Exploring some newer Social Media Tools!

I've said this from the beginning - and am more convinced than ever - this whole social media thing is a great big wild frontier that we get to explore and shape together.

So, next Tuesday, January 18 - let's do some exploring!

The New Castle County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a morning event for us to look at tools like FourSquare, QR Codes, and more!

Rob Szczerba from Associates International, Mark Thompson from ION-E, and I will share what we know (I'm counting on Rob and Mark to be much more informative than me - oops, did I say that out loud... anyway...) and you can help us discover cool new ways to use these tools for business, non-profit organizations, arts, government, community building, neighborhood development, and much more - this is going to be incredible!

Here's the official pitch from the chamber with a link to sign up - hope to see you there!

Social Media 2.0 Using Foursquare, QR Codes, and other technologies to grow your business Do you know what a QR Code is? Have you ever checked in on FourSquare? Join us at the Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware for a full hot breakfast and a tutorial from the experts on how to network, connect and market your business in 2011.  We'll discuss the latest social media innovations, including Foursquare, QR codes, and other interactive applications that may put customers at the forefront of marketing strategy.  You will not want to miss this event! Speakers: Ken Grant, Analtech Rob Szczerba, Associates International Mark Thompson, ION-E Tuesday, January 18 (next week!) 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. at Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware

WHAT: Social Media 2.0
WHEN: Tuesday, January 18 - 8:30 - 11:30 AM
WHERE: Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware - 400 David Hollowell Drive
WHO FOR: EVERYONE interested in communicating effectively with customers, clients, contributors, and/or collaborators
COST: $25 for NCCoChamber Members / $35 otherwise
Click Here to REGISTER

How about a little fun on New Year's Day?

Yes, that's a photo of me in a skirt, blouse, and wig in the 2005 Hummers Parade.

So, this Saturday will be the 40th annual Hummers Parade in Middletown! - http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201012280339

Even better, the weather is supposed to be great - mostly sunny, highs around 45 - which means the turnout for this parade should be pretty big (they claim there's been up to 10,000 at some past parades).

I cannot tell you how much fun these parades are - this is where people get to be creative and fun - you will not find professional floats in this parade - you will find men in diapers and roller skates, kids in costumes, people having fun with celebrities, politics, you name it.

I'm thinking we could have some real fun representing the Delaware Twitterati/Social Media Scene in the parade - a bunch of us can walk in the parade, take photos, and generally have a good time.

Obviously, I'm open to more creative ideas (we could bring along a screen, laptop, and projector - and show the whole twitter stream along the parade route... just an idea).

The parade is scheduled to start at 1:00 in the afternoon.

If you don't want to be IN the parade, would you want to just get together and all enjoy it from one spot?

What say you all?

Adventures with Alexander

One of the things I'm fascinated by is effective communication - things said, done, or written that cause action, change attitudes, and/or make things happen.

The people at 23rd & 5th (DISCLOSURE: I consider these people to be geniuses and friends - so no, this isn't exactly the most objective post) sent out a bunch of $10 bills to friends and clients with a simple note attached explaining that this $10 bill was to be used as a donation to a worthy cause of your choice - oh, and you can go to their web site to see videos from nine great organizations - seriously, check it out here.

So, this morning, Alexander Hamilton and I went on a trip (yes, I buckled him in, cause that's the kind of nerd I am)...

and went down the road to the Food Bank of Delaware...

...where we met Anna, the Account Manager for the Food Bank of Delaware, who was happy to welcome Alexander to his new home...

I can't wait to see what happened with all the other $10 bills that went out from 23rd&5th

The Wilmington Amtrak Station Event

On Monday, December 6, Amtrak commuters in Wilmington were treated to a newly renovated station, free bagels (Manhattan Bagel is awesome!), free coffee (LOMA Coffee is located just two blocks from the train station at 3rd and Market - full disclosure, I'm a member of the church that helped start LOMA Coffee - click here for the opening day video), and were greeted by:

• Governor Jack Markell
• Senator Tom Carper
• Congressman Mike Castle
• Mayor James Baker
• DelDOT Secretary Carolann Wicks

You can see more about the opening from the News Journal and Channel 3 - CBS, but here's a collection of photos and a video - oh yea, and screen shots from the twitter traffic as everything was happening (Thanks to all who participated!)

A HUGE Thanks to Rodney Jordan - he's responsible for the good photos and video - I'm responsible for the blurry stuff.

Delaware supports Detroit!

I have to tell you, I'm pretty excited about this!

Jeff Pulver, international social media leader and creator of the 140 Conferences, visited Delaware in June. D uring that visit, Mr. Pulver talked about how the city of Detroit is trying to do what Delaware is doing with social media, connecting business, government, non-profits, arts, and education in a way that encourages a flow of information, ideas, and support.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Jeff Pulver hosted the 140 Conference in Detroit.
During the afternoon session, Jeff introduced Delaware's own Maya Paveza (Nationally recognized leader in Social Media and Real Estate), and Maya introduced the people of Detroit to some of the Delaware Social Media Community via video.

The video features messages from:

- Governor Jack Markell
- Kim Kostes of the Food Bank of Delaware
- Steve Roettger and Wes Garnett of the COin Loft
- State Representative Tom Kovach
- Rodney Jordan of Armor Graphics
- Rebecca Faber, President of the World Trade Center Delaware
- Brian Sowards of the Delaware Film Initiative
- Laurie Bick of Community Matters
- Rick Jensen, WDEL talk show host
- Greg Gurev of MySherpa and president of the Technology Forum of Delaware
- Jayla Boire of The Right Idea



I just want to say "Thanks!" to all who made this possible - Delaware is continuing to come together as a stronger community than ever before to make great things happen!

Great Video Resources

Just watch these:

Delaware goes to PodCamp Philly!

In October of 2009, I believe there were four of us from Delaware who attended PodCamp Philly - this year, we had many more!

And we had an incredible time!

Felicia Pullam (@FPullam) and I (@kengrantde) had the privilege of leading a session on the Delaware Social Media Initiative - and Maya Paveza (@MayaREguru) led two sessions over the weekend!

Oh, and Steve Lubetkin (@podcaststeve) did an awesome interview with Felicia and me, check it out by clicking here.

So, this event was absolutely incredible - all of us walked away with new insights, great information, new friends, and ready for more!

Huge Thanks to Whitney Hoffman, Gloria Bell, Lynette Young, and everyone who make PodCamp Philly so great! Oh, and be sure to check out great photos by clicking here!

So, here's some video from the session Felicia and I did as well as a collection of some other photos taken by our Delaware people: