March Social Media Breakfast DC ———– Blogging The City

Thanks to everyone who made it out to our pilot event in January! We are officially ready to roll.

Join us at Busboys and Poets (14th and V — U Street Metro) on Monday, March 1 at 8am for our next Social Media Breakfast-DC. You are invited to have breakfast with the DC/VA/MD social media community and to share your thoughts about this month’s topic: Blogging The City. Our speakers (list coming soon!) will talk about popular sites and social media channels dedicated to aggregating the best (and warning us about worst) that DC has to offer. Come hear more about how our speakers are using the Web to help us make the most of what the district has to offer offline.

Want to get more involved?

Please leave a comment or send a tweet using the #SMBDC hashtag or contact @smcdc via tweet, DM, email (socialmediaclubdc [at] gmail [dot] com) or pidgeon if you wish to be a “Head of Table” at any of our breakfast events. Essentially, you will be volunteering to ignite conversation at your table and let others pick your brain during the Breakfast. And don’t worry, we don’t mean this literally.

To keep the event from selling out quicker than everyone who would like to attend can find out about it, we will release tickets in waves three weeks prior to each Breakfast event — 50 tickets will be available with each wave for a total of 150 tickets.

If you’d like to eat, which we hope you do, $10 (cash please) is all you need to get in on the delicious breakfast options … The information and new friendships you will walk away with, priceless.

And remember… We are always looking for partners and sponsors to keep food costs to a minimum (or even better, FREE). Please let us know if you or your company is interested in sponsoring any of our Social Media Breakfast events. If you would like more information, please email us. Thank you in advance!

Click below to register and feel free to leave your comments or reach out to us if you have questions, suggestions, if you would like to help with the event, and, if you would like to serve as a Head of Table.

We look forward to seeing you!

Flickr user daquellamanera

January Social Media Breakfast Wrap-Up

Other than to say thank you to our speakers: Geoff Living (@geoffliving), Shashib Bellamkonda (@shashib), and Alex Howard (@digiphile); our Heads of Table: Andy Carvin (@acarvin), Daria Steigman (@dariasteigman), Shonali Burke (@shonali), Josh Greene (@josh_greene), and Mike Schaffer (@mikeschaffer); and our guests! …  there is not much left to say.

Our inaugural Social Media Breakfast DC (#SMBDC) was terrific!

Don’t believe me? Alex Priest did an AWESOME job recapping the event here.

A day before the Breakfast, Alex wrote a blog post version of his Breakfast presentation titled “Trends and challenges for social media in 2010.“

Before leaving for the Breakfast, Geoff posted a “Get Mobile Now” manifesto on his blog.

After the event, Shashib recapped the discussion and included a Flickr slideshow with pictures of the breakfast on his Examiner blog.

One of our Heads of Table, Shonali Burke, wrote a post about the Breakfast table talk, the engaging crowd and the new friends and connections our guests were made that morning.

Thank you all! You have us COVERED!

Check out our event pictures, courtesy of Rachel Rule (@rachelrule), Social Media Breakfast Co-organizer.

More pictures from Amy D. Phillips (@amydpp).

You’ll notice, no one looks groggy

Stay tuned for the next breakfast in early February. Information will be posted on our EventBrite registration page: http://socialmediabreakfastdc.eventbrite.com

Flickr user amydpp

Social Media Breakfast is this Monday!

DC’s inaugural Social Media Breakfast (#SMBDC) is this Monday, January 25 at 8am at Teaism on Penn Quarter. We were overwhelmed by the great response and though our inaugural event is sold out, we hope many more will tune in to our live stream and join the conversation: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/smbdc

Next week, we will talk about Social Media in 2010. With January practically behind us, what trends or predictions do you believe will prevail? How can we be visionaries in a space as dynamic as social media?

Without further ado, meet the speakers who will help us start 2010 on the right foot:

* Original copy courtesy of speakers’ blog sites and Google Profiles.

