funny by accident. http://shanaray.posterous.com social media, tech, food and wine in a world that takes itself too seriously. posterous.com Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:09:00 -0700 my first job: windsor waterworks. you're gonna get wet! http://shanaray.posterous.com/my-first-job-windsor-waterworks-youre-gonna-g http://shanaray.posterous.com/my-first-job-windsor-waterworks-youre-gonna-g

My first job was a cashier at Windsor Waterworks back in the late 90's as a cashier in the gift shop

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Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:35:00 -0800 more birds have fallen from the sky dead. http://shanaray.posterous.com/more-birds-have-fallen-from-the-sky-dead http://shanaray.posterous.com/more-birds-have-fallen-from-the-sky-dead
Media_httpwwwpressdem_aqbnw

Cannot wait to see this all figured out!

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Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:33:00 -0800 hey #sonoma friends - we are trending! http://shanaray.posterous.com/hey-sonoma-friends-we-are-trending http://shanaray.posterous.com/hey-sonoma-friends-we-are-trending

A first - Sonoma is a trending tweet in the San Francisco area! Seems like @California has some promotion at the Sonoma Lodge that they are promoting on Twitter and people are talking about William Sonoma. Not anything exciting, but still kinda cool! 

Screen_shot_2010-11-30_at_7

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Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:38:00 -0700 the top 5 reasons you NEED to be at #WOW10! http://shanaray.posterous.com/the-top-5-reasons-you-need-to-be-at-wow10 http://shanaray.posterous.com/the-top-5-reasons-you-need-to-be-at-wow10

The TOP 5 REASONS You NEED to be at Wisdom of We 2010 Seminar & Tweetup:

5. Free food and wine – what’s not to love about that?

4. You will learn something about social media and community – c’mon you know you haven’t learned much since you graduated.

3. Meet new people and network – face it you don’t have a date on Friday September 10th

2. Free delicious food and top Sonoma County wines – you’ll be in the middle of wine country, did you not see that the first time?!

1. Two of the most influential rad tech dudes in the world are going to be in Santa Rosa! What?! Yep Santa Rosa, not Paris or New York…..Wine Country Baby!

0.5. Tickets are ONLY $25.00 - yeah, that includes the seminar AND the tweetup... See #5 & #2!  

 

Wow10_logo

 

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Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:46:00 -0700 @scobleizer & @shelIsrael together again for a naked reunion at #WOW10. http://shanaray.posterous.com/scobleizer-shelisrael-together-again-for-a-na http://shanaray.posterous.com/scobleizer-shelisrael-together-again-for-a-na

In 2006, a book called Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers revolutionized the online community and helped blogging become a way of life. The co-authors, Shel Israel and Robert Scoble have become leading social media icons and leaders, both online and offline.

On Friday, September 10th the two will reunite to speak for the first time in over two years in an event we are calling Wisdom of We 2010 or #WOW10 if you are on Twitter. This is the first event ever in Santa Rosa with this caliber of speakers and presenters in social media.

Shel Israel #WOW10

Shel Israel (aka @shelisrael on twitter) is the author of Twitterville and editorial contributor to BusinessWeek, Dow Jones Co, and FastCompany.tv

The two authors will be a part of a round table discussion panel (other speakers are in the process of being finalized), answering questions about where the future of collaboration, online communities and social networking is headed, discussing real world examples of people coming together, best practices, and answering questions from the audience (both in person and via Twitter).

Wisdom of We 2010 is taking place at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country in Santa Rosa, Ca. just a short drive from San Francisco, in the middle of Wine Country. We are expecting a sold out event and tickets are in high demand, so register now at http://wow10.eventbrite.com/

Of course, it isn’t a social media event without a tweetup. And it isn’t Sonoma County without some wine, so after the panel discussion, there will be a wine tasting reception on the patio at the Hilton, overlooking the city of Santa Rosa. There will be a few social media games and surprises that I will blog about soon.

