Taste of Cincinnati is an annual tradition every Memorial Day weekend. The city of Cincinnati closes off several blocks downtown, and food vendors set up and offer a Taste of what they typically serve at their restaurants in the Greater Cincinnati area. It’s a chance for folks like me to “graze”.

I remember the first one I went to in 1993, when I later told my girlfriend Jennie that I loved her. We later married.

I’ve been to Taste of Cincinnati 4 out of the past 5 years since we’ve been back in town.

This year was interesting because I went by myself. It was great to meet up with some friends I know through New Media Cincinnati.

I first found out about Ze Frank about two or three years ago when I’d heard of other podcasters talking about “The Show“, a daily video podcast he did for an entire year. While browsing C.C. Chapman‘s blog a couple months ago, I saw a post entitled “Creating Moments with Ze Frank“. In that post was this video in which Ze shares several inspiring moments he’s shared over the years with people online. Ze is, as C.C. put it (and I couldn’t agree more), “a warped, twisted, comic genius mind that after watching this video I have a new found respect for.”

Spend an hour and watch this video of a talk he gave at Webstock earlier this year. Maybe watch and listen with headphones, as there are some explicit moments that are NSFW.

Ze Frank at Webstock 09 from Webstock on Vimeo.

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Last Saturday, as well as back in June, we did Questions from a Hat at New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday.  I told the group to ask any questions they wanted, whether related to social media or technology or not.  The questions were as varied as the group.

You can find some answers the group came up with via the UStream recorded videos, including ones from yesterday’s blog post.  But, I’d like to know what you think, so I’m including the questions people at last Saturday’s event asked. Pick one or more of these and share your thoughts. Feel free to add your answers in the comments or trackback via your own website.

Thanks in advance! Ready? Here we go:

1. Is anyone interfacing social media with the traditional media outlets? (i.e., combining social media with traditional media. Examples?)
2. Is Classmates.com a viable value proposition for social media in the future?
3. What was Twitter like in 2006?
4. Best place to start: Twitter, Facebook, blog, or other?
5. What WordPress plugins are you using, and what do you like best about them?
6. Explain FriendFeed.
7. Has anyone created a realistic R.O.I. (Return on Investment) measurement for social media?
8. What’s the best social media tool for a portfolio?
9. How can I drive traffic to my WordPress blog?
10. LinkedIn or Facebook? Or both?
11. Does anyone have the ability to coax info off a mostly dead laptop’s hard drive for less than 12 zillion dollars?
12. Do you see mobile marketing on the increase in US?
13. Why do you still have that profile pic? Need a new one?
14. How much networking is too much?
15. What are some tips for starting a social media community like New Media Cincinnati in an area that doesn’t have much going on?
16. Is The Pub at Rookwood Mews (where we held New Media Cincinnati) a good place to get fish and chips?
17. What is a virtual business card, and how can someone create one?
18. How can you measure Twitter conversation?
19. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck could chuck wood?
20. What are some tips for an aspiring blogger to get started?
21. How do I record video from my Firewire camera and audio from a separate microphone into my Mac computer?
22. What tools do you recommend for cleaning up your Twitter follower list?
23. What are the best Twitter applications for Blackberries?
24. How can we best monitor our children’s activities on the internet?

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(Cross-posted to newmediacincinnati.com)

Chances are, if you were following Twitter on Saturday, August 8, 2009, between 4 and 7 PM Cincinnati time, you saw updates from this month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday.

The format once again was Questions from a Hat, similar to the “Scenes from a Hat” party game on Drew Carey‘s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”. I can tell you emphatically that this format WORKS with this group! Not only does it appeal to our social natures, but it also helps spread a lot of information around in a relatively short amount of time. I’d like to say special thanks to Amybeth Hale, who live-tweeted the questions and answers on Twitter. We’re going to miss you, Amybeth, as you move to Washington state. You’re always welcome back whenever you visit!

This first video is 38:39 long.

I am SO thankful for Don and Vickie Sceifers and Tom Rockhold, who have taken over the UStream channel during the Second Saturday events. They’ve done a fantastic job managing this aspect of the event so that I don’t have to. This second video is 14:16 long.

