Image via CrunchBase

Every month in 2011 we’ve been sharing social media news highlights. This month: Cincinnati named Most Social city by Mashable, Google Plus, Google rebranding Blogger and Picasa, and a Twitter job hustle.

Cincinnati Named Most Social City by Mashable

Last Thursday, June 30, The Pub at Rookwood Mews was packed for Social Media Day!  We’ll have more to say about that in a separate post.

Special thanks to Blair Ward for creating a video that put Cincinnati at the top of the list for Mashable’s Most Social City title.  And thanks also to NMC Steering Committee member Anne Castleberry for helping organize Social Media Day Cincinnati!

Google Plus in Limited Field Trial

Google + is Google’s latest attempt to make sharing on the web more like sharing in real life. Group contacts into Circles (Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and more), create Hangouts, etc.  It’s in limited field trial right now, with full public launch expected by the end of the month (7/31).

Chances are you may have received an invitation already. Check it out and let us know what you think! Is this more than just another social networking platform? What are some ways that marketers can use this?

Google Rebranding Blogger and Picasa

Mashable reports that the Blogger and Picasa names are going bye-bye, as Google re-brands the products as Google Blogs and Google Photos, respectively, as part of its larger effort to unify its brand under Google +.

As someone who first started blogging on the Blogger platform, it’s a bittersweet moment.

Twitter Job Hustle

If you’re not following Tim Siedell on Twitter @badbanana, you’re definitely missing out on some humor. Tim’s blog recently featured a video about how two creatives used Twitter to land a prized agency job for the summer. Check it out: Twitter Job Hustle

Related articles

• Blogger and Picassa to Be Retired by Google (accesscomptech.wordpress.com)
• Google Takes Another Crack At Social Media (cincinnatisearchengineoptimization.com)
• Cincy named top social media-savvy city (news.cincinnati.com)

We’re excited to have Betty Hakes speak at the April Second Saturday event. Betty has been an affiliate marketer since 2006 and has launched and managed affiliate programs for a full-service marketing firm from 2009-2010.

Also special thanks to Chris Olson from Frame USA for sponsoring our giveaway this month: a 2-frame framepack and $50 gift card to their Tri-County store!

Related articles

• How I Pay My Mortgage (chrisbrogan.com)
• Blogging And Podcasting As A Business Model (twistimage.com)
• What The Exploring Social Media Product Roadmap Looks Like (socialmediaexplorer.com)
• 10 Basic Tips For Success In Affiliate Marketing (bigsexymedia.com)
• Making Money With Affiliate Marketing Requires Patience, Dedication (tiffanyproducts.wordpress.com)

Thanks to Michelle Beckham from C3: Creating Connections Consulting for this video promo!

Click here to see the embedded video.

And if you haven’t registered for Saturday’s event, get to it!

Related articles

• Quick Hits: Internet Advertising in 2011, the Facebook Lockdown Guide, and More (michaelfertik.com)
• White House Calls for Online ‘Privacy Bill of Rights’ (dailyfinance.com)

This month’s Second Saturday event is about New Media Lessons Learned. What has worked? What hasn’t worked? Registration has been up for a little while, and the spots are going fast! A few more are available. RSVP here.

… right here. Note the time change, by the way.

This Thursday night, 8 PM – 9 PM EDT, at TalkShoe. No music, no filler. Just a nice community chat.

If you’re interested in helping make an April Second Saturday event happen, this is your time to show up.  Many of you have expressed some ideas on what can be done. This is the time I have available to discuss.

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, this event will be community-run from now on.  You get to decide what happens. I’m taking a more advisory role for this event, based on some strong feedback I’ve received.

Phone call details:

• When: Thursday, March 31 April 1, 2010, 8-9 PM EDT
• Phone number: 724-444-7444 call ID: 49025
• Direct TalkShoe page: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/49025

Audio from this call will subsequently be posted over here within 1 day at newmediacincinnati.com

No one is currently up to provide a summary blog post as to what will be discussed. I won’t be able to do that. I’m open to giving someone a blog account so that he or she (or they) can blog about what was discussed.

Spread the word!

Have you ever wondered what is involved in putting together a New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event?

Do you believe the community should be more involved in putting this event together? What are you willing to contribute to make that happen?

The community will plan and host the April Second Saturday event

This afternoon, before the panel discussion on Privacy in Social Media, I announced to attendees of the March New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event that I, Daniel Johnson Jr, will NOT be planning and hosting the Second Saturday events by myself in the future.

We certainly have some people who have opinions and thoughts about how to make these events better, and I am making sure that they are more driven by you in the community. As the owner of New Media Cincinnati, I will retain oversight and provide advice and assistance where needed.

