Join us on Tuesday, April 24 at 415 Westlake for a conversation with Alex Wheeler, vice president of global digital marketing at Starbucks, about how Starbucks keeps ahead of the curve in the ever-growing competition for the hearts, minds, and tumbler mugs of the consumer.

How do you measure that? It’s a common question those in social hear on an (almost) daily basis. For some, it’s cause for concern, but for those who have a plan and tools in place, it’s a chance to flex their analytics muscle. This March, we’re going to be doing a lot of flexing!

Join us on Tuesday March 20 (we’re making a slight departure from our normal last-Tuesday rotation, so mark your calendar) for a deep dive into social analytics with Chuck Hemann, Director of Analytics for WCG. We’ll be taking our discussion straight to City Hall – literally – for a great event sponsored by social SaaS juggernaut Vitrue. For those of you looking to avoid parking in the area, we’re team up with our friends at Uber Seattle again to provide transport to and from the event.

So, put on your analytics hat and come prepared for a night filled with numbers, networking, and definitely a few laughs.

Get your tickets here.

About the Speaker

Over the last seven years, Chuck Hemann provided strategic counsel to clients on a variety of topics including digital analytics, measurement, online reputation, social media, investor relations and crisis communications. Prior to joining Edelman Digital, he was VP of Digital Strategy and Analytics for Ogilvy Public Relations. Before joining Ogilvy, he was the Director of Social Analytics for WCG, a global media services company based in San Francisco.

Chuck started his career working for Dix & Eaton, a full-service communications firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was responsible for supplying research and information for all of the firm’s practice areas including media relations, marketing communications and investor relations. He also co-chaired the firm’s digital communications practice.

Chuck is a former Fellow of the Society for New Communications Research, a global, nonprofit research and education foundation think tank focused on the latest developments in media and communications. He is the co-organizer of the Social Media Business Summit Track at BlogWorld Expo, a frequent speaker on the topics of influence, measurement and digital analytics.

About Our Event Sponsor

Vitrue

Vitrue is the leading Social Relationship Management (SRM) platform, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology, that partners with brands, marketers and agencies around the world to maximize their social community engagement. The Vitrue SRM platform gives brands the ability to scale across multiple social networks, target global to local, and publish content that drives and facilitates the two-way dialogue between brands and their fans. In addition, Vitrue, an original Facebook Preferred Developer Consultant, provides clients access to deep analytics, industry insights and best practices, product training options and high-touch customer service, giving brands a competitive advantage.

Vitrue on the Web: www.vitrue.com

Vitrue on Twitter: @Vitrue

Vitrue on Facebook: http://facebook.com/vitrue

About Our Venue Sponsor

Seattle City Council

The Seattle City Council is committed to ensuring that Seattle is safe, livable and sustainable. These nine Councilmembers are elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections and represent the entire City, elected by all Seattle voters. The Council approves the City’s budget, develops laws and policies that promote the health and safety of Seattle’s residents and oversees the City’s police, fire, parks, libraries, and electric, water, solid waste, and drainage utilities.

The public is encouraged to join Councilmembers at all full Council and committee meetings and comment on current legislation by signing up before the start of each meeting. Visit the Council’s website for meeting calendars, agendas and video footage.

Seattle City Council on the Web: http://www.seattle.gov/council

Seattle City Council on Twitter: @SeattleCouncil

Seattle City Council on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/seattlecouncil

About Our Transportation Sponsor

Uber Seattle

Have you always dreamed of having your own private driver? Well, dream no more! Uber is an innovative black car service which helps you request a swanky ride with the tap of an app. And, SMC attendees get their first ride FREE. Just download the app to your phone, enter the promo code “SEA_SMCMAR” and request away! Within moments a fancy car with a lovely driver will whisk you away in style.

Existing Uberers: 50% off your ride to and from the SMC Seattle event! Just enter promo code “SEA_SMCMAR50″ before riding.

Sign up here.

The global markets have changed. Where brands and corporations once ruled, customers are rising up and making decisions with their wallets (and conversations). Is your company ready to be a part of this change?

Join Social Media Club Seattle (SMC Seattle) at 415 Westlake on Tuesday, February 28 for a talk featuring Sean Moffitt, author, strategist, and all around good guy. He’ll walk us through some of the main points from his book “Wikibrands: Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace” and look at how things are the same (and yet very different) now in 2012.

