Important SMC News: March 2010 (SxSW Edition)
March 4, 2010
In this issue:
- New Website, New Membership Drive To Launch on March 12th!
- Social Media Clubhouse: Your Virtual Home for SxSW
- Local Leadership BBQ at SxSW: Request Your Invite!
- It’s a Wrap: Social Media Week
- Social Media Club Census 2010
- Local Chapter News
- Welcome New Members!
- Conference Discounts Just For You
New Website, Membership Drive To Launch on March 12th!
We’ve been thinking about this since we first realized the traditional association model was broken in the era of do it yourself community and inexpensive global network organizing tools, and the day is nearly here! On Friday March 12, 2010 we will debut our new Social Media Club web site and kick off a new membership drive as we kick off SxSW at the Social Media Club House with a special BBQ for all our local leaders and members. (more details below on the BBQ
Many of you have asked how we sustained this organization, and the answer has long been the tiring refrain of ‘we built this on our credit cards and through the generosity of a few hundred folks who bought expensive t-shirts!’. Well that time has come and gone, and we are ushering in a new era. An era in which we give you several great reasons to actually join us as a paying professional member or business member. An era in which we can build our organizational infrastructure to more fully and forcefully deliver on our primary missions. An era where Social Media Club grows from its humble roots in the Chris & Kristie home office and goes out in the world as an adult.
While the site has been refined in our heads for a long time, it won’t be refined in the real world to the point that we are completely happy for a few months. We need to hear from you with your criticism and compliments. We want this to serve your needs, which we understand, but which we don’t yet see or appreciate fully enough. So at the very least, when the site launches, please go and sign up as a free member and give us your feedback so we can talk about the ‘overnight success’ that Social Media Club has become in the 4 years since first registering the URL and dreaming this big dream.
Stay tuned for details on the http://www.socialmediaclub.org/ website. Follow our updates on Twitter and check out the new site on Friday March 12, 2010. ::we are so excited::
Social Media Clubhouse: Your Virtual Home for SxSW
If you are unable to make it to Austin for SxSW this year, don’t fret, because the Social Media Club House will be your source for all things SxSW from March 12-21. We have big plans for “The Clubhouse” in 2010. First launched in 2007 as a place for members and supporters to stay together and make media during a double conference stint in Las Vegas, then reinvented for Le Web this past December, we are now evolving the concept even further as our home away from home where we can report on conferences that matter to you.
In addition to reporting on SxSW with blog posts from clubhouse residents each day and our daily recap show produced with TechZulu and Justin.tv every day at 6pm CST, we are doing some pretty special events. With our sponsors/partners we will be hosting several conversations that matter in addition to a musical showcase with local NPR affiliate KUT 90.5.
We invite you to tune in to our live streams on the Social Media Clubhouse blog of The Synaptic Web Summit (Saturday, March 13th @ 3pm CST) sponsored by Intel, Maximum Engagement: Understanding the Social Media Multiplier (Sunday, March 14th @ 3pm CST) sponsored by Awareness, Inc and the Co-Working Summit (Monday, March 15th @ 1pm CST) sponsored by Moonfruit. Each show will be followed by a special musical performance from a rising star in the music world and then later on by the daily recap show.
It’s going to be a great start for our new site and we hope that you not only tune in, but help us by embedding the live video feed in your local chapter’s site and/or your own blog. Please do help us spread the word on this so that we can knock this out of the park and ensure that we can do bigger and better clubhouse’s at the events that matter most to you.
Local Leadership BBQ at SxSW: Request Your Invite!
If you are a member of the leadership team of a local SMC chapter or a professional member attending SxSW, you are invited to request an invite to join us at the Social Media Clubhouse on Friday 3/12 from noon to 2pm. Here you will be able to meet other leaders from around the world to network, share success stories, discover the new members site and hear about our important plans for the future (including how we will be getting you more sponsor dollars and providing more operational support if you want it). Even better yet, the BBQ is being catered by the world famous Salt Lick BBQ, which has been featured all over television as the best BBQ in Texas.
The Club House is about 15 minutes from the Convention Center on Lake Austin, and we will be providing transportation to/from the event to make it easier for you to attend. This event is first and foremost for local leaders, but if we have room, we will be opening up the guest list to more members and supporters as space allows. If you are not a SMC organizer or you are, and have not received an invite yet, you can request an invite here. Well, since we haven’t gotten the invites sent to local leaders yet, consider this your invite and register your interest in attending and we will reply to you confirming attendance ASAP! If you know a local leader, please do forward this to them for us and make sure they can attend to bring you all the info you need to know about the future of Social Media Club International.
In addition to serving as the official Austin Ambassadors at the Social Media Clubhouse, the local host chapter in Austin is organizing two other events during SxSW which you can register to attend:
- The fine folks at Kickapps and Akami are hosting a party on Sunday, March 14th and you are invited! You must register to attend, so please do so sooner than later at http://www.kickapps.com/ barparty
- Then on Tuesday, March 16th join our hosts for their monthly meeting of SMC Austin at the Bazaarvoice offices. Registration page is opening up shortly, so its best to follow SMC Austin on Twitter accounts for details. Both Kristie Wells and Chris Heuer (thats me) will be attending and talking about the new site and the bigger plans for Social Media Club, Social Media Camp, SMCEDU and all the other initiatives you haven’t even heard about yet.
We look forward to seeing you in Austin very soon!
It’s a Wrap: Social Media Week San Francisco
One week. Six cities. 100’s of events. Learning. Teaching. Networking. Good times.
As the organizers of Social Media Week San Francisco we can tell you it was a real blast and really exhausting with all these events happening in such a short time frame. Since we jumped into SxSW mode before the week was even out, we haven’t had much chance to tell the bigger story, but we do want to thank everyone who came out to the events to make the week a big success. We learned a lot across the week, at our 2nd official Social Media Camp, at workshops, at panels and even yes, in bars and living rooms. As a bonus, we closed the week with a terrific closing party that also raised $1800 for NetSquared!
Please join us in saying a hearty ‘thank you’ to all the Social Media Week San Francisco sponsors without whose support we never would have been able to do it all: Biz360, IDEA, Bing, SAP, GoGrid, Justin.tv, LinkedIn, Tungle, and Visible Technologies.
