tweetup kalamazoo annual report 2011

-2010-

4/30 PersonalBranding KimBode,834Baba6/4 ArtHopEdition-PhotoCompetition7/14 SocialMediaManagementTools RoundtableDiscussion8/20 KalamazooRiverOilSpillFundraiser DaisyRizzo,CarlBrown,BethanyGauthier8/29 FundraiserPt.2:Bowl-a-thon BethanyGauthier/AirwayLanes10/1 TheSocialNetworkmovie RaveMotionPictures11/19 SocialMediaBattles Singlev.MultipleProfiles BethanyGauthier,AllisonWinter, Classicv.NewRetweet DanielPeterson,BillPlayford, Qualityv.QuantityofFollowers JohnClark,CarlBrown, FoursquareCheck-inAtWork/Home EnriqueMartinez(Pro),EricSchmidt(Con)12/17 MonthOFF:#MovieUpTRONLegacy

-2011-

1/21 Celebration!Cinema JeremyBronson2/18 SmashBurger BiseraUrdarevik3/18 BlueCrossBlueShieldofMichigan ShannonPaul4/15 PureMichigan StanfordSmith

AnnuAl RepoRt [email protected] | Twitter @tweetupkzoo | Facebook www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo

Presen

ter series

BasicInformationFounded April2010Location Kalamazoo,MichiganAbout TweetUpKalamazoo(#tweetupkzoo)connects Twitterusersface-to-faceinKalamazoo/Portage tohaveimportantconversationsaboutsocial mediaandourcommunity.Overview Atweetupiswhendigitalturnsintoface-to-face, 140charactersintoameaningfulconversation, arecognizablepositiononablogintoanability tolisten.Mission ConnectingTwitterusersinKalamazooand Portagetoengageinimportantconversationsin thecommunity.Facebook 258LikesTwitter 293Followers

HighlightsOfTheYearArtHopEdition-PhotoCompetition

KalamazooRiverOilSpillFundraiserWeraisedatotalof$745fortheKalamazooRiverEnvironmentalFund(DeliveredtoCFACCinBattleCreekon9/15/2010)andahugetotecontainerfullofdonationitems(DeliveredtoDonationCenter9/16/2010).

SocialMediaBattlesTheSocialMediaBattleswasdevelopedbyDanZarrellafromHubspot.Eachbattlewillbecomposedof2peoplerepresentingopposingviewpointsonasocialmediatopic.They’lleachbegiven2minutestomaketheircase,and1minuterebuttalstotheiropponents,thentheaudiencewilldecidethewinner.Fast,simpleandhonest.

PresenterSeriesJanuary-April2011Aspartof#tweetupkzootraditionofnetworkingandlearningfromoneanotheraboutsocialmedia,wesecuredseveralavidsocialmediausersfromvariousindustriestosharewithusapieceoftheirsocialmediamastermind.SeevideorecapsonlineoronFacebook.

QuestionsToPonderForNextYear:Whattypeofprogrammingwouldyouliketoseeinthenextyear?

Whatfeedbackwouldyouliketogiveus?

HowdoyouseeyourselfgettinginvolvedinTweetUpKalamazoo?

http://www.twitter.com/tweetupkzoo

http://www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo

http://www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo

The goal of this tweetup on June 4, 2010 was to encourage participants to visit a staple activity of the Kalamazoo community called the Art Hop - held every first Friday of the month - while sharing photos with other Twitter users. This was a simple way to give new Twitter users the opportunity to try photo sharing via Twitter and seasoned users to integrate social media into local art exploration.

Competition Overview:Qualifying photos for the competition must be tagged with the hash tag #tweetupkzoo in the tweet in order for it to qualify as a submission. Total qualifying submissions received was 39 photos.

Participants had the opportunity to post their pictures by midnight that same day to Twitter. Some participants did not have a cameraphone, as such digital cameras were allowed as long as they shared pictures on Twitter.

Submissions were limited to up to five photos. Out of the five photos, three of them had to come from one of the eight pre-selected Art Hop destinations. Art Hop printed guides were handed out and users of

Foursquare could view Art Hop destinations via pop up “Tips” in the mobile application. Foursquare venues were tagged and tipped by Sara J. Owen and Sarah Lee. Foursquare venue verification and art hop tagging by Matt Van Dyk.

