Kevin and I decided to give everyone a quick preview on what to expect for the Biznet Social Media Training even on January 7th. Check it out!

REMEMBER TO BRING:
-something to write with
-something to write on
-your favorite marketing person

See you Wednesday!

The infamous Ken Burbary recently tagged me to be the next in line for a blog meme that says I need to outline seven random and/or weird things about myself. This ‘7 random things meme’ has been going on for some time, but I’ve successfully avoided it until now (thanks, Ken). I did a vlog (for posterity, of course) so if you’re interested in the life of Shauna, check it out:

7 Things About Shauna Meme from Shauna Nicholson on Vimeo.

1. Hip hop class weekly
2. Not a fan of artificial lighting
3. Drives “like a guy”
4. Keeps a change of clothes at the office
5. Mad foosball defense skills
6. Oldest of 5 kids
7. Licensed EMT through college

This was amusing to make and now I get to tag 7 new “victims.”

I tag:

• Kevin Outland
• Chris Mortiz
• Alex Drewinak
• Whole Foods
• Jamie Favreau
• Brian Ambrozy
• Kevin Krason (his blog is coming soon!)

Here are the rules for my fellow bloggers:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

Biznet has partnered with Facility Matrix Group, Curve Detroit, and Herman Miller on The Greenwerks Project to help bring realistic sustainability to our future (particularly with the workplace).

From the site:

Our goal with the Greenwerks Project is to help businesses and professionals take action and make steps in the right direction. We’ll be sharing ideas, highlighting new products and sharing our experience with office environments, marketing and business.

Here’s what Greenwerks is:

• a lens
• a strategy
• the longview
• sustainability
• progress
• moving forward

The project launched last night with a debut party featuring the green office spaces of Facility Matrix Group and Curve Detroit. I was ultra impressed with their spaces, which included dry-erase paint, sustainable furniture options, and even a living wall! Each detail rocked–from the valet to the sliders! I apologize for the few photos; I’m sure Charlie Wollborg will post more soon!

Terry Bean & Kevin Krason

Shauna Nicholson (me) & Tom Zahner

Just sharing a photo from the Adcrafter Oktoberfest event. It was downtown Detroit at Cheli’s. I had the opportunity to take the lovely Shannon Paul with me!

This afternoon I had the opportunity to chat with Eric Brown of Urbane Apartments. Eric is using social media to market his business, the 14 Urbane locations across metro Detroit.

To keep Urbane residents connected to each other and informed, the Urbane team launched a community (Urbane Lobby), blog (Urbane Blog), and micro-blogs (via Twitter).
Interview with Eric Brown of Urbane Apartments from Shauna Nicholson on Vimeo.

Learn more about the Urbane Apartments on their website.

Why did you decide to organize Startup Weekend in Detroit?
I don’t know that it was actually a conscious decision. I was able to attend part of Startup Weekend Ann Arbor, and had several friends who attended that event. When I came home, I started looking deeper into the Startup Weekend organization and reading up on the process to bring Startup Weekend to a particular city. I realized there was a voting process and saw that Detroit was already nominated, but only had 20 votes. To give you an idea of where we stood, we were behind Corvallis, Oregon.

I just thought that Detroit could really use this more than most places. There is so much bad news coming out of this city — especially when it comes to job losses and the overall economy. I thought an event like this would help bring out some of the area’s talent and help jumpstart small business development in the city and the region. It was also my hope to generate a few positive news stories as a result of the event.

Why is it important for the event to happen NOW?
Detroit, and the surrounding region, is facing some of the most challenging times in its history. The future of the economy in this region is going to depend on the ingenuity of individuals who can start small. Most of the new jobs being created in this economy are from small businesses. I believe that there are as many talented, skilled and passionate people in this city as any other, but we haven’t been so great at forming a really solid community around networking and innovation. Community is an essential ingredient to fostering the kind of supportive environment for new businesses to be able to thrive.

Who attends events like this?
Just about anybody with an idea or a skill or both is welcome to participate in this event. Usually Startup Weekend attracts people with deep technical/programming skills as well as design professionals, marketing and public relations professionals, project managers and venture capitalists. Most companies that have formed as a result of a Startup Weekend have been web-based, but there are many notable exceptions to this rule.

Can companies sponsor this initiative?
Yes, we are still looking for companies to help sponsor some of the costs of the event. Sponsorship packages are available. Companies interested in donating to offset costs, or providing swag to attendees should contact me.

Can we help get the word out about this event?
Yes! Please share this information with everyone you know. Add this event to your Facebook profile or Upcoming, and join our group on LinkedIn. Click on the ShareThis button at the bottom of this post and add it to Digg, Stumble or Delicious. Please feel free to reblog this post, or any of the other posts on this blog and link it back to http://detroit.startupweekend.com/.

How can I sign up?
The cost to attend is $40. Register to attend at http://detroitstartupweekend.eventbrite.com/

What should I bring?
What you bring is really up to you. Ideally, attendees should bring a laptop computer that can connect to the Internet via a wireless network. We will also need volunteers to supply extra extension cords and power strips to accommodate everyone’s electricity needs.

Who can I contact for more information on Startup Weekend Detroit?
Anyone interested in helping out or getting additional information may contact Shauna Nicholson, Brian Ambrozy, or I.

Shannon Paul (734) 968-9065 or shannonpaul5[at]gmail[dot]com
Shauna Nicholson (248) 722-2685 snicholson[at]biznetis[dot]net
Brian Ambrozy (586) 693-3509 brian[at]icrontic[dot]com

Shannon Paul blogs about Public Relations and Social Media, check it out at http://shannonpaul.wordpress.com

Brain Ambrozy is an editor and owner of the ultimate Detroit Tech online journal, check it out at http://icrontic.com

I was lucky enough to interview Roxanne Darling of Barefeet Studios about the upcoming Podcamp Hawaii. Roxanne knows a ton about using social media to promote businesses; her podcast, Beach Walks with Rox, has helped encourage tourism to Hawaii, where she lives and works.

In this interview, Roxanne tells me about Podcamp Hawaii, podcasting, and how to keep up even when we can’t be there. I even asked her about women in social media!

Here are the links mentioned in the video. Make sure to check them out. Each has a lot to offer!

Roxanne Darling www.barefeetstudios.com www.beachwalks.tv

Podcamp Hawaii Sponsors:
Hawaii Convention Center (hawaiiconvention.com)
WiFi Vendor: Pacific Direct Connect (pdchawaii.com)
Projection Presentation Technology (projection.com)
Road Runner  (roadrunner.com)

Christine Lu @christinelu http://thechinabusinessnetwork.com/

Eric Nakagawa icanhascheezburger.com

Beth Kanter @kanter

Social Media Club socialmediaworkshop.com

Shane Robinson @shane

Kyle Nishioka.com @madmarv

Judi Clark @judico