We love you guys. Thanks for all you do and for supporting this week’s worth of events. It is much appreciated and it was key in laying the foundation for our future growth. We also want to thank Toby Daniels, the original organizer and inspiration behind Social Media Week for allowing us to participate and for putting up with our vocal opinions throughout the process.
Social Media Club Census 2010
If you or someone you know is part of a local organizational team, please take a moment and complete the Social Media Club Census. We need to collect the ‘Census’ information so that when reporters, sponsors, or members of our community ask us about the current state of the organization, we can give them an up to date and truthful answer instead of our best guess (as I have been doing over the last few months especially). This information, in conjunction with the new website, will provide powerful levers in furthering our primary missions to promote media literacy, share lessons learned, encourage ethical behavior and promote industry standards.
Also again, we need your help! Can you please check in with your local leadership to make sure they see this link and complete our census? It really is going to take the village in ensuring we get to everyone we need to make this effort a success. https://socialmediaclub.wufoo.com/forms/social-media-club-chapter-survey-the-basics/
Local Chapter News
Social Media Club has experienced a strong period of growth over the last six months – going from 91 chapters in July 2009 to over 160 chapters today (though I suspect there are still some more smaller ones hiding out there somewhere). In fact, we have confirmed sitings of chapters on six of the seven continents on this fine planet of ours (we are coming Antarctica, I promise!!).
Every local chapter is a little different from the next, just as every local neighborhood has its unique flavor. Some use Facebook. Others use Ning. A chapter might user Twitter just to promote their events. Another uses an email service, like iContact. Some love the wiki. Others don’t even know where to find it. This is good. This is a chance for us all to learn. The experiences of each of the chapters has informed our growth along the way and lead us to some important insights we have put to good use in the new site launching on Friday March 12, 2010 (see above).
We plan to focus on infrastructure in 2010, improving the ways we communicate with one another and helping local chapters find the right path to sustainability for their particular needs. We sincerely appreciate everyone who has taken a leadership role in Social Media Club. Your efforts are the reason we exist today and we love you for it. While the new site will bring some changes and a bit more structure to our operations, our principles of openness and inclusivity remains at the core of our being.
However, in order to support our global efforts we need to secure more funds to employ the staff required. It can no longer be Chris and Kristie working on Social Media Club as a secondary job without income from it if we are to succeed at our mission. That said, the way we are setting this up, as we will discuss with local leaders during the BBQ during SxSW, is a great turning point for taking SMC to the next level and we hope you not only join us, but help lead us to the next great milestone!
Welcome to our Corporate, SMB and Professional Members!
We’d like to acknowledge our new Corporate, Small and Medium Business and Professional Members here. Thank you ever so much for opening your heart, and your wallet, to support the mission of Social Media Club.
- Corporate: Lacy Kemp (RealNetworks)
- SMB Members: David Berkowitz (360i)
- Professional Members: Tammi Hitchcock, Guillaume Vermeulen, Kyung Han, Michael Kauffman, Charle-John Cafiero, Candice Strudel, David Vanderpoel, Tina Hui, Suzanne Reinfranck, Richard Reader, Suzanne Alderson, Kathlen D’Amato, Wing Lian, Michael Moloney, Debbie Pascoe, Stacy Van Meter, Michelle Krasniak, Sean McCandless, Sean Engmann, Shelly DeMotte, Derek Brookmeyer, C. Rachel Dunnavant, Deidra Bodkin, Bronwyn Saglimbeni, Adam Helweh, Michael Howard, Stephanie Sammons, Eric Weaver, Constance Marshall, Anne Bertelsen, Andrew Sternberg, and Kevin Urie.
We would be honored if you were able to join as a paid member so that we can continue sharing our knowledge and bringing people together to expand our collective abilities. We think that once you see the new site and hear our story, it will be very worth your while – so much so in fact, that for the first time we are not only comfortable asking you to consider joining as a paying member, we are actively encouraging it! But hey, don’t take my word for it, take a look at the new site that will launch on Friday March 12, 2010 and see for yourself.
If you are able to support Social Media Club so that we can continue to advance Social Media professionalism around the world, please register here today. We look forward to welcoming you officially to the SMC family very soon!
Conference Discounts Just For You
Below you will find several conferences that have offered special discounts to SMC members. In the future, the only way to find these benefits will be through the members site, but until then, these are for everyone on our mailing list and blog too.
- Social Media Club Local Leaders BBQ: March 12, 2010 in Austin, TX. We are hosting a special (free) BBQ featuring Salt Lick BBQ for our local chapter leaders who are in Austin during SxSW. Watch your email inbox as your invitation will be coming in the next 24 hours. Space is limited, and this will be on a first come, first served basis. If you are a new local leader or you dont think we have your proper email address, you can ensure we know about you and get you an invite by filling out a request to attend right now.
- Social Media Marketing: March 15-16, 2010 in Singapore. This conference is designed to facilitate organisations’ adoption to a customer centric approach to marketing by building a framework for social network marketing. It will help organisations recognise the value of using this platform and will reveal the latest trend in this field, current best practices and how marketers are employing it today and in the future.Mention “SMC” and receive a 10% discount!
- Social Media Strategies Conference: May 18 – 19, 2010 in Santa Clara, CA. The conference will focus on social media marketing, optimization, analytics, case studies, work shop & best practices and how executives, managers, and marketers can leverage it to meet their business goals. Social Media Club members receive $200 off registration when using ‘SMC2010′.
- NewComm Forum: April 20-23, 2010 in San Mateo, CA. This events feature five exciting keynotes, one full-day and four ½-day pre-conference workshops, post-conference strategy sessions and a one-day executive summit. Social Media Club members receive a $100 discount when using “smcCOMM”.
Worthy causes/initiatives for you to check out:
- Social Health 2010: March 11, 2010 in Austin, TX. SXSH is a day-long international social health un-conference encompassing all aspects of healthcare. The objectives of this unconference are threefold: To bring together an international group of stakeholders in pharma and healthcare (patients, providers, professionals, and industry) within an unconference format, To encourage the interaction and discussion among these stakeholders in this open forum. To expose this traditionally “insular” group of stakeholders to the true culture of social media (i.e. it’s not just about the tech) at SXSW.
