Networking 101 at Operation Hope NOLA Tonight!...

I’m excited to be giving a talk tonight to the local chapter of Operation Hope about networking and basic skills to get the most from your networking. I’ll be posting my slides from the talk later this week, but if you’re in New Orleans and want to come out tonight:

Details: Free seminar: Key to Networking-Make the Most of Your Contacts
Date: Tuesday, 3/30 @ 5:30 pm
Address: 1215 Prytania Street, New Orleans, 70115
RSVP: (504) 309-6153 x4

Follow Operation Hope NOLA on Twitter.
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NOLAlicious Logo Contest – Enter Today!...

My weekly newsletter about New Orleans, NOLAlicious, is running a contest that ends tonight and I wanted to share the details.

Here’s what’s up. We’re stepping it up! We’re going big. To do that, we are looking first for a spanking new logo. After that we’ll be revamping our website and starting to include select advertisers into the site, as they make sense to our content. We’ve been fielding requests, and we wanted to get our ducks in a row first, and plus grow our base, before taking this turn.

So what’s up with the contest? Honestly, Carl, Taylor and I all have design experience to varying levels, but we wanted to make this collaborative and inclusive. After all, all three of us have struggled and continue to grow into our own careers but aren’t that far away from the tooth and nail of getting your name out there. So we thought a logo contest, for an up and coming artists or a small firm would be great exposure. Or an introduction to us to possibly reward the website redesign.

I posted before about website work and the post was successful in awarding the website redesign to two design firms.

For today’s logo contest, reminder it ends tonight. Here’s the deal:

* Send all submissions in .jpeg or .png format to editor@nolalicious.com. Submissions close Monday at 5pm CST. It’s an open platform and we’re looking for a creative and fresh take on what you see when you think “NOLAlicious.”
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Upcoming Conferences On My Radar...

I wanted to share three upcoming conferences on my radar. Except for Global Pulse, which happens online, I won’t be able to attend the other two, but thanks to Twitter and other online services, I’ll be able to catch highlights and see what conversations develop. Which can be just as valuable as attending them in person.

Global Pulse 2010
Happening March 29-March 31, 2010, Global Pulse 2010 is a 3-day, online collaboration event, that will bring together individual socially-engaged participants and organizations from around the world. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring the Global Pulse 2010, in partnership with the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services.
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Explore Your Hometown...

As I set off to explore New Orleans this weekend, I first was looking through old photos from my first few weekends here and thinking about how much has changed. Not only have I moved from the Lower Garden District to the French Quarter, but I’m a bit more worn around the edges. The core is the same. The same adventurous spirit. The same desire to get out and see all there is to see.

The difference?

In my definition of “all there is to see.” After all, last year this time, as I had just arrived in New Orleans, I wanted to do and see it all! Every festival, every fair, every opportunity to get out there and absorb New Orleans and her environments for all they were worth. This year, I’m a little bit more guarded. I want to spend time with me, I don’t want to give away all my energy. I want to explore on my own, or with a few friends, instead of going where the masses are.
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GNO 2.0 The Economic Evolution...

As the economic evolution of New Orleans continues, I in turn, continue to be amazed by all of the advances made by the hard working men and women that make up this community. The video above (made by local firm Deltree) was made for GNO, Inc. (Greater New Orleans) for their annual board meeting to show the shareholders the main economic drivers of New Orleans and highlight the community. (Yes I do make an appearance myself at the 2:40 minute mark). What’s incredible is how each person here is not just working for themselves and their families, but for the community at large. That’s a hard couple of tasks to juggle.

The debate continues. After all, if we (and I’m using we, but it’s more of a THEM or YOU as I’m still so new here) travel and leave New Orleans, we’re evangelizing but we’re not here adding to the day-to-day life. If we’re here, than the insular attitude of New Orleans continues. Being “the best kept secret for starting your business” isn’t where anyone wants to be anymore.

For a prime example of a company defining the future of New Orleans, look no further than FSC Interactive (disclosure: I work here part-time). The women-owned and women-operated boutique firm received two PRSA awards last year and is growing at an accelerated and impressive rate. Founder McKenzie Coco, along with being a member of the local EO chapter and frequent speaker on online marketing was just named CMO of Idea Village’s Entrepreneur-In-Residence program, which in turn is leading this week’s Entrepreneur Week, an initiative to bring entrepreneur’s and top MBA programs to New Orleans to learn from each other and showcase the entrepreneurial eco-system happening in New Orleans. Many local companies are helping to make the week a success, including the superstars at Bond PR who are spearheading all communications for Entrepreneur Week (no small feat and yet they make it look seamless).
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Tech Tools For Social Good – My CalTech Pres...

I was really excited to have the opportunity to get back to Los Angeles right before SXSW and I have to thank CalTech for inviting me to speak to a group of students about technology for social good and tools they can use to get involved, get active with causes and nonprofits and find ways to give back. It was really an honor to be there, and for the invitation and idea, I have to specifically thank Nicole Czakon and Rosemary Rohde, the students who invited me and set up the talk.