Robert Scoble (aka @Scobleizer on twitter) is a tech evangelist who has worked for Microsoft, Fast Company and is currently at Rackspace

We have kept the event extremely affordable for everyone and tickets are on sale now for a mere $25.00 for both the seminar and the tweetup, which includes; wine, pre-seminar and local cheeses, charcuterie and wine tasting during the tweetup.  If you want to stay later, the Nectar Lounge at the Hilton has some amazing cocktails and is a great place to grab breakfast the next morning. They also are giving away a great deal on hotel rooms for attendees, just call 1-800-HILTONS (booking website coming soon) and let them know you will be attending the event.

We are looking for amazing businesses who would want to help sponsor this event, so please email me at sray@democrasoft.com if you would like more information on our sponsorship packages!

We look forward to seeing you there!

+Shana via Democrasoft & Wisdom of We Blog

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Mon, 10 May 2010 19:08:00 -0700 #RRVSingleNight Contests! http://shanaray.posterous.com/rrvsinglenight-contests http://shanaray.posterous.com/rrvsinglenight-contests

Each week we will be holding two different social media contests for you to win tickets to our Single Night event on June 5th.  One on Twitter at @NextGenWine and one on Facebook.

Facebook:

Every Monday until the event we will be adding an image to the photo album, “Single Night Contest” and  we want you to share the image of the week with your Facebook friends and leave a comment about what you love most about the Russian River Valley. We will pick one of the commenter/sharers at random to win a ticket to Single Night in the Russian River Valley on June 5th at C. Donatiello Winery

Twitter:

Every Monday until the event we will be adding an image to Twitpic and we want you to leave a comment about what you love most about the Russian River Valley.  Make sure to leave it on the Twitpic image and add the hashtag #RRVSingleNight.  These are both mandatory for you to be eligible to win! We will pick one of the commenters at random to win a ticket to Single Night in the Russian River Valley on June 5th at C. Donatiello Winery


Click here to find out more info about the event.

Cheers!

One Facebook/Twitter Winner per week. Only one entry per person, per social network, per week.  Members of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers cannot be eligible to win.

I am getting more excited about this event by the day!  I hope you are too. :)


+Shana.

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Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:34:00 -0700 @NextGenWine's first video featuring Chuck, winemaker @ Hop Kiln Winery. http://shanaray.posterous.com/nextgenwines-first-video-featuring-chuck-wine http://shanaray.posterous.com/nextgenwines-first-video-featuring-chuck-wine

I have been working with the Russian River Valley Winegrowers on their upcoming Single Night Event.  One of my favorite things about this event is the Adventure Auction Lots...  The idea for these is to get together with a group and pull together your money together to bid on these Adventures in Russian River Valley. Each lot is personally hosted by the vintners and growers, are designed for 6 to 10 people with just 11 lots available.

For more information or to purchase tickets to Single Night (where the auction will be held), please visit http://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationWine. Our first video features me in the beginning and is all about trekking with Russian River Valley's Indiana Jones.

Join Winemaker, Chuck Mansfield (I would also like to add adorable) at historic Hop Kiln Winery for a Russian River Valley Jeep Excursion. Starting on the banks of the Russian River, Chuck will lead a tour of the winery ranch in two open-air, 1950s jeeps. The tour culminates at the ranch's high peak overlooking the entire Russian River Valley.  Back at the 105 year old Hop Kiln building and winery, Chuck will lead you through a barrel tasting and a tasting of his Vineyard Designate Pinot Noirs and host a hearty lunch.

To purchase tickets for Single Night and to learn more, please visit: http://www.rrvw.org/singlenight2010/

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Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:08:00 -0700 Something fishy is going on at @M_Schlumberger. http://shanaray.posterous.com/something-fishy-is-going-on-at-mschlumberger http://shanaray.posterous.com/something-fishy-is-going-on-at-mschlumberger

Fish

There are so many puns that I could come up with in telling you all about Fish Day at Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate.  Instead, I will simply say that tomorrow they are kicking off their first event in their Worms to Wine Nature Series.

