HOW TO: Organize a Successful Tweetup
Feb 26, 2009 Mashable
Stuart Foster is a marketing consultant in the Boston area. He specializes in brand management, social media, and blog outreach. He authors a blog at Thelostjacket.com.
Tweetups. You can’t escape them. They are pretty much ubiquitous these days. The @ nametags. The random awkward conversations that result when you have more than 140 characters to express yourself. Tweetups take an otherwise great service like Twitter and turn it into something much bigger.
Why? Because you are able to gather with online friends, meet new contacts to enhance your career, and have a few drinks. So here are a few quick tips for both the organization and managing of the actual event.
Have your own Tweetup planning dos and don’ts? Tell us about them in the comments.
Organizing the Tweetup: DO
1. Utilize your Twitter network as a way to drum up support, help and ideas. The number of PR and marketing people on Twitter now is astounding. Use their collective wisdom and networks to create buzz and support for your event.
2. Actually visit the venue. Seems incredibly simple right? But not everyone takes the time and effort to actually visit the bar, conference room, or park where the Tweetup will happen. I’ve never heard of anyone making a great business connection at a dark dive bar.
3. Plan for more people to show up than you think. It’s Twitter. These people do know how to spread the word better than anyone. According to Sonny Gill: “Tweetups don’t necessarily have to consist of avid Twitterers. However active, they are still a part of the community.” Everyone should be welcome and thus you should plan to accommodate them.
4. Ensure a few core people/speakers are at the event. Trust me if @ChrisBrogan or @GregVerdino are at an event…it will draw a lot more buzz than @stuartcfoster.
5. Use Email. Even though it supposedly has fallen out of favor, having the contact information for a variety of individuals is beneficial for all involved. You can keep this core group informed of developments.
6. Use a service like Eventbrite, Amiando or meetup.com to organize your guests, collect donations and otherwise provide shareable content. It takes all the legwork out of the administrative work that a large Tweetup entails. If you are planning on a smaller gathering…this may not be necessary and you can use Facebook or your blog to organize.
Organizing the Tweetup: DON’T
7. Secure a venue with limited or no WiFi. At a minimum the CrackBerry/iPhone users should have good service. People like technology. But they won’t like YOU if they can’t use their tech at your event. (This is of course size/type of Tweetup dependent, if in a large conference room/venue: WiFi and cell phone reception should be working. However, if you are in smaller venue or bar Jeff Cutler of jeffcutler.com reports: “I have an iPhone, but anyone with mobile Web knows that when 200 people in one spot are on 3G/Edge it disintegrates.” This negates the need for an elaborate setup in smaller venues.
8. Have an event in an inappropriate place. If you are having 200 people and you decide to squeeze them into a 20×20 room…it may not be a good idea. If you have a DJ at a networking event…it may not be a good idea. If you have an event where it is difficult to communicate in any way…it might be a bad idea. You get the idea?
9. Have a vague premise for the Tweetup. Most people want to know what they are here for so they can dress or plan accordingly. No one wants to be the guy that shows up in jeans to the black tie event. So ensure that this does not happen, have a clearly defined cause or purpose for the Tweetup.
10. Half ass it. If you spend the time, money and energy into putting together a Tweetup don’t pull it together at the last minute. So plan accordingly and do your homework.
At the Tweetup: DO
11. Get to the event early. Simple manners. You want to make sure people come to the right place and will be able to enjoy themselves. “As the organizer, it’s essential you come early especially if you are bringing/receiving food or materials. In the case of the SXSW Chicago Tweetup, I want to make sure to have all the schedule sheets at the event so when people arrive they have a topic to discuss,” said Len Kendall from Critical Mass.
12. Collect business cards. Event dependent; most folks will be card carrying members of the business/technology world and will be at the Tweetup to network. If you have an electronic scanner this is even better. You can send a list of attendees to your email list, providing additional value.
13. Provide food. If you schedule a Tweetup around a meal…provide food. If you DON’T plan on providing food, definitely inform your attendees. Sometimes at these events I think my stomach does more networking than my mouth.
At the Tweetup: DON’T
14. Fade into the background. If it’s your event…you’d better damn well be front and center to handle and address any concerns/problems that may arise. Daniel B. Honigman the lead social media strategist at Tribune Interactive urges “organizers to be sure to introduce new folks around. If you see someone coming out for their first Tweetup, be sure to spend extra time with them introduce them around and make them feel welcome.”
