Technology is moving quickly faster than most Hawaii businesses are able to find the capital to upgrade equipment or the manpower to manage social media campaigns. Pacific Business News together with the High Technology Development Corp have put together a panel of technology experts to provide solutions in their first ever, Technology for Business Breakfast on Thursday, May 13, 2010 from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at the Sheraton Waikiki Lanai Ballroom.
Springfest 2010 is next week Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Ohia auditorium on the Kapiolani Community College campus. Founded in 1979 the Hawaii Macintosh & Apple Users’ Society, Inc. is the first and largest Apple and Macintosh user group in Hawaii.
The organization provides support and information for people who use Apple, Macintosh and related technologies. Membership is open to all who wish to benefit from meeting and sharing information with others with similar interests.
And, in case you’re wondering, I’m still a PC! The members of HMAUS are very community oriented, they welcome me despite my gadget shortcomings.
This is a great opportunity for your blossoming geek (and these days it’s a term of endearment). Biotechnology, renewable energy, and digital media are among the subjects to be covered at Sci-Tech Day on Friday, April 30, 2010 from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Honolulu, Leeward, and Windward Community Colleges.
The Pacific Center for Advance Technology Training (PCATT) will be hosting their 8th Annual ITSummit on Thursday, May 20 – Friday, May 21, 2010 on the Honolulu Community College campus. This year’s theme is social media in education and the organizers have lined up speakers to lead discussions in virtualization, using wikis and blogs in education, mobile application development, and more. I’ve been asked to be the morning keynote to kick off what will be an exciting and vigorous two-day conference about social media in education.
Take a look at the schedule below and get in touch with Gerald Cerny or Wayne Lewis to register for this free event.
Social media strategies are being fostered in executive boardrooms and entrepreneurial garages each week, quite often without the complete knowledge or skillsets required for successful campaigns. There are many people who promise to deliver and then there are those who have actually been living, breathing, and producing results using the different social media tools.
Next Level Hawaii will be bringing some of the national leaders of the social media industry to the Hawaii Convention Center from April 29 – May 1, 2010. I have spoken with and learned a lot of my knowledge from most of the speakers lined up for this conference.
Team Guy Kawasaki
Jesse Stay is like family to me, allow me to trace the genealogy. My business advisor, mentor, and dear friend Guy Kawasaki is an advisor for many different startups including Jesse’s Twitter and Facebook management tool, SocialToo. I’ve been a paid subscriber of SocialToo to manage my gratefully growing @NEENZ Twitter account since it launched and recommend everyone doing so too. More than Twitter, Jesse is also the author of two essential books for using Facebook: FBML Essentials and I’m on Facebook–Now What???.
Founder of the Gnomedex conference, held annually in Seattle, WA since 2001, Chris Pirillo is probably one of the most visible persons in social media recording an average of 1,000 videos per year and livestreaming as often as he’s allowed. (As I type this he has a little less than 300 viewers on his Ustream channel and he’s not even at his desk!). I’ve left conversations with Chris inspired and recharged, he has that much energy, but mostly encouraged to continue to pursue my goals.
Last year I attended, SOBCon: Biz School for Bloggers in Chicago, IL. Talk about an A-to-Z of social media, networking and tools. For three days I was listening and learning from good people doing great things. They were Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, co-authors of Trust Agents; Lewis Howes co-author of LinkedWorking the best how-to book for business networking site, LinkedIn; and the best tablemates I could ever ask for! One person that stood out to me because of his genuine grace was Geoff Livingston. He had just shared with the group his knowledge about mixing in traditional media and marketing practices with social media. We all had learned about his work with the United Way of Amercia, Save Darfur, and Live Earth. And yet, when we met in the hallway he carried himself with such grace and humility I couldn’t help but feel completely comfortable. Geoff is currently working with his new startup aimed at serving nonprofits and socially conscious companies, Zoetica, co-founded with nonprofit expert Beth Kanter and Kami Watson Huyse.