Geoff Livingston (@geoffliving): Geoff co-founded Zoetica, a social enterprise that provides superior communication consulting, training, and strategy to help mindful organizations affect social change. He has worked as a public relations strategist in the Washington, D.C. region for more than 16 years. Dubbed a “local blogging guru” by the Washington Post, Geoff’s award-winning book on new media “Now is Gone” was released in 2007. The book has been cited by the Wall Street Journal as a valuable resource for social media. He continues to blog about communications on the Buzz Bin. He sold his social media boutique Livingston Communications to CRT/tanaka in April of 2009. Some of his professional experiences include United Way of America, Save Darfur, the Goodwill of Greater Washington, Environmental Defense Fund, Live Earth, ChildFund International, the Campus Kitchens Project, the Philanthropy 2.0 Project, Network Solutions, Sully Erna (Godsmack lead singer), and many others.

Shashi Bellamkonda (@shashib): Shashi works at the heart of Web hosting company, Network Solutions, as their first-ever ‘Social Media Swami’ (Director –Social Media). He has helped Network Solutions move into the online space to actively listen to and interact with its customers. Shashi has presented to several audiences on ” ‘Social Media Tools for Small Business’, ‘How to Sell Social Media to Your Boss’ and “Online Reputation Management – Best Practices & Lessons Learned”, at national and regional conferences. He writes a regular DC Social Media Marketing column for the Examiner and has been featured on the Washingtonian magazine’s “Washington’s Top 100 Tech Titans list,” the Washington Business Journal and other publications. Shashi also blogs about social media technology and the coolest new sites and tech-toys to check out.  Shashi lives for technology, testing new innovations and helping people with small businesses to succeed. A self-described ‘Internet junkie’ and thought leader.

Alex Howard (@digiphile): Alex is the associate editor of SearchCompliance.com at TechTarget. His work there focuses on how regulations affect IT operations, including issues of data protection, privacy, security and enterprise IT strategy. Before moving his focus to security and compliance, Alex was the associate editor of WhatIs.com, an online IT encyclopedia. In that role, he researched and wrote about nearly every aspect of enterprise IT. Alex is intrigued by technological change, taken with ideas, cooking (he was an #IronChefDC participant in December 2010), the great outdoors, books, dogs, and media, in all forms.

Talk about setting the bar high, huh?

Meet our Heads of Table:

Speacial thanks to: Andy Carvin, Daria Steigman, Shonali Burke, and Mike Schaffer, who will lead conversation at their tables after our speaker’s kick the morning off. Feel free to pick their brains while you enjoy breakfast.

Important notes:

If your plans have changed and you will not be able to attend, please let us now as soon as possible. This way, we can give our hopeful guests on the waitlist the chance to attend the event.

Don’t forget to bring $10 for breakfast. We promise deliciousness.

If you’d like to serve as Head of Table to lead discussion at your table, please let us know by Twitter mention or DM (@smcdc) or email us at socialmediaclubdc@gmail.com. We still have two spots left.

And as always, we are looking for sponsors to partner with us in order to keep food costs down. If you are interested in sponsoring this or any future Social Media Breakfast, please contact us.

See you Monday!

Want a Job in Social Media?

We are here to help, if you know of a job listing or if your company is hiring or you are looking for a job in Social Media, please link, comment, help the community out.

Here is one way how to do it… Social Media Positions – January 2010

Good Luck!

Social Media Breakfast has come to DC

Social Media Club-DC is kicking off 2010 with a brand new event – Social Media Breakfast is coming to the nation’s capital!

Social Media Breakfast is the brainchild of Bryan Person. The event invites members of the social media community, regardless of profession or level of proficiency, to eat, meet, share, and learn.

On Monday, January 25 at 8am (I know, I know) we will hold the first-ever Social Media Breakfast-DC (#SMBDC) at Teaism on Penn. Quarter. You are invited to have breakfast with the DC/VA/MD social media community and to share your thoughts Social Media in 2010. With January practically behind us, this will be a good moment to get together to revise resolutions, predictions and gear up for the remaining 340 days of the year.

We know breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we don’t want to ruin it for you by forcing you to listen to speakers for an hour while your stomach grumbles. Our guest speakers (line up coming soon!) will kick us off with some food for thought and then, we’ll enjoy breakfast at our tables and talk amongst old and new peers and friends.

With this in mind, we would like to send out a call for what we hope will become a new Social Media Breakfast tradition — “Heads of table.”

