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NOTE: I originally wrote this yesterday but had problems publishing it.

Today is somewhat of a special day for the New Media Cincinnati community, because it’s the birthday of someone, without whom, the group might not have been possible.

In late Summer / early Fall 2007, I’d been connecting with a lot of people in the Dayton and Cincinnati area online through Twitter and Facebook. More and more people in Cincinnati were interested in meeting up in-person, but I didn’t want to create a group. I didn’t have time for it, etc. Still, no one had stepped up to meet the need.

One of the people I’d connected with on Twitter was Andy Osier. He and I had also connected elsewhere through a number of online groups, and we have been Instant Messaging buddies for quite some time. When I mentioned the growing interest in a meetup group for people in the Cincinnati area, he also was interested in helping out. I suggested the name New Media Cincinnati, and that we could get the domain name. He got the domain name and set up a Facebook group for us to organize around. He also created the LinkedIn group.

Andy still comes around to our monthly gatherings occasionally.

Please join me in wishing him a very Happy Birthday! Andy, New Media Cincinnati might not have been if it wasn’t for you. Thank you, man!

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.

Earlier this month we met for the first time at Molly Malone’s in Covington and talked about the need for a Steering Committee to help move the group forward.

Please join me in congratulating the following people, who stepped forward and were accepted by the group to be the inaugural New Media Cincinnati Steering Committee.

They are listed in no particular order, except how I’d written them down (links to their Twitter accounts):

• Mary Beth Dunn
• Anne Castleberry
• Don Sceifers
• Margo Rose
• Michelle Beckham
• Sue MacDonald
• Crystal Thies

I’d like to take a moment to share my thoughts on having a Steering Committee for New Media Cincinnati. I’m loosely gathering them around the concepts of people, planning, and purpose. I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments.

People

It’s been amazing to see how this group has matured over the past three years, to the point where members of the community are willing to share their vision for what it can do. I speak of members, but, as you know, this term is relatively loose in its definition.  Chances are, if you’ve been to a New Media Cincinnati event, are connected to our presence online, I consider you as part of the community.

Obviously some are more active than others. Some of you have been coming around since that first get together at the Golden Corral in Middletown back in October 2007. Others have been regulars since we met at the Panera near Tri-County Mall.  Others have only just begun to spend time with us online and in-person.

To me, the group has always been about connecting in-person. Connecting online is so easy. Some might argue it’s too easy, because it’s possible to hide online. Showing up and being present in-person takes courage. It shows that you’re interested in further developing the relationships you are (or have begun) building online.

Planning

Putting together an event takes planning. It’s not enough to say, we’re meeting here at this time. It was at first, but now, we need to have a place that not only will be able to hold everyone who comes, but also will meet other needs.  In addition, there are communication expectations that the community has and administrative things to be done.

And there’s the outreach, care and feeding of people new to the community as well as those who have been around for some time.  How do we keep the events interesting? How can we meet the needs of people who are new to this space as well as those who are not?

Furthermore, is there an opportunity to get paid for time spent in running the group? We’ve explored this at times in the past, and I believe there is. What events other than the Second Saturday event could we hold that would really meet some of the needs, ones that could be conducted for a fee, perhaps?

Purpose

For almost three years, I’ve done much of the organizing, planning, promotion, and running these events. I don’t have time to do this all by myself, and I’ve been relying on others more and more.  And for this group to become the best version of itself, there needs to be others who share in this passion, too.

The roles of the New Media Cincinnati Steering Committee are as broad as they are important:

• Serve as a sounding board for the rest of the community, whether those who are brand new or those who have been around for some time.
• Serve as community direction committee to help set priorities and strategy for the group, both online and offline.
• Organize and run subcommittees as needed for the monthly and other special events.

The Steering Committee could consist of 4 elected members of the New Media Cincinnati community. These members are nominated by their peers, or members can nominate themselves, describing why they believe they should be elected. Eventually we would have 6 members with three positions coming up for re-election each year. This set up would provide a combination of consistency while providing the opportunity to gather fresh ideas and approaches each year.

Your turn

Comments are awesome!   Especially when they are in line with the comments policy.

What we need

Your thoughts and ideas, especially with what has worked for other similar groups. Questions and thoughts for clarification. Suggested next actions. Be helpful!

What we don’t need

Grammar and spelling corrections. Reasons why this won’t work.  Disrespect for me or others in the group. Flame wars, name-calling, and other behavior warned against in the comments policy.

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… right over here.

