Archive for February, 2010

Posted on February 25, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

#28DaysofDiversity: People of color impacting the social web. Day 25 Nichelle Stephens of @pepsiweinspire

As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human.

As someone in the technology/web/social space, I often travel and attend various events in the industry and notice a huge lack of diversity, and when it comes to getting attention from mainstream media/tech blogs it’s almost impossible. That’s why I’m starting 28 Days of Diversity on SocialWayne.com. The goal of 28 Days of Diversity is to feature someone new everyday for the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. The list will include some of leaders in the social web space, startups, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph. So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com to see who’s on the list. For day 25, I would like to introduce to some and present to others: Nichelle Stephens

Website: http://www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pepsiweinspire

Nichelle Stephens is a blogger, cupcake enthusiast, and social media strategist. She is the community editor of Pepsi We Inspire, a lifestyle blog for African American women. She is the founding editor of Cupcakes Take The Cake, a blog devoted the cupcakes. Nichelle is also the founder of KeepingNickels, a blog about small business bookkeeping and personal finance.

Nichelle will also be moderating a panel on March 12 at SXSW interactive (http://my.sxsw.com/events/event/676) and hosting a Cupcake Social (http://bit.ly/cupcakesxsw) on March 14.

Come back tomorrow to see who’s next on the list.

Also check out past entires on http://28daysofdiversity.com

Posted on February 25, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

What's happening with @TriOut ? A Location-Based Social Network for NC.

If you’re live in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, NC area also known as the Triangle and/or follow me on Twitter I’m sure you have seen a few Tweets about @TriOut. TriOut which stands for Triangle Out is an idea that was first conceived in October 2009 by Lawrence Ingraham @Lawpower (founder of TriOut). Lawrence knew I was a fan of location-based apps and said we have the perfect community in North Carolina to launch our own location-based service.  After a few meetings over coffee and iPhone app beta testing, I joined Lawrence in helping make TriOut go from an idea to a reality. Mostly in #vampiremode at night.

Fast forward 5 months later and last week we held a launch party at the RTP Headquarters with about 100 attendees and  launched the website http://TriOutNC.com for non-iphone users and the community.

Ealier this week we emailed our first newsletter to our subscribers thanking everyone and announcing our first check-in special with 3 local  Dairy Queen locations and a top 5 Empire Eats check-in contest. It has been a pleasure working with Lawrence and we’re excited about the future of TriOut. Thanks for the support NC and if you’re not subscribed to our email newsletter you can do so here and on our blog.

Take a look at our first email newsletter below from TriOut with more details about the launch party, check-in specials and our contest.

TriOutNC.com launches

Hello everyone Last Wednesday, at the RTP Headquarters (@theRTP) around 100 people were in attendance from early TriOut beta users and bloggers, venture capitalists and, programers/developers, along with friends and family – as we officially launched TriOutNC.com and removed the invitation-only mode for the TriOut iPhone app. We would like to thank our sponsors and everyone who was in attendance. You can read the official press release here and recap post here. Also check out some the photos here by John Rees.

Mad Treats, Inc, Dairy Queen Check-in Special

Another announcement we made at the launch party was our “check-in” special with Mad Treats, Inc. at 3 local Dairy Queen Locations.The current specials are available at the locations: DQ Grill & Chill (New Bern Ave) DQ Grill & Chill w/Orange Julius(Morrisville Carpenter) DQ / Orange Julius (Brier Creek) After you have checked-in you’ll see one of the following badges for either a Buy one Medium Blizzard, Get the Second Free or get $1.00 off any smoothie. From there just show the badge to the cashier to receive your TriOut “check-in” special. Be sure to join us at the Triangle FreezeUp! FreezerBurns Live! @DQ on Monday, March 01, 2010 7:00 PM – 10:00 at the DQ Grill & Chill w/Orange Julius(Morrisville Carpenter) location hosted by Gregory Ng. You’ll recieve 10 TriOut points for attending and you can RSVP here: http://freezeup.eventbrite.com

Top 5 wins free $25 Gift Certificate at Empire Eats via Check-in Contest.

As some of you may have noticed every Monday morning the @TriOut Twitter account sends out a Tweet of the top 5 TriOut users for the week. With the new TriOutNC.com website you can see the leaderboard updating in real-time. We’re please to announce the Empire Eats Top 5 TriOut Check-in Contest for the week of February 22 – 28. The top 5 users for the week will receive a $25 gift certificate at one of the following Empire Eats locations below. You can read the full contest details including how to get points here.

Thank You Launch Party Sponsors

Connect with us

Blog	@TriOut	TriOutapp	TriDot pics	iPhone app	Feedback

TriOut | 4501 New Bern Ave.STE 130-252, Raleigh, NC 27610 919.295.0824 | contact@TriOutNC.com| icons via http://icondock.com.

Posted on February 24, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

#28DaysofDiversity: People of color impacting the social web. Day 24 James Andrews @keyinfluencer

As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human.