Earlier today I ate lunch with some great folks from the Dayton, Ohio area. These “tweetups,” as we call them, are becoming increasingly popularly and requested on a more regular basis. I’m a firm believer in never eating alone, so I’m always looking to meet up with other folks for lunch.

Fortunately, I was able to UStream the tweetup and recorded the event. During this video, you are introduced to everyone in attendance and toward the end of the meetup, we discussed some other topics related to social media success. The video lasts about 40-45 minutes:
Live TV by Ustream

Those in attendance were as follows:

• Andy Pohl
• Megan Grote
• Doug Page
• Joe Gauder
• Steve Brack
• Teri Lussier
• Bill Green
• Chris Johnson
• Ralph Helm
• Darryl Hicks
• Carole Hicks
• Curtis Estridge
• Daniel Johnson, Jr.

I have updated the New Media Cincinnati page on this blog with the February 2009 meetup information: http://danieljohnsonjr.com/main/new-media-cincinnati/

EVENT DETAILS

The next meetup will be this coming Saturday, November 15, 2008, from 2-4 PM EST at the University of Cincinnati. Please RSVP via the Eventbrite page.

PECHA WHAT?

Pecha Kucha setup with MacBook and projector

What is Pecha Kucha, you ask? Simply stated, it’s a presentation style in which the presenter has 20 slides and talks for 20 seconds per slide, so that you wind up with a punchier presentation. Read these two articles (the second one has an embedded YouTube video that illustrates the point nicely):

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha Kucha
• Pecha Kucha: Get to the PowerPoint in 20 slides and then sit down

KEEP THIS IN MIND

Sound like fun? Wanna take a stab at this format and share something with the rest of the group? Here’s what you need to do/keep in mind, should you decide to present:

• The topic should be something related to New/Social Media
• You will need to come up with your own 20 slides
• You can put the presentation onto your own laptop or bring a thumb drive with it (I believe UC’s computers run MS Office, so think PowerPoint if you’re going to use that option.)
• We will set up the presentation so that it will automatically advance to the next slide after 20 seconds
• Sign up at the New Media Cincinnati wiki page: http://newmediacincinnati.wetpaint.com/page/Our+Next+Meetup

PARKING

Since we are having the meetup on a weekend, parking may be available on the streets. Paid parking is also available in various garages. Please check out

• UC’s Visitor Information page: http://www.uc.edu/visitors/
• University of Cincinnati on Google Maps

LAST-MINUTE UPDATES

As always, late-breaking announcements will be announced via Twitter:

• http://twitter.com/newmediacincy
• http://twitter.com/danieljohnsonjr

If you have any questions, please contact me by phone: 513-373-4442 or via email at daniel AT newmediacincinnati.com

I’m so looking forward to meeting up with everyone again.

Daniel Johnson, Jr.,
daniel AT newmediacincinnati.com
Cincinnati, Ohio
513-373-4442

http://danieljohnsonjr.com

photo credit: For Inspiration Only

This blog post originates from http://danieljohnsonjr.com

We had a great meetup at Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers in downtown Dayton this afternoon.  About eight of us showed up in-person, but I also was able to UStream the event via the New Media Cincinnati channel, so even more people showed up!

• Rich Palmer
• Jerry Minnich
• Nathan Driver
• Bill Green
• Steve Brack
• Teri Lussier
• Mike Cornett
• Daniel Johnson, Jr.

UStream Chat Log

11:48 danieljohnsonjr : hi

11:54 danieljohnsonjr : Hey there

11:54 danieljohnsonjr : say something in the chat and I’ll show you off to the group

11:56 ustreamer-79592 : :waves to the group: @mariadkins (mary) from twitter / facebook

11:56 ustreamer-79592 : yup

11:56 ustreamer-79592 : mary i know i spell it funny

11:56 ustreamer-79592 : hey there rich!

11:57 ustreamer-79592 : nice to meet everybody.

11:58 ustreamer-79592 : of course i follow rich — everywhere lol

11:58 ustreamer-79592 : Yup

11:59 ustreamer-79592 : Oh Evernote is awesome. I use it a lot in my writing.