So, as you think about what is involved in putting one of these events on, please consider how you might contribute. Some things that immediately come to mind:

• Reserving the venue. Since October 2008 we have met on the patio at The Pub at Rookwood Mews. Someone needs to reserve the patio for next month, if it is decided that we’ll meet there again.
• Host/hostess/emcee. I’ve been calling the group to order and running the meetings. This will be done by someone else.
• Blog posts at newmediacincinnati.com. The community expects to receive communication on what’s happening with respect to the upcoming event. I will set up
• Discussion topic. The community has expressed a desire for a structured discussion. What will the topic be?
• Monthly planning call. I can call in and moderate, but the content of this call, if it happens, will be up to you.
• Invitations. I’ll still create and send out the Eventbrite invitations, but what will be on the event page?
• Check-ins. Someone to take ownership of checking people who have registered in. Nametags, etc.

These are a few of the things off the top of my head that I can see need to be done to make next month’s event happen. Please leave your ideas in the comments and let the community know how you’d like to contribute.

Here are some video comments I recorded in response the the reaction to this month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday being monetized.

Audio and video are not well-synced, and that probably indicates I should stop trying to record directly from my webcam into YouTube.

Click here to watch the embedded video.

As mentioned in the video, I think the discussion on finding value is one we should continue to have and it will be the topic for next month’s Second Saturday event.

Some related posts worth checking out:

• Laura Fitton is right. PodCamp was never free. (christopherspenn.com)
• Finding Value (managingthegray.com)

Crossposted to danieljohnsonjr.com

UPDATE: In case you didn’t already hear, this event is now FREE; i.e., no cover charge, no ticket charge, etc. You’ll still be responsible for your own bill at The Pub, however.

New Media Cincinnati began in October 2007 as a simple meetup group of people in the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas who were passionate about new and social media technologies like blogging, podcasting, Twitter, etc.

The group consists of people who are using new and social media for a living, but also includes people who are simply involved as a hobby. Anyone interested in learning more about these technologies and in connecting with others is welcome to attend. New Media Cincinnati has become, as one attendee remarked, “the premiere social networking event in the Greater Cincinnati area.” The group’s mission has grown to one of promoting digital literacy in our community.

People who come to New Media Cincinnati Second Saturdays

• make and foster business and personal connections with at least one other person,
• have face-to-face time with social media connections made online,
• learn from one another about social media technologies as we share best practices and other tips
• have the chance to talk about their own online presence
• have opportunities to share something they know with the rest of the group
• partake of food and drink and in general have a great time!

Connecting at New Media Cincinnati Second Saturdays has led to new business and employment for some.

Sponsors

This month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday is being brought to you by Daniel Johnson, Jr., The Pub at Rookwood Mews, and EJM Designs, a web design and internet marketing company.  Follow Eric on Twitter (@ejmdesigns) and check out his blog at http://ejmdesigns.blogspot.com.

Special thanks to The Pub for their continued partnership and support of New Media Cincinnati in 2010; follow them on Twitter @PubRookwood.

If you or your company is interested in sponsoring New Media Cincinnati, please get in touch with Daniel Johnson, Jr. for details.

Topic: Privacy in Social Media

As a springboard from last month’s discussion about Google Buzz, as well as some other news over the past month about location-based social networking tools, this month we will have a panel discussion on Privacy in Social Media. We will have three panelists approach their use of social media with different levels of privacy.

As always, we will leave ample time for the open networking that so many of us enjoy.

Event Details

• Event Tags
  • Twitter: #newmediacincy
  • Elsewhere: newmediacincy
• Questions? Contact Daniel Johnson, Jr. via the Contact page or see below.

More about the New Media Cincinnati web presence can be found at the website.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Foursquare networks into Cincinnati (news.cincinnati.com)

Want to get a sneak peek at next week’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event for March?

Tonight a handful of us got together on TalkShoe for the ninth New Media Cincinnati planning conference call for an “inside baseball” discussion to review the February event and discuss next weekend’s event for March.

Direct download link (mp3, 1:13:53, 67.6 MB)

Special thanks go out to Don, Mary Beth, Michelle, and Jim for your insights and thoughts!

Needs for March

We need help!!! We are going to set up a panel discussion and are looking to borrow 2 additional microphones. Please get in touch with Don Sceifers as soon as possible if you’re able to help.

Registration

You will be able to register for next weekend’s Second Saturday in the coming days. In the meantime, if you’d like to get an email invitation, you can add yourself to the NMC Email Signup list.

Music

Songs played:

• Drew LaPlante, “It All Comes Down To You”
• The Honneycombs, “Live a Little”

Do check out these artists’ websites and let them know you found out about them from New Media Cincinnati.

Possible related articles by Zemanta

• Turn the page (journeyinsidemymind.com)
• Uncaffeinated buzz and fresh perspectives (danieljohnsonjr.com)
• Welcome Cincinnati Magazine readers! (howigotmyjob.com)