Many of the great memories I have of Cycle Oregon are permanently etched in my mind. Getting to the top of my first “epic climb,” the pair of 42-ounce margaritas in Jacksonville that evening, my first Shakespeare play in Ashland, riding through the Wallowas and the many good times spent with great friends – all things I couldn’t forget if I tried.
But the memories forged while deep in an endorphin-induced trance are a little more elusive. If not properly documented, they have a tendency to slip away. That’s one of the reasons I’m always glad when I take the time to stop and take photos. More recently, I’ve also used various forms of social media to capture these moments. And friends and family all seem to enjoy having a window into the ride with the real-time updates.
This year, Cycle Oregon is making it easy for all riders to preserve and share their memories. This year, Cycle Oregon is introducing The Blogmobile. The Blogmobile serves two purposes. First, it is a mobile platform to support the growing number of bloggers who cover the event on a daily basis. It will also be provisioned with a number of laptops that riders can use to update their Facebook profiles, tweet, post about their antics on their favorite cycling forums and, of course, add photos and thoughts to the Cycle Oregon Facebook page.
You’ll know The Blogmobile when you see it. It will be the RV parked in camp with the big sign attached that says “Blogmobile.” If it isn’t immediately obvious, we’re also going to post its location on the bulletin board. Rider Services will be able to point you out in the right direction as well.
The Blogmobile will be open from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m. Friday through Wednesday, and it’s free to all. On Thursday and Friday riders will be able to get online at the school where we’ll be camped.
If you’re a complete social media novice, don’t fret: The friendly folks from KoiFish Communications will be there to help you through.
So this year, as you get ready for the ride, make note of your login and password information for your favorite social media site if you don’t have it memorized. And if you’re a photographer, bring your camera and whatever you need to hook it up to a PC.
Will there be any kind of wireless access for those of us with iPhones to do the same?
We are setting up a wireless network, but use will be restricted to the laptops at The Blogmobile. However, I’m guessing your phone’s 3G connection will work at most of the places we’re going so you won’t need a separate connection. You’ll be able to access FB via the app on your phone or via email. Look at the other tutorials for more info on that.
Both my wife and I will have our iphones and cameras for twittering / facebooking the days away. I might have missed it – a) is there a specific twitter hashtag for Cycle Oregon (#cycleoregon ?) b) You may want to have a sign up at registration to suggest people put their twitter IDs on their cycle oregon “license plates”.
This sounds like a great idea – thanks for doing this!
Indeed there is a hashtag — CO2010. Great suggestion. Too late to bring it up at registration, but start the trend (and make the suggestion on the FB page).
Thanks!