Please leave a comment or send a tweet using the #SMBDC hashtag or contact @smcdc via tweet, DM, email (socialmediaclubdc [at] gmail [dot] com) or pidgeon if you wish to be a “Head of Table” at any of our breakfast events. Essentially, you will be volunteering to ignite conversation at your table and let others pick your brain during the Breakfast. And don’t worry, we don’t mean this literally.

This is a free event. The information and new friendships you will walk away with, priceless.

Breakfast WILL be served. Teaism will be serving French toast, quiche, sausage, fruit, scones, hot tea, OJ… mmm. If you’d like to eat, which we hope you do, $10 is all you need to get in on the delicious breakfast buffet.

Click below to register and feel free to leave your comments or reach out to us if you have questions, suggestions, if you would like to help with the event, and, if you would like to serve as a Head of Table.

We look forward to seeing you!

PS: We are looking for sponsors to keep food costs to a minimum. Please let us know if you or your company is interested in sponsoring this or any future Social Media Breakfast event (we will host one every month). If you would like more information, please email us at socialmediaclubdc [at] gmail [dot] com. Thank you in advance!

Flickr user theumamiking

And the SMCDC Iron Chef Is…

Some of the Cheftestants at SMCDC Iron Chef!

(photo courtesy of Shashi Bellamkonda)

The Social Media Club-DC Iron Chef Holiday Cook-off, held last week at the offices of NextGenWeb, was a terrific success! Turnout was terrific, the audience was lively, the judges were witty and fair, and (most importantly), the food from our chefs was delicious!

I’d like to begin by offering sincere and enthusiastic thanks to everyone who made the event such a success–starting with our own Nisha Chittal, who coordinated the event pretty much single-handedly. Also instrumental was Shana Glickfield, who generously arranged for the terrific venue. And of course, many thanks go to our wonderful sponsors, the National Turkey Federation (can you guess what the secret ingredient was?) and New Media Strategies.

Six SMC members volunteered to have their holiday dishes judged by our esteemed panel of foodie bloggers. As a reminder, the chefs were:

Justin Herman, @justinherman
Chris Cassidy, @citizencassidy
Melissa Vallejo, @h0neyb
Alex Howard, @digiphile
Shashi Bellamkonda, @shashib
William Neuheisel, @wneuheisel

And the judges getting the honor of tasting the delicious turkey-based delights and choosing the winner? Local food bloggers generous enough to donate their time and taste buds:

Katie Test, We Love DC, @isitdinneryet
Stefanie Gans, Endless Simmer, @gansie
Mary Cunningham, Arugula Files, @arugulafiles
Jon Eick, So Good Blog, @sogoodblog

The dishes were all wonderful, I can’t imagine how the judges selected a favorite. I was, however, delighted when William Neuheisel’s pomegranate glazed turkey cutlets with roasted fennel and thyme with bulgar emerged victorious.

Not playing favorites, just relieved I didn’t ruin anything. Why? Because naturally, being a rather daft idiot, I accidentally sampled the winning dish from the giant table of food the chefs were working from–before it went out to be judged!

A faux pas William somewhat easily corrected since I hadn’t actually cut into the turkey, but I can tell you my guilt was extreme–very glad it didn’t ruin his chances to win!

Rounding out the top three were Shashi Bellamkonda with his curry spiced turkey meatballs, and Chris Cassidy with a turkey confit with crostini and cranberry relish. Special mention should also go to Alex Howard, the only contestant to use a true “Iron Chef style” and use the secret ingredient to make four special turkey-themed dishes, including turkey liver pate!

All in all, it was a wonderful way to ring in the holidays with the SMC-DC community. Thanks again to the organizers, participants, judges, and sponsors, and we’ll see you in 2010! January event details should be posted to our Facebook page soon.

Stay tuned!

For Shashi’s write-up of the even for the Washington Examiner, see here.
For some more event photos, see here.

Meet the #SMCDC Iron Chef judges!

The Social Media Club-DC Holiday Iron Chef Competition & Party is tomorrow and what would Iron Chef be without its panel of judges?