15. Have bad name tags and pens. If I can’t see your Twitter name. I’m not going to know who you are. The same is true for all people at your event.
16. Blow people off. Trust me. Nothing is worse than being snubbed. So if you want to have a great Tweetup, you have to talk to the 16 year old kid with the same respect that you would show Seth Godin. Just good business sense and karma.
17. Go open bar. Unless you want complete shenanigans (and to be broke), you don’t want @JoeBusinessGuy to be completely tanked. Also it weeds out people just after the free booze.
Tweetups are fun, productive, and great for walking away with a lot of contacts and leads. So if you are feeling adventurous and don’t mind doing a bit of hustling you can host/organize your own Tweetup. I’m looking forward to attending it 
.
More Twitter resources from Mashable:
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- The 10 Users You’ll Meet on Twitter
- FOLLOW FAIL: The Top 10 Reasons I Will Not Follow You in Return on Twitter
San Diego Tweetup imagery courtesy of @jimmyweee.
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Tumblr Rebrands Tumblerette and Releases Free iPhone App
Feb 26, 2009 Mashable
We’re Tumblr fans here at Mashable. That’s why we’re super excited by today’s news that Tumblr now has their own official native iPhone app and it’s completely free.
The new Tumblr app is actually just a freshly updated and re-branded version of the existing $1.99 Tumblerette app, so you can expect the same look and feel, ease of use, with a few extra twists, but now free of charge.
It’s unclear from Tumblr’s blog post on the app whether or not it’s a formal acquisition of Tumblerette or simply a partnership, but given that Tumblerette already mimicked the online tumblr options for posting photos, video, text, quotes, audio, links, and chat, we think it’s a smart move.
With the new free version you now get access to your personal Tumblr Dashboard for a mobile view of you and your friends’ tumblr posts. You can even take advantage of recently released Web features and save posts for later, mark posts as private, and add tags right from your phone.
Tumblr lovers can download the new app from iTunes, but your iPhone needs to be running the latest software version (2.2.1), and Tumblrette users will need to re-download the Tumblr app to take advantage of the new features.
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Social Media Break: 5 Cute Animal Sites to Make You Go Aww
Feb 26, 2009 Mashable
Having a rough day? If the Facebook apps, web shows, and iPhone apps we’ve already shared aren’t doing the trick, then it’s time to bring out the big guns  cute animal photos and videos.
Your frown is about to get flipped upside down with these 5 sites that are guaranteed to bring out the softer side in you. Get ready to ooh and aww like never before over funny photos of cats and dogs, videos of animal antics, and even a Twitter Hot or Not app for pets.
Social Media Break is supported by Cheetos Boredom Busters. Have your own social media boredom buster? Add it to the comments.
1. Cute Overload
As the name implies, Cute Overload is a site dedicated to all things cute and fuzzy. New entries are typically photos, with an occasional video, and include the most adorable animals looking super cute as they search for trouble or a cozy place to rest their head.
Posts are accompanied by cute commentary or cooked-up scenarios, and categorized by animal type. You can expect Cute Overload to chronicle everything from your favorite household pets to more obscure creatures and even primates. You’ll also see plenty of kittens, puppies, birds, bunnies, and horses.
2. Twtpets
This next site is for all you twittering fanatical pet owners who think your pet is hotter than the rest. We’ve found a way for you to stop just tweeting about how adorable Snuggles the cat is and actually put her cuteness to the test.
Twtpets, the Hot or Not for pets, lets you pit your pet against other super adorable animals in a never ending battle to see who has the cutest pet. Just head over to Twtpets, input your Twitter name, pet name, and 140 character description, then upload a pet photo, and your pet will enter the cute competition.
Visitors vote in head-to-head matches and results are tallied for each pet, giving pet owners (and voters) a glimpse at how their beloved member of the family stacks up against the competition. Of course, everyone’s pet is cute in its own way, and we think Twtpets provides animal lovers a fun way to share their pet photos, as well as waste away the day casting their votes in the endless stream of precious pet battles.
3. Stuff On My Cat/Stuff On My Mutt
Why is it that animals always look cuter when they’re covered in clutter, wearing hats, or dressed in clothes? The fact is that we, inexplicably, love to see our pets donning outfits of all varieties, and the Stuff On My Cat and Stuff On My Mutt sites are tapping into our crazy with photos of just cats or just dogs all dolled up (or down).
