head was, "Where's the dialogue?"

Despite the lack of sharing and discussing between participants, the talks and presentations on stage were nothing short of phenomenal. (I'll be updating a new blog post with my favorite highlights from the Social Media Summit in the coming days so be sure to check back for what I thought were some truly relevant, moving, and significant topics.)

Overall, the Social Good Summit was an amazing experience to see and hear so many influential people discussing their work and what more they hope to achieve with the help of social media and technology. It just would have been nice to hear what other people around the world were thinking and to have put my two cents into the pot as well.

© Connie Hum 2012

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

#TTOT Round-Up: Road Trip Travels

Every Tuesday, it's Travel Talk on Twitter! Each week is a fun, new topic. Join either of the two sessions at 9:30am GMT and 9:30pm GMT to get in on all the fun travel talk!

Just follow the #TTOT hashtag!

Here's the round-up of this week's #TTOT on "Road Trip Travels!"

Q1 via @eurotriptips: What's the best country to go on a roadtrip and why?

@CorneliusAesop: I would say the USA; its size and diversity (climate, geography, cultures, etc.) Plus it has classic interstate roadways
@worldwanders: Taiwan on a scooter! Valleys, mountains, beaches, countryside, futuristic metro city....all of it
@monchi26: South Africa. Good infrastructure, great landscapes and sights, nice B&Bs
@Focaljourney: Argentina: urban, jungle, beach, glaciers, pampas, desert, mountains, waterfalls, etc. You name it, they have it
@AngelFCast: Ireland. Easy to drive. Lots of great scenery. All of the hidden gems are reachable by car
@TravelPassionis: Australia- 4WD adventure on deserted routes
@stimpressions: One of the best and unforgettable road trip is the Great Ocean Road, Australia

An incredible road trip in Iceland, 2007

Q2 via @tide_trip: Who would you most like to go on a road trip with and why?

@ilivetotravel: Someone who knows how to fix a car
@constantramble: Anthony Bourdain because he is a sexy bad boy that loves good eats and can always appreciate local cultures
@DangerousBiz: I road tripped with my sister last summer, and it was great! She's a good road trip buddy. Plus, we had time to bond
@brandon_darnell: I'd most like to road trip with friends, but save a seat for a local who wants to show us the hidden gems
@DeltaVacations: Alex Trebek. He'd keep me busy with trivia, and probably knows the history of everything we'd see
@Hjortur: I recommend picking up hitch hikers. They're like a box of chocolate. You never know what you're gonna get
@PLUSjordi: Justin Bieber - so I could leave him in the middle of nowhere

Q3 via @lucy_c_b: Don't go on a road trip without ____

@lethers: Firstly a great sense of adventure; then a great sense of humour; some flexibility; an open mind... Oh, and a camera
@saraorsarah: You cannot roadtrip without decent music. Hearing Abba on loop through Kenya was a living hell
@Fairfield_Tours: Snacks and maps
@RickGriffin: Bail/Bribe money
@elatlboy: Car supplies: jumper cables, bottled water, blanket, spare tire kit
@Em30b430: Is it too British to say teabags?

Q4 via @ae_carhire: What are your tricks to stay entertained on a long road trip?

@MiniTimeFamily: Great conversation. Nothing passes the time quicker
@caravanofone: Screaming at the top of my lungs to my favorite songs and waving my hands out the window
@miss_starling: Take annoying amounts of photographs and eat copious amounts of sweeties
@JennySerwylo: I perfect my mad rap artist skills by rapping along to music or just making it up. My car-mates LOVE it
@WanderOne: Filming myself giving running commentary. Makes for hilarious post-trip videos
@Travel_Rich: Wave at pedestrians and drivers. Watch the confusion and see how many wave back
@WeWantSun: An audio book is also a great option for those who can't read in the car
@TopdeckTravel: Singing to classic power ballads

Q5 via @priyaganapathy: What are the most bizarre road signs you've come across? Show us a picture

@HW_Travel: This was taken to warn people of cassowary crossings in Cape Trib

@KyleGoesGlobal: Kusadasi, Turkey

@incoherentboy: loved this sign in LA

@Reserve123: This one's pretty bad... what's a driver to do?

