Archive - Nov 2008

During and after 2.Ohio (a pro-Obama tech event in Columbus), we heard repeatedly "when is the next event?"

A quote from Columbus Tech Life Meetup:
Mark Storey , Head and Heart Coaching, LLC:   "I was impressed with the coordination level with just about 4 weeks of planning. Great program, great coordination, great networking! What's next?"

With over 200 attendees at a tech event with a political purpose, what might we get if we removed the politics?   

A LOT.  We received a tremendous response when we opened it up.  Calling the informal group Columbus Tech Life, we found folks very interested in helping create a culture of innovation in Columbus.  Not a big surprise.  Throw an idea at entrepreneurs that the entrepreneurs care about and the results are staggering.  Columbus Tech Life is now 7 weeks old and here is what we have so far:

• Almost 400 members on the Columbus Tech Life meetup.
• A quickly filling event calendar.  The first two weeks of December offer 10 independent events of interest to the tech community.
• An active and open Columbus Tech Life wiki with 136 users.

In Shiny Door Connect 101, participants learn and discuss the value of LinkedIn and Facebook.  The trainings are conducted in person and include the following:

Put an enthusiast of any kind with another enthusiast and soon others do not understand the language being spoken.   Those of us who love to use social networking tools speak our own language off and online.   We talk amongst ourselves of how to pull additional functionality and usefulness from the tools.  All good things and important discussions but what of the individuals who are interested in discussing the value and the potential of social networking who are not currently using it?  Where do they go?  Where do they find non-jargon assistance?

Those who consider A) there MAY be value in social networking and B) haven’t idea one where to start, need guidance.  Guidance in the form of someone who defines potential ROI, who explains in layman’s terms which tools are worth one’s precious time, exactly how to use those tools, AND discusses real concerns such as privacy, message control and time sink. 

I’ve determined I am that someone.  The why and the what of my trainings are close by, squished tight between My Story and Contact me.

I spent most of the evening discussing politics and watching the news at a friend's house.  I had to get home to get the kids to bed so I hear the announcement that Barack Obama is our president elect while sitting in my family room by myself.  But not really by myself.  Thanks to twitter I am receiving updates from colleagues and friends including one who is at Grant Park for the public Obama celebration.  "@justinmassa #grantpark largest, most diverse crowd I have ever been a part of". 

And really, I grinned through the announcement.  I grinned because we had done it.  I am proud of the work I did to assist Senator Obama, from the big items to the little items.  A colleague emailed me after Ohio went to Obama and said "thanks for all your work in Ohio".   As a volunteer, I feel part of the "we" and thanks to social media I always felt very aware of various efforts and communicated with some of them.  The connectedness met me at many turns.