Rounding out the speakers are Roxanne Darling, Aaron Brazell, and Micah Baldwin. The agenda has not been published, but the conference is being produced by real estate consultant, Kelly Mitchell and I can only guess that there will be valuable information for the Hawaii real estate industry as well as nonprofits and entrepreneurs. Follow @nextlevelhawaii on Twitter for more updates.
The rates are reasonable as compared to other national conferences, including one that I helped organize, so consider registering as there are only a few weeks left.
A community-based appeal for Google to make Hawaii one of the test locales for its recently announced ultra-fast broadband service is being organized through an online petition. Called Gigabit Hawaii, the initiative seeks to get tens of thousands of residents to add their support on the Gigabit Hawaii Facebook Page by a March 15 deadline when the petition of community based encouragement will be transmitted to Google — which will be making initial selections after March 25th.
Why Hawaii is an Ideal Choice for Google’s Gigabit Network
Hawaii, home to nearly 1.3 million people, is the most isolated island chain on earth. We are 2,390 miles from California, 3,850 miles from Japan, 4,900 miles from China and 5,280 miles from the Philippines. Our state’s unique geographic isolation presents special challenges in keeping our families, communities and businesses connected across our islands and to the outside world. The speed and quality of our connection to the net directly impacts our ability to communicate, educate, learn and conduct business. Here are five reasons why Hawaii is an ideal choice for Google’s gigabit initiative:
Hawaii’s speeds are among the worst in the nation. According to 2009 CWA report on Internet speeds, Hawaii ranks 47th of all states in terms of average download speed.
Hawaii is the most isolated and import-dependent state in the union. As such it’s imperative that its economic drivers shift from tourism and the military to the sale and export of locally-produced goods and intellectual capital. High-speed networking can help achieve this vision of sustainability per our state mandate (i.e. Lingle’s Innovation Initiative.)
Hawaii’s geography has always been a driver for cutting-edge high-speed networking. It’s why the influential ALOHAnet, the predecessor to Ethernet, was invented here. There are thousands of families and communities scattered across the Hawaiian islands. Fiber would provide incredible opportunities for them to stay connected and participate in shared cultural events and educational opportunities. Workers providing net-based customer support from home can provide services spanning Japan to New York within regular local work hours.
Hawaii represents a huge telemedicine testbed opportunity. Hawaii is the first state to offer online physician visits statewide, open to 700,000 HMSA members (54% of the population). As noted in the article, if a high-speed testbed using this software across communities is successful, this would make a great starting point for taking the lessons learned and applying them to the rest of the nation. The software, community, and business infrastructure is already there!
Google has offices in 17 states, but has no Hawaii presence. Why not? As mentioned above, Hawaii could be a great testbed for Google Health. Our state is the perfect place for software engineers to escape the colder weather of mainland winters, and it’s certainly one of the most inspiring places on earth.
Today, Neil Abercrombie filed his paperwork and took an oath at the State of Hawaii Office of Elections as a candidate for Governor of Hawaii in 2010. Part of his campaigning efforts include the use of social media tools and networking sites. He and his team have been using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and more since 2007. Now, he wants to empower his volunteers by providing them with cutting edge campaign training.
Beginning Thursday, March 4, 2010, as the Social Media Director for the campaign, I will be conducting social media training at the Abercrombie for Governor headquarters at Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd., in the former Stuart Anderson’s restaurant. Training is from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Each week, training classes will be every Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The kind folks at Ad2Honolulu have invited me to speak to their organization about the Art of Self Branding. As someone whom over the years first accidentally created a self-brand and then cultivated it into an actual business, I am honored to share my journey. Will you join us?
From their website:
A bunch of ad making, creative seeking, mac loving kids
Well . . . big kids maybe. And we’re among the top in our field. Why? We explore new ideas, stretch our minds, meet the right people, and sharpen our skills. And we’re doing it now. While we’re still young enough.