Meet the five judges who will decide the fate of our Iron Chefs. All of them are talented food bloggers based in Washington, D.C. and none of them can be bribed . Here is a little more about each of them – some of this information was supplied to us by our judges themselves or taken from their respective blogs. Don’t forget to come meet them in person at tomorrow’s event!

RSVP to the event on Facebook!

When: Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Where: Offices of NextGenWeb, USTelecom Association, 607 14th Street, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20005

Meet the Iron Chef judges:

Katie Test, We Love DC, @isitdinneryet

Stefanie Gans, Endless Simmer, @gansie

Monica Bhide, A Life of Spice, @mbhide

Mary Cunningham, Arugula Files, @arugulafiles

Jon Eick, So Good Blog, @sogoodblog

Katie Test, We Love DC, @isitdinneryet

Is the food editor at the local news and culture blog WeLoveDC.com. She hails from Charlotte, North Carolina and is a born and bred Tar Heel! Katie started writing for WLDC in the fall of 2008 and quickly took the reigns on the food features. She has high goals to eat her way through the entire city, with only her running shoes to save her from herself. Katie’s favorite foods are potatoes, toffee and cheese – but admits that she will eat pretty much anything set in front of her, except for bananas. No bananas. No way, no how. Katie’s beverage preferences include Chimay, Lambics and milk. Katie cooks only occasionally as her busy going out and restaurant sampling schedule leaves little time for cooking projects. That said, when she does cook, Katie’s dishes are something to be proud of.

Stefanie Gans, Endless Simmer, @gansie

Being named editor of her sixth grade yearbook, Stephanie has enjoyed writing even before Carrie Bradshaw made it such a glamorous profession. While her first magazine internship led her to interview Joe Rogan, tattoo artists and yet-to-be heard of bands, she has luckily found her way to the world of food. To support her eating habit, Gansie works for a national foundation advocating for working women. Her writing has appeared in Express, The Onion’s AV Club , Washington Post.com,  BusinessWoman Magazine and Young Women Misbehavin’. Stephanie is a proud native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and currently living in D.C.

Monica Bhide, A Life of Spice, @mbhide

Monica has talked about morels with the grand-old Chef extraordinaire Imtiaz Querishi in Mumbai; sampled hamur on dhows in Dubai; sipped camel’s milk in Bahrain; followed a superstar food critic around Mumbai and an anonymous one in D.C.; presented Spices and Rices at the French Embassy in D.C. and gotten lost on the backstreets of Delhi searching for the perfect paratha; tapaoed in D.C. with Chef Jose Andres and sampled the amazing cuisine of Chef Ananda Solomon; taught cooking on-line (yes it can be done) and in her cooking school; sampled flights of honey and hosted colorful henna parties each spring.  She has published articles in national and international publications, appeared on television and published three books and she writes monthly columns for the Washington Post, ARRIVE Magazine and AARP’s online magazine. Originally from India, Monica moved to the United States in 1991. Her passion for cooking exists at the intersection where food and culture meet to delight our taste buds and make life more interesting.

Mary Cunningham, Arugula Files, @arugulafiles

Mary is originally from the Boston area where everything is “wicked delicious.” She moved to D.C. about 13 years ago and admits that it took her years (years!) to stop carrying around an extra sweater during the summer (Boston evenings get cold) and to start carrying an umbrella when it snows (DC snow is just rain disguised as snow). Mary lives in Dupont Circle, and while she still complains about the weather, she considers herself a true Washingtonian who loves D.C.. Mary is a policy researcher during the day. Her blogging started as a way for her to channel her creativity and interest in writing and photography and combine it with something that she loves – food. Mary also wanted to start shopping at farmer’s markets, use fresh ingredients, and learn to cook. Her blog records that journey (and other food adventures around town) and motivates her (and us!) to try new things. When she cooks, Mary likes simple, fresh ingredients that produce big flavor. Her favorite foods:  crabs, shrimp, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, mushrooms, pasta, polenta, grits, parmesan cheese, garlic, chorizo, capers, lemon, cilantro, basil, kale, sweet potatoes.  Actually, it is much easier to list what she doesn’t like: green beans, parsnips, and sardines.

