Story Analytics

I just realized that in all my previous posts thanking Vancouver bloggers, my sponsors and supporters and the guest posters, I didn’t really mention the Blogathon.org folks – the people behind the annual Blogathon event and who first came up with the idea of blogging for 24 hours for a cause. It’s an amazing thing they have started as the event continues to grow in strength each year. So, thank you Blogathon, and we’ll meet again next year!

My final pledge count for the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association stands at approximately $335 CAD (factoring in some $USD contributions as well), thanks to all my sponsors.

(Update: My audiologist, Dr Victoria Lee from my local area branch of Island Hearing Services who was on vacation just found out about the blogathon, thanked me for campaigning for hearing loss awareness in my blog, and has sponsored my cause as well. Thank you Dr Lee! )

But more importantly, I would consider my blogathon effort a success if:

• Someone who knew a hard of hearing person read this and encouraged them to connect with a local hard of hearing  community in their area (for instance, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and Hearing Loss Association of America) where they can find the support they need.

• The awareness of hard of hearing people and their needs is increased even if by a little bit. For example, that:
  

  	- Not all fire-alarms may be audible to all hearing aid users, as I once discovered a few years ago.
  	- Just because one wears hearing aids doesn’t mean that they can hear everything being said, unlike with glasses that restore 20/20 vision.
  	- That not all hard of hearing or deaf people wear hearing aids visible for everyone to see. Not knowing that I was hard of hearing and assuming that I wasn’t paying attention, I’ve been asked, although without any ill-intention, “Are you deaf?  “No, but I’m hard of hearing”.
  	- If you’re hard of hearing, you’re not alone. About 13% of the people suffer from a certain degree of hearing loss. However, that should not in any way prevent you from realizing your potential as seen from the stories of a number of CHHA and HLAA members.

• Reading some of my posts has piqued interest in the IT Business Analysis profession and certification to anyone, or simply encouraged some thought-provoking discussions.

• And finally, if I have been able to forge connections (I know I have), and if it helped some amazing people I have interacted with connect with each other as well.

A number of my online connections including writers, bloggers, IT professionals, members of CHHA, HLAA and so on have happened through networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning, Protagonize, Meetup etc.

I’ve only recently started blogging and intend to continue the momentum gained through blogathon and use my blog as a medium to share what I’ve learned, write in an attempt to raise awareness for what I believe in, and learn in the process.

Blogathon 2009 may be over, but my blogging has just begun.

Happy blogging and reading everyone!

Blogathon Workspace, July 26th 5:55 AM

A big thank you to all my sponsors and supporters! You kept me going till the end!

That’s it! The Home Stretch! The Finish Line! The Summit!

So why did I do it? This answer still holds true.

Will I do it next year? Yes!

I hope I have been able to increase awareness of, and raise pledges for the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association as a result of this.

BTW, pledging is still open till July 31st, if you’re interested in sponsoring me!

I hear there is also a 72-hour novel writing event.. maybe next year

Blogathon Workspace, 5:30 AM

I’ve had the privilege of a number of guest posters in my blog. Thought I’d compile them here as a thank you to all of them:

Heather Urquhart
Business Analyst from Montreal moving to Vancouver on Aug 1st. She is looking for a Business Analyst job in Vancouver, and found me on twitter and the blog. I asked her if she would be interested in doing a guest post, and she offered to do so in the midst of her move.
Networking

Eric Rountree
What can I say about Eric? I still haven’t met him in person, but feel like I have known him very well for long. I’ve collaborated with him in the fiction writing site Protagonize. He is an amazing writer. He only found this morning that I was doing this blogathon and was extremely supportive of my efforts. Knowing his writing abilities, I asked him if he could do a guest post, and within an hour, there it was!
The Energy of Action

Dennis Selznick
Found him through a Social Networking Site for the Hard of Hearing. He is a member of Hearing Loss Association of America. Asked him if he would be interested in doing an interview session. Here it is. The most informative piece when it comes to Hearing Loss Awareness in my blogathon if I have to pick one.
Captioned Telephones, Technology and Self-Advocacy – Interview with Dennis Selznick

Cathy Browne
Who else can stare at their own disability in the eye and transform it to humour with such ease? A PR veteran. When I asked her for a guest post, she asked me what kind of topic I wanted. Since part of my theme was Overcoming Barriers due to disability, I wanted to see if she could do her perspective of it.
Bingo: Twitter: Leveling the Playing Field – at Least Virtually…

Tris Hussey
Professional Blogger, Writer, Social Media Geek, and I don’t know what else. I simply asked him if he could do a guest post. “Sure, what topic?” he asked. When I told him, the post was ready in 10 minutes. Here it is:
Picking technologies

Rhiannon Guiterrez
Film Maker and an activist. She is from Hearing Loss Association of America as well. I asked if she would be interested in a guest post, and she obliged right away. Here it is, advocating for Captions in Cinema for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired:
Captions do not ruin the Cinema Experience

Blogathon Workstation, 5:00 AM

As I planned for this blogathon, I decided to go with a theme. Since I was also preparing for a certification, I started out with the theme of business analysis and certification topics. But that by itself, I found, would end up being boring, and would appeal to very few.

Meanwhile, when I chose to blog for the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and contacted them as well as some members of the Hearing Loss Association of America, they were very supportive of the idea and offered to help me with it as well with guest posts, information etc. Seeing the interest received from them and given that part of my blogging effort is also to raise awareness of the needs of hard of hearing, I had decided that the topics should be divided between the two.

The last stretch has been the hardest to focus on a theme, especially when it came to some dry areas. So I decided to simply have fun, and write about things that came to my mind during this last leg.

Fundraising:

I didn’t really set myself any goals this year with respect to fund raising as I wasn’t sure.

Connections:
One of the biggest gains from this exercise was the connections I was able to make. The local Vancouver Bloggers were awesome as usual, but what was amazing was the connections I made and the support I received from people I haven’t met in person yet, but who have been awfully kind to do features and guest posts for me. More about the guest posts in my next post.

Blogathon Workspace, 4:30 AM

As of 4:30 AM July 26th, I’ve completed 24 hours without sleep. I woke up at 4-ish on Saturday morning. I didn’t sleep much on Friday night either.

Raul is walking to everyone’s workstation with a friendly smile and his trademark “How you doing?” He has been doing it for three years now and so has Rebecca. I see that Barbara has done for four. Blogathoners in other parts of North America must have been doing it for a few years as well.

My monitor, Tina has been encouraging me along the way, checking in on me. I wonder how she was able to blog as well as monitor & cheer other participants. So thank you, Tina!

It’s almost daybreak now. Three more posts to go for 49. 1 hour left.

Will I do it again next year? Why not?