if you're looking for boiled down comments on the value of face to face conversations and how they support your constituency, check out this creating passionate users blog post. i've written before how online connections must meet physically, but in this post, kathy sierra lays out 10 universal components that are golden rules in building ANY constituency. fast companies' friends network is one the best examples of a physical medium using online tools to promote a disaggregate support network. heath row's journeys in 1999, 2000, and 2001 provide tangible experience supporting user networks. also, you should note that one of the best examples of diy face-to-face organizing is Four Eyed Monsters - check out henry jenkins' take on their impressive work.

1) Put together a "How To Start A Local User Group or Club" document. (noel's note - FastCompany.com has an interesting FAQ that should be a good start.) Include tips on things like finding a space, topic ideas, and getting speakers.

2) Offer free materials for the user groups User group meetings often start or end with prize drawings; give the user group leaders plenty of swag for the meetings. It'll make the leaders look good, etc.

3) Treat your user group leaders like royalty Sun puts JUG (Java User Group) leaders on a pedestal--helping them promote their groups, giving them special receptions at the annual JavaOne conference, etc.

4) Instead of a traditional user group, provide guidelines for a Study Group (noel's note - one really good example of this is the Drupal Dojo - a weekly user let training session.) Collect advice and lessons from other existing groups. Provide a list of suggested books to read, and 6-months' worth of topic plans.

5) Hold a very low-cost annual weekend conference. (noel's note - couchsurfing.com has historically set up "collectives" around the world to help maintain their website.) Make it ridiculously easy for people to get there. Find sponsors to help. Even better if you hold several mini-conferences a year, in different locations.

6) Encourage users to start a local BarCamp (or other *Camp). (noel's note - there are many examples of *camps - check out rootscamp or drupalcamp) Direct your users to the BarCamp Wiki where they can learn how to do it.

7) Utilize monthly meetings. There are many examples - Social Media Club's wiki, Drupal's Groups, NextNY.org's wiki, Frak Party, or Meetup.com. (original PSU's recommendation - Use Meetup.com as a resource!)

8) If you already have online user forums, enlist moderators to try to form an offline meetup. This is often one of the best places to start.

9) Hold special cocktail receptions/parties for user group leaders at industry conferences in your domain.

10) Advertise/promote your user group events on your main page! Remember, passionate users MUST connect with others who share that passion, so this is not a nice-to-have... it's an essential part of any product, service, or cause for which people are passionate.

Technorati Tags: couchsurfing, coworking, drupalcamp, economy 2.0, fast company, four eyed monsters

for those of you who are at SXSW interactive and Barcamp Austin 2, TODAY (saturday) at 3.30, we'll be meeting to talk about the coworking movement. please spread the word to your fellow attendants...

Saturday, 10 March @ 3.30 pm
Barcamp Austin 2
508 East Sixth Street, Austin, TX

Technorati Tags: barcamp, barcamp austin, coworking, SXSW, SXSW interactive

i'm packing my bags and heading to SXSW interactive. if you haven't heard of SXSW, it's kinda a Mecca for technologist, programmers, and anyone who's into socializing with notables who like to party. i'm going to promote a few things i've learned, learn a few more things that i don't know, talk incessantly about of on the luck of seven project, hang out with some friends, catch up with old friends at Barcamp Austin, and figure out a thing or two about life.

last year, i learned quite a few things... most of them too personal to tell here (it might make it in my book), but this year... i feel things are different. i'm not sure why, other than i'm 100% more adventuresome and well... i've got a nifty little vlog project! also, if you haven't noticed, for the month of march, i'm vloging every 7 days. on 14 march, my next video will be sent from austria.

YUP! on monday, i'm departing austin and spending a day in the air to attend a salzburg seminar - The New Information Networks: Challenges and Opportunities for Business, Governments, and Media. once on the ground, i'll be moderating a roundtable entitled: Participation, Community, Governance and be on the roundtable Communication, Networks, and Political Impacts. i'm really stoked to be in the same arena as yochai benkler, viktor mayer-schonberger, kenneth cukier, and jo twist.

in the meantime, i'm changing my fundraising tune and for the next three weeks will attempt to rase $2222.00. i'm not sure how i'm going to accomplish this step, but one thing is for sure... if i don't push to rase $2222.00, i'm not going to make my fundraising goals. if you can't donate money, give me a suggestion on were to go or what to see and whom to visit or interview.

well.. if you're looking for me, check out my twitter and my conferenceer profile, otherwise i'll see you around AUSTIN!

