NogUp3 - 12 Bars of Xmas - MegaTweetup II

Check the calendar now. It's got a ton of great stuff on the horizon.

From the second installment of the wildly successful and all-for-charity MegaTweetup at the NERD Center in Cambridge, to our third installment of the NogUp (this year in Southie at Atlantic Beer Garden) to a little bar-hopping extravaganza called the 12 Bars of Christmas.

Hope to catch up with you this holiday season!

Jeff

Scooter Parking in Boston

If you ride a scooter or motorcycle in the city of Boston, as of today there are SUPPOSED to be meters around the Back Bay for you to park at.

According to folks I talked to last night at the Boston Scoots ride, these meters were supposed to be in by today but are not in and there's no official word from the BTD as to when they will appear.

Word is that these meters - at spots at the end of blocks with room for four or five two-wheeled motorized vehicles - will cost only $.25 per hour with no limit (or a 10-hour limit).

It's good stuff, or will be when it happens, and I'll keep you updated on this issue.

Thoughts?

E 2.0 Conference - Westin Waterfront

I'm at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston right now and am live Tweeting it and blogging about it all week long. The event - find more here - has a cool exhibit floor and a good schedule of sessions.

I hope to get a lot out of this and enjoy some great networking, too. *The after-hours events are numerous and cool. See the calendar for more info - e.g. Bon Voyage Party.

Are you here at the conference?

What are you doing this week?

Youth Film Festival at the MFA

Want to buy a child? Seriously. It will only cost you a bag of millet. Leila was sold...traded really. For a bag of food that would feed her family.

If you’re not interested in purchasing a child, what about children who work as many hours a day as they are old just to support their family.

Alcides parents—both parents—died of HIV/AIDS.

Are these tales put on the airwaves and television to tug at your heartstrings and empty your wallet? No. These are true stories put out by youth filmmakers to raise awareness.

As part of Adobe Youth Voices and the Youth Producing Change Event in Boston, ten young filmmakers were armed with digital cameras and their own creativity. They made films to expose human rights issues they faced or had seen in their community.

With issues ranging from child labor to police harassment, these films aired at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts this past weekend as the showcase series featured in Human Rights Watch Film Festivals in London, New York and San Francisco.

Made possible by The Adobe Foundation, Youth Producing Change is part of Adobe Youth Voices and is “designed to provide youth in underserved communities with critical skills they need to become active and engaged members of their communities and the world at large.”

In just over three years, 20,000 children in 30 countries have taken part in the Adobe Youth Voices training programs to create media for social change.

What’s that mean? It means you learn a little bit about Human Rights Watch. You learn about The Adobe Foundation. And you learn firsthand what kids already know.

In films that explored these topics...

Clean water is a basic human necessity, yet corporations seeking profit are purchasing community water supplies around the world.

Shocked by the claim that more than half of all rapes happen to people under 18, young filmmakers searched for the roots of sexual violence and call for change.

Each night 1,600 teenagers in New York City find themselves homeless. Clemins and Jackie, two formerly homeless teens from New York City shared their stories of overcoming adversity and their work to create a community of support around teen homelessness.

Using new media tools, kids shared these videos and then the event was publicized via Twitter and Facebook. From what I read and learned about these kids, the only thing more powerful than their videos is their resolve to address human rights issues.

Michelle Mann, Executive Director of the Adobe Foundation, said, “By calling attention to human rights issues, these youth are inspiring audiences worldwide and demonstrating the power to express ideas, engage stakeholders and effect change through digital media.”

Anyone can do this stuff, but these kids are inspiring because they got out and explored the world around them, then they got in front of the camera to share their thoughts, their pain, their stories.

Pictures...especially moving pictures...are more moving when they engage and tell a story that matters. The films that aired this past Friday at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston did just that.

You can find out more a couple of ways. Give a click over to Facebook... http://www.facebook.com/adobeyouthvoices or jump on Twitter and follow @adobeyv to see what else is happening with Adobe Youth Voices.

You can see images and learn more about Human Rights Watch at http://www.hrw.org/iff.

Back from NYC

Just got back from the city that never sleeps and spent a little time updating the WithJeff calendar. I'm sure you'll be able to find something to do this week around Boston. And if you've got an event that's not here...gimme a shout and we'll make you a contributor. That's what makes this calendar great - it's crowdsourced and comprehensive.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and take a look at what's happening this week. Hope to see you all at Nogup2 on Wednesday.

Enjoy - and have fun out there!

What's in a name?

