Internet Geek Girl

As I mentioned earlier this week, plans for Internet Week NY 2009 are heating up. In addition to the TechSet Party on opening night , PepsiCo today announced an exciting effort to sponsor a search for social communicators to cover a broad cross-section of Internet Week activities across digital platforms and an open newsroom for filing stories. Brian Morrissey from Brandweek interviewed Bonin Bough and I yesterday about this multi-media exploration of reporting in the 21st century. Here’s what Julie Hamp, PepsiCo’s senior vice president of communications had to say as well:

“Internet Week is to the digital community what Fashion Week is to the design/apparel industry. From tweets to streaming video, the opportunities for covering and recording Internet Week are endless. We‘re proud to provide a location where people can tap into comprehensive coverage of the best of Internet Week.”

As soon as I have a live URL, I’ll tweet it out. Of course I will!

For now, please let your favorite unemployed journalist, social media professional and journalism student know that they can apply for the job here! Disclosure: I’m on the selection committee and I can’t wait to see how many submissions we get. Stay tuned!

But that is not all PepsiCo has planned that week. On Tuesday there will be a special event to celebrate the launch of “The Juice,” a unique member-driven online community created by Blogher, iVillage and Trop50. Unfortunately folks, you can’t all go to that one, but you can check out the site here! And for those of you slated to go to BlogHer this year, I know you will be seeing and hearing a lot more. BlogHer rules! (oh yeah, and I helped grow iVillage way back in the day. iVillage old school alum shout out)!

One more super exciting project to call out today — Sound Control. SoundCtrl is NYC’s upcoming premiere event platform for the convergence of music and digital media conceptualized by
a group of music industry professionals and senior executives in digital media and technology. Check out this very cool “klickable” video below that shows the launch event earlier this month. Plus don’t forget to sign up for the Sound Control party during Internet Week (sponsored by Pepsi). Plus check them out on Twitter!

And stay tuned for more Internet Week coverage coming soon!

A few weeks ago I was introduced to the Bob Woodruff Foundation and their fund raising effort TweetToRemind, a campaign focused on raising $1.65 MM by Memorial Day.  This money will be used to help service members get the help they need as they integrate back to society.

As you know, I believe in the power of social media and in particular Twitter and Facebook to help energize others for good. People like Chris Brogan, Missy Ward, Shira Lazar (and let’s not forget Ashton Kutcher)  have mobilized online to support a variety of charities.

Today, Bob Woodruff challenged us to answer a simple question – Who Are Your Heroes? For me, heroes are volunteers. People that spend their time and efforts on behalf of helping others and who do it for free. It can be committing to regular, small, random acts of kindness toward strangers; helping out at your local church, school or charitable organization; or even online efforts like this one and those listed above to help raise money and awareness for a good cause!

My best friend since 5th grade, Amy Callahan, is one of those volunteers and my greatest hero. Amy lost her fiance on 9/11 and took that sadness and pain and did two things: a) built a camp for children who lost parents and relatives during 9/11 and b) built a beautiful life for herself and rose up from the ashes and found love. Both are equally important to me. Until we learn to care for ourselves, we cannot care for others.

Regardless of how you feel about the war in Iraq (or war in general) there is no denying the sacrifice and effort military personnel provide on behalf of American citizens and our ideals. I know it is so depressing and hard to hear all the sad stories and read statistics on death and killing.   I often feel like I don’t know what I can do to help. As we gear up for the kick off to summer and zero in on our Memorial Weekend plans, I’d like to suggest a small way you can get involved – donate dollars and tweets!

I am using TipJoy to give $5.25 per day leading up until Memorial Day (which is on 5/25). Won’t you join me in giving either through PayPal or TipJoy?

P.S. Big Thanks to Rick Calvert at Blog World Expo

I don’t always know the exact contacts to make something happen. But rest assured, I know the person that knows the right people.  So when it came to supporting TweetToRemind, I reached out to my good friend Rick Calvert of Blog World Expo.  Rick has been a long time supporter of the online community supporting military personnel, their families and friends – the “Mil bloggers.” Thanks to all of his contacts that energized their networks.  I look forward to meeting you all in Vegas in October!

Last year I wrote my re-cap to Internet Week and described it as  “the start of something grand.”

Internet Week NY 2009 will undoubtedly prove me right. For those of you that don’t know about it, Internet Week New York is a week-long festival of events saluting New York’s thriving Internet industry and the many talented companies, organizations, and innovators creating the future of online media. It is presented by IADAS & The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting.

This year, The TechSet and PepsiCo will be kicking off the week’s activities with the TechSet party on Monday June 1st (6 – 8 pm at the Bubble Lounge). PepsiCo’s commitment to bubbling up innovation will be on display all week. Stay tuned for other exciting announcements from PepsiCo soon!

It will be a busy week in the always busy Big Apple.  There are a range of events planned,  from educational to celebratory. Whether you want to pitch your start up or just add to your LinkedIn Network, Internet Week is sure to delight your digital sensibilities. Keep in mind, there are activities that suit every budget level as well.  While some of the conferences are more pricey, most events are free or cheap (though require sign up early).  Bookmark the ever-growing online schedule to stay up-to-date.

My list of don’t miss events include (please feel free to add more to the comments):

The Conversational Marketing Summit hosted by Federated Media ;  the NY Tech Meet Up Showcase and Monthly Event; Silicon Alley Insider’s Startup 2009; Mashable’s NextUp NYC: Social Media Marketing 101; the Digg MeetUp; Social Media Camp, hosted by the Social Media Club; Ignite NYC; and the Webby’s, which will be a star-studded line up again this year.

Lodging in NYC is never cheap, but the kind folks @InternetWeek have secured an excellent rate at the Standard Hotel – $235 while supplies last.  Also, you should check out The Roger Smith Hotel (for those of you who are mid-town inclined). Their “Roger Smith Life” and active Twitter account have made them a favorite for out-of-town blogger-types on a budget. Their rate for Internet Week NY is $165 / night (you really can’t beat that in NYC). Ask for the Internet Week Promo Rates at both locations.  But hurry – rooms will go fast.