Guelph is my favourite city

Okay, to be fair, I've never really lived anywhere but Guelph, so I can't say without bias that Guelph is the best, but I can say that Guelph has a very awesome community online.

I can also say that Guelph has a very accessible group of leaders who respect each other and the people they represent. I don't know how many other cities have business leaders, city staff,  councillors, police chiefs and neighbourhoods groups having such open conversations on Twitter and doing such a great job of being neighbourly.

Today, I was tickled to see this exchange between the director of the Downtown Guelph Business Association, Marty Williams and a city councillor, Cam Guthrie happen on Twitter.

I love that what could have turned into an ugly and awkward flame war instead became two guys having lunch at a local business and sharing a few laughs.

Twitter is a great way to get your message across, but it's also a great way to build respectful and meaningful relationships offline.

Don't get caught in a back and forth on Twitter. Listen to people, share your concerns and if it needs a larger discussion, do it offline, in person where communication has so much more to it that 140 characters.

Something you might not know about me (but probably do already)

It's holiday time this month, so here's something fun from a person I respect (and had a crush on as a young teen).

Wil Wheaton writes:

From the Vault: things every person should have:
This is one of those things that I forgot I wrote, and when I was reminded I wrote it, didn’t believe that I actually came up with something that I think is kind of cool.
Things every person should have:

• A nemesis.

• An evil twin.

• A secret headquarters.

• An escape hatch.

• A partner in crime.

• A secret identity.

What else?

I'm not doing too well on this list. I do have a partner in crime, I may have a secret identity, I certainly have a secret headquarters, but I'm missing the nemesis, my evil twin and an escape hatch.

Won't someone help me?

Just in case you weren't positive of my geekiness, here I am with two Daleks!