- TWESTIVAL GLOBAL 2010: March 25, 2010 in various cities. We are rallying around Concern Worldwide to bring attention to the fact that 72 million children in the world don’t get the opportunity to go to school. One day, one cause and this year is gearing up to be unmissable. Twestival is focusing on global education through fundraising for Concern Worldwide (@concern), a phenomenal organization who have been working to support the world’s poorest people with their innovative and compassionate approach for over 40 years. Nelson Mandela is quoted as saying “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This has never been more true than now; with Haiti losing over 4,000 schools in the earthquake and other regions of the world where children are forced to work on the streets or struggle with hunger and water issues which prevent them from attending. The Social Media Club members around the world have enthusiastically embraced Twestival and made an undeniable impact on their local communities along with other volunteers. We invite you to spread the word and join Moscow, Seoul, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, London and Cape Town by hosting an event in your area on March 25th. The event can be as big or as small as you wish, the idea is to come together for a night of fun and fundraising to put your city or school on the map. So get out to a Twestival event near you http://twestival.com / and follow @twestival for updates. Better still, become an organizer of a local event and show the world the caliber of leadership within Social Media Club and prove to the world the power of social media for social good!
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Well, it’s a slightly long newsletter a long time in the making, but well worth it. We are really looking forward to taking the wraps off the new site next week and ushering in the next phase of growth for Social Media Club. In the meantime, be well and make great media!
Cheers,
Chris Heuer & Kristie Wells
Founders, Social Media Club Global
Website – http://www.socialmediaclub.org
Twitter – http://twitter.com/SocialMediaClub
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/SocialMediaClub
Conference Discounts Available to SMC Community
September 28, 2009
Below you will find several conferences that have offered nice discounts to the SMC member community:
- Social TV Forum: September 28 – 29, 2009 in London (UK). SMC community members receive 20% discount by using code SMClovesU.
- Social Media for Government: September 29 – October 2, 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario. How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results. Mention “SMC” to receive a special $200 member discount!
- Social Media for Healthcare: October 5-8, 2009 in Washington, DC. How To Use The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Engage Your Community, Improve Quality Of Service, And Build Your Reputation. Mention “Social Media Club” to receive a special $200 subscriber discount!
- The Social Media Business Forum: October 23, 2009 in Durham, NC. This conference will feature national and local speakers from marketing companies, technology companies, and social networks discussing ways in which business communications have changed due to social media.Use code SMC to get 15% off.
- TribeCon: October 28-29, 2009 in New Orleans, LA. Join us as we assemble national community leaders to discuss ways of leveraging online tools to grow communities and empower action. For brands, activists, entrepreneurs, artists and anyone who values the power of communities to create share resources and create change both online and offline. Use code SMC to receive 25% off tickets!
- Social Networking World Forum North America: November 9 – 10, 2009 in Santa Clara, CA (USA). SMC community members receive 20% discount by using code SMClovesU.
- Social Media for Crisis Communications in Government: November 2-5, 2009 in Washington, DC. How To Integrate The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Maximize Effectiveness Before, During, And After A Crisis. Mention “SMC” to receive a special $200 member discount!
- The Social Consumer – B2C Case Studies and Roundtable: November 12, 2009 in New York, NY (USA). Social communications is now part of an integrated marketing and communications platform for most leading organizations. This conference will showcase the best case studies that demonstrate how leading brands use social communications to achieve tangible business goals. SMC members receive a discounted rate of $155. Please tell them you are with SMC.
- Social PR Forum: December 4, 2009 in London (UK). SMC community members receive 20% discount by using code SMClovesU.
- Social Media for Government: December 7-10, 2009 in Washington, DC. How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results. Mention “SMC” to receive a special $200 discount!
- Social Media for Gov Conference: Feb. 8-11 in Washington, DC. Mention this post & receive a $200 registration discount!
Worthy cause for you to check out:
- TweetsGiving09: November 24-26, 2009. Social Media Club is proud to partner with Epic Thanks, a global celebration that seeks to change the world through the power of gratitude. This event is scheduled for the 48-hour event and will encourage participants to express their thanks using online tools and at live events to be held globally, and to give to a common cause in honor of that for which they’re most grateful. More details to follow.
Welcome to our new SMB and Professional Members
September 23, 2009
We’d like to acknowledge our new Small and Medium Business Members and Professional Members here. Thank you ever so much for opening your heart, and your wallet, to support the mission of Social Media Club (’SMC’).
- SMB Members: Alexander Guiragossian (Edinburgh Fine Gardens, Inc.)
- Professional Members: Piia Aarma, Ann McDermott, Michael Lamattina, Chris Abraham, Chad Latz, Jill Howell, Jennifer Windrum, Marie Kare, David Shantz, Angela Darcy, Joseph Donlan, Zac Bowling, Jim Caruso, Vernon Brown and Linh DePledge.
We would be honored if you were able to join as a paid member so that we can continue sharing our knowledge and bringing people together to expand our collective abilities.
If you are able to support Social Media Club so that we can afford to continue to advance Social Media around the world, please sign up here today. We look forward to welcoming you officially to the SMC family!
Welcome to our new SMB and Professional Members
July 23, 2009
We’d like to acknowledge our new Small and Medium Business Members and Professional Members here. Thank you ever so much for opening your heart, and your wallet, to support the mission of Social Media Club (’SMC’).
- SMB Members: Doug Kern (Inovis), Bruce Fisher (Hawaii-Aloha.com), Kevin Kilduff (Weber Shandwick), Barbra Pleadwell (Hastings and Pleadwell)
- Professional Members: Tess Staadecker, Gerard Babitts, Ann Glenn, Dan Parks, Michele McGraw, John Mecke, Donna Baske, Scott Williams, Emily Grant, Becky Parker, Elssy Baddour, Josh Gordon, Alex Lawrence, Cathryn Hrudicka, Madia Logan, Jenna Langer, Ralph Rogers, Jordan Anderson, Nathaniel Lee, and Frank Hametner.
We would be honored if you were able to join as a paid member so that we can continue sharing our knowledge and bringing people together to expand our collective abilities.
If you are able to support Social Media Club so that we can afford to continue to advance Social Media around the world, please register here today. We look forward to welcoming you officially to the SMC family!