11:59 nicholaswyoung : Hey guys

12:00 nicholaswyoung : Hi Rich.

12:00 nicholaswyoung : There, it let me change my nickname….

12:01 nicholaswyoung : Totally wanna see your face hidden behind that massive burger.

12:01 nicholaswyoung : Looks good

12:01 johnbuehler : Hi Daniel, Rich, Mike.

12:01 johnbuehler : Wish I were there

12:01 nicholaswyoung : I’m a little far away, or I’d drop in.

12:02 johnbuehler : Man, that looks good!

12:02 ustreamer-79592 : nicholas you could pick me up in lexington on your way through lol

12:02 nicholaswyoung : If I had the day off, I’d think about it!

12:04 nicholaswyoung : This year, Tennessee is expected to break the record for early voting at 1.3 mil

12:04 ustreamer-52020 : from @veganjacob: hi boys! lookin good! @danieljohnsonjr, i need to tty about implementing ustream for cincy chic lunch n’ learns!

12:05 nicholaswyoung : That’s the statewide count.

12:07 ustreamer-52020 : veganjacob : cool awesome! what computer do you have?

12:08 ustreamer-52020 : (veganjacob) ok thanks!

12:08 cincychic : feel free to talk to me about cincy chic lunch ‘n’ learns

12:08 nicholaswyoung : How about the new Firefox 3.1, “Minefield”?

12:08 nicholaswyoung : The java interpreter is the fastest yet.

12:08 nicholaswyoung : It claims to be the fastest in the world.

12:09 nicholaswyoung : And running my scripts, it’s incredibly quick.

12:09 nicholaswyoung : yeah

12:09 nicholaswyoung : it’s a beta

12:09 nicholaswyoung : I can copy the chat log off if you want.

12:09 nicholaswyoung : I don’t think it’s saved by default.

12:09 nicholaswyoung : Yeah, sounds like a plan.

12:10 johnbuehler : Guys, I have to run…is it sick or twisted to say that I really miss you guys? Man I need a lif

12:11 cincychic : this is awesome!

12:11 johnbuehler : Hope to see you all soon

12:11 ustreamer-79592 : yes this is fun — i can almost taste the beer

12:11 cincychic : cincy chic will be using this for our upcoming lunch ‘n’ learns!!! Thanks New Media Cincinnati!!!

12:11 nicholaswyoung : @cincychic Have you seen Qik?

12:11 cincychic : No

12:11 nicholaswyoung : It’s another idea.

12:12 nicholaswyoung : Live streaming from your mobile phone.

12:12 cincychic : ok, contact Amy at astorer@cincychic.com

12:12 cincychic : we need all your ideas!! this is awesome!!!

12:12 nicholaswyoung : Think UStream from your phone.

12:12 cincychic : got it! we’re in!

12:12 nicholaswyoung : Awesome.

12:13 nicholaswyoung : If I can be of service to anyone – just with ideas or etc, feel free to hit me up at webmaster@nicholaswyoung.net

12:13 doctoranonymous : next round on me hehe

12:14 doctoranonymous : put on Dan

12:14 doctoranonymous : put on DAn’s tab hehe

12:14 nicholaswyoung : Ahhh… So Rich is the Audio Gumshoe guy.

12:14 nicholaswyoung : Sweet.

12:14 doctoranonymous : Great crowd

12:14 ustreamer-52020 : a woman amongst the men!

12:15 nicholaswyoung : I can put you in touch with a few.

12:15 nicholaswyoung : I know several good local rock acts.

12:18 doctoranonymous : http://waltribeiro.net/

12:18 doctoranonymous : http://twitter.com/WaltRibeiro

12:20 nicholaswyoung : http://twitter.com/griffintech

12:20 nicholaswyoung : That’s my friend, Dave Delaney who uses Twitter at Griffin Technology

12:21 nicholaswyoung : It’s VERY useful for creating a mini community for promotion, technical support, and etc around your brand

12:21 ustreamer-79592 : i have a separate twitter account i use for Apex Digest – we import our blog posts and i send out occasional tweets

12:21 ustreamer-79592 : Apex Publications, that is. we’ve grown lately.

