heathervescent

Taking it Higher

*Note: This post is staying at the top for a while. For more recent posts, scroll down a bit! :)

For the past year plus I've been busy trying to bring together the Los Angeles technology community. I've been very successful at doing this - although this is not because of my efforts alone. A community is built by the people in it. The people who show up, who collaborate, who contribute. Two years ago, there was no LA technology community. I heard rumors of VIC and Coco's events, but these were phantom dreams. Today we have a very different environment. Before the end of this year there will be monthly g33k dinners, twiistup2, barcampLA4, startupcamp, web 2.0 mixers, drupal meetups, lunch 2.0, demo feedback sessions, ppt karaoke nights and more.

The community has created the demand for these events. (Please note, I do not produce, coordinate or organize all or even some of them.)I want to take it higher. To do this, I am calling the Los Angeles and greater technology community to participate. To be active in creating this community of individuals and companies.

Here's how you can help:

1. Join the list
2. Show up in person (to the geek dinner, barcamps, twiistup, meetups)
3. Support - I hate asking for money (well who likes it).  Most of these events are done dirt cheap. I'd like to see more technology companies financially involved. As sponsors in addition to participants. It's cheap to financially support these events and the companies that do gain amazing goodwill in the community.

Here are some ways you get involved now.

Twiistup2
There are still sponsorship opportunities for interested companies. Come to Venice August 8th. It's gonna be a great time.

Startup Camp LA
I'm helping kick off StartupCamp in LA - a 2 day event in the fall that will focus on best practices, dos and don'ts, VC pitch review and practical how to advice to start a tech company. Including a competition with a cash prize! We're looking for sponsors, speakers, biz plan reviews and general help. Attend, learn what it takes to start a company, build a product or pitch an idea. Come to scope out brand new idea and maybe find the next big Socal Startup.

Lunch 2.0 in LA
Some of us are kicking around starting up Lunch 2.0 - where a different tech company hosts lunch, a tour, a technology conversation at their company. Want to host?

Geek Dinners
I've started offering geek dinner sponsorship. About $200 sponsors drinks or desert at the geek dinner and gets goodwill in the geek community. Totally cheap and gets your insane goodwill in the community.

BarcampLA4
BarcampLA4 is happening this fall. Want to help make it happen? Want to find out when it's happening? Then get on the List!

I leave you with a quote recently arrived in my mailbox

As I let my own light shine, I unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. My playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around me. I was meant to shine. I was born to make manifest the glory of God that is within me."
- Adaptation of Nelson Mandela's Inauguration Speech

The community has been created. How will you participate?

geek d1nner takes over uWink

That was fun. First off - the announcements:
- Did anyone notice LAists coverage of the geek dinner? Here's a little ego-rub (no I did not pay her to write that. I am not that clever.

Thank Heathervescent for bringing LA's true geeks together in a social setting and for two years straight. Heather brings together some of the most interesting, talented and fun geeks in town to eat, swap demos and sometimes even grab some swag.

- Twiistup 2 announced for August 8th in Venice! Your's Truly is gonna host! (Twiistup also sponsored dessert for the geek dinner! Woo!)

- BarcampLA4 is October 6 & 7 @ Little Radio (that the weekend after PodCast Expo in Ontario, California)
- geek dinners are now available for sponsorship. I'm offering very affordable sponsorship options to help
build the LA Technology community. Contact me for details.

- Next geek dinner is July 17th @ Galanga. More details coming up.

And now, onto the fun. We had a great turn out and seven brave souls took to the stage (ahem chair) and did PPT Karaoke which was projected on the wall. I passed out swag and had great conversations with lots of familiar faces. Rizwan was awesome liasioning between us and uWink. The system was a lot more stable from our previous visit, even getting a networked game of trivia going. We also had the flickr stream projecting photos of past barcamps and geek dinners. Riz even took us back into the cooler, ahem, server room and showed off the servers. I heard that Nolan stopped by for a bit, but I missed him. Brent was off in China, and missed the fun. Beyond that, the restaurant was packed. uWink is doing a good business and there are plans to open up additional locations - some closer to the usual geek dinner locations. So we are definitely staying in the loop.

Thanks to everyone who came out! That was a lot of fun.

PPTs for tonight's g33k d1nner meeting

I am about to jump in the car and drive to Woodland Hills for tonight's geek dinner, but first, here are the ppts that I've queued up for tonight's fun.

Reporting Web Analysis
An Introduction to Second Life
Why we wait for the babel fish
Venture Capital post web 2.0
Logo digitage web 2.0
Using and Enabling the emerging GeoStack
Disruptive tech lifestyle
GeoBlinki!
KFC
Que es la web 2.0?
Social Software for Robots
Web 2.0 and mashups

Ok, that's probably enough. But wow, we're gonna have to do this more often. And it's a great way to get caught up on those conferences you missed. Now, that gives me an idea...

Even if you can't make it tonight, these are some good presos to check out. Thanks to slideshare.net!

Heather is Busy

First off - Hello to anyone stopping by because we met at Twiistup last night. I had a great time and have to write my shout out post. If you're looking to download ooVoo - go here to download the client. If you want info on the geek dinners and barcampLA - go here. And be sure to join the mailing list.

I have been really busy and it doesn't look like it's going to stop. I was at Twiistup last night - which was awesome.

Tomorrow I head north to attend an intense weekend called Fusion with a bunch of futurists in beautiful Mendocino. I'm very excited to participate.

Then, since I will be in the Bay Area, I'm going to attend the Internet Identity Workshop on Monday, Tues & Wed.

Oh - did I mention I'm back on Theory Radio and my show is tonight. In fact, I have an awesome show lined up. Matt is joining me and we are spinning music to trip out too. This music is absolutely insanely amazingly awesomely strange and unique and it blew my mind when I heard it. The show starts at 7, but Matt will be joining me at 8.

Oh yeah, and I still have to pack. So much for sleep these days.

g33k dinner / minibar = LA tech community

We had a great turnout at the g33k dinner last night. At each dinner there are a few new faces, but more and more it's a group of people who have been to a couple geek dinners or barcamp. It's really starting to feel like a community. Lot of friendly familiar faces: Michael, Crystal, Lucas, Bino, Mark, Dan, Jennifer, Zach and Danah was even in town.

Crystal showed up with some geek dinner t-shirt designs. She shared the ideas and by the end of dinner we had agreed on one.  It's so exciting to be getting geek dinner t-shirts. They look totally awesome too.

Jennifer pimped a contest one of her clients - Dare Junkies - is having. You pick a challenge (that is submitted by the users) and film yourself doing it. If you missed out on getting one of the t-shirts, I still have some. They are S, M and L.

I also got to talk with Tim from French Maid TV. I had met him at the Pulver event (I still need to write that one up). We quipped about the upcoming LA pillowfight and I suggested that some french maids might need to show up to clean up the place.

Food was good, but the margaritas needed to be stronger and we closed the place out. We're off to Santa Monica next month.

Registration for Barcamp #3 is open

Yup, we're at it again. Barcamp is happening in Los Angeles again and back at Little Radio. Want all the details? Then head over to the wiki.

Barcamp LA Featured

Photos from LA Barcamp #2 and Barney's G33k dinner are featured in this story. Kinda cool.

Yo, it's wireless!

Going to BarCamp

Well, I'm going to BarCamp in LA. I'll have to decide which project percolating in the back of my head I want to bring to the forefront. It will be good to get the geek on.