These photos will make you laugh, cry, cringe, and gush over the cat and dog models who obviously have no idea why their owners would subject them to such ridicule. Readers are even challenged to come up with best in show captions, to add additional flair to each post, though most of the photos tend to speak for themselves.
And if you’re mad about the stuff on your cat or mutt, you can register for the site and submit your pics using the expressions tab. We think you’ll be equally nutty about these two sister sites.
4. The Daily Bunny
If you love bunnies (who doesn’t?), then you won’t want to miss The Daily Bunny tumblelog dedicated to  you guessed it  bunnies.
Bunnies come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties, and The Daily Bunny has them all  big ones, little ones, bunny over-eaters, bonding mom and baby bunnies, and just plain funky looking bunnies. Gosh darn it, these bunnies are just too cute for words.
5. Cute Animal Zoo
If photos don’t do it for you, Cute Animal Zoo will supply you with the most adorable, and often humorous, animal videos from across the web. Cat, dog, and bunny lovers should definitely get a kick out of the site’s semi-regular video posts that will never disappoint and are guaranteed to make you smile big.
Social Media Break is supported by Cheetos Boredom Busters. Have your own social media boredom buster? Add it to the comments.
More ways to take a social media break:
- Social Media Break: 5 Facebook Apps to Combat Workday Blues
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- Social Media Break: 5 Online Shows to Escape the Daily Grind
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, lisegagne
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Twitter SMS Will Come With a Huge Price Tag for Canadian Users
Feb 26, 2009 Mashable
Last week we reported that some Canadian Twitter users could once again receive tweets on their phone. We thought this was great news for Bell Mobility customers. We thought wrong.
According to TheStar.com, Bell’s SMS “support” comes with steep fees, costing “Twitter users 15 cents per incoming and outgoing message – and the charges will apply to subscribers even if they have a monthly plan that already includes text messages.”
Now we’re confused and pretty peeved. Biz Stone’s own post on the Bell/Twitter partnership states, “If you’re a Bell Mobility customer, you can update Twitter via SMS and receive updates from Twitter via SMS. There are no limits and no added fees (beyond your normal texting plan).” So why the huge discrepancy?
Julie Smithers, a Bell spokesperson, seems to think that 15 cents per message is completely reasonable. According to her, “Because Twitter is a third-party service, the messages are considered premium and not covered by our plans…This aligns with industry standards regarding third-party premium messaging.”
We have to wonder what industry standards she’s referring to since carriers in the US wouldn’t even dare trying to charge 15 cents per incoming and outgoing tweets. Plus, according to a New York Times expose piece on text charges, American carriers are ripping off consumers, because “text messages are not just tiny; they are also free riders, tucked into what’s called a control channel, space reserved for operation of the wireless network.”
Essentially we pay for something that the carriers can bring to us free of charge, but now Bell wants to tack on an additional 15 cents per tweet, are they crazy? Even the most well-to-do Twitterers should cry bloody murder. We know that cell phone service in Canada is poor and pricey, but can you imagine every single tweet that you send and receive coming with a 15 cent price tag? No wonder Bell loves Twitter.
We’ve contacted Twitter for comment, and we’ll update this post if and when there’s a response.
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Social Media and Web Jobs From Mashable
Feb 26, 2009 Mashable
Are you seeking a new job? Mashable’s job boards are currently open for business! We at Mashable firmly believe that one of the lucky recipients of a new job can be you. This week and every week, Mashable will be featuring its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions in the web, social media space, and beyond. Have a look at what’s good and new on our job boards:
Senior Director of Product Innovation in Social Networking at a confidential company in San Francisco.
The mission of this senior role is to foster step out innovation and experimentation which will fuel real growth with a 3-5 year time horizon, through the development of an innovation process, idea hopper and innovation project portfolio.
Find out more — just hop on over to this page.
Content Associate at Modern Feed and Supply, Inc. in Los Angeles, CA.
We are looking to add three new Content Associates to our content team: one to focus on Sports content, one to focus on News and Politics content, and one who can focus on all general video content on the web (broadcast and cable TV shows, web originals, user-generated viral videos, etc.)
You’re encouraged to check out more information by clicking here.
Senior Search/Web Analytics Analyst at Digitaria Interactive Inc. in San Diego, CA.
As a member of Digitaria’s growing search marketing practice, the successful candidate will work with our clients to meet their search needs through optimization and implementation. The successful candidate should exhibit exceptional knowledge of website technologies and Search Marketing techniques as well as communicate this knowledge through strong verbal and written communication.
Read all about it by clicking here.
Senior Web Analytics Implementation Consultant at Digitaria Interactive Inc. in San Diego, CA.
As a senior member of Digitaria’s established analytics practice, the successful candidate will work with our clients to meet their reporting needs through ongoing analytics and strategic planning. The successful candidate will blend analytic and technical skills, and will be as comfortable working with clients to establish their analytics requirements as they are implementing analytics code on existing sites.
The details can be found here.
E-Communications Manager at Island Press in Washington DC.
Island Press seeks an experienced online communications professional to develop and coordinate electronic communications strategies to strengthen our electronic content, outreach and marketing. The ideal candidate will be a detail-oriented, creative, deadline-driven team player who is motivated and excited about connecting diverse online communities with Island Press’ leading collection of environmental books, along with the authors and editors that have created them.
For more information, visit the job description.
Social Media Marketing Director at BLAZE in Santa Monica, CA.
Primary responsibility is to develop solutions that integrate and/or influence clients’ overarching marketing strategy through social networking, web communities and other social media marketing and web technology. Work with Senior Management and account teams to develop and implement new media elements for clients that support clients’ objectives and deliver high value content across social media channels that results in engagements and actions. Strategize, plan and develop programs with team leaders and help coordinate implementation with support staff and outside vendors as needed.
Job specifications and more can be read here.
IT Security Blogger for Alertsec.
We are looking for an innovative and experienced IT security blogger, preferably with an already established network. You will be writing 1-3 articles per week to be posted on our blog (alertsec.com/blog – will be online shortly) as well as other related websites.
Read more about this here
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategist at The Jar Group in Brooklyn, NY.
The JAR Group is looking for a dedicated SEO Strategist to manage agency clients. Our open office environment fosters team work and encourages innovation and deep thought in the online marketing space. Beyond client facing work, the candidate will also be responsible for SEO strategy for our self-owned and operated portfolio of digital properties.
Get the job details here.
Company Representative at Astor Unitrade in Dallas, TX.
If you are a dynamic person, who is open to new possibilities and who longs for success–then you have all chances to become a part of a big team and to achieve everything you need. The company provides full education for the candidates.
More job details are right here.
Senior Web Developer at Web Finance Inc. in Fairfax, VA.
Are you a talented Web developer who’s ready to put his/her skills to work on best-in-class websites and large, highly trafficked web applications? Enjoy taking a piece of paper with a rough sketch for a planned user interface and bringing it to life for millions of users each month? Do you often think of ideas for new websites and web 2.0 tools yourself? If the answer to some or all of those questions is yes, we would like to hear from you.
Find out more about this opportunity here
Web Designer at Crushedplanet.com in Woodland Hills, CA.
We’d like a designer with an edge, who can vamp up the site for a sexier, more alive feel. Must have a sense of information architecture as well as design.
Details for this job listing are here.
Director of Interactive Technology at the Digital Influence Group in Waltham, MA.
The Director of Interactive Technology leads a group of skilled developers and partners with the internal Creative, Production and Marketing teams and external clients to manage and deliver innovative interactive projects on time and within budget. The Director also provides hands-on support for all phases of development from the design, coding and testing through implementation.
The job description is here.
Marketing Manager of Hosted Solutions at Microsoft in Bellevue, WA.
As the Sr. Marketing Manager for Hosting Solutions, you will be responsible for incubating new hosting partner business models and prescriptively guiding channel evolution for the breadth segment.
Read more about this job here.
Community/Audience Marketing Manager at Microsoft in Bellevue, WA.
Your responsibilities would include driving strategy and execution to raise awareness within ecosystem which includes push and pull communications and content strategy, online strategy and site consolidations, online broadcasts, field alignment and materials, ecosystem studies and profiling, and PR and online air-cover strategy.
More details? Read them here.
Mashable has a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development, and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out at Mashable’s Job Board.
Got a job posting to share with our readers? Post a job to Mashable today ($50 for a 30 day listing) and get it highlighted every week on Mashable.com (in addition to exposure all day every day in the Mashable marketplace).
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