As someone in the technology/web/social space, I often travel and attend various events in the industry and notice a huge lack of diversity, and when it comes to getting attention from mainstream media/tech blogs it’s almost impossible. That’s why I’m starting 28 Days of Diversity on SocialWayne.com. The goal of 28 Days of Diversity is to feature someone new everyday for the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. The list will include some of leaders in the social web space, startups, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph. So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com to see who’s on the list. For day 24, I would like to introduce to some and present to others: James Andrews

Website: http://www.thekeyinfluencer.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/keyinfluencer

James Andrews is the managing partner/co-founder of Everywhere specializing in the creation of digital strategies, online communications, and web content production. Everywhere is a strategic communications agency that focuses in helping brands and individuals navigate the social media and online space to build better connections with their audiences. Their clients include Delta, Macy’s, PGI, Promethean, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Actress/Author/Activist Jane Fonda, and Music Producer Jermaine Dupri. Everywhere is a Guinness World Record holder for the most widespread social media message within 24 hrs for #BEATCANCER (www.beatCancerEverywhere.com)

Before launching Everywhere, Andrews was Vice President, Ketchum Digital and directed global social media brand strategies for Monster.com, FedEx, GeekSquad, Nokia, Wendy’s and Newell Rubbermaid. As an internationally respected digital thought leader, Andrews helped start a Social Media practice in the Ketchum Brazil office and has been a keynote speaker in Sao Paulo, London and Norway. Andrews has been working in the area of interactive/new media and non-traditional marketing for 15 years holding senior titles at Urban Box Office, Columbia Records, Ecko Unlimited and Isobar/Carat. His experience with brands such as Current TV, Coca-Cola/Sprite, Truth.com and Proctor & Gamble places him in a unique category of entrepreneurs that understand the convergence of new media, content, social activism and digital lifestyle.

James blogs at Fastcompany.com as an Expert Blogger as well as Huffington Post. Andrews can be seen as a regular contributor on CNN Weekend discussing current news and social media stories.

James Andrews attended UCLA, grew up in Silicon Valley, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children. His community involvement includes volunteer work at GCAPP, The Paideia School and Morehouse College.

DIGITAL REAL ESTATE

http://www.twitter.com/keyinfluencer

LIFESTREAM
www.jamesandrews.tv
Blog
http://www.thekeyinfluencer.com

http://bit.ly/VSV5w

http://www.facebook.com/jamesandrews

http://www.linkedin.com/in/keyinfluencer

http://www.fastcompany.com/user/james-andrews

Come back tomorrow to see who’s next on the list.

Also check out past entires on http://28daysofdiversity.com

Posted on February 23, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

#28DaysofDiversity: People of color impacting the social web. Day 23 April Davis @AroundHarlem

As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human.

As someone in the technology/web/social space, I often travel and attend various events in the industry and notice a huge lack of diversity, and when it comes to getting attention from mainstream media/tech blogs it’s almost impossible. That’s why I’m starting 28 Days of Diversity on SocialWayne.com. The goal of 28 Days of Diversity is to feature someone new everyday for the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. The list will include some of leaders in the social web space, startups, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph. So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com to see who’s on the list. For day 23, I would like to introduce to some and present to others: April Davis

Website: http://blog-aroundharlem.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/aroundharlem

April Davis is a tech savvy individual with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. A Jill-of-Some-Trades, her areas of expertise include Creative Project Management, Online Marketing, Writing/Editing and Web/Social Media Consulting. She has dabbled with self-employed since the age of 22. The desire to work for herself began as a freelance graphic designer where she realized the opportunities and experienced the benefits of working independently.

She is currently Publisher of AroundHarlem.com, and has other online properties currently in development. April also works with local businesses and arts organizations on social media initiatives.

AroundHarlem.com is an online magazine currently in the beta stage. The current blog (Blog-AroundHarlem.com) has local event listings and in depth articles focusing on and highlighting Harlem, African Americans, Latinos and other People of Color. The beta stage has been a phenomenal success with unique visitors reaching almost 30,000 people during it’s busiest month.

The final website will focus on Business and Finance, Health, Children and Parenting Concerns, Arts & Culture, Food and Style, Politics, and People. The latest digital technology including social media incorporation, podcasting and video interviews will be incorporated into the website. The site’s ultimate goal is to bring it’s readers information typically missing from contemporary urban/local media.

Prior to entering the publishing industry, April worked as Creative Director for Exceed Communications, the full service graphic design firm that she started in 1998. Concurrently, she worked as a consultant in the National Marketing Department of Ernst & Young, a global professional services firm.

A lifelong Harlem resident, April has always worked in the Harlem community on a personal and professional level. During the last 10+ years, she has worked with the New York Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc., a community service based organization that focuses on Health, Education, Employment and Economic Development. In addition to her active membership, she held positions as Membership Coordinator, PR Chairperson and eventually became President of the Young Adults Club. In the past, she was also a member of the New York Urban League Young Professionals.

Professionally, she has been a member of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and has also received training from two local entrepreneurial organizations, Project Enterprise and Workshops in Business Opportunities.

April has received several awards for her community service participation and entrepreneurial endeavors. They include an Appreciation Award presented by the New York Young Adult Club of NANBPWC, the Young Adult Community Service Award and Business Woman’s Award presented by the New York Club of NANBPWC, Best Business Plan Award presented by the Harlem Venture Group and she was also a Professional Women of Color Dream Grant Recipient.

Come back tomorrow to see who’s next on the list.

Also check out past entires on http://28daysofdiversity.com

Posted on February 23, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

I'm going to the Oscars Red Carpet with Kodak