Hohoto 3.0: The one year anniversary edition

One year ago, Toronto’s Twitter crowd came together to raise money for the Daily Bread Food Bank. In the summer, it happened again. Yesterday: a third edition of Hohoto!

For a lot of us, this was an anniversary of sorts. Sure, this community didn’t come out of nowhere but Hohoto was where so many of us met for the first time.

For example, compare and contrast the old Jaime Woo:

As a relative Twitter neophyte—illiTwitterate, if you will—we were slightly overwhelmed: it was like sneezing with your eyes open. The party felt like a high-school reunion. You know a few people, sorta recognize a few other faces, and there’s a sea of faces that do not compute at all.

…with the new Jaime Woo.

It was also the event that helped show Twitter is a Big Deal: a group of near-strangers organized a huge event in only three weeks.

In the last year, we’ve met a lot of people, had a lot of events, and sometimes made a difference — and at least some of this has been thanks to the community that formed around last year’s event. So to Toronto, cheers to a good year.

But enough with this sentimentalism.

Keeping it oldschool

Like last year, Hohoto was held at the Mod Club.

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#hoHOTo

(The summer edition)

Update: Hohoto happened again. Read about version 3.

If you suspect you’ve seen a post with this title on my blog before, you’re absolutely right!

But eagle-eyed readers will spot a slight variation in the casing of the letters. This one is pronounced “ho-HOT-o.”

Get it? “Hot.” As in the awful muggy weather we’re having right now.

Yesterday was the summer followup of the charity event that raised $25k for the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Join us at the #hoHOTo summer camp. Do you really think that we geeks could resist the chance to run a summer camp?

Due to the lack of lakes — I said “lakes” not cesspools — in Toronto, it was held at the multi-storied Wetbar & Suite 106 in the heart of Clubland.

Mmm. Summer breezes.

Actually, it was much cooler inside. Here’s the view:

A whirlwind summary of the night

Prizes were drawn:

And cotton-candy was handed out:

Certain Microsoft employees were there. Like this guy:

Or this guy (the accordion-playing variety).

As usual, the tunes were brought to you by these fellows:

And the photos were taken by this birthday boy (taking a drinking break):

Final tally: $10,500 to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

The full set of photos

#hohoto

Toronto’s Twitter addicts emerged from the virtual woodwork for HoHoTo, a rapidly organized holiday party at the Mod Club. Just imagine a normal holiday party but add interactive art, Twitter-powered DJ requests and Big Brother-esque video addresses.

Who would actually come to something this geeky? Well geeks of course; but also:

phreaks, webheads, twitterfiends, techies, media, marketing, and PR types and all their friends. And everyone else! [from the site]

Some highlights:

• Raising $20k for the Toronto Food Bank on the same day when it was reported that donations are lower this year.
• The #hohoto tag almost reaching the number 1:
  
• The deluge of prizes - a friend of mine walked away with two bags full of books, tshirts, and a [rather unwanted copy] of Windows Vista.
• p#hohotobooth - Rannie Turingan’s mobile photo booth

And the obligatory slideshow