Jon Eick, So Good Blog, @sogoodblog

Jon is the author of So Good, a food / humor blog that takes a keen interest in observing how food companies market and advertise their products while offering up intriguing Would You Rather? questions and food based Rants. Jon is a humorist, writer and marketing consultant with a background in stand-up, improv, sketch comedy and eating.  Originally from Vermont, Jon currently resides in Washington, D.C.  where he works as an Online Brand Manager for the communications firm New Media Strategies. Jon is uniquely qualified to run a blog focused on food and beverages, having eaten food on a daily basis for the last 28 years. Additionally, a recent study of Jon in social settings found that a stunning 59% of his stories contain the word “sandwich.”

The Holiday Iron Chef Competition & Party is possible thanks to our sponsors and supporters:

Meet the #SMCDC Iron Chef contestants!

The Social Media Club-DC Holiday Iron Chef Competition & Party is this Wednesday. But if you’re anything like us and you stick your hand in the cookie jar as you wait for dinner to be served, then you probably can’t wait for it to be Wednesday already. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

While you can’t sample the food (yet) we thought we’d let you sample a little from our five fabulous contestants, though not literally. And while you can read about them on this post, make sure you come to our event on Wednesday to cheer on your favorite chef or, simply, to enjoy the company of the DC social media community and share the holiday spirit.

RSVP to the event on Facebook!

When: Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Where: Offices of NextGenWeb, USTelecom Association, 607 14th Street, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20005

Meet our Iron Chefs:

Justin Herman, @justinherman
Chris Cassidy, @citizencassidy
Melissa Vallejo, @h0neyb
Alex Howard, @digiphile
Shashi Bellamkonda, @shashib
William Neuheisel, @wneuheisel

Where are you from originally?

@digiphile: I was born in upstate New York, near the Finger Lakes.

@citizencassidy: I grew up in the shadows of military bases and Mt. Rainier in Tacoma, WA. Columbia Heights is home these days.

@honeyb: Beeville Texas, Bee County

@justinherman: From New Hampshire, living on the Hill now.

@wneuheisel: Originally from North Dakota, now living in Columbia Heights.

@shashib: I am originally from India and live in Potomac Maryland and work for Network Solutions as Director Social Media ( Unique title is Social Media Swami ).

How did you get involved with Social Media Club?

@digiphile: I joined when I moved to DC and met many members of the local clan at the National Press Club.

@citizencassidy: @NishaChittal is pulling me in with the force of a banshee.

@honeyb: Through the Salt Lake City SMC.

@justinherman: @DCConcierge (Shana Glickfield) found me at an event and showed me the ropes of the DC tech scene – and SMCDC is where the elite meet to eat, so to speak.

@wneuheisel: I’m new to it; I heard about it through friends. My organization is beginning to adopt social media, so I’ve been trying to meet other people who are also working with it.

@shashib: I have been associated with SMC since 2007 and having known @LYF108 (Larissa Fair) who has helped SMC grow in the DC area.

What inspired you to compete?

@digiphile: I love to cook and enjoy blogging. Plus, I’m a big fan of Iron Chef & Top Chef. Complementary tastes, as they say.

@citizencassidy: I cooked for 6 of the 8 years that I worked in restaurants back in the day. I do have this confession, though: I don’t really watch TV and have never seen an episode of Iron Chef! I can haz fast learning.

@honeyb: I love to cook! Plus who wouldn’t want to go up against 5 guys

@justinherman: I grew up with an appreciation for culinary spectacle, and spent years cooking in restaurants as well as hosting dinner parties from the Emerald Coast to the polar Arctic. Good food is a standard of living, and I must help bring this to our friends and colleagues.

@wneuheisel: I work for DC Central Kitchen, which offers culinary job training for homeless and unemployed men and women. As communications manager, I often watch the students and staff mix it up in the Kitchen, but I don’t really get to participate, so I thought it would be fun to show my co-workers that the office web geek might be able to cook too.

@shashib: I am always game for community contests.

What kind of cooking do you usually do – or what things do you like to cook?

@digiphile: French, Italian, new American, BBQ, fusion.

@citizencassidy: My most common culinary engagements are Italian, California cuisine, grilling anything grill-able, and cereal.

@honeyb: Anything sweet & usually involving Honey.

@justinherman: I only cook for holidays now – grand marnier glazed turduckens, etc, but traditionally enjoy sauté dishes and tapas. And of course – grilling.