We’ll also have some great discussions and a great group of people. Hope to see you there. Buy your tickets here.

About the Speaker

Sean Moffitt is author of the 2011 award-winning book – Wikibrands – Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace , Managing Director or the Wikibrands customer engagement consultancy and President, Agent Wildfire Strategy & Communications Inc., a leading new media, social influence, word of mouth and customer engagement firm based out of Toronto, Canada.

With one foot in traditional business and another in new digital worlds, he has previously led the efforts behind established brands Molson, Guinnness, and Proctor & Gamble in exective roles and now partners with many Fortune 500s and startups as an evangelist for web-enabled customer engagement and collaboration in business. Visit www.wiki-brands.com, www.agentwildfire.com, and his blog “Buzz Canuck” for his musings on all things web, marketing, and new culture or contact him on Twitter at @seanmoffitt.

About Our Sponsors

Google Places

Google Places is a local recommendation engine that connects people with the places they love. You can easily find, rate and review places you’re familiar with, share your opinions with friends, and as you and your friends rate and review more places, you’ll see recommendations based on your tastes and those of your friends in your local search results. Google Places is great for users, as it helps them find new places they might like, and it’s great for businesses and organizations to help them get discovered and increase awareness.

Also, stay tuned during the event for a special contest from Google Places!

Google Seattle on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GoogleSeattle

Google Places Comm. Mgr.: http://twitter.com/charleskoh

Charle’s Google+: http://gplus.to/ckoh

Google Places on the Web: http://google.com/places

2011 was a year filled with incredible advancements in the digital and social spaces. Companies and tools came on the scene and caused a ruckus, while others snuck out the back door. With 2012 right around the corner, it’s time to put on our prognosticator hats and make some predictions.

Join us on Tuesday, December 13 for an Ignite-style event, sponsored by Bing featuring a growing list of area and industry experts that will focus on coming trends and how social will impact our lives in the coming year (and beyond). Come help us send 2011 out with a bang!

December Event Details -

Date – Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Time – 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location – Microsoft Main Campus (Redmond)

Tickets – $10 (Includes Drinks and Appetizers)

About the Speakers:

Mark Briggs, King 5

Mark Briggs is the author of Entrepreneurial Journalism, a book about the rise of journalism startups and how to start your own journalism business. It was published by CQPress and released in October 2011. He is currently director of digital media for King 5 Television in Seattle and a Ford Fellow in Entrepreneurial Journalism at The Poynter Institute. Previously, he co-founded Serra Media, a
Seattle-based technology company, and spent nine years running newspaper websites in Everett and Tacoma, Wash.

Kushal Chakrabarti

Kushal began working on Vittana on a gut feeling in 2007. After months of talking to anyone who would return his calls, reading everything he could find on education and microfinance, and putting together different pieces of the organization, Kushal decided to devote himself full-time to Vittana in May 2008.

Previously, Kushal ran technology for a billion-dollar team at Amazon.com and is the author of 20+ patents, papers and talks. In his free time, he runs Ironman triathlons and trains guide dogs for the blind. Kushal was named one of Seattle’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2010 and the Greatest Person of the Day by the Huffington Post in 2011.

Donald DeSantis

Donald DeSantis is a developer and designer at TechStars company Giant Thinkwell. In his free time, he travels to faraway cities and helps ensure that Startup Weekend events are awesome. You can find him on Twitter at @donalddesantis.

Pascal Schuback, King Country Office of Emergency Management

Pascal Schuback is a Core member and the Seattle city lead for CrisisCommons. Pascal’s day time job is a full time Emergency Management Program Manager at King County Office of Emergency Management.  He is presenting on behalf of CrisisCommons and how they use the integration of technology, open data in emergency management/public safety arena and global crisis and humanitarian aid.  With a focus to better prepare, plan, respond and recover from all types of disasters.

About the Sponsor

Bing is more than just a search engine; it’s a decision engine that provides useful tools to help you make more informed decisions and get what you want fast.

Find Bing on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/bing

Find Bing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bing

Find Bing on the Web: www.bing.com

About SMC Seattle

SMC Seattle fosters an online community where diverse groups of people who care about social media can come together to discover, connect, share, and learn. To learn more, visithttp://smcseattle.com/, follow SMC Seattle on Twitter: http://twitter.com/smcseattle or become a Fan of Social Media Club on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SMCSeattle

These days, the hip question to ask is whether to invest resources in SEO or social media. But if you get rid of the silos and instead focus on reaching your audience and solving their problems, you can reach customers via both search and social media more easily than if you just focused on one or the other.

