So it looks like I might be talking at the next Concordia University alumni event. Wouldn’t that be cool? Thanks to Ian Garmaise and Cheryl Morris for the referrals! Here’s the short description of my talk:

You know that networking is important to success. Now learn how to use blogs to connect with other people for both personal and business benefits, in both extrovert- and introvert-friendly ways. In this highly interactive two-hour workshop, you will learn how blogs can help you keep track of your accomplishments, discover and express your passion, connect with other people, demonstrate your character and competence, build your reputation, grow your network, and advance your career. You’ll learn about the challenges that come with having a public image, but also the rewards that may follow. You’ll develop a plan for getting started and connections that will get richer over time.

and a quick bio (eh, writing in third person):

Sacha Chua is an intranet social computing consultant with IBM Global Business Services. She earned her M.A.Sc. in human-computer interaction at the University of Toronto in November 2007, and her research was about using Web 2.0 to locate expertise in a large organization. She also has a B.S. Computer Science degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. And yes, her blog helped convince her (current) manager to create the perfect position for her. In her spare time, she works on a technical book about Emacs, devours stacks of books from the library, and writes on her personal blog at https://sachachua.com.

I love speaking in public. I get a chance to learn so much in the process. =) I love writing, too. It’s funny how those things feed on each other: writing helps me learn and think, speaking gets the message out there and helps me make it more conversational, and that in turn gives me more to write about…

Anyway: February 27, 6:00 – 8:00, actual talk 6:30-7:30 or so. It’s going to be mainly for alumni (even though I’m not one! =) ), but stay tuned – I’ll post more notes and maybe even a recording. (And I have to eventually get around to posting my Livin’ la Vida Emacs presentation from DemoCamp. That was absurd amounts of fun.)

Looking forward to it! I’ve been collecting notes for a presentation like that for a while now, and I’m looking forward to telling stories and helping people imagine, plan, and act. =)