@wneuheisel: I tend to like spicy dishes with bold flavors and aromas, so I cook a lot of South Asian or Cajun food. Also, I like the simplicity and focus on ingredients in Mediterranean cooking.

@shashib: I have trained professionally in French, Cypriot and Indian food. Indian food is my passion.

What are your inspirations in cooking?

@digiphile: My family. Thomas Keller. Julia Child. Tony Bourdain. Chris Schlesinger. The Boy Scouts.

@citizencassidy: My biggest cooking inspirations are my old boss Elisa Marzano, my pops and the smell of roasting garlic.

@honeyb: I graduated from Culinary Art School specializing in Bakery.

@justinherman: My grandfather, jazz music, Heathcliffe Huxtable and the occassional date with a red haired girl.

@wneuheisel: I grew up in a community that had fairly bland taste in food, so when I spent time traveling in India and Greece I was really fascinated by the diversity of flavors and ingredients, and at the rich culture that was tied to food. Also, one of my best friends from college grew up in New Orleans, so I have great memories of cooking big Cajun meals with him.

@shashib: My best time in the kitchen was learning to use the Tandoor which can get to 500 Degrees C and making the bread stick to the sides of this clay oven is an adventure. My most memorable event was cooking for 30k folks and also cooking for Heads of State in New Delhi and Bangalore.

So now friends and fans of the Social Media Club-DC, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez cuisine!

The Holiday Iron Chef Competition & Party is possible thanks to our sponsors and supporters:

Ways to Help Tweetsgiving: Lucky Number 7

Thanks to our great partners and sponsors, we estimate that DC is currently leading ticket sales and support for Tweetsgiving! Not far behind are Silicon Valley and Richmond. We have less than a week to go, so keep it coming!

Here are some ways you can help, whether you can attend the event or not.

1. Purchase a ticket. Early bird ($5) tickets are gone, but $10 ones are available. All proceeds (minus 75 cent processing fee) go directly to Epic Change.
2. Make a donation. Go above and beyond and make a donation beyond the ticket fee, or simply buy a ticket even if you know you cannot attend. Cash and check donations will also be accepted at the door – make checks payable to Epic Change, Inc. A mobile giving option will also be available this week.
3. Bring an item for local DC battered women’s shelter, My Sister’s Place. Stop by CVS on your way to the HH and pick up something small. Items they particularly need are: gift cards to grocery stores, gift cards to Target or Wal-Mart, bed linens for twin sized beds (hello college sales), new pots and pans, new coats for children under 12 years old (Gap sale anyone?). See more ideas here.
4. Tweet about Tweetsgiving. Spread the word and share your gratitude. Use hashtags for #tweetsgiving #dc #smcdc and #thankfulfor. Follow @tweetsgivingdc @thankfulfor @smcdc for more updates
5. Tag a photo on Flickr for Tweetsgiving. Have something you’re #thankfulfor and want to show your #gratitude for #tweetsgiving? Make sure you tag it right and show the world!
6. Show what you’re #thankfulfor. The great folks from Shiny Heart Ventures who bring you thankfulfor.com will be providing slips of paper at the HH where you can write in what you’re thankful for and share your gratitude with the world. Pictures will be taken and posted!
7. Invite a friend to come. The more the merrier!

Bottom line: $10 ticket gets you into event and also provides donation to Tweetsgiving/Epic Change for a technology lab in Tanzania and global gratitude event. Make it local by bringing small items to donate to My Sister’s Place.

We have a great technology and social media community in DC, let’s celebrate together and share our gratitude!

Don’t forget to download the AWESOME flier for the event and spread the word on or off-line!

Reminder: Tweetsgiving Next Week

Tweetsgiving DC is now less than a week away and we are pulling all the stops to make sure DC has the best showing and highest donations of all the participating cities. We know we have a chartitable crowd in our city and we look forward to reflecting on the year and what we are thankful for at Black Finn next week.

To help spread the word and assist in the last minute donations, we have provided you with a flyer you can download and print out at your place of work, Starbucks, Panera, or Potbelly or whatever local joint you hang out at and use their wifi to cowork or tweet.