Ad 2 members—all no more than 32 years old—are either employed or interested in advertising and it’s related fields. Members bring fresh ideas, new imagery and revolutionary concepts with their youth and creativity.
Learning from each other is what makes Ad 2 Honolulu tick. New members soon find out that Ad 2 Honolulu is about gaining professional experience, while having fun. There’s heaps of talent and ambition in the club—reaching all corners of the industry—and with that comes a healthy helping of good ol’ partying.
Last year, I attended SOBCon: Biz School for Bloggers in the beautiful City of Chicago and was literally blown away by my experience, knowledge gained, and most importantly engagement with others. In no particular order, I provide you 10 reasons why you should attend SOBCon 2010: Where the Virtual meets Concrete:
Founders, Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker are genuine people who consistently engage with their community. I am a regular reader of both of their blogs often sharing their forward thinking leadership posts. Liz was recently named one of the Top Social Media Strategists to Watch in 2010.
Like I mentioned above, it’s held in Chicago, IL! Last year was my first visit, and during my walk through the city I was captivated by the historical architecture. I am looking forward to returning with my family to revisit the places that took my breath away and maybe this time @oprah would be up for a tweetup!
2010 will be about smaller groups, focused content, and most importantly fostering relationships to build and strengthen your communities. SOBCon targets a group of 150, allowing attendees to build relationships, thereby build their communities. My tablemates, Becky McCray, Sheila Scarborough, and Paul Merrill continue to be an encouragement for me personally and professionally.
Speaking of Becky and Sheila, this year they’ll be speaking! Since last SOBCon, they’ve launched their new startup, Tourism Currents which provides web learning resources for the tourism industry. Hawaii are you listening?
SOBCon is business school for bloggers and this year’s focus is strategy and tactics for integrating online and offline social marketing. Speakers, attendees, and sponsors alike are there to learn, grow, and network together. It’s serious business, with a splash of fun.
There’s a great line up of other forward thinking thought leaders who have been doing all sorts of great things in their communities. To dangle a few golden carrots aside from the wonderful people I’ve already mentioned, Chris Brogan, Jason Falls, and Ted Murphy are on the program.
If you’re a brand new blogger, consider registering for the New Blogger Boot Camp which is only 1-week, into the 8-week webinar. It’s run by SOBCon alumni, Kristen King and will be a great “first course” leading into SOBCon2010.
On the third day of the event, Geoff Livingston of Zoetica Media, a social enterprise that serves nonprofits will host the Nonprofit “Give Back” Event. Nonprofits will have 10-minutes to present their value proposition, and then attendees will work together for one hour to develop ideas for online and offline social networking to help young nonprofits build awareness, gain support, and promote their cause.
Go to your community. Although I live in Hawaii; my audience, network, and community reside beyond the islands. Therefore, I have to go to them in order to grow in all areas.
This year I’ve been asked to participate on a panel and I am so very humbled by for the speaking opportunity.
My friend, Founder of One by One Media and the Social Media and Conference Director for BlogWorld, Jim Turner emailed me earlier today asking for help. I didn’t read any further when I had already decided that I would. I have experienced Jim’s giving spirit during his participation in So Much More Hawaii and [re]Think: Hawaii, so I knew what he was asking wasn’t for himself, but to serve others.
One by One Media, Cause Media Group, and WS Radio are coming together to begin a grassroots program to reach out to the people of Haiti and begin a grass roots program to raise awareness and more importantly, money to help in the relief effort.
Powered by the studio and services of WS Radio, Jim will host a 24-hour live radio telethon on Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. HST, 6:00 p.m. PST, and 9:00 p.m. EST. My friend Chris Noble and his Cause Media Group will provide a convenient vehicle for donations.
Tune in, I’ll be a guest during the telethon from 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time and hopefully rally more people to heed the call to help.