There's been a lot of praise for the WithJeff Calendar and our approach to crowdsourcing Boston events. What has also happened - and this was only last night - there was some confusion about the naming of certain events.

While we all sort-of know what a tweetup is. And we know that the Nog-up was my creation and the Social Media Breakfast began with Bryan Person and now has iterations all over the free world, there are some other events that might not be as well defined.

Take for instance, Social Media for Social Change; Social Media for Social Cause; Tweetsgiving; Social Media Club; social media group; etc.

In fact, the issue that jumped to my attention was the trio of Thanksgiving fundraising events right here in Boston that were all named Tweetsgiving! Really. Well, what we're going to start doing (akin to having more specific hashtags for tweetups) is adding host names to the titles in Eventbrite. Then, if someone does TechInno it won't be confused with WebInno or MassInno as long as the official label is TechInno by Warren G. Harding, or some such iteration.

Good plan? We'd like your comments and participation. If you've got events that need some exposure, leave a comment here and we'll add you to the contributor list.

Thanks and Have Fun Out There!

Seriously? There is something for everyone!

If you can't find something to do this week, you're too picky. Take a look at the calendar at the bottom of the page. There are about 31 events going on this week. From traditional Tweetups to the coolest concerts to everything in-between.

I know that I'm totally booked this week doing something every night and day. What are you excited about this week?

And what do you have on your calendar that we might have missed? Leave that info in the comments and we'll add it. If you put on regular tweetups or social media or even basic social events, leave a comment and we'll make you a contributor and a calendar editor.

Thanks! And have fun out there!

Another Shel in Boston!

And also Thursday night, Shel Israel is signing his book "Twitterville" and talking at the Harvard Faculty Club.

Do these events just materialize or what!? Good thing we've got a network of contributors to make this the best, most accurate repository for tweetups and other events in Boston.

Here's the info on Shel's Harvard event... GO HERE.

Have fun out there!

Bare Calendar

The calendar isn't quite as bare as it looks right now at 1:27PM on Monday. Will be filling it shortly. Have been chasing cats and woodpeckers and bottles of root beer around, so I've been too busy to scour the boards for some fun events.

Off the top of my head, I know of at least five events this week including a Forrester Lunch, Pokin' Holes, Podcamp NH, PR Coffee, Open Coffee, and more. So stuff's coming.

If you know of stuff, sign up to contribute. Just leave your name in the comments of any post.

Thanks! Have fun out there!

Oh, Superheroes! Where will you be this weekend?

They'll be at Comicon Boston I suppose.

Will you be there?

Want to join the crowdsourced calendar project? Leave a comment here and we'll send you an application.

Have fun out there!

GENIUS! I think I've got it

This post is really just for the contributors...but anyone can contribute by posting in the comments.

What I want to do is implement a quasi format. Gradon's post made me realize that everyone is doing tons of different things and with the right mix of people, we'll get an unbeatable mix of Bostontweetups, concerts, social media events and technology conferences.

SO, I'd love for all contributors to put a post up once a week detailing their week ahead. No heavy lifting, could be as simple as...

Monday - Mobile Mondays at The Place
Tuesday - Brunch Conference
Wednesday - #140 Conference Boston
Thursday - Networking at the District
Friday - Hubspot TV taping

Or could be as in-depth as the calendar at the bottom of this page. Just share and I bet we make everyone aware of the events that might be missed by other so-called sources for Boston tweetup and local area events.

Have fun out there!

Growing Pains

Still trying to figure out if you'd also like to have daily events posted here.

Let me know in the comments. Otherwise, you know you can always go to the blog post that covers the entire week...or just click on the calendar at the bottom of the blog.

Going forward, we'll be adding some more functionality. Maybe even linking to each author's Eventbrite and/or Upcoming schedule.

Please share your comments about this site so we can make it better. Or if you have the name of a person who should be invited, the editorial board here at WithJeff will bring it up at our next meeting.

Have fun out there.

What to do in Boston

Recently, I found that the services I had depended on for accurate information about Boston events were woefully inadequate and unreliable.

In fact, one of these services even neglected to list one of the largest social media events of the year - a book signing and show taping with Gary Vaynerchuk at the Estate in Boston.

So I've decided to crowdsource - partially - and create a more comprehensive collection of events. These events might interest you, or you might be ambivalent. But that's the name of the game. I want you to share your info too.

Please get in touch via the comments - and leave your email - so that if you want to contribute to the blog I can send you an invite.

Thanks so much for your help and support.

Have fun out there!