New Chapters Forming
July 23, 2009
We continue to see requests for SMC in cities around the world, and are happy to report the following ‘active’ and ‘in the works’ chapters. Please note the list below is subject to change, so it is best to check the SMC Event Calendar for real-time meetings:
MAY
- Chapter Launches: Houston, TX (USA) – Nashville, TN (USA) – New Orleans, LA (USA) – Östergötland (Sweden) – Richmond, VA (USA) – St. Louis, MO (USA) – Tucson, AZ (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Orange County, CA (USA) – Pasadena, CA (USA) – Rio Grande, TX (USA)- Wilmington, NC (USA)
JUNE
- Chapter Launches: Charleston, SC (USA) – Corpus Christi, TX (USA) – Detroit/Ann Arbor, MI (USA) – Lincoln, NE (USA) – Rio Grande Valley, TX (USA) – Utah Valley, UT (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): – Orlando, FL (USA) – Southwest Florida, FL (USA) – Toronto, ON (Canada)
JULY
- Chapter Launches: Charlottesville, VA (USA) – Knoxville, TN (USA) – Mexico City (MEXICO) – Missoula, MT (USA) – Munich (GERMANY) – New Haven, CT (USA) – Nigeria (AFRICA) – Southwest Florida, FL (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Hartford, CT (USA)
To find out information on your city launch and/or planning meetings, please check out our Local Teams page and then click through to the SMC wiki. The great thing we have found is that you too can start an SMC chapter in your town – so just add your city on to the wiki if its not there and review the ideas and insights on the wiki about what you can do to be more successful with your efforts.
We are also hosting a weekly chapter call where we answer questions around what is needed to launch Social Media Club in your local city, how to develop awareness campaigns, discuss topics/conversations that have worked well in other chapters, securing sponsorships, and so much more. The calls take place every Wednesday, and alternate weekly – at either 8am PST or 5:30pm PST – an updated schedule is available online in the Social Media Club events calendar.
The conference call dial-in number is (269) 320-8400, and the access code is 509633#.
These calls are usually recorded and are available for listening up to one week following each call.
We do ask that you review the following items before you jump on the call:
- SMC Chapter Guidelines
- 30-minute podcast SMC Founder, Chris Heuer, did with SMC Louisville Chapter Leader, Jason Falls, on organizing a Local Social Media Club. Take a listen.
We were hoping to get some stronger organizational tools in place before launching more cities, but found…sometimes…you just need to let it happen and worry about the details later. If this has been frustrating for you, we would like to apologize, we have been doing this as a labor of love as opposed to doing it as a paying job. We appreciate your patience and your continued support of our growth, hopefully in a city near you soon!
Conference Discounts Available to SMC Community
July 23, 2009
Below you will find several conferences that have offered nice discounts to the SMC member community:
- Search Engine Strategies San Jose Conference & Expo: August 10-14, 2009 in San Jose, CA. From social media strategies to universal search to mobile search, learn the SEM techniques that will improve your website and boost conversions. Designed for both beginners and veterans to search, SES San Jose offers the educational environment, hands on experience, and individual feedback on improving brand exposure as well as website usability. Register today and use 20SMC to receive 20% discount!
- Social Media & Video Strategies Forum: August 11, 2009 in San Jose, CA. This one day forum, brought to you by the teams at ClickZ, YouTube & Google, explores the successes and failures companies, celebrities, and politicians have experienced in the social sphere online and delivers actionable tactics and strategies so that you can prosper from them. Register using the code 20SMC to receive 20% discount!
- Social Media for Government: September 14-17, 2009 in Chicago, IL. How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results. Mention “SMC” to receive a special $200 subscriber discount!
- Social Media: Risks and Rewards: September 21, 2009 in New York, NY. The event will be of interest to companies jumping into the social media pool, including human resources directors, in house counsel, and marketers interested in social media best practices. Use code SMCNY and receive a $100 discount.
- Social Media for Government Conference: September 29 – October 2, 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario. How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results. Mention “Social Media Club” to receive a special $200 discount!
- Social Media for Healthcare: October 5-8, 2009 in Washington, DC. How To Use The Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Engage Your Community, Improve Quality Of Service, And Build Your Reputation. Mention “Social Media Club” to receive a special $200 subscriber discount! Mention “Social Media Club” to receive a special $200 discount!
- Details are still being worked out for Web 2point3 to be held in San Francisco, CA on October 21-22, 2009 so stay tuned…
- Internet Summit: November 4-5, 2009 in Raleigh, NC. Hear from industry leaders and innovators on the future of the industry, how to capitalize on the shifting dynamics of the internet and tap into its unlimited business potential. Use code “SMC50″ to receive $50 off registration.
- Social Networking World Forum: November 9-10, 2009 in Santa Clara, CA. Hear from leading social networks on their strategy, revenue models and how they are approaching the future and learn how advertisers are approaching social networking and how they are establishing and generating revenue You will also find out how content providers are approaching social networks, their strategy and development streams. Receive 15% off registration by using
- Community 2.0: May 2010. More details on location and discount to SMC community to follow in the coming weeks. Just please keep this as a placeholder.
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Other conferences/events we think you should have on your calendars:
- Social Media for Voter Education: July 29, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. Join California Secretary of State, Debra Bowen, in an evening brainstorming session on the use of Social Media in voter education.
- Twiistup: July 30-31, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA. Features eclectic stage agenda representing leading innovators and 10 startups chosen to ‘showoff’ their products & services to influential bloggers, fellow tech-heads, investors, the media and those interested in learning about what’s hot in tech.
New Chapters Forming
June 19, 2009
We continue to see requests for SMC in cities around the world, and are happy to report the following ‘active’ and ‘in the works’ chapters. Please note the list below is subject to change, so it is best to check the SMC Event Calendar for real-time meetings:
MAY
- Chapter Launches: Houston, TX (USA) – Nashville, TN (USA) – New Orleans, LA (USA) – Östergötland (Sweden) – Richmond, VA (USA) – St. Louis, MO (USA) – Tucson, AZ (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Orange County, CA (USA) – Pasadena, CA (USA) – Rio Grande, TX (USA)- Wilmington, NC (USA)
JUNE
- Chapter Launches: Charleston, SC (USA) – Corpus Christi, TX (USA) – Detroit/Ann Arbor, MI (USA) – Lincoln, NE (USA) – Rio Grande Valley, TX (USA) – Utah Valley, UT (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): – Orlando, FL (USA) – Southwest Florida, FL (USA) – Toronto, ON (Canada)
JULY
- Chapter Launches: Charlottesville, VA (USA) – Knoxville, TN (USA) – Mexico City (MEXICO) – Missoula, MT (USA) – Munich (GERMANY) – New Haven, CT (USA) – Nigeria (AFRICA) – Southwest Florida, FL (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Hartford, CT (USA)
To find out information on your city launch and/or planning meetings, please check out our Local Teams page and then click through to the SMC wiki. The great thing we have found is that you too can start an SMC chapter in your town – so just add your city on to the wiki if its not there and review the ideas and insights on the wiki about what you can do to be more successful with your efforts.