I had just flown in from Austin where I was on a panel at Rise Austin about how to use technology and crowd-sourced tools to help social good projects and companies and was on my way back to Austin to speak at SXSW on a panel about CrisisCamp and how techies united in the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake. So this one was a good opportunity to share the growing talk I have on how people can get involved in cause and nonprofits from armchair revolution style to long-term volunteering. I weave in my own personal stories and those of other people who are inspiring to me as I talk about tools, technologies, crowd-sourcing and open source ways for everyone give back, make it easy and make it feel like a valuable use of their time.

If you’re interested in having me speak to your school, community group, organization or company, please send me an email (sloane@thecausemopolitan.com) or use my contact form to be in touch. I’m really excited about building out this talk and a few others and tailor each one with specifics to the audience I’m speaking to.
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This Too Shall Pass – OK Go’s Impact o...

Ok Go couldn’t have said it better as I work to get over my growing pains. This Too Shall Pass. But what I take away even more than the name of the song is this kick ass video above. Ready for this? My friends (including The Freshness) over at Mindshare, with their Labs division now called Synn Labs made it.

What’s more is the story that developed last week when OK Go left their label, EMI, in a dispute over how to dispense and share their new video with their fans. You remember their first viral video “Here It Goes Again” on the treadmills? 50 million views! EMI, not getting any revenue from youTube and struggling to find ways to reinvent the music industry decided not to allow the next video to be embedded. Which means you can only watch it on YouTube. THAT defeats the purpose of what a viral video needs to do. It needs to be spread and put on blogs and shown around the web. It’s meant to be shared.

OK Go got this, and the fans want it, but EMI said no. And so in a bold and brave move, OK Go has left their label and announced that they’re starting their own.

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Growing Pains...

When I was a kid, I would wake up in the middle of the night crying with terrible cramps in my calves. My mom would come into my room and say, “Sweetie, they’re just growing pains. Everyone gets them. It means you’re growing up!”

That’s how I feel now.

Much of it I’m chalking up to “3-month transition blues.” 3 months into a new city, new work responsibilities, new relationships with friends. It’s like a speed bump where everything is going along at the speed of light and then !WHAM! it feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. Much of it I’m chalking up to putting stakes down and letting go of my vagabond lifestyle. It’s not so fun sorting through receipts, going from point A, to point B, back to point A at night, feeling dragged down by the day-to-day of life. Much of it I know shall pass. Like all bumps in the road do because after 30 years of life, I know myself well enough to know that these lows happen but they’re few and far between and that usually, on most given Sundays, I’m upbeat, chipper and ready to take on the world.

But for the part that I’m not chalking up, I’m worried. I’m scared. I’m frightened and I feel captive by my own decisions. I spent most of last year thinking BIG. Like how do I really impact the world and leave it better than I found it. You could see that through my time in New Orleans, Kiva Fellowship, Cause It’s My Birthday campaign and musings here on The Causemopolitan. I felt bigger, stronger and more in charge than ever. The reality of every day life feels like a cold shower shocking my system into routine and daily life and it’s hard to keep that eye on the prize. And hard to think so big that it shakes you to your very bones.
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SXSW Music Picks from 2009...

The song above won my “Secret Track on a CD Award”)

Looking back on SXSW 2009, I wanted to see how I did with music picks! After all, I’m not in the “industry” just a super fan and so rawking and rolling through 44 bands in 4 days last year was INTENSE to say the least. I wanted to highlight those artists and then once music this year is complete, I’ll be able to show you and highlight all new bands!

Here we are, highlights from SXSW Music 2009:

Clothes Falling Off, Oozing Sex, Performances Left Me Physically Unable To Speak:
Sam Roberts Band – El Sol Y Luna
Delta Spirit – Radio Room *extra points for best use of playing a trash can lid*
(Reference YouTube videos above)

Best International Comparison (And bonus for “See Them Now and Say You Saw Them When”):
Glasvegas – Vice (Scottish Bruce Springstein)
Asteroid Galaxy Tour – Emo’s Annex (Dannish Stevie Nicks)

Dancing Face-Melting Madness:
Totally Michael – Beauty Bar
Freeland – Maggie Mae’s Rooftop

Stumbled Into Surprise:
Sleepy Sun – Emo’s Jr.

Hype Hype Hype, But Worth It:
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Buffalo Billiards

Best Acoustics:
Department of Eagles – Central Presbyterian Church
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SXSW Recap from 2009...

LA Tech in 2009

Well friends, SXSW is here! It’s hard to believe a year has gone by since the last one. Before I move forward talking about all the goodness and goodies in store for this year, I thought I would first highlight my posts from last year’s SXSW. You know, reflecting back before I move forward. Here we go.

SXSW Core Conversation: How LA Has Built A Sucessful Tech Community

Los Angeles has become a hub for tech startups with new ones popping up every day. Relationships are being formed and VCs are paying attention. Universities are showcasing developer opportunities unique to the city. So how did this happen? Welcome to networking 2.0. From Lunch 2.0 to Interactive Community Coalitions, BarCamp to Twiistup, LA is a great case study of how to build a successful tech community in your city. Join the organizers of the city’s most popular networking events for tips, advice, the how to’s and what-not-to-do’s to make your city’s community pop.

SXSW Fan Girl

Life just doesn’t really get much better than those 9 days in Austin each year when your mind is blown, your heart is full and your feet ache from exploration.

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