Join Social Media Club Seattle (SMC Seattle) at the Seattle Art Museum on Tuesday, October 25 for a presentation featuring Vanessa Fox, author of the critically acclaimed “Marketing in the Age of Google: Your Online Strategy IS Your Business.” She’ll discuss the intersection of search and social and how to harness the power of holistic marketing (search AND social) for increased brand awareness.

October Event Details

Date – Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Time – 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location – Seattle Art Museum

1300 1st Ave.
Seattle, Washington
www.seattleartmuseum.org/

Tickets – $15.00

Parking – Street parking, paid lots, and valet services available

About the Speaker:

Vanessa Fox, called a “cyberspace visionary” by Seattle Business Monthly, is an expert in understanding customer acquisition from organic search. She shares her perspective on how this impacts marketing and user experience and how all business silos (including developers and marketers) can work together towards greater search visibility at ninebyblue.com

She’s also an entrepreneur-in-residence with Ignition Partners and Features Editor at Search Engine Land. She previously created Google’s Webmaster Central, which provides both tools and community to help website owners improve their sites to gain more customers from search. Her book, Marketing in the Age of Google, provides a blueprint for incorporating search strategy into organizations of all levels.

About the Sponsor:

Efficient Frontier is a leader in online digital marketing, managing and optimizing search marketing, display and social media campaigns for advertisers and agencies around the world.

Context Optional is the top Facebook Preferred Development Consultant and provider of social marketing management solutions for brands on the leading social networks, including Facebook and Twitter. Together, Efficient Frontier and Context Optional offer the only unified ads and engagement solution for brands to acquire, activate and drive value from fans across the customer lifecycle.

SMC Seattle and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association have teamed up to present the Talkable Brands Exchange here in Seattle. We’d love for you to register now for the event and come learn from top brands on how they have created and leveraged their brand advocates.

What goes better after a conference filled with learning about word of mouth marketing and meeting some of the brightest minds in the space? Why, spending more time with them at the official closing happy hour hosted by SMC Seattle, of course! Also, you’ll have the chance to go deeper into the topics of the day as speakers and panelists from the WOMMA event will be onhand.

Join Social Media Club Seattle (SMC Seattle) and WOMMA on Wednesday, September 21 for a reception filled with good food, great drinks, and amazing conversations. The event, hosted at Bell Harbor International Conference Center, will be the perfect way to cap off a great day-long event. Don’t forget, WOMMA Talkable Brands Exchange attendees receive free admission to the reception, so sign up today.

There will be giveaways throughout the night, including a pass and lodging for WOMMA’s national summit in lovely Las Vegas, Nevada. So, be there and bring your lucky shoes because you could be headed on a trip filled with great learnings, interesting people, and maybe a little table time courtesy of WOMMA and SMC Seattle.

Register for the WOMMA Talkable Brands Exchange here.

Register for the SMC Seattle Closing Happy Hour here.

September Event Details

Date – Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Time – 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location – Bell Harbor International Conference Center

2203 Alaskan Way, Pier 66
Seattle, Washington
P: 206.787.3952
www.bellharbor.com

Tickets – Free for WOMMA Talkable Brands Exchange attendees. $10 for non-attendees of the WOMMA Talkable Brands Exchange event (limited to 100 tickets).

Parking – Street parking, paid lots, and valet services available

The world of social commerce is growing quickly. In order to be successful, brands need to not only be on top of technology trends, but also get their audiences. In most cases, those audiences are made up of segments from Generation Z – the socially-connected, always-on, share-til-they-drop audience that fuels purchases and influences their friends.

Join Social Media Club Seattle (SMC Seattle) at WithinSodo on Tuesday, August 30 for a talk featuring Kathy Savitt, Lockerz founder and CEO. She’ll discuss the inherent challenges in online marketing to Generation Z and touch on some of the ways brands are finding connections with these active social citizens.

The topic of social commerce is a hot one, so we’re taking this month’s event to a new space with a great outdoor area. We’ll also have some great entertainment, music, and a great group of people to keep the party going on into the night.

Visit http://smcseaaug11.eventbrite.com/ to reserve your spot!

