Good luck on the million bucks part, but guess what: Twestival Seattle has the rest covered!

On Thursday, March 25th thousands of people in cities around the globe will gather face-to-face to use social media for social good at Twestival! All Twestival gatherings are volunteer-driven, and 100 percent of the event proceeds go directly to Concern Worldwide, an inspiring international humanitarian organization that works to make education more accessible for some of the world’s poorest children. For more information on the history and impact of Twestival, visit: http://twestival.com/

So, what about the flying part? We’re lucky enough to have Emerald City Trapeze in our ‘hood, and they’ve generously offered their space to be the official venue of Twestival! And, thanks to Spring Creek Group for sponsoring the “air time,” a few lucky attendees will get the opportunity to ‘fly high’ learning trapeze basics. There are 60 flying spots available and if you’re interested, please email ShaunaCausey-at-gmail-dot-com. If you’re one of the first 50 to respond, you’ll get a chance to take one or two swings, under the guidance of the talented Emerald City Trapeze instructors,of course. If you’re not interested in trying it out for yourself, don’t worry, there will be a professional flying show later in the evening so we can watch the best in the Northwest perform. Most creative Twestival venue ever? We think so! Follow @TwestivalSea for more unfolding updates.

Twestival Seattle Details
Date – Thursday, March 25
Location – Emerald City Trapeze (2702 6th Avenue South in SODO.)
Time – 7:00 – 10:00 pm

Donation Levels –

$30 early bird / $40 regular registration (up to 1 week prior to the event)
$50 bronze donor
$75 silver donor
$100 gold/corporate donor

RSVP here! http://bit.ly/twseattle

About Concern Worldwide (@Concern): Concern Worldwide was founded in 1968 to meet the needs of people living in extreme poverty. Concern is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of poverty. Please follow @concern on Twitter to get a glimpse of their staff tweeting from around the world; including their efforts on the ground in Haiti.

A huge thanks to Swedish Medical Center (@Swedish) for being the PLATINUM Sponsor! Did you know Swedish is turning 100 this year? The original Swedish Hospital opened as a nonprofit in 1910 by Swedish immigrant and surgeon Dr. Nils Johanson. Today, Swedish is Greater Seattle’s largest nonprofit health system. They’re working to improve the health of the community in many ways, including using social media to raise awareness about health issues. Swedish Medical Center not only shares the same acronym as Social Media Club Seattle (we both go by SMC), they are also a big supporter of SMC Seattle and Twestival Seattle. Learn about contests and other fun surprises in store for their 100th birthday by following Swedish online:
@Swedish
Facebook.com/swedishbabies
Youtube.com/swedishseattle
Facebook.com/swedishmedicalcenter

Yup, it sure did.

You see, prior to SMC Seattle’s February event (which was held at Swedish Hospital’s Cherry Hill Campus), I answered quite a few questions about this exact subject. It seemed most people were really surprised that Swedish would even be interested in participating in one of our events, let alone be the lone sponsor for our February event.

But in taking a look closer, Swedish Hospital’s interest in social media may not be as surprising as you might initially think. There are actually many reasons for them to be interested in the social web and that is just one of the many things I talked with them about when I sat down with Swedish Hospital’s Melissa Tizon and Ed Boyle.

If someone were to ask you what social media, CRM and online relationships would be like in ten years, how would you respond? How about five years? Well, at SMC Seattle’s February 2010 event, Adam Sarner, research director at Gartner, offered up a few predictions:

2011: More than 2 billion people will have gone online (some estimate more).

2015: 2% of people in the U.S. will be married to people they will never meet in person.

2020: A city will elect an anonymous persona for mayor.

It’s not Personal, it’s Persona

The future of social media and customer relationship management (CRM) is built around anonymous virtual personas, says Sarner. So much so, that by 2020, that marketing and sales of products for virtual personas will outweigh traditional B2C spending. What will that future look like? Think fragmented. Whereas we currently see many social media professionals currently try to aggregate their profiles and keep a common persona, Sarner argues that the general population will have increasingly fragmented personas (ex: one for Second Life, one for parenting, one for Amazon, etc). He believes that companies will move more towards selling to the persona, rather than the person.

During his talk, Gartner’s director of research pointed out that the meritocratic atmosphere of the internet helps fuel an optimal environment to satisfy Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. As we continue to utilize the internet, Sarner believes it will be more and more important to seek self-actualization, and the beauty of the internet is that it can fulfill any human need from physiological (food, water, breathing) to self-actualization (creativity, problem solving, personal growth).

Sarner claims that we have gone from an era (Web 1.0) of fulfilling the most basic human needs (eCommerce) to an era (Web 2.0) of fulfilling our needs for esteem and belonging (personal/social voice – e.g. social media). He stated that we will not be able to complete the top of the Maslow pyramid (self-actualization) until we move to a more virtual world based entirely on personas.