And there you have it, "Road Trip Travels!"

Next week's #TTOT topic is: "Adventure and Activities!" Submit your questions HERE!

See you Tuesday at 9:30am and 9:30pm GMT for the next #TTOT!

As always, a HUGE travel community thank you to our #TTOT hosts and organizers: traveldudes, roniweiss, toddwassel, traveldesigned, insidetravellab, WildJunket, tbloggersunite and mobilelawyer!

Have YOU got anything to add to the "Road Trip Travels" discussion?

© Connie Hum 2012

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Social Good Summit, NYC

I am so excited to confirm my attendance at this year's Social Good Summit in New York City! The Social Good Summit will combine my passion for social good and social media with innovative thinking and creative problem solving to direct conversations on a global scale towards some of the world's most challenging problems.

The Social Good Summit is a real opportunity for everyday people, just like you and me, to create a dialogue about how we can use our technology and social networks to make the world a better place!

Pretty awesome, right?

The speakers in attendance are all world-class inspirations, though the ones I'm most looking forward to hearing from are Mashable's Pete Cashmore, Deepak Chopra, the UN Development Programme's Helen Clark, Jacques' grandson and Plant-A-Fish's Fabien Cousteau, American Red Cross' Wendy Harman, Egyptian human rights blogger Ramy Raoof, and Adora Svitak, the child prodigy who spoke at TED 2010 on "What Adults Can Learn From Kids."

To help facilitate a more global interaction on the pressing issues the world is faced with, communities from all over the world are invited to gather at Mashable Meetups during the Social Good Summit between September 22-24 to share ideas, dreams, and possible solutions.

Of course, you can also follow the hashtag #SGSglobal on Twitter and watch the events on Mashable's YouTube channel.

I'll be live-tweeting from the Digital Media Lounge throughout the Summit and following up with blog posts so that you can get my first-hand experiences and thoughts too.

We live in an exciting time where new media and technology can offer potential answers to the problems that plague our world. We need to turn that potential into a reality, and that reality begins with ideas, dialogue, and interaction.

I am so honored and proud to be a part of this global conversation.

How will YOU participate in one of the biggest, most global, and most powerful conversations the world has ever seen?

The 2012 Social Good Summit is brought to you by Mashable, 92nd Street Y, the United Nations Foundation, Ericsson, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

© Connie Hum 2012

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

#TTOT Round-Up: Travel Confessions

Every Tuesday, it's Travel Talk on Twitter! Each week is a fun, new topic. Join either of the two sessions at 9:30am GMT and 9:30pm GMT to get in on all the fun travel talk!

Just follow the #TTOT hashtag!

Here's the round-up of this week's #TTOT on "Travel Confessions!"

Q1 via @Imnothome1: Tell us your biggest cultural faux-pas!

@Miss_Starling: Telling a Spanish man I was horny rather than hot (temperature) Whoops
@hyperren: It may not seem like a big deal, but I always stress about how many air kisses it takes to greet which nationality
@MashOnEarth: Waved at my friend to come closer with palm up in Thailand. Apparently, it's the way to call a dog. For people - palm down
@DigitalDiscussn: Car breaking down and asked blokes in pub if they could 'jump me'. They fell off their stools
@foodieintl: Eating bread with pasta in Italy. I learned my lesson
@GreenGlobalTrvl: Holding the door for my lady in KwaZulu Natal, where men walk, eat, and drink first
@KyleGoesGlobal: In Spanish in Mexico, I tried to order a "hot dog" by describing it as a "dog that is hot" - I literally asked for a "horny dog"
@SandiMcKenna: I am sure I have probably 'LOUD talked' when speaking to someone who didn't understand English thinking it would help
@Ggnitaly84: Having a cappuccino after noon in Italy, a big no no in the Bel Paese
@Tactile Travel: Thinking I said grapes when I really said something anatomically obscene in Arabic

Q2 via @Travelogged: What's the most touristy thing you've ever done -- that you loved?