Over the next six months, Michel-Schlumberger will be presenting monthly educational events that highlight their commitment to the land and showcase specific aspects of their organic and sustainable farming practices.   MS is more than a winery know for their kick ass wines, videos, silly hats and awesome social media skills.... Thanks in part to Judd, Jim and myself. :)   They are a winery that truly cares about the area that they make their wine.   They truly walk the walk when it comes to sustainable farming practices.... Take a look at today's article in the Press Democrat about them...  Oh wait, that was from Wednesday.  :)  

I mean this one: Habitat restoration will benefit trout and salmon, about all that winemaker Mike Brunson is doing to help restore the wildlife in Dry Creek. 

Tomorrow is Fish Day from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Celebrating all things fishy, they are starting the afternoon with a personal tour of the fish hatchery at Lake Sonoma with Ranger Michael Carroll to meet spawning steelhead trout face to face. Following the tour everyone will head back to Michel-Schlumberger for a walk, talk and sip with Winemaker Mike Brunson and Elliott Doss of California Fish and Game along fish friendly and recently restored Wine Creek. Finally, a personal tasting of Mike’s favorite wines will be in the Cellar.

Event price is $20. A portion of Fish Day proceeds goes to The Friends of Lake Sonoma – a non-profit organization whose purpose is to serve and support the interpretive and visitor service programs at Lake Sonoma.

Make sure to call the winery to reserve your seat!  707-433-7427

For more info, check out the Event Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=384578588856&ref=mf

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Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:16:00 -0800 @sifted grand opening in @downtownsr. http://shanaray.posterous.com/sifted-grand-opening-in-downtownsr http://shanaray.posterous.com/sifted-grand-opening-in-downtownsr

Finally I am getting to writing my wrap-ups of the craziness of last week.  With Sonoma County Restaurant Week and the grand opening of Sift: a Cupcakery in downtown Santa Rosa, my week was filled with dining out, cupcakes and of course, I was never without my trusty iphone.

Friday night was the Grand Opening celebration of Sift.  Owner Andrea invited local Santa Rosa business owners and media to come take a look around (their new party room should be open by the middle of March), eat some food, drink some Chandon bubbles, eat some mini cupcakes and.....

Try pairings of Dogwood Zinfandel with cupcakes that actually had the zinfandel stirred in.  This is something special that Sift does for different winery events.  Any winery can call them up and purchase cupcakes with their own varietal blended into the frosting for wine.  Unfortunately, Sift cannot sell these cupcakes directly to the public because the alcohol in the wine isn't baked out of the frosting like it would inside the actual cake part.

Enjoy the photobooth in the party room.  Not normally there, but it was a great addition to any party!

Create their own cupcakes at the sprinkles bar.  Part of the party package that is offered is a cupcake decorating class where everyone can pick and choose their cakes and decorate them with a frosting of their choice and then of course, with SPRINKLES!!!

If anyone ever visits Sift make sure to sign in on Foursquare or tweet a picture or two to @Sifted

Cheers!

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Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:37:54 -0800 Bloggers Embrace @SoCoRestWeek! http://shanaray.posterous.com/bloggers-embrace-socorestweek http://shanaray.posterous.com/bloggers-embrace-socorestweek
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Sonoma County Restaurant Week - San Francisco Buzz - Zagat Survey

Here's news that should make a hungry diner happy (without going broke). Sonoma County's first-ever Restaurant Week runs February 22–28 with more than 75 participants, including midpriced spots like Barndiva (see menu), ...http://www.zagat.com/Blog/EntryList.aspx?SCID=39

Veggie Queen Adventures: Sonoma County Restaurant Week February ...

Coming up in less than 2 weeks, is the first Sonoma County Restaurant Week. It's a chance to try a number of different restaurants -- certainly more than 25 of them are participating. I have a few that I'd like to revisit since it's ... http://theveggiequeen.blogspot.com/

Sonoma Restaurant Week, Sonoma, Bellwether Farms, Epicurian ...