The Personabot

As we move forward to fill these needs in the future, Sarner raised his most controversial prediction: the idea of “Personabots”, calling them “the killer application for Generation V[irtual]“. Personabots would work to fulfill some of the most basic physiological necessities, and human needs at the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid, while managing the most mundane social media tasks and the ever-increasing amounts of data that we’ll consume.

So what exactly is the Personabot?

“The Personabot is an automated, personality infused, self-learning, self-replicating, virtual representative that will be used as a tool for facilitating life events, from tactical to the strategic.”

-Adam Sarner

Got it? Well, imagine a world where you could set up a Personabot to set up bids for you on eBay based on your personal preferences and ideas. Imagine a world where your Personabot shops for what you need at the store automatically depending on a budget and your needs at home. Imagine a world where a Personabot goes to a hundred job interviews for you, and comes back to tell you which ones are the best fit for you.

These are all ideas in the realm of possibility for the Personabot, says Gartner’s director of research. In fact, during the Q&A afterwards, Chris Pirillo referenced a website that is already doing something similar to the idea of a Personabot called Alice; a service that manages the stock of products in your home so that you “never run out of toilet paper again”. Even still, a life ruled by sentient robots created by our preferences handling a multitude of our tasks seems far away.

Sarner answered a handful of thoughtful questions at the end of the talk, ranging from how the Personabot would truly work, to how people will be able to manage multiple virtual personas. Few topics are better at sparking provocative debate than bold predictions and prognostications of the future. This was no exception.

Only time will tell what the future will be like. At last night’s SMC Seattle event, Gartner’s Adam Sarner raised a number of bold possibilities and ideas. Though the social media world may never be like what Sarner describes, there are many aspects that we can analyze and embrace, and some probing questions we can ask ourselves about what lies ten years away. Just think: just ten years ago, the term “social media” didn’t even exist, and neither did Youtube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. What do you think the future of social media and CRM holds ten years from now?

Jaremy Rich is the curator of Seattle [Startup Digest] and the creator of heart it hate it.

This is what we call a winning combination: a customer engagement speaker, an executive chef, Seattle’s largest nonprofit health care provider and the SMC Seattle community coming together for an unforgettable February event.

Join us on February 23 at Swedish Medical Center’s Cherry Hill theatre meeting space for a glimpse into the future of social media and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) with Adam Sarner, research director at Gartner. Sarner is responsible for global coverage on CRM and analyzes customer engagement and behavior on the web with Gartner’s Customer-Centric Web team. We’re eager to hear his insights on the increasing cultural impact of what he calls “Generation Virtual.”

Your event admission includes two drink tickets and delectable treats made by an executive chef, thanks to Swedish Medical Center, along with some other exciting surprises. With only 150 tickets available (and a history of sold-out events), reserve your ticket soon to make sure you have a spot.

Many thanks to Swedish Medical Center for being the PREMIER sponsor of this month’s event! And, happy 100th birthday to Swedish!

Swedish Medical Center is not only on the cutting edge of the medical world, they’re also part of the growing world of social media. Whether you’re expecting a baby or dealing with a complex medical condition, or anything in between, Swedish has the people, technology and experience you can trust. For nearly a century, Swedish has been the premier health care provider in the Pacific Northwest. If you want to connect with some doctors and other Swedish resources on Twitter, here are some to consider: @JamesPorterMD, @PascualyMD, @DrWestGrace, @SwedishOrtho, @CureBrainCancer.

To learn more about Swedish, visit: http://www.swedish.org

Follow Swedish on Twitter: http://twitter.com/swedish

Become a Fan of Swedish on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/swedishmedicalcenter.

And if you were born at Swedish (or if you had a baby at the hospital), join the hospital’s “I’m A Swedish Baby” fan page: http://www.facebook.com/swedishbabies

February Event Details:
Date – Tuesday, February 23
Time – 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tickets – $15 includes two drink tickets and appetizers

Location – Swedish Meeting Space on Cherry Hill in the Pinard Foyer and Auditorium (downstairs from the Dining Room); follow signs when on campus

Important Note: Swedish has a few locations in the Seattle area, so please note the address to make sure you have the correct location. Map and driving directions: http://www.swedish.org/blank.cfm?id=202

Free parking available in the 16th Avenue garage. Enter from 16th Ave between E. Jefferson St. and E. Cherry St. Take a ticket and you’ll receive a parking validation sticker at the event. From the 16th Ave garage, take the Skybridge to enter the campus.

500 – 17th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122-5711
206-320-2000

TO REGISTER: http://smcseattlefeb.eventbrite.com/

Thank you to all who came out and helped us celebrate our one-year anniversary at the Spitfire Grill. As usual, our members showed up in droves, and we were pleased to have some new faces join us, too.