Technorati Tags: around the world, blogs, conferences, couchsurfing, coworking, global change, luck of seven, salzburg seminar, sustainability, SXSW, SXSW interactive, twitter, vlog, web 2.0

sxsw buddies....

my buddy and i made hotel accommodations many moons ago, but i now have to depart Austin for Austria. which means there is an open bed for someone who's couch or floorsurfing for two nights - the 12th and the 13th... located within walking distance from the convention center, you'll have the pleasure of hanging out with one of the nicest guys on the planet! hotel info...

anyone interested? if so, contact me.

Technorati Tags: couchsurfing, SXSW interactive, SXSW

work is one of those things that my parents and i will always disagree...

they wanted me to attend a 4 year university, graduate, and then work for a fortune 500 or the military. marry early, have children, and be happy.

...but insanely they didn't rase me to think in the box. since i was young, my parents have always allowed me to explore those ideals that interested me - from religion, politics, boy scouts and friends - they supported me - though, there two exceptions:

• i would receive no financial support, except in case of emergency (i.e. bail or lawyers).
• i could always count of on them for emotional support (i.e. their advice).
• i could always move move home (i.e. something mom always wants but the independent son would never do.)

since leaving American University in 1996, i have always searched for new and exciting opportunities to pay the bills. after my second bout of unemployment before my 25 birthday, i knew something was wrong and needed to find a solution. so i volunteered for john kerry and began the journey that would feature meeting a love, my house burning down, working for the Democratic Convention, and finally ending up in NYC working with a buddy.

then about a year ago things at the state senate started to get really crazy. everyone was leaving. the team that hired me for the 2004 campaign cycle moved on. i had no boss and no employment direction. so i waited and waited and waited, sinking deep and deeper into something i couldn't quite understand... i worked on another failed campaign, i lost my love, and thought how can i change. truth be told, you can't change your environment... you are the only one who can change.

little did i know, that all of these actions would lead me to a unfathomable opportunity... after attending BarCamp NYC, attending LIFT & visiting Switzerland, and then SxSW. i knew i need to find an employer of my choosing - an organization that would allow me to really push the technological envelope and allow me to push my own psychological envelope. unlike the public departures of scoble, messina, and kottke; my transition has been a year in process and at times questionable...

for the past two weeks, i've been working for Trellon, LLC. i know i should have posted something sooner, but that's why i'm up here in Quebec City. it's my quarterly cobweb cleaning.... go read Michael's post and glimpse of what's coming... i'm promising you this site will not be stagnant for too long!

shane, eli and the zinedistro crew @ SxSW

ever have those high fidelity moments where you wanna make a top ten list of all time best things? if your like shane and eli , two wickedly smart guys whom i met at SxSW, you make a ruby on rails app and title it ListYourList.

...these aren't "to do" lists or grocery lists or any specific kind of list. In fact, they aren't really anything until you make them. Think of it this way: they are what you want them to be.

for example...

• best 30 bands with food in their name
• the best dude names
• things we dumpstered tonight
• my top 10 punk rock songs of all time

now let me warn you, ListYourList will crash internet explorer - that's just happens to be one more reason why i like shane and eli!

warning - this is a meta post. since sxsw, i've had a hard time getting back into the "routine" of things and have been wondering what's next. not just technology, but what i can do to improve my surroundings: gym, check; books, check; investigating new destinations, check; dating again, check; new music, check; rekindling friendships, trying... yet, something is still missing...

oddly, this week has been full of happenstance...

• friday - in the subway, running into a budding newscaster who i met at the polish consulate for a film screening.
• sat/sun - running into a girl who has a great idea mixing social networks, internet, and entertainment. yes, i'm vague on purpose.
• monday - i ran into two scooter/poker friends on the subway. then proceeded to interface with Amy Clarke about musicians and DIY publishing. exiting the subway, i ran into an old boston ska-socialte and his girlfriend. only to conclude the evening with a bay area drupal user who couchsurfed.
• today - a budding journalist, who just made the hop from politics to political blogging.

couple my physical experience with today's blog post from union square venture's blog -

We are really just starting this process, but here are some early themes we are digging into; spimes, the internet of things, virtual words, avatars, second life, cyworld, natural interfaces, wearable computing, structured messaging, and several others.

...damn, i pondered... how can i get paid to do what i dream about all day. if i believe life is fundamentally about the interconnection between people, place, and idea.... humm... let's get some viral things going - thank god for the yardbirds who in 2.26 mins can sum it all up...

Soon I hope that I will find
A seed within my mind
That won't disgrace my kind

full lyrics after the jump.