About the Speaker

KathySavitt is a former Amazon and American Eagle Outfitters executive and is currently the founder and CEO of social commerce company Lockerz. Created from Kathy’s vision to create the homepage for Generation Z, Lockerz has grown from 50 members to nearly 18 million members in less than one year. Kathy believes that the power of Gen Z as cultural disrupters will significantly impact both prior and future generations. Lockerz is funded by Liberty Media, Kleiner Perkins Caufied Byers and Live Nation Entertainment. A major source of her inspiration is her two teenage daughters.

About Our Sponsors

Google Places

Google Places is a local recommendation engine that connects people with the places they love. You can easily find, rate and review places you’re familiar with, share your opinions with friends, and as you and your friends rate and review more places, you’ll see recommendations based on your tastes and those of your friends in your local search results. Google Places is great for users, as it helps them find new places they might like, and it’s great for businesses and organizations to help them get discovered and increase awareness.

Also, stay tuned during the event for a special contest from
Google Places!

Google Seattle on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GoogleSeattle

Google Places Comm. Mgr.: http://twitter.com/charleskoh

Charle’s Google+: http://gplus.to/ckoh

Google Places on the Web: http://google.com/places

Votocracy

Votocracy is a social media platform that harnesses the power and reach of Facebook and Twitter while putting the fun, passion and public engagement back into politics. For as little as $1, any man, woman or teen of voting age can register and start their campaign with Votocracy and gain access to millions of potential supporters through social media networks, daily interactive polls, national advertising campaigns, Votocracy’s online community, and through offline events. The brainchild of a speculative “well if I were President” dinner conversation among seasoned marketing and technology veterans, Votocracy aims to be the great political equalizer and return the voice of politics back to the people. Learn more or jump into the action at www.Votocracy.com

Votocracy on Facebook (app): http://apps.facebook.com/votocracy

Votocracy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/votocracy

Votocracy on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/votocracy

Votocracy on the Web: www.votocracy.com

Join Social Media Club Seattle (SMC Seattle) at Seattle City Hall on Tuesday, June 28 for a panel featuring Jason Reid and Adam Brown of Sonicsgate fame, CommonCraft founder Lee LeFever, and Ben Crawford of Epipheo Studios. SMC President-elect Shauna Causey will moderate the panel of experts which will touch on storytelling in the video age, creating great content and using social media to spread their messages and engage viewers.

Event Details:

Date – Tuesday, June 28

Time – 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location – Seattle City Hall, Bertha Knight Landes Room, 600 Fourth
Ave., Seattle, WA 98104

Tickets – $15 (includes two drink tickets and appetizers)

Parking – Street parking available as well as paid lots nearby

About the Panelists

Jason Reid (Sonicsgate) – Jason has worked in film and video production in Seattle, where he was born and raised, for the last 7 years. He attended the University of Washington and graduated with distinction in 2000 with a double major in Cinema Studies and Comparative Literature. He now owns his own production company, 2R Productions, and works with companies such as Microsoft, Costco, and Nordstrom regularly. In regards to creative projects, over the last 5 years he has amassed a large body
of work consisting of a feature film, short narrative films, documentaries, and music videos, which he has produced, directed, and/or edited. Reid also received a regional EMMY for his film “Man Zou: Beijing to Shanghai.”

Adam Brown (Sonicsgate) –  Adam is a dedicated film producer with a diverse background in content creation, media campaigns, digital marketing and event management. He graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Communication and Journalism, writing articles for magazines such as Klipsun, What’s Up! and The Planet while playing guitar in local rock, funk and hip-hop bands. After moving back to the Seattle area and gaining experience in marketing positions with IntelliTax Software, Loud Technologies and Microsoft, he became Media Director for the nonprofit group Save Our Sonics in 2007. In 2009, he produced, co-wrote and co-edited the Webby Award-winning feature documentary film Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team (2009), going on to start up his professional media company Press and Promotion later that year. In addition to creating media content for corporate clients, Adam is currently producing several independent film projects and leading the promotional campaigns for recent films such as Back to the Garden: Flower Power Comes Full Circle (2009) and the Emmy® Award-winning Man Zou: Beijing to Shanghai (2010).