We are also hosting a weekly chapter call where we answer questions around what is needed to launch Social Media Club in your local city, how to develop awareness campaigns, discuss topics/conversations that have worked well in other chapters, securing sponsorships, and so much more. The calls take place every Wednesday, and alternate weekly – at either 8am PST or 5:30pm PST – an updated schedule is available online in the Social Media Club events calendar.
The conference call dial-in number is (269) 320-8400, and the access code is 509633#.
These calls are usually recorded and are available for listening up to one week following each call.
We do ask that you review the following items before you jump on the call:
- SMC Chapter Guidelines
- 30-minute podcast SMC Founder, Chris Heuer, did with SMC Louisville Chapter Leader, Jason Falls, on organizing a Local Social Media Club. Take a listen.
We were hoping to get some stronger organizational tools in place before launching more cities, but found…sometimes…you just need to let it happen and worry about the details later. If this has been frustrating for you, we would like to apologize, we have been doing this as a labor of love as opposed to doing it as a paying job. We appreciate your patience and your continued support of our growth, hopefully in a city near you soon!
Welcome to our SMB and Professional Members!
June 19, 2009
We’d like to acknowledge our new Small and Medium Business Members and Professional Members here. Thank you ever so much for opening your heart, and your wallet, to support the mission of Social Media Club (’SMC’).
- SMB Members: Doug Kern (Inovis), Bruce Fisher (Hawaii-Aloha.com), Kevin Kilduff (Weber Shandwick), Barbra Pleadwell (Hastings and Pleadwell)
- Professional Members: Tess Staadecker, Gerard Babitts, Ann Glenn, Dan Parks, Michele McGraw, John Mecke, Donna Baske, Scott Williams, Emily Grant, Becky Parker, Elssy Baddour, Josh Gordon, Alex Lawrence, Cathryn Hrudicka, Madia Logan, Jenna Langer, Ralph Rogers, Jordan Anderson, Nathaniel Lee, and Frank Hametner.
We would be honored if you were able to join as a paid member so that we can continue sharing our knowledge and bringing people together to expand our collective abilities.
If you are able to support Social Media Club so that we can afford to continue to advance Social Media around the world, please register here today. We look forward to welcoming you officially to the SMC family!
SMC Seeking Executive Director and Summer Interns
May 7, 2009
Social Media Club (SMC) is now in its third year and continues to see consistent growth with an average of 10 new chapters launching every quarter. It has been loosely run by Chris and myself, with a handful of volunteers and an interim Board of Directors consisting of Serena Ehrlich, Howard Greenstein and Todd Defren.
In 2009, we began working to bring a little more structure to the organization – filing for our 501c3 (now turning into a c6), hiring a couple of assistants and building a new member site that will ensure our community can connect easier with one another and find the information you need faster.
Now the time has come to really kick the organizations into high gear. To do so, we need someone focused on steering the wheel; securing grants, selling sponsorships, building a membership drive, creating educational programs. All the things we need to ensure SMC’s success.
We need an Executive Director.
It will be a part time position to start, and the ED will need to bring funding sources in to help cover the salary costs (see more below in the Special Requirement section). We believe this is a unique opportunity to take a good global NGO and turn it into a great global NGO. The Executive Director is responsible for the successful leadership and management of the organization according to the strategic direction set by the Board of Directors.
One candidate has been presented for the role. The SMC board has motioned to open the application process up – for two weeks only. As an open organization we wish to have an open process for this and not a closed, ‘no-bid’ contract to ensure we provide an opportunity for all qualified candidates to apply for the position.
Submit your application online. The Board of Directors will review all submissions and an announcement will be made in early June.
Special Requirement:
The Executive Director candidate shall sell a predetermined amount of sponsorship dollars to help fund the position s/he will fill. Once the sponsorship dollars are secured, the Executive Director will start providing Executive Director services* (the scope of which would be mutually agreed upon) on a half-time basis, for a monthly fee on a month-to-month basis. The fee for such services is $5000/month for the first six months,
after which the parties will conduct an informal evaluation.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities (top 5 responsibilities…we have a few more things we need done, but we didn’t want to scare you off. Ha.):
- Oversee the planning, implementation and evaluation of the organization’s programs and services
- Monitor the day-to-day delivery of the programs and services of the organization to maintain or improve quality
- Develop sponsorship sales materials for SMC organizational and event sponsorships. The materials will be subject to SMC Board approval.
- Develop a sponsor prospect list and start making contact with the list after SMC Board approval. The Executive Director will receive sales commission of 5% for sponsorships closed from existing SMC prospects already contacted, and 10% for sales closed by Executive Director where s/he initiates the primary contact.
- Develop and promote paid membership program
Experience Preferred
- 1-2 or more years of progressive management experience in a voluntary sector organization
Again, if you are interested in the ED role, please submit your application online. The Board of Directors will review all submissions and an announcement will be made in early June.
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We are also looking for a Summer intern (or two) to help with research, events, audio/visual editing and community outreach. This is a great position for a student looking to get into Marketing/PR and wishing to learn about Social Media.
This position can be P/T or F/T and our preference is to have at least one person in the San Francisco Bay Area based on some of the project needs. However, if you are located outside the area, please submit your application as there is more than enough projects to dig into.
Conference Discounts Available to SMC Members
May 7, 2009
I am pleased to pass along discounts provided to members of the Social Media Club (SMC) community for the following events:
- Online Marketing Summit: Started May 5, 2009 in Boston and travels to 17 other cities, ending in Seattle on July 1st. SMC members receive 20% off by using code SMCNAT20. This event series is focused on best practices in online marketing including Social Media, Search Engine Marketing (SEO & PPC), Web Analytics, Usability, Email Marketing, Integrated Marketing Strategy.