A Lil' Sonoma Restaurant Week & Bellwether Farms Lovin. It’s Sonoma Restaurant Week in the green land of rolling hills, frolicking sheep, and tasty cheese and “It’s Not You, it’s Brie” is celebrating by hosting a giveaway. This giveaway, of course, is completely centered around cheese...  http://itsnotyouitsbrie.com/sonoma-restaurant-week-bellwether-farm

Sonoma County Restaurant Week: February 22 - 28, 2010

To celebrate our abundance of yum, participating Sonoma County restaurants will be serving 3-course prix-fixe dinners at deliciously affordable prices during our first-ever Sonoma County Restaurant Week February 22-28, 2010. ... http://www.sonomabonvivant.com/

Bodega Bay Participates in Sonoma County Restaurant Week!

Three Bodega Bay restaurants are participating in the first-ever Sonoma County Restaurant Week, February 22-28! During this seven day celebration of our county's farm fresh food and premier wine, enjoy three-course dinner menus at $19, ... http://www.bodegabaylife.com/

Sonoma County Restaurant Week Giveaway

Not to worry, I'm not done with the chocolate yet…but let's take a brief respite for some food and wine The first-ever Sonoma County Restaurant Week begins February 22nd and will run through February 28th (about time, huh?). ... http://lickmyspoon.com/

BrixChicks: Make a Date with Sonoma's Finest! It's Restaurant Week!

It's almost Sonoma Restaurant week! Open Table calls it "Sonoma County's most delicious week". Where a selection of Sonoma County venues invite you in for $19, $29 and $39 dinners. Three courses of Sonoma county ... http://www.brixchicks.com/

Sonoma County Restaurant Week: Three-Course Dinners You Can Afford ...

The first Sonoma County Restaurant Week begins Monday, February 22, 2010 and ends Sunday, February 28, 2010. For seven days over 50 of Sonoma County's best restaurants invite you to celebrate fresh, local cuisine in a ... http://pureluxury.com/blog/

Sonoma County Restaurant Week | At the Bay's Edge

Sonoma County Restaurant Week features 3 Course Meals for prices ranging from just $19 - $39. Enjoy local, organic, and delicious Sonoma meals! http://www.thebaysedge.com/

#Sonoma County #restaurant week Feb. 22-28 starting at $19 ...

#Sonoma County #restaurant week Feb. 22-28 starting at $19, including #Michelin-starred Sante. www.sonomacountyrestaurantweek.org. Read more from the original source: #Sonoma County Restaurant Week Feb. 22-28 starting at $19, ... http://boyeshotsprings.localspur.com/

Some of my previous posts on Sonoma County Restaurant Week also:

Sonoma County Restaurant Week – Calling All Bloggers

As you might know, Sonoma County Restaurant Week is Two Five Media's latest project. I have been put in charge of all social media interaction with the public and Philip has been adding all the menus and changing up the website as ... http://www.twofiveplus.com/

sonoma county restaurant week is near.

The first annual Sonoma County Restaurant Week is so close, I can almost taste it! Only two more weeks! Finally, I have something to look forward to in this translational/dreaded month of February other than it just ... http://shanaray.com/

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Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:04:00 -0800 update on today's opening at sift: a cupcakery. http://shanaray.posterous.com/update-on-todays-opening http://shanaray.posterous.com/update-on-todays-opening

The owner of Sift: a Cupcakery emailed me (and others on her email newsletter list) that her new Santa Rosa store which was schedlued to open at 10AM won't be able to be open until 2PM today.

____________________________________________________

Dear Cupcake Lovers,

I am unfortunately writing today's update because the Santa Rosa building has other plans for our opening today. They will not let us open until after 2pm! We were devastated to find this out...and are so sorry for any inconvenience for our customers.

Thanks for your support,

Andrea

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Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:21:00 -0700 the beginning of @25digitalmedia. http://shanaray.posterous.com/the-beginning-of-25digitalmedia http://shanaray.posterous.com/the-beginning-of-25digitalmedia

It is official. Philip Wyers and I have an office. 25 Old Courthouse Square, Suite #8, Santa Rosa 95404 is the address and the inspiration for the name of our new venture - 25 Digital Media.

