Editorial: The Sunday Muse (on Monday)

Big News:

Commercial Drive – Live! will be taking on its first major sponsor!

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome aboard Charlie Kiers, of Remax Crest Realty as our banner supporter! Starting in February, Charlie will be offering some great insider advice for people looking to live or invest in, what experts are calling, “one of the hottest real estate markets in North America”. Plus, he’ll be sharing with us some local listings to help start you on the road to home-owning happiness! Check out his great website: www.buythedrive.com and stay tuned to CD – L! for his regular posts.

Well, my 2007 Christmas wish came true when last month Commercial Drive - Live! broke the 15,000 visitor mark! Thanks to all the people who have dropped in from all over BC, Canada, the US, South America, India, Africa, Asia and Europe! Please keep stopping by!

I’ve been raving about my new little Canon Powershot camera. Most of the pictures from November onward on Commercial Drive – Live! have been shot with it and I’ve had great responses to them. This gadget has really opened up possibilities, by helping me to put more real faces on the blog, like in my “Denizen of the Day” and “Live on the Drive” columns.

But most exciting is the video I can now shoot! You may have already seen some of the clips I’ve added, including a song I shot of one of our radio guests on Wax Poetic, Doris Lavoie, and some impromptu video of Queso Blanco at the Libra Room. Most recently I threw up a video I shot on New Years Eve of Wyckham Porteous and the Skedaddlers.

You can watch them all by either clicking on this link to go to the YouTube Playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=478EF0B433DBB8C3;

or simply clicking on the label “video” at the bottom of any post with a video in it.

The next step is to start doing interviews. I’ve got one on file that I did with Battlestar Galactica’s Lorena Gale, on the patio of Fets last summer, using a simple web cam. Now that I’m starting to understand how Microsoft Movie Maker works, I’ll be finally able to cut it up for the web soon.

If you want me to catch you in action or cover your event, just drop me an email and I’ll do my best to fit you into my schedule. You get free access to the video to use as you please (as long as you don’t mind link information to Commercial Drive – Live! popping up every now and then).

Also, check out our fabulous sister site, run by entertainment guru LL Fisher, Live On The Drive! We’ll be working even closer this year to make sure all of the great stuff on the Drive gets covered completely!

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about blogging and why it is an essential promotional tool for most artists and small businesses, consider taking one of my upcoming Shoestring Marketing classes held at John Oliver Secondary through the Vancouver School Board. Find more info here: http://smart-arts.blogspot.com. We spend a lot of time covering internet technologies, and blogging specifically.

So until next time, Happy New Year, and best wishes to you and your families!!

Sincerely,

Steven R. Duncan

Publisher – Commercial Drive – Live!