“It was great to have a time to say thanks to the community that has supported us all year long,” said SMC Seattle President Kevin Urie. “They are an amazing group of people that I’m just glad to be a part of.”

The event was a smashing success, and we are so glad to have had your help in raising funds for the Jolkona Foundation and one of their projects to benefit the Technology Access Foundation (TAF). We hope the raffle winners enjoy the prizes that were donated (some pretty amazing stuff was given away)!

In the end, the event raised $2,650 to support Jolkona Foundation and one of their projects, Technology Access Foundation. The funds raised will provide 35 students with science, math, technology and engineering training through Technology Access Foundation (TAF). Stay tuned for a blog post in a month as we track how our funds are helping Jolkona and the students at TAF.

It’s hard to believe an entire year has passed, and yet when we reflect on all the relationships we’ve built, the time spent planning, the things we’ve learned – well, it’s been a pretty jam-packed twelve months. The key to everything, of course, is the community. It’s what “social media” is all about, right? Building relationships and communicating in an interactive fashion. This year has been about getting to know one another and reviewing the basics; this next year will be more about growth.

“The goal of SMC Seattle is to connect, educate and empower the Seattle social media community,” said Urie.  “We’ve seen some outstanding things happen this year in the community, but we look forward to providing a more educational atmosphere in 2010.”

Some of our goals include:
·         Up-leveling our content to reflect the growing sophistication of our members. Most have the social media concept down, and are looking for more specific, targeted help. We’re going to do our best to provide that. Look for speakers to cover more detailed aspects of SM – e.g. CRM connection, strategy building, ROI tracking, etc.
·         Having larger venues in which to congregate. Ideally, we’d never have events sell out – as it stands we’re 12 for 12. We want to have room for everyone who makes time to join us.
·         Continuing the SMC EDU efforts. We want to keep offering specialty training sessions on relevant SM topics, outside of each monthly “main event.”

How can you help?
Talk to us! Let us know how we’re doing, what you’d like to see, and how you might be able to help. Perhaps your workplace has large meeting rooms available we could use. Maybe you or someone you know is an expert in some aspect of the business of social media, and could be a speaker at an event or an educational session. Possibly your company would like to sponsor an event by covering the cost of appetizers and drinks. There are several ways you can communicate with us:  via our Twitter account, by making comments here on our blog, by engaging with our LinkedIn Group, by using the discussion area of the Facebook Fan Page …if none of these quite work, you can even email us directly.
We’re looking forward to another year of learning, growing and connecting with you!

Thanks again to our sponsors, Seattle.SocialCentral.Net, Spitfire and Gist, and the businesses who so generously donated the raffle prizes, including:  Hotel Max, Kodak, The Ultimate Ears Social Media Team, Cat’s Eye Design, PRWeb, True Fabrications, and Clear Awakening.

Sometimes people come through for you in a big way. This is one of those times. As a celebration of 12 consecutive oversold events, SMC Seattle wanted to do something meaningful for our anniversary event. So, we decided to help out a local non profit, the Jolkona Foundation. 100% of the ticket sales will go to fund one year of specialized science, technology, engineering, and math training for kids (through a Jolkona project with Technology Access Foundation).

But that wasn’t enough. Local businesses began approaching us wanting to help out. They wanted to give some prizes out to the folks helping out Jolkona. This is why we’re adding on a raffle to the event. We’re hoping that those coming out to the event will be as generous as these sponsors:

• Seattle hotel Hotel Max stepped up to the plate and contributed a free night at its downtown boutique hotel.
• Kodak donated an HD video camera, the Kodak Zi8
• The Ultimate Ears Social Media Team wants you to rock out with two pairs of Ultimate Ears 700 headphones
• Cat’s Eye Design donated a three-hour WordPress consultation, including theme customization and implementation.
• If you’re marketing your business, a social media press release is a must. PRWeb is donating a free release.
• True Fabrications is contributing a Wine Lovers Party Pack, including wine glasses, corkscrews, aerators, wine charms, cheese knives and cocktail napkins.
• A one-hour massage from Seattle masseuse Clear Awakening.
• And of course, SMC Seattle is contributing three Golden Tickets, which entitles the winners free admission into SMC Seattle’s monthly events for a year.

Raffle tickets will be sold at the event for $5.00 each, so bring your cash! Again, thank you to all of the sponsors, and especially thank you to the Seattle community for supporting them and Jolkona.

Every one of you has played a big part in making 2009 a great year for SMC Seattle, and we want to see all of you at our anniversary event! So, we are happy to announce that, with the approval of Spitfire Grill to fill the entire place, we will now be selling tickets at the door for our January event. (150 of them!)

This also gives us a great opportunity to raise even more money for the Jolkona project with Technology Access Foundation.