Submissions were judged by Katie Hallin, marketing manager for Venture Foods, Inc., and Sarah Lee, founder and organizer of TweetUp Kalamazoo. Two top winners were selected: Bethany Gauthier from Miller Auditorium and Eric Schmidt from Frogsplash. Prizes given away were a wind up toy called “Cranky,” The Wine Loft VIP discount passes, and Fire Bowl Cafe discount vouchers.

Highlights Of The Year: Art Hop Edition - Photo Competition

“A picture paints more than 140 characters”


Highlights Of The Year: Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Fundraiser

“An important conversation that we couldn’t walk away from”


TweetUp Kalamazoo had the opportunity to engage in a fundraiser for a cause that many of our members felt strongly about - the Kalamazoo River oil spill that began in Marshall early August. In fact a hefty Twitter discussion ensued under the hashtags #kzoooilspill #tweetupkzoo that gave us the direction we needed to pursue for this fundraiser.

Leveraging our group’s momentum for a good cause was a step in the right direction. It helped us integrate what we love to do (social media) and engaging in the community that we live in by focusing on the issues that matter most to Kalamazoo. As noted on our Facebook page and Twitter bio, “TweetUp Kalamazoo connects Twitter users face-to-face in Kalamazoo/Portage to have important conversations about social media and our community.” This was an important conversation that we couldn’t walk away from.

Fundraiser Overview:Two to three weeks prior to the August 20, 2010 tweetup, four members who volunteered gathered together to set up this fundraiser - Sarah Lee, Carl Brown, Bethany Gauthier and Daisy Rizzo.

We decided to raise funds for the Kalamazoo River Environmental Fund (Hosted by the Community Foundation Alliance of Calhoun County) and collect item donations for the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Donation Center.

Three main strategies we chose which gave everyone the opportunity to participate:1. Selling raffle tickets and all proceeds will be donated (*Note: Due to constraints at the time set forth by CFACC, we were unable to do online fundraising)

2. Secure local businesses as drop off locations3. Secure partnering businesses to donate to the cause

Promotion of the event via social media (Twitter and Facebook) and fliers/posters to increase awareness of drop off locations and fundraiser.

Selling raffle tickets and all proceeds will be donatedRaffle items were all donated and we secured all of them through either personal connections or corresponding via social media. The ticket sales were simple - $5 per ticket, the more you bought the cheaper the tickets. We also encouraged participants to donate items by giving a raffle ticket for every item donated. We raised $427 within two hours from raffle ticket sales alone (which included a last minute cupcake sale of $5).

* Two tickets to Last Comic Standing by Miller Auditorium (@milleraud) - via @beegibs* WICKED prize packs with a baseball cap and umbrella by Miller Auditorium (@milleraud) - via @beegibs* One free night stay at Staybridge by Staybridge Suites ($115 value) - via @staybridgekzoo* Cupcakes from Confection Bakery - via Facebook, Giti Henrie* Gift Basket from The Victorian Bakery - through a TweetUp member’s recommendation and Facebook, Maria* $30 Gift Certificate to PixelAndHank - via @pixelandhank* $10 Gift Certificate to Sticks & Stones - via Facebook, Susan* “Yes We Did: An Inside Look At How Social Media Built The Obama Brand” ($25 value) - via @SarahLWLee* $25 Gift Certificate to Wine Loft (@wineloftwmich) - via Katie Hallin* 2 Free Entrees Gift Certificate to Fire Bowl Cafe (@FireBowlCafeWMI) - via Katie Hallin* $10 Gift Certificate to SmashBurger (@SmashBurgerWMI) - via Katie Hallin

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Highlights: Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Fundraiser (Continue)


Secure local businesses as drop off locationsWe needed more locations for people to drop off donations but more importantly to give people an opportunity beyond the TweetUp to participate. The TweetUp volunteers secured the locations shortly after the first meeting. Each location received some donations though not alot. In fact majority of the donations came from a lady who spoke to Daisy Rizzo at I Heart Ipanema. Sarah Lee met up with this lady and received bags of item donations. In addition there were cash donations dropped off at some of the locations, total of $53. Secure partnering businesses to donate to the causeWine Loft has been a gracious host for the TweetUps and when we floated the fundraiser idea by them, they offered a great idea in return! Ten percent of the Wine Loft’s proceeds from the evening of the TweetUp was donated to the cause which came up to a total of approximately $100.

