Internet Geek Girl

It would have been better to get this blog post up on January 1st. What can I say, it’s been a very busy first 2 weeks of the New Year. Today, one of the most important days of our nation’s history, I am thinking about new beginnings and ushering in a new way of doing business. So the timing still feels right to share this.

I’m a fan of every New Year. This is the time of year when individuals and companies think about goals and establish plans for action. It’s a time of rebirth. It is the perfect time to clean the slate, appreciate how far you have come and imagine how far you will go. I don’t call these resolutions, I just know that if I put my desires out to the universe and I will achieve them.

The biggest change this year relates to one specific area of business I have added value in for a long time: The OPM business (Outsourced Program Management) for you non-affiliate folks. For the past almost 5 years I have led agencies focused on helping companies run their LinkShare, Commission Junction and ShareASale programs. OPMs are affiliate marketing experts with established contact bases that help merchants form affiliate partnerships, acquire new affiliates, optimize existing relationships, merchandise products through the sales channel, activate this virtual sales force and drive revenue.

It has been an amazing experience and I have worked with some many people and great companies, including: Acorn Online, Costume Super Center, Constant Contact, Gourmet Monthly Clubs, Avenue, and many more. In the last year, I launched Affiliate Karma, an affiliate marketing brand focused on providing this important service. In 2009, Affiliate Karma joins forces with Schaaf Consulting to deliver the most premier OPM service in the business. Scaling a service business is no easy task. My partnership with Schaaf allows me to continue to be a thought leader and force in the affiliate industry while also pursuing my interests in the area of publishing, social media and events. There is only so much time in a day. More details on this coming soon!

Stephanie Agresta Consulting LLC is undergoing a re-design. You’ll see a new look-and-feel for my sites, exciting plans for the TechSet brand, and a lot more content flowing from these pages. My work will continue to include strategic consultation in online marketing and social media; producing events and experiences that leverage my contact base and online audience; and online promotion of the products and people I support. I will also be adding more advertising units to my blogs (in a tasteful and disclosed way).

InternetGeekGirl will continue to be the blog brand that covers the people, places and products that I love. You’ll see more interviews with my colleagues, more podcasts, and a regular series called, “Ask Internet GeekGirl.” Affiliate-Karma.com will now serve as a resource to anyone interested in securing OPM services for their affiliate program. You can pick my brain for free and I’ll let you know the solution that I think is right for you.TechSet.tv which is still in the works, will let you know the parties, events and conferences you should be attending each week. StephanieAgresta.com will serve as the central hub for it all and thanks to the talented people at ContentRobot and WeFixWP you will see that site changing soon!

I often look to my friends and colleagues in the industry to guide my way.  People like: Chris Brogan, Tara Hunt, Hugh MacLeod,  Jeremiah Owyang, Brian Solis, Shawn Collins, Gary Vaynerchuk, CopyBlogger, Jeremy Shoemaker, Loren Feldman, Sarah Lacy are great examples of people delivering quality content on a regular basis, in multiple formats to an interested audience. Inspired by these folks, I will get more prolific.

But the secret sauce is the combination of all that we do. And I’m a do-er. As much as I love writing, I love doing. Stay tuned for big announcements about SXSW, web2expo and Blog World Expo. I hope to see you in a city soon.

It’s 2009, and change is finally here!

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!

During my visit to Orlando, Florida last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ted Murphy at Izea headquarters. As Ted’s shirt insinuates, he likes “creating chaos.” His business ventures have a tendency to do just that. PayPerPost caused quite a stir in the last year, and his new company is getting loads of attention – for different reasons.

SocialSpark is Izea’s newest attempt at creating a marketplace between bloggers and advertisers. This time around, Ted has gotten it “right” (according to many – including Jason Calacanis) with policies that include: 100% disclosure, 100% transparency, 100% real opinion, 100% no follow. If you’ve got content, creativity and influence – check out SocialSpark and jump into the marketplace.

I have to give a quick shout out to Ted’s web2.0 reality TV show, RockStartUp. Ted and the team share their start-up journey with the world. As someone who has worked at quite a few start-ups, I’d have to say the show is spot on!

Don’t forget to check out my interview with Ted back at @sxswbloghaus in March.

Rock on Ted!

I’m just about to check out of the Hotel Roosevelt and head to the airport for a flight to SFO. It has been an eventful week here in LA. The TechSet Hollywood event and the TechCrunch/PopSugar party were both successful gatherings of the best and brightest in the industry.

I was so impressed with all the fine individuals I met here. There are too many to name, but you can see the story via my pictures on Flickr. LA is a new scene for me. But not for my partner in crime Brian Solis. He wrote an great re-cap of the growth of the tech community here in LA.

Content is King – especially here in LA. I predict that internet content developers will continue to gravitate to this town and explore the synergies that explode when technology meets the entertainment industry. I for one am excited to plan my next trip here. Stay tuned for more about Digital Hollywood (coming up in May)!

Big thanks to everyone who attended. We look forward to our next gathering in Silicon Valley on 4/20. Hope to see you there.

(photo credit, Brian Solis)