- Innovating Employee Engagement 2009: New Ideas for Touch Times taking place June 16, 2009 in Chicago, IL. Use code tweet1 to receive $100 off registration. You will learn and share on the most essential aspects of employee engagement, HR and social media for internal communications.
- Executing Social Media For Internal Communications 2009: Delivering More Value In A Tough Economy taking place on June 17, 2009 in Chicago, IL. Use code tweet1 to receive $100 off registration. You will learn and share on the most essential aspects of employee engagement, HR and social media for internal communications.
- Rethinking Corporate Communications 2009: Delivering More Value in a Tough Economy taking place September 30-October 1, 2009 in Washington, DC. SMC member can use code tweet1 to receive $100 off registration. This is an interactive and intimate conference for corporate, government and non-profit communicators.
There are two other events we encourage our community to attend:
- A Clean Life: May 21, 2009 in Washington, DC. A Clean Life is dedicated to environmental stewardship through reducing waste, sustainable eating, and community building.
- Social Media Camp: June 4, 2009 in New York, NY. Social Media Camp is a Social Media Club event that is participant-driven with the intent of helping Small Businesses and Job Seekers to learn how Social Media can help them with their current (or starting up) business, or with their job search.
New Chapters Forming
May 7, 2009
We continue to see requests for SMC in cities around the world, and are happy to report the following ‘active’ and ‘in the works’ chapters. Please note the list below is subject to change, so it is best to check the SMC Event Calendar for real-time meetings:
MARCH
- Chapter Launches: Canberra (Australia) – Gold Coast (Australia) – Greenville, SC (USA) – Hamburg (Germany) – Honolulu, HI (USA) – Melbourne (Australia) – Salt Lake City, UT (USA) – Sacramento, CA (USA) – Seattle, WA (USA) – Victoria, BC (Canada)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): None
APRIL
- Chapter Launches: Corpus Christi, TX (USA) – Indianapolis, IN (USA) – Spartanburg, SC (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Nashville, TN (USA) – New Orleans, LA (USA) – Orlando, FL (USA) – Richmond, VA (USA) – Toronto, ON (Canada)
MAY
- Chapter Launches: Houston, TX (USA) – Nashville, TN (USA) – Östergötland (Sweden) – Richmond, VA (USA) – St. Louis, MO (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Orange County, CA (USA) – Pasadena, CA (USA) – Rio Grande, TX (USA)- Wilmington, NC (USA)
To find out information on your city launch and/or planning meetings, please check out our Local Teams page and then click through to the SMC wiki. The great thing we have found is that you too can start an SMC chapter in your town – so just add your city on to the wiki if its not there and review the ideas and insights on the wiki about what you can do to be more successful with your efforts.
We are also hosting a weekly chapter call where we answer questions around what is needed to launch Social Media Club in your local city, how to develop awareness campaigns, discuss topics/conversations that have worked well in other chapters, securing sponsorships, and so much more. The calls take place every Wednesday, and alternate weekly – at either 8am PST or 5:30pm PST – an updated schedule is available online in the Social Media Club events calendar.
The conference call dial-in number is (269) 320-8400, and the access code is 509633#.
These calls are recorded and are available for listening up to one week follownig each call.
We do ask that you review the follwoing items before you jump on the call:
- SMC Chapter Guidelines
- 30-minute podcast SMC Founder, Chris Heuer, did with SMC Louisville Chapter Leader, Jason Falls, on organizing a Local Social Media Club. Take a listen.
We are still working to get some stronger organizational tools in place before launching more cities, but found…sometimes…you just need to let it happen and worry about the details later. If this has been frustrating for you, we would like to apologize, but we only have so much time in the day and have been doing this as a labor of love as opposed to doing it as a paying job.We appreciate your patience and your continued support of our growth, hopefully in a city near you soon!
Welcome to our SMB and Professional Members!
May 7, 2009
We’d like to acknowledge our new Small and Medium Business Members and Professional Members here. Thank you ever so much for opening your heart, and your wallet, to support the mission of Social Media Club.
- SMB Members: William Gaultier (e-Storm), Lars Wehmeyer (Formatune)
- Professional Members: Jon Wollenhaupt, Michael Rupert, Beth Schillaci, Mark Williams, Joan Lockwood, Christina Jones, Clay McDaniel,Shauna Causey, Carol Whittington, Linda Ziskind, Karen O’Brien, Susan Main, Geoff Brown, Jessie Zhou, Ron Ledesma, Josef Chervenka, Zena Weist, Kate Miltner, James Huckfeldt, Jessica Baker, Rick Simmons, Barbara Daniels, Kelly Mitchell, Todd Pitt, Christopher Hayes, Olivia Haist, Joseph Ortenzi, Melissa DelGaudio, Monie TenBroeck, Kathleen Nixon, Barbara Rozgonyi, Pankaj Kedia, David Nugent, Chris Chandler, Gaby Castellanos
It’s hard to ask for money in these economic times, but we would be honored if you were able to join as a paid member so that we can continue sharing our knowledge and bringing people together to expand our collective abilities.
If you are able to support us financially to continue our work, please register here and we look forward to welcoming you officially to the SMC family!
Welcome to our SMB and Professional Members!
February 6, 2009
We’d like to acknowledge our latest Small and Medium Business Members and Professional Members here. Thank you ever so much for opening your heart, and your wallet, to support the mission of Social Media Club.
- SMB Members: Betsy Weber (Techsmith), Shelly Milam and Craig Oda (Page One PR), Jesse Engle, Aaron Gotwalt and Kyle Sollenberger (LaunchAbility)
- Professional Members: Kaarli Tasso, Murray Izenwasser, Jennifer Graddy, David Politis, Anne Bertelsen, John Swords, Catherine Martin, Christian Giangreco, Rachel Weatherly, Samir Balwani, JD Norton, Denise Ryan, Elisa Haidt, Gloria Bell, Nicole Swank, Debbi Jarvis, Stefan Möhler, Michelle Da Roza, Rebecca Keen, and Brian Remmel.
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Social Media Club Advisory Group News
- Alex de Carvalho will be on the Digital Tsunami: Breaking News at Breakneck Speeds panel at SXSWi in Austin, TX. For more on Alex, please visit StartPR
- Howard Greenstein will be speaking on Building Your Business on Social Networks in Chicago, IL on February 26th. For more on Howard, please visit Harbrooke Group.