Sonicsgate on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sonicsgate

Lee LeFever – Lee LeFever is the founder and principal of Common Craft, producers of the popular series of paper-and-whiteboard video explanations. Since 2007 Common Craft’s videos have been viewed over 35 million times online and the company has worked on custom video projects with LEGO, Visa, Intel, Ford and Google among others. Common Craft’s current focus is making videos that help educators shine. Lee and his wife Sachi are Common Craft’s only employees and work from their home studio in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood.

Commoncraft online: http://www.commoncraft.com

Lee on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leelefever

Common Craft on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/commoncraft

Common Craft on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/commoncraft

Ben Crawford – Ben Crawford is one of the co-founders of Epipheo Studios which is one of the most popular and successful producers of explanatory videos. They call their videos ”epipheos” which is a combination of the words epiphany and video. Since they released their super popular epipheo “What is Google Wave” they have been able to sign some of the top web companies in the world as their clients, including, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, NBC, etc. and of course Google on several occasions.

Epipheo online: http://www.epipheostudios.com

Epipheo on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/epipheo

Ben on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/3enCrawford

About Our Sponsors

Seattle City Council

The Seattle City Council is committed to ensuring that Seattle is safe, livable and sustainable. These nine Councilmembers are elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections and represent the entire City, elected by all Seattle voters. The Council approves the City’s budget, develops laws and policies that promote the health and safety of Seattle’s residents and oversees the City’s police, fire, parks, libraries, and electric, water, solid waste, and drainage utilities.

The public is encouraged to join Councilmembers at all full Council and committee meetings and comment on current legislation by signing up before the start of each meeting. Visit the Council’s website for meeting calendars, agendas and video footage.

Seattle City Council online: http://www.seattle.gov.council

Seattle City Council on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SeattleCouncil

Seattle City Council on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SeattleCouncil

United Way of King Country

United Way of King County brings caring people together to give, volunteer and take action to help people in need and solve our community’s toughest challenges. Together, we can do more to meet basic needs, end homelessness and ensure every child in King County has an equal chance to succeed.

United Way of King County online: http://www.uwkc.org/

United Way of King County Twitter: http://twitter.com/UnitedWayKC

United Way of King County on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Way-of-King-County/151932322263

February Event Details: Date: Thursday, March 24 Time: 6 to 9:30 p.m. Location: Ray’s Boathouse – 6049 Seaview Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107 Donation Levels: $30 – Attendee // $50 – Silver // $100 – Gold (Note: Appetizers and one drink ticket included with any donation amount) About FareStart: Over the past 19 years, FareStart has provided culinary training opportunities to nearly 5,000 people in need. Through their intensive 16-week program, FareStart empowers and prepares more than 600 homeless and disadvantaged men and women each year for jobs in the food services industry. With more than 80% of program graduates securing living-wage employment, it’s evident that FareStart plays a critical role in restoring hope and rebuilding lives in our community. To hear some moving stories straight from FareStart students, check out this YouTube video. To learn more about FareStart’s history and mission, or to make a reservation at their delectable downtown Seattle restaurant, visit their website. To hear about their latest venture, a national collaborative network aimed to maximize the scale of their impact, visit Catalyst Kitchens.

Special thanks to our lead sponsors, Microsoft Alumni Association (MSA) and Zebigo!

About MSA:

The Microsoft Alumni Network (MSA) helps support former Microsoft employees as they move on to pursue new opportunities. The official membership organization for Microsoft alumni worldwide, MSA, enables more than 18,000 Microsoft alumni to benefit from valuable connections, career opportunities, and exclusive discounts on products and services.

Microsoft Alumni Network: https://www.microsoftalumni.com Twitter: @microsoftalumni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/MicrosoftAlumni

 

About Zebigo:

Zebigo is an on-demand, dynamic ride sharing system and community for drivers and riders. Through our proprietary software at http://zebigo.com and mobile applications, we match drivers and riders commuting to and from work, going to sports and entertainment events, or for one-way trips. Riders pay drivers by the mile plus a $0.49 transaction fee to Zebigo.com for making the match. Find out some average prices a rider would pay at https://zebigo.com/faq.php#how-much2 and see how much you can save (or earn as a driver!) by ride sharing. Zebigo: http://zebigo.com Twitter: @zebigo Facebook: http://facebook.com/zebigo

Thanks to the following local companies for providing great items for Seattle Twestival attendees!

Thinkspace

Microsoft Xbox

Anacortes Brewery

Pan Pacific Hotel