And be sure to tell your friends to come, too!

Last Thursday a number of us got together at TalkShoe to talk about New Media Cincinnati. We’ve been holding these planning conference calls since May 2009 as a way to share thoughts and set expectations for the upcoming Second Saturday event.

Many thanks to Don Sceifers, Vickie Sceifers, Anne Castleberry, and Michelle Beckham for joining me for the discussion.

On this call we talked about what it was like having the first event in Northern Kentucky at Lazer Kraze. Check out this video that Chris and Anne put together:

In addition, we heard Don, Vickie, and Anne share about Podcamp Ohio/Wordcamp Columbus, which happened at The Ohio State University earlier this month.

Next New Media Cincinnati will be at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub in Covington on July 10, 2010 from 3-5:30 PM. Are you signed up to get an email invitation?

We wrapped up the discussion with some ideas on what the Steering Committee for New Media Cincinnati might look like (more on that in a future blog post). Don let slip a fun, fantastic idea for an upcoming Second Saturday event, and Anne plugged the Digital Hub Nonconference and related events around that.

Music from Drew LaPlante: “I Believe In You”

It’s time for another New Media Cincinnati conference call!

Background

Putting together a New Media Cincinnati event each month takes up a lot of time. People come wanting to have a good time and meet people they’ve made connections with online. Those who attend often expect for there to be some sort of structured discussion – a topic or theme.

I decided some months ago that the New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday event will be a free (no admission), community-run event. In the beginning, I was able to plan, organize, run, and do the followup for the event.  Not so anymore.

Conference calls

In May 2009 I started conducting these conference calls for anyone in the community who wanted to participate.  These calls had two main purposes:

1. Provide feedback on the previous month’s event
2. Set expectations and discuss the upcoming event

As the group has matured, I find I’m relying more and more on help from the community to make this event happen each month.

Details

• When: Thursday, June 24, 2010 8-9 PM EDT
• http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/49025
• TalkShoe has a web client and downloadable software to text chat with others who are also on the call. Note that the web client does not work well in Google Chrome.
• Calling instructions:
  1. Dial: (724) 444-7444
  2. Enter: 49025 # (Call ID)
  3. Enter: 1 # (unless you already have a TalkShoe account associated with your phone)
• Possible items for discussion:
  • New Media Cincinnati in Northern Kentucky at Lazer Kraze this past month (seen this video?)
  • Podcamp Ohio/WordCamp Columbus (did you go?)
  • Venue change (we’re meeting at Molly Malone’s in Covington)
  • Steering Committee (ooh)

Catch you on Thursday night!

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As mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve had to make a last-minute venue change for this month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday. Thanks again to Ryan Courtade from the Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation for hooking us up with LazerKraze in Erlanger, Kentucky.

We’re keeping it really laid back and social. (Kids are welcome.)

Meeting connections made online in the real world is the main thing; playing games and laser tag is optional.

Find the registration details here.

Hope to see you there!

– Daniel Johnson, Jr.

As many who have followed New Media Cincinnati know, we have met regularly at The Pub at Rookwood Mews since September 2008. They know me and they know our group.  They certainly have benefited from the $300-400 worth of business we have brought them each month during a time when they typically have not been busy.

I have not had a standing reservation with them for us to use their patio, and I’ve typically waited until the week before our Second Saturday event to call and reserve.

I approached the management at the beginning of the 2010 about providing drink specials and/or appetizers for our group, and I was told that they have typically charged for groups to use their patio. So I didn’t pursue it any further.

This past Sunday afternoon, I called to make our usual reservation, and I was told that I needed to call back on Monday after 8 AM to speak with Aaron, their manager. On Monday after 8 AM I called and was told that I needed to call back after Noon because that is when Aaron would be in.

I called at Noon and spoke with Aaron, and we set up the reservation from 4-7, like we have done in the past. After I got off the phone, he called me back and mentioned that, because of the World Cup (Super Bowl of Soccer for us who don’t follow the sport) and The Pub’s promotions for the event, they were actually unable to reserve their patio this month and next, since the tournament will go on over the next 30 days or so.

This naturally put me and the group in a very tight spot. I even considered cancelling this month’s event. Fortunately, we’ve been able to secure a venue for this Saturday and the Second Saturday of July – that all will be announced in a separate blog post.

So I’d like to personally thank The Pub for everything they have and have not done for the group.  Please note that we will be using a different venue going forward.

Daniel Johnson, Jr.
Founder, New Media Cincinnati

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