- Chris Heuer will be leading a session on the Death of Advertising at Northern Voice/MooseCamp in Vancouver, BC on February 20th and will be speaking at the Next 09 conference in Hamburg, Germany on May 5th. For more on Chris, please visit AdHocnium.
- Connie Reece has several speaking engagements coming up with the first on February 27th at the Women’s Business Conference 2009 in Austin, TX. Connie will also be profiled in the March issue of Austin Woman magazine in a special feature”Blogistas + Social Media Mavens” section. For more on Connie, please visit Every Dot Connects.
SMC News: December 2008
December 19, 2008
In this issue:
- The Year Behind, The Year Ahead
- Getting All Official Like: Filing the 501c3
- Welcome New Members!
- New Website, Events Calendar (and more)
- Member Badge Now Available
- Local Chapter News
- Social Media Workshops: 2009 Planning Begins
- Conference Discounts Available to SMC Members
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The Year Behind, The Year Ahead:
Recently, during the Social Media Club South Florida meeting earlier this week at Yahoo’s Miami offices, Chris Heuer delivered his first annual ‘State of the Club’ address over Ustream. It was a last minute decision, which will be promoted further in advance next year so you can join the chat online as a dozen plus other people did. Some of the highlights are talked about in more detail below, but the big picture is this
- We have 33 active cities now with 37 more forming very soon
- We took in approximately $13,000 in membership fees this year and a little bit of money from our workshop in Hawaii and other smaller events – this was against approximately $20k in expenses, meaning Chris and Kristie are still funding some of the organization on their credit cards
- A lot of good things are happening soon, details below
You will be able to view the live discussion, which includes a look ahead at Social Media in 2009, on the SMC website [will update the post over the weekend], and you can follow along with Chris’s slides on SlideShare.
——————–
Getting All Official Like: Filing the 501c3
Yes folks, we finally did it. We sent the paperwork and the check in to receive our 501c3 non-profit status from the IRS. We are told it could take months to finalize this, but it feels good to have that ‘in the works’ now. As such we will be seeking nominations for our formal board of directors as well as a few workgroup leaders at the beginning of January. The initial board consists of Howard Greenstein, Serena Ehrlich, Todd Defren, Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells. We are looking forward to having representative directors based on the wishes of paying members, so if you want to be considered, or would like to be part of the process – send an email to kristie [at] socialmediaclub.org and watch the Web site (or RSS feed) for more details in January.
——————–
Welcome to our SMB and Professional Members:
We’d like to acknowledge our new Small and Medium Business Members and Professional Members here. Thank you ever so much for opening your heart, and your wallet, to support the mission of Social Media Club.
- SMB Members: J.J. Toothman and Holly Hagen (Shiny New Toy), Mike Volpe (Hubspot), Frederik Hermann (Jajah), Brian Flatow (The Ad Store), Tami Casey and Danielle Salvato (Kulesa Public Relations)
- Professional Members: Jennifer Lindsay, Charlotte Ziems, Sarah Mason, Dave Peck, Dahna Chandler, Erin Bray, Jean Shirk, Adam Hirsch, Eric Doyle, Steve Radick, Yvette Ferry, Shwen Gwee, Pamela Abbazia, Jeff Cole, Des Walsh, Peter Fasano, Antonio Viva, Jack Hadley, Simon Small, Lynn Miller, Chris Lynn, Sean Davis, Pierre-Yves Platini, Pete Codella, Dale Larson, Vanessa Rhinesmith
Each of the members mentioned above will receive a Social Media Club Member Kit that includes a membership card, t-shirt and stickers. They also get included in the SMC Member Badge, which includes a member directory, events calendar, and featured posts from all paying members ($100 level+). Also, members receive three free job postings on http://socialmediajobs.com/ with other benefits being added soon. We will continue to beef the kits up as time goes on with other promotional items, discounts and various other benefits, so stay tuned for further announcements!
It’s hard to ask for money in these economic times, but we would be honored if you were able to join as a paid member so that we can continue sharing our knowledge and bringing people together to expand our collective abilities. If you are able to support us financially to continue our work, please register here, and we look forward to welcoming you officially to the SMC family!
——————–
New Website, Events Calendar (and more)…
November was a busy month for us as we launched our new website, events calendar and a shiny new member badge (more on that below) all in an effort to help you to connect with local chapters, social media practitioners and continue learning (and teaching).
We still have some work to do on the website, but are happy with the progress being made.
Want to know what Social Media related events are happening in your neighborhood? Make sure you check out the new Events Calendar that highlights the local chapter events, and other conferences and seminars we think you might be interested in. Even better is the ability for you to feature any Social Media related event members should know about by filling out the form offered on the bottom of the events calendar page.
We are always on the lookout for interesting content to share with our community, if you have a video or an article you would like help promoting, please send us an email to socialmediaclub [at] gmail.com and we will work to get it up on the website. Likewise for any good presentations or video on teaching social media we might be able to feature on our home page.
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Member Badge Now Available
We released the Social Media Club Member Badge to highlight those who folks within our community to help promote you and the work you do. They way it works is every day we go through all of the blog posts written by members and select the best posts on Social Media, which then get featured inside the badge. The badge also has a member’s directory of professional members ($100 level+) and an events calendar that we also just recently launched. It also features a book store of the most interesting books written by members and friends of Social Media Club.
We would like to thank Chris Carfi and his excellent team from Cerado who developed the badge for us. There are going to be some even better developments put into the badge during Q1 we think you will really appreciate.
To get your SMC Member Badge, go to Cerado’s site where you will find both mobile versions as well as a code snippet for your favorite dashboard service (netvibes, iGoogle, etc), web site or blog.
<ad-sponsor-request> If you are interested in sponsoring the badge and the various mobile versions of it, we are currently getting around 2500 views per day on it and seeking a monthly sponsor for $1,000 which is around a $14cpm, but distribution is growing as is page views. </ad-sponsor-request>
——————–
Local Chapter News
Fall 2008 has been a busy time when it comes to chapter launches, and it doesn’t look like it is going to slow down in Spring 2009 either. We are still working to get some stronger organizational tools in place before launching more cities, but found…sometimes…you just need to let it happen and worry about the details later. J If this has been frustrating for you, we would like to apologize, but we only have so much time in the day and have been doing this as a labor of love as opposed to doing it as a paying job. We appreciate your patience and your continued support of our growth, hopefully in a city near you soon!