12:22 nicholaswyoung : Cool. I’ll look you up.

12:22 ustreamer-79592 : nicholas – i ‘know’ dave – he’s an awesome guy.

12:22 nicholaswyoung : Yeah, Dave rocks.

12:23 ustreamer-79592 : he sent me a bunch of information about starting a barcamp here in lexington.

12:23 nicholaswyoung : Have you got it going?

12:23 nicholaswyoung : I’d love to come!

12:23 ustreamer-79592 : not yet. i probably won’t have time to start organizing until january.

12:23 doctoranonymous : me too; I’m in NE Ohio

12:24 nicholaswyoung : We just finished BarCamp Nashville two weeks ago.

12:24 ustreamer-79592 : yeah i wanted to go!

12:24 nicholaswyoung : It was an awesome event.

12:24 nicholaswyoung : Feel free to email or twitter me, @nicholaswyoung . I’d love to stay on top of the Lexington BC

12:25 nicholaswyoung : Dr. A, I know you’re on twitter.

12:25 ustreamer-79592 : i’ll send you a follow real quick

12:25 ustreamer-79592 : bye rich!

12:25 doctoranonymous : thanks for streaming; Have a great day!

12:25 nicholaswyoung : Excellent.

12:25 nicholaswyoung : I’ll return it when it pops in.

12:25 nicholaswyoung : Thanks, DanielJ, awesome session.

12:25 ustreamer-79592 : @mariadkins is me

12:26 doctoranonymous : http://twitter.com/doctoranonymous

12:26 ustreamer-52020 : (veganjacob/cincychic) greet meetup! thanks for streaming! it made for an interesting lunch for me as well!

12:26 ustreamer-79592 : @cincychic – i agree

12:27 doctoranonymous : Make it a great day! Bye

12:27 nicholaswyoung :  Have a good one!

12:27 ustreamer-52020 : (veganjacob) fine with us!

12:29 ustreamer-79592 : (mari) I’ll be at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital the 16th/17th of next month.

12:31 nicholaswyoung : http://www.ustream.tv/channel/new-media-cincinnati

12:31 nicholaswyoung : Is that the one?

12:32 nicholaswyoung : Don’t forget to tune into the Pod 5 this Sunday night at 8 PM EDT if you have time.

12:32 nicholaswyoung : http://thepod5live.com

12:32 nicholaswyoung : </end shameless plug>

12:33 ustreamer-61944 : Waving now! [<--EDITOR NOTE: THIS IS TOM ROCKHOLD]

12:33 ustreamer-61944 : It’s halloween anyway

12:33 nicholaswyoung : It’s the heavenly glow…..

12:34 nicholaswyoung : Bye!

12:34 ustreamer-79592 : bye

12:34 ustreamer-61944 : Keep it groovy!

12:34 ustreamer-79592 : i’ll catch everyone on twitter

I am amazed at the power for social media tools like Twitter and UStream to bring people together, even from several hundred miles away.  I really enjoy connecting, not only virtually, but especially face-to-face, and I look forward to the next time we get to do this.  Discuss.

Image by danieljohnsonjr via Flickr

In October 2007 I was chatting with Andy Osier about my desire for folks in the social media community in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky to meet up. Within a few hours, we had created the New Media Cincinnati group on Facebook and had a Twitter account promoting our first meetup.

We wanted to bring enthusiasts and professionals in the area together so that we could network and share ideas. I’d been meeting up with folks in the Dayton area for lunch for some time and had been sharing that with friends on Twitter.

It’s amazing to think that we’ve been doing this for a year. I really appreciate the community we’re building, the friendships and connections we’ve made, and I look forward to the next meetup, which is this Saturday! We’re using Eventbrite again to help with organizing, so, as the button says,

At the time I put the event together, we had no one set up to talk. That may be changing. I’ll post updates here, on the Eventbrite page, and of course, on Twitter, as they come in.

Update: Joe Wessels, Communications Director for Ohio State Representative Steve Driehaus’s Congressional campaign and accomplished journalist, will be talking about social media and politics.

Do be sure to follow newmediacincy on Twitter for any late-breaking updates.

This blog post originates from http://danieljohnsonjr.com

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