Internet Geek Girl

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.

The TechSet Blogger Lounge & Party

Well, it goes without saying that I’m going to start with the events we are planning. We cordially welcome you to join in on the TechSet Blogger Lounge and Party (sponsored by Windows Mobile).

Date: Starting on Friday, March 13th at 1 pm, the Blogger Lounge is located on the 3rd floor in the Austin Suite and the hours are as follows:
Friday, March 13
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday March 14 – Tuesday, March 17
9:30 am – 6:00 pm

There are going to be amazing things going on here, including daily tweet ups from 4 – 6 pm! Tweetup sponsors include: LiveSearch, AMD and Zappos!

The party at the Belmont Lounge is Friday, March 14th from 8 – 10 pm. What can I say – it will be the party of the week. Be there or be square! And don’t forget to check out the ever so wonderful Gapingvoid, as he cartoons his way through one of the most sophisticated locales in Austin!

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Of course you should check out the SXSW website for all details on everything, and make sure you are using the My SXSW.com site too! The list of parties on their site is a must read. Plus, see below for a summary of “reminders” that will make your trip much easier.

Date: Saturday, March 14th

Can you Digg It? – 6.30 pm – 2 am

Revision3 & Digg present  the return of the biggest party at SXSWi – the second annual Bigg Digg Shindigg, Now with 100% More Diggnation! Come for an evening of revelry, music & mayhem at world famous Stubbs BBQ. We’re featuring a live Diggnation, great music from acclaimed band Republic Tigers, DJ Mancub (Space Cowboys) spinning tunes late into the night, and a special live performance of Scam School with host Brian Brushwood. As always, this is a free event to attend, and no SXSW badge is needed…just spread the word and we’ll see you there!

Date: Sunday, March 15th

These Boots are Made for Walking – NOON

Make your way to Allen’s Boots 1522 South Congress Ave….meet Richardatdell and David Armano for “AllHat…No Cattle” shopping for hats (special guest Mack Collier), boots, buckles and then a brunch…a great time of mixing and mingling.

Brian Solis Book Signing – 3.30 – 4 pm

Brian Solis will host a book signing at SXSW for his brand new book w/Deirdre Breakenridge, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR.” The book will be available for sale on site (or feel free to bring your copy). Located at the South by Bookstore

Date: Monday, March 16th

Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW – Downtown Hilton, 10 – 5.30 PM

You know I love me some BizSpark! The newest addition to the SXSW Interactive schedule of activities is Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW, which occurs on the sixth floor of the Downtown Austin Hilton. This event showcases some of the web’s most exciting new innovations, enabling the entrepreneurial visionaries behind these new products to demo their creations in front of a live audience of industry professionals and technology trend-settters.

Whrrl Me a Up – 8 – 10 pm

Whrrl is hosting the Official SXSW Film & Interactive party and bringing in some awesome entertainment! Don’t miss the world-premiere of Illeana Douglas with Sparhusen, and the hot new alt-rock band Parachute! Hosted bar and appetizers. RSVP here:

Mashable + Blurb SX Bash at 9.30 pm
Blurb starts things off at 8pm at Tap Room with food, drinks, and rockers Aranda. Mashable kicks it up a notch at 9:30pm in Six Lounge with drinks, DJ Marko, our friends from Powered, Blellow, Pepsi and don’t forget Paypal hosting the Social Media Smackdown for Charity. (will have a link for this once PR has gone out.)  RSVP here!

By the by, you’ve probably received reminder emails from SXSW, but just in case, make sure you note the following:

• REGISTRANTS – UPLOAD YOUR BADGE PHOTO NOW at my.sxsw.com.
• As soon as you get into town, go register FIRST. (bring a valid photo id and copy of your registration form).
• Check on your hotel and travel reservations.
• Make sure you are keeping your google calendar up to date with all these events and check it regularly. Things get CRAZY busy, but remember, go with the flow of it all and you will have a blast.
• Follow all relevant twitter accounts and sign up for mobile alerts by SXSW!
• Bring lots of casual outfits, but have a one or two dress up outfits for the biggest parties (see above).
• Ladies, have some comfortable walking shoes to use in between parties. There’s a lot of downtown walking.
• Don’t leave town without eating SaltLick BBQ and drinking lots of local beers! OH and going to Guero’s is a must!

By the way – there are too many amazing panels to mention here, but make sure you schedule a few of those as well, including David Armano, Deborah Schultz, Aubrey Sabala, and so many more.

See you in Austin next week!

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As I said on Twitter, I’m adding stuff that people send me:

• The MediaTemple Closing night party! They’ve just added Voxtrot to the lineup as well… If you don’t have a SXSW badge they will be giving away 200 tickets soon..stay posted
• 20×2 – Monday night, from 7 – 9:30: http://20×2.org/

I really love Austin, Texas. And it’s not just because I’m obsessed with Allen’s Boots and love to eat at Guero’s and drink margaritas and beer.  It is a town full of smart, driven, cool people and a tech community that has been growing steadily for years.  The music scene is of course one of the best in the nation. Hugh MacLeod visits regularly. And of course, LANCE lives there! P.S. – Lance is on Twitter so follow him! LiveStrong baby!

Next week, Brian Solis (my TechSet partner-in-crime) and I will head down to Austin to celebrate the launch of BizSpark with Microsoft and with our local partners, the Startup District. Please be sure to also follow us on Twitter for more details:

@techset

@bizspark

@startupdistrict

You are cordially invited to join us at The Speakeasy at 7 pm on Thursday, November 20th. The event is *free* but please RSVP here. There will be free drinks and appetizers, so come early.