Here is what has been happening and what is being planned (that we know of):
OCTOBER:
- Chapter Launches: Chicago, IL (USA) – Indianapolis, IN (USA) – Las Vegas, NV (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Charlotte, NC (USA) – Honolulu/Waikiki, HI (USA) – London (UK)
NOVEMBER:
- Chapter Launches: Atlanta, GA (USA) – San Diego, CA (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Jacksonville, FL (USA)
DECEMBER:
- Chapter Launches: London (UK)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Greenville, SC (USA) – Orange County, CA (USA) – Seattle, WA (USA)
JANUARY:
- Chapter Launches: Greenville, SC (USA) – Salt Lake City, UT (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Detroit/Ann Arbor, MI (USA) – Hamburg (Germany) – New Orleans, LA (USA) – Orlando, FL (USA) – Portland, OR (USA) – Tampa, FL (USA) – Toronto, ON (Canada) – Tucson, AZ (USA)
To find out information on your city launch and/or planning meetings, please visit the SMC Wiki and click on the city nearest you. The great thing we have found is that you too can start an SMC chapter in your town – so just add your city if its not there and review the ideas and insights on the wiki about what you can do to be more successful with your efforts.
We are also hosting a weekly chapter call where we answer questions around what is needed to launch Social Media Club in your local city, how to develop awareness campaigns, discuss topics/conversations that have worked well in other chapters, securing sponsorships, and so much more.
The calls take place every Wednesday, and alternate weekly – at either 8am PST or 5:30pm PST – an updated schedule is available online in the Social Media Club events calendar. The conference call dial-in number is (269) 320-8400, and the access code is 509633#. These calls are recorded and will be posted shortly on the SMC website.
We do ask that you review the SMC Chapter Guidelines (scroll down to the bottom of the post) before you jump on the call and if you have time, you might check out this 30-minute podcast SMC Founder, Chris Heuer, did with SMC Louisville Chapter Leader, Jason Falls, on Organizing a Local Social Media Club. Take a listen.
——————–
Social Media Workshops: 2009 Planning Begins
We are starting to plan for the next year and are looking at bringing the Social Media Workshop to several cities around the world.
We will be contacting local chapter leaders shortly to see about interest in hosting one in their city, and welcome your thoughts on where these should take place too. Please send your suggestions to events [at] socialmediaclub.com and we will publish the list shortly. Plans include both a US and European ‘tour’ with the possibility of adding in Australia and perhaps China. Stay tuned for more details
——————–
Conference Discounts Available to SMC Members
I am pleased to pass along discounts provided to members of the Social Media Club (SMC) community for the following events:
- Blogwell: January 22, 2009 in Chicago, IL (USA) – Discount is 15% off ticket price. Just mention SMC when registering.
- Social Networking Forum: March 9-10, 2009 in London (UK) – Discount Available: 15% off ticket price. Please register using this special form to ensure you receive the discount.
Other conferences happening around the world we think you might be interested in:
- Social Media Jungle: January 7, 2009 in Las Vegas, NV (USA)
- Chicks Who Click: January 9-10, 2009 in Boulder, CO (USA)
- SoCon09: February 6-7, 2009 in Atlanta, GA (USA)
- SXSW Interactive: March 13-17, 2009 in Austin, TX (USA)
Also, keep on the lookout for more details about Pool 2.0: The Ultimate Tech Pool Tournament which will be held on Sunday, March 15th in Austin TX at Buffalo Billiards from 8-midnight. Paid SMC Members get in free, while others will pay a small fee to offset the costs of the free beer, live music and charitable tie-ins. If you want your company to field a team – check out this post on the event and then contact chris [at] socialmediaclub.org for more details.
——————–
Be well you Media mavens.
Cheers,
Chris and Kristie
Website – http://www.socialmediaclub.org
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/SocialMediaClub
Facebook – http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Social-Media-Club/13521448764
FriendFeed – http://friendfeed.com/rooms/social-media-club
Social Media Club: Chapter Launches
November 15, 2008
Are you interested in launching Social Media Club in your local city? Need a little help growing your existing chapter? On the hunt for interesting topics?
Join us on our weekly chapter call where we answer questions around what is needed to launch Social Media Club in your local city, how to develop awareness campaigns, discuss topics/conversations that have worked well in other chapters, securing sponsorships, and so much more. The calls take place every Wednesday, and alternate weekly – between 8am PST and 5:30pm PST. An updated schedule is available online in the Social Media Club events calendar. We know these times are not ideal for the International crowd, so feel free to email kristie [at] socialmediaclub.org to schedule an alternate time as needed.
The conference call info is as follows:
Conference Dial-in Number: (269) 320-8400
Access Code: 509633#
We will be recording each call, so if you are not able to join us live – feel free to take a listen when time allows:
Playback Number: (269) 320-8499
Access Code: 509633#
We recently launched an official chapter launch guide, and encourage everyone to review these BEFORE you join the call so we all have a baseline to work from:
- See if your city is already meeting
- SMC Chapter Guidelines
- SMC Founder, Chris Heuer, also interviewed SMC Louisville Chapter Leader, Jason Falls, recently on Organizing a Local Social Media Club. This is a 30-minute podcast, please take a listen.
We have seen a bit of of pick up in requests to launch Social Media Club chapters as of late, and we will start posting a monthly update on what cities are ‘in the works’ to keep everyone posted. To get us current, here is where we are:
OCTOBER:
- Chapter Launches: Chicago, IL (USA) – Indianapolis, IN (USA) – Las Vegas, NV (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Charlotte, NC (USA) – Honolulu/Waikiki, HI (USA) – London (UK)
NOVEMBER:
- Chapter Launches: Atlanta, GA (USA) – San Diego, CA (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Jacksonville, FL (USA)
DECEMBER:
- Chapter Launches: London (UK)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): Detroit/Ann Arbor, MI (USA) – New Orleans, LA (USA) – Orlando, FL (USA) – Portland, OR (USA) – Tampa, FL (USA) – Toronto, ON (Canada) – Tucson, AZ (USA)
JANUARY:
- Chapter Launches: Salt Lake City, UT (USA)
- Planning Meetings (preparing for launch): TBD
To find out information on your city launch and/or planning meetings, please visit the SMC Wiki and click on the city nearest you.


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