Here are the details -

What: SMC’s One-Year Anniversary Celebration

Where: Spitfire Grill, downtown Seattle 2219 4th Avenue  Seattle, WA 98121

Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Time: 6-9 p.m.

Cost:
$10 tickets includes 2 drinks and apps http://smcseattlejan.eventbrite.com/ – SOLD OUT!
$5 minimum donation tickets to be sold at the door (cash/check only – drinks and food not included)

100% of the ticket sales will go to fund one year of specialized science, technology, engineering, and math training for kids (through a Jolkona project with Technology Access Foundation).

For more information on the event, please see the original announcement here – http://smcseattle.com/jan2010/

Thanks to our sponsors, Seattle.SocialCentral.Net, Spitfire and Gist!

About Jolkona’s TAF Project and Technology Access Foundation:

Jolkona Foundation believes that small amounts of money can change the world. As a 501(c)3 organization, Jolkona addresses problems across the world by connecting people to innovative non-profits and showing one-to-one proof of where the donation money goes. SMC Seattle is supporting them through funding their TAF project.

TAF is a Seattle-area non-profit that prepares underserved children of color for success by providing a rigorous and relevant K-12 curriculum. Founded in Seattle in 1996, TAF provides opportunities for urban youth of color to gain necessary skills and education to successfully compete for professional careers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math).

It’s been an unforgettable year of learning, relationship-building and explosive growth for Social Media Club Seattle (SMC Seattle). Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 26 as we celebrate our one year anniversary and raise money for a great cause!

This is a networking event, so you’ll have plenty of time to sip, snack, mix, and mingle with a room full of other social media enthusiasts at Seattle’s own Spitfire. And, we’re celebrating by paying it forward. One hundred percent of ticket sales will go to a Jolkona Foundation project in Seattle. If this event sells out, all $1500 will go to Jolkona and benefit a Seattle-area non-profit, Technology Access Foundation (TAF). The ticket sales will directly benefit 35 students in underserved communities with math, engineering and technical skills training. Join us in commemorating a successful year by supporting this awesome cause!

January Event Details
What: SMC’s One-Year Anniversary Celebration
Where: Spitfire Grill, downtown Seattle 2219 4th Avenue  Seattle, WA 98121
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Cost: $10 (includes 2 drink tickets and apps). Ticket sales will go to fund a year of specialized science, technology, engineering, and math training for 35 kids (through a Jolkona project with Technology Access Foundation).

Purchase your ticket at http://smcseattlejan.eventbrite.com/

Thanks to our sponsors, Seattle.SocialCentral.Net, Spitfire and Gist!

Seattle.SocialCentral.Net is a website recently launched by Chris Pirillo in partnership with 20 Decibels – a Seattle company developing social media tools. The new site is an aggregator for all of the tweets coming in, around and through people and businesses in the Seattle area. With the network, you have the ability to categorize people and contacts. You’ll find categories for nearly everything, from social meda experts to photographers to bakers! Sign Up Here -http://seattle.socialcentral.net Our view this video to learn more -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGCSd7mxcfQ

Spitfire specializes in creating experiences around televised competitive events. Spitfire’s vision is based on the belief that televised competitive events, whether sports, politics or Project Runway, are best shared with others. Spitfire provides a unique space designed to create a positive experience for both the avid fan and the neophyte. http://www.spitfireseattle.com/

Gist helps you build stronger professional relationships by leveraging the contacts, connections, and content in your email inbox, your social networks, and across the web to provide you meaningful insight about your most important contacts and their companies in less time with less effort.  For more information visit www.gist.com.

About Jolkona’s TAF Project: and Technology Access Foundation:
Jolkona Foundation believes that small amounts of money can change the world. As a 501(c)3 organization, Jolkona addresses problems across the world by connecting people to innovative non-profits and showing one-to-one proof of where the donation money goes. SMC Seattle is supporting them through funding their TAF project.

TAF is a Seattle-area non-profit that prepares underserved children of color for success by providing a rigorous and relevant K-12 curriculum. Founded in Seattle in 1996, TAF provides opportunities for urban youth of color to gain necessary skills and education to successfully compete for professional careers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). Find Jolkona online at www.Jolkona.org and @Jolkona and TAF at www.techaccess.org and @DegreesMatter.

Many of you have asked for access to Veronica’s slides and she has graciously allowed us to post them here.

A big thanks to Windows Phone for being the premier sponsor of this month’s event!
Follow Windows Phone on Twitter
Follow Windows Phone on Facebook
Follow Windows Phone on YouTube

Thanks also to Alaska Air for being our travel sponsor!
Follow Alaska Air on Twitter

Next month will be SMC Seattle’s one year anniversary! Although a date has not yet been set, it’s sure to be a good time and another sold-out event.

We’ll post the details here, but to get notified first sign-up for our email alerts.