@travelproducer: I L-O-V-E double decker tour buses and I'm not ashamed to admit it
@rkerestes: Most touristy thing I've done & loved was climb to the top of Eiffel Tower at night
@TraveLeadPly: I cried watching the fountains at Bellagio. True story
@glampacker: Singing Sound of Music songs in Salzburg and poses in Mirabell Gardens
@reeseeverywhere: I bought (and still keep buying) fridge magnets from places I visit
@anishahbbc: Blocking narrow paths whilst taking photos - very annoying for busy locals speed-walking to work!
@TheAlexLop: Getting on a camel in Giza solely for the photo opp. Who doesn't love a cliché Egypt photo?
@anujap: Wearing Mickey ears at Disneyland
@melbtravel: Taking a photos holding up the leaning tower of Pisa. I'm sure everyone has one of those photos

Q3 via @worldswaiting: What's the worst thing you ever said while trying to speak a foreign language?

@HTGlobe: I would like to eat vagina. (cous cous or cuscus in Farsi is vagina) true story
@airwaysfoodie: I told a Chinese guy I wanted to see his beauty (piao liang) while I meant his ticket (feiji piao)
@Inga_Ros: I tried to ask for a pregnancy test in a pharmacy in Spain but asked for a business test
@traveldudes: Someone I've met wanted to order "5 cold beers" in Cambodia, but said: "5 old women". He hit the wrong tones
@KiltandaCamera: Requested a hard-on instead of a bread roll at the bakery in Brazil
@LADventurers: In Taiwan recently I said "shee shee" instead of "sher sher" which is "piss piss" instead of thanks
@melbtravel: When I was working in the States, I would say I loved Hummers the car but not realize that meant an act on a male
@SuuperG : I said "Get yourself hot" instead of "Shut yourself up" in Spanish to soldiers who were pestering me
@totoro2222 : Chin Chin! what means "cheers" in some languages, turns out it means penis in Japanese

I do NOT recommend that you eat balut when you visit the Philippines!

Q4 via @Nanoz84 What kind of food you have tried during your travels that you won't recommend trying?

@rkerestes: Durian! Seriously, there's a reason why this fruit is banned from most public places
@OnTheRoadToYou: Oh god! The smell of Stinky Tofu just does my head in
@HelenaKBC: Kokoretsi - kind of spit roast entrail thing you eat in Greece at Easter
@innalameda: Definitely NOT a fan of eating bugs! I don't CARE if they're protein
@MalloryOnTravel: Anything yak butter derived ..... shuddering just thinking about it
‏@SuuperG: Baby eels. After I ordered them (feeling adventurous in Spain) I felt horrible about all the little guys.
@MyDestination: Rat kebab in Cebu or chickens feet
@travel_rich: Oysters. Unless you like the feeling of having snot in your mouth. I judge no one
@ooharradventure: Vegemite. If this can even be called food

Q5 via @ephemerratic: Have you hated a destination that everyone else loves? Where and why?

@RunawayJuno: Well, not everyone loved, but China. I couldn't handle the Asian-Asian racism
@Trent_Blomfield: Paris. Its just under whelming. It's all very cliched and try talking to some locals if they even speak to you
@wetfootprints: Koh Tao in Thailand overcrowded, too Western and generally couldn't wait to leave
@DeprtureDiaries: Athens. It was dirty, disheveled and disappointing all-around. Maybe my expectations were too high for the historic hotspot
@ur: Las Vegas. Mostly because of the heat and the expense. Oh and what stays in Vegas never actually stays there
@AllyMacDee: Tokyo. Concrete jungle, overcrowded, expensive. A group of teens thought we were Americans and told us to 'fluck off' out of Japan
@lowcostholidays: Venice. Going at peak time was the worst thing. So crowded and extremely expensive. It's a shame when beauty becomes spoiled
@FreakOutOfTown: Does anyone actually like Los Angeles?

And there you have it, "Travel Confessions!"

Next week's #TTOT topic is: "Road Trip Travels!" Submit your questions HERE!

See you Tuesday at 9:30am and 9:30pm GMT for the next #TTOT!

As always, a HUGE travel community thank you to our #TTOT hosts and organizers: traveldudes, roniweiss, toddwassel, traveldesigned, insidetravellab, WildJunket, tbloggersunite and mobilelawyer!

Have YOU got anything to add to the "Travel Confessions" discussion?

© Connie Hum 2012

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