(Please note these are the boots I bought in March at SXSW and I will be wearing these for sure!)

I’ve been a “startup chick” for a very long time. Having worked at early stage companies as employee number 2 and number 240, I have experienced the wide array of challenges faced by companies growing new markets.  In fact, established markets never interested me much (boring!!!)

I’ve guided my professional development for 15 years by one simply rule: surround yourself with the smartest, most hard-working, super effective entrepreneurs you can find. Despite the fact that these individuals and environments can be crazy and chaotic, it has been a very fun journey. Like the road less traveled, it has also made all the difference in my life.

Over the next few weeks, Brian Solis and I will be celebrating our mutual love for startups by presenting Ignition, an event to commemorate the launch of Microsoft BizSpark – a new program for those who contribute to a dynamic ecosystem to help startups flourish. It seems to me that in this economy, everyone needs something to celebrate. It is also an exceptional time to start a startup and take advantage of all the opportunity out there.

Brian and I cordially invite you to another TechSet Series (with some free appetizers and drinks).  We kick off our four-city tour next week in New York City on November 11th.  You need to RSVP here. As all the locals know, that’s the night of the New York New Tech Meetup, which will feature a presentation by Microsoft BizSpark staff. Be at both or be square!

We head to Austin, Texas on November 20th, LA on December 2nd and Silicon Valley on December 4th.  Stay tuned for links Facebook invites and RSVP pages on Eventbrite.

Be sure to check out the benefits you get from the BizSpark global program – namely – software, support and visibility. Hope to see you there so you can learn more and have a great time doing it!

That’s right. My second trip to Vegas this year.  I’m super excited for the second annual Blog World Expo that starts this Friday. It’s not too late to make your plans (there are actually some really good hotel deals on Hotels.com). The speaker line up and the party list look fantastic. Don’t forget to use the code: GEEKGIRL!

Follow @blogworld on Twitter for all the latest updates!

The TechSet has earned a reputation for hosting some of the most glamorous and connected events around the country. We’d like to invite you to what just may be our most incredible event yet as we celebrate you and the other entrepreneurs defining the new Web landscape. At BlogWorld, we will gather poolside at the new Bare lounge at the Mirage Hotel.

(mt) Media Temple, our title sponsor, will be hosting blog super stars and super startups alike!  Check out the *cabana* sponsors, including: Canvas On Demand, Empressr, MindTouch, ShareThis and Tagga.

In addition to Sarah Lacy, Hugh MacLeod, and Loren Feldman, we’ll be welcoming — all of you – the people that are the TECHSET!

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(mt) Media Temple Inc., (Twitter = @mediatemple) Inc. is an industry-leading, privately held web hosting and software services provider with headquarters in California. Since 1998, the company has provided businesses worldwide with reliable, high-capacity networks to host websites, email, business applications, video and other modern, rich-media content.

We are a friendly, accessible group of technology-agnostic managers, engineers and support professionals dedicated to making our customers happy. We are a true 24/7 company. Contact us anytime 24 hours a day at 877-578-4000. English is our primary language. We also speak Spanish, Japanese, Swedish, Korean, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Armenian and a few other languages.

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ShareThis (Twitter = @sharethis) lets people easily share the things they find online, in the most convenient way possible. ShareThis consolidates address books and friend lists, so that anything can be shared immediately, without ever leaving a webpage.

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Tagga (Twitter = @tagga) allows anyone to create text message campaigns instantly so that you can interact, sell to, or simply communicate with mobile users.  Promote your product or service to a targeted audience on their mobile.

You can target the audience you want, deliver the content you want and pay only on success.  Monetize your web or print content like blogs, websites, signage or print publications and expand your distribution channel.  Integrating with Tagga is fast and simple. In just a few minutes you can be on your way to extending your website’s functionality and earning additional revenue. www.tagga.com.

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MindTouch, (Twitter = @mindtouch) recognized the world over for innovation beyond open source wiki collaboration and content management, is delivering a leading edge application integration and development platform. MindTouch Deki, built with a Web Oriented Architecture (WOA), enables users to connect teams, enterprise systems, Web services and Web 2.0 applications with IT governance. Users easily access and organize data and systems efficiently to achieve their business objectives.

MindTouch Deki is deployed by Fortune 500 companies, major media, research/education institutions, government agencies, and online businesses worldwide. Customers include Microsoft, Fujitsu, Siemens, Gannett, FedEx, U.S. Army, DoD, and others. MindTouch is committed to delivering next generation solutions to people, businesses and governments.

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Empressr (Twitter = @empressr) is the first of its kind rich Internet application that provides users with the tools to create and share Multi-media visual stories online. Armed with only a Web browser, users can combine photographs, artwork, text, music, videos, audio recordings and charts to produce anything from a simple slide show to a state-of-the-art business presentation.

Empressr embraces the best of what the Internet has to offer with features such as asset tagging, Web mashups, embedded data and a comprehensive selection of rich media features. Once created, an empressr can be distributed in many ways. It can be published to the community site or your social networking page, sent in an email and even embedded in a blog or wiki.

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Canvas on Demand is the Raleigh, North Carolina that transforms your sentimental photos into canvas artwork. Co-owners Tom Lotrecchiano and Joe Schmidt were named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year finalists and  ranked number 283 in the 2008 Inc. 500.  You can visit www.CanvasOnDemand.com for more information or to see samples.