Some say that they do not believe in fate.  But me glancing over the Craigslist section for housing in Downtown Santa Rosa randomly while drinking tea and working from Peet's Coffee and coming across the listing for this office couldn't have any other explanation.  I just happened to come across the listing for an office in downtown Santa Rosa and mention it to Philip, almost jokingly.  He loved the idea and met me downtown to go take a look. 

As soon as we saw the outside, we knew that it would be the perfect opportunity for each of us to take our businesses to the next level….

Okay, many who are reading this know that I consult with businesses on social media marketing, run Congresswoman Woolsey’s online efforts and basically promote Sonoma County on a daily basis.  What you might not know is that Philip Wyers has been my rock over this past year.  He is a web designer, e-commerce manager and email marketing guy (yes, he designed BreathSocialMedia.com) and the person who has kept me sane over this crazy world-wind of a year.

So here we are, just moving into the office.  We currently have no internet connection or chairs, but we do have two desks and a sign that says “Happy Hour” which we decided was going to be our motto: @25digitalmedia, because everyone needs another reason to go to Happy Hour.  I think it is fitting because of my obsession with happy hour food and cocktails and Philip’s obsession with a great deal.

So, watch out for more to come from us….. And, if you ever need another reason to go to Happy Hour or discuss online promotions, you know where we are.

 

 

 

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Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:48:00 -0700 #TASTE of Sonoma pictures. http://shanaray.posterous.com/taste-of-sonoma-pictures http://shanaray.posterous.com/taste-of-sonoma-pictures

As you can tell... I ate... A lot.

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Sat, 25 Jul 2009 08:06:07 -0700 recap of day one at #WBC09 http://shanaray.posterous.com/recap-of-day-one-at-wbc09 http://shanaray.posterous.com/recap-of-day-one-at-wbc09 It is early in the morning on a Saturday..... And, wait?  Why am I awake... And why am I writing?  Well, in less than an hour I need to be over at the Flamingo Hotel, iphone in hand (along with a charger), ready to take the bus over to Napa.

The first day of the Wine Bloggers Conference was a blast.  And, I made it out without any spills, trips or overly loud outbursts... All thanks to this new thing I learned about called the spit bucket.   It is an amazing tool so that you can try many different wines and not get hammered. :)

The most memorable moment for me happened during the American Wine Bloggers Awards, when they moved up the ceremony an hour early and neither Judd Wallenbrock nor Jim Morris from Michel Schulmberger were there to accept their award for the best winery blog for the Benchland Blog http://benchlandblog.com/.   I called up Jim to tell him that they were doing all of this and he had Judd call me so that he could accept his award via iphone speaker. 

IF ANYONE HAS ANY PICTURES OF THIS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

Lots of great details and stories to tell about the live wine blogging session, the Taste of Sonoma (BTW -- Props to Rodney Strong for being the only winery there with a sign showing people where to find them on social networks) and the dinner.

For now I will leave you with what is probably the best video I have seen come from the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau -- A Fairly Decent Job, Sonoma County's spoof on Murphy Goode's A Really Goode Job.

Now I am off to drink Cabs over the hill.....

*shana.

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Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:16:53 -0700 getting a tattoo http://shanaray.posterous.com/getting-a-tattoo http://shanaray.posterous.com/getting-a-tattoo Below is a video of me getting a grape cluster tattoo for the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau's latest hair-brained scheme, a Tattoo Contest that focuses on some of what Sonoma County does best -- create great Wine and amazing Food.

Take a look if you haven't seen it... Hell, watch it again... There were times during the process that I wanted to rip my foot away from the needle... But I decided that would be a bad idea and so I gritted my teeth and powered through.  I would love to see the outtakes of me attempting to say the url of the contest. www.inside-sonoma.com/tattoo (%#$!^$^!*!$#^%@*!#*^)

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