Airway Lanes approached us with another fundraising idea with a bowl-a-thon and we thought it would be a good idea especially the location being family-friendly. Bethany Gauthier coordinated the event and the deal was three bowling games for $20. A portion of the proceeds paid for bowling facilities at cost and the rest went straight into the fundraiser, which raised a total of $115 straight into the fund. Promotion of the event via social media (Twitter and Facebook) and fliers/posters to increase awareness of drop off locations and fundraiserDaisy Rizzo as part of Ignertia offered her designing and print services to create graphics, posters and fliers for the fundraiser effort. In fact she even tried to get Matt Giraud to come out to Wine Loft to sing or just show up. Unfortunately he couldn’t make it but he did give TweetUp Kalamazoo a shout out on his Facebook page regarding the fundraiser, which we thought wasn’t too bad.

INTERESTING OUTCOMES:1. Media Attention - Well this came as a surprise as we started spreading the word, several media people got wind of the event through Twitter or one of the planning team members. TweetUp Kalamazoo appeared on the following:Kalamazoo Gazette with James Sanford (with Bethany Gauthier assistance)WWMT Channel 3 with Kate Tillotson (with Dan Moyle’s assistance)WKZO with Lori MooreSecond Wave Media with Kathy Jennings WRKR Morning Show with Diane and Ramone (with Dan Moyle’s assistance)

2. Professional photographer Chris McGuire - Daisy Rizzo got McGuire Photography to take photos at tweetup

3. Increased Awareness of TweetUp Kalamazoo - The group gained a better presence in Kalamazoo and on Twitter but the most obvious growth was on the Facebook group - grew immensely from 80 to 150 likes during that period.

4. Increased Awareness in Business Community - Growing interest from the business community to attend TweetUp Kalamazoo to connect with the social media community in Kalamazoo as well as to learn more how to leverage social media.

5. Final Tally - We raised a total of $745 for the Kalamazoo River Environmental Fund (Delivered to CFACC in Battle Creek on 9/15) and a huge tote container full of donation items (Delivered to Donation Center 9/16).

Highlights Of The Year: Social Media Battles“Quick-fire debates between two opposing viewpoints - a rematch may be in order”


The Social Media Battles was developed by Dan Zarrella from HubSpot. Each battle was composed of two people representing opposing viewpoints on a social media topic. Each were given 2 minutes to make their case, and 1 minute rebuttals to their opponents, then the audience will decide the winner. Fast, simple and honest. Winner in light blue.

Battle topics:1. Single (Bethany Gauthier) vs. Multiple Profiles (Allison Winter) There has been a lot of talk about having separate profiles for personal and business on Twitter. However, everyone has polar opposite opinions on it. Look at Mashable account where you have Pete Cashmore as the

face of Mashable and only uses a single account for business. On the other hand having it separate would be handy to keep personal opinions separate from the organization’s messaging. So why is it important or even necessary? Will it make a difference? What if you are the business/brand?

2. Foursquare Check-ins at Work/Home (Enrique Martinez, Pro v. Eric Schmidt, Con)Foursquare has taken off dramatically as one of the most popular geo-location mobile application. In addition to it’s popularity, many questions that have led to heated debates have been brought up as to whether checking in to your work place or home is a valid location to check into. Some have commented that checking in to your home or work place is not in the spirit of what Foursquare was intended for. Furthermore, what if your work place doesn’t have the feature where staff checks in separately? Should checking in to your work place or home count as a valid mayorship to claim major Foursquare badges such as “Super Mayor”?

3. Followers: Quality (John Clark) vs. Quantity (Carl Brown)One of the major questions, every business or online personality has asked is “How do I grow my followers on Twitter?”. Truly the better question is do you want quality or quantity from your followership? Indeed the more followers you have, it affects your Klout score dramatically, but your influence score is not solely dependent on the number of followers. It is in the conversations that you have with your followers - the social engagement. However, many social media aficionados do not always agree on this topic. On one hand having a larger followership leads to greater influence and also perhaps a larger engaged knowledge bank to draw from. But how do you manage all these conversations and have meaningful interactions with thousands of followers?

4. Twitter Retweet Classic (Daniel Peterson) v. Retweet New (Bill Playford) Twitter is constantly wowing us with a variety of experimental features and many of which we have taken a stand to say which one is better than the other. Or at least to define the ups and downs of these features. Retweet Classic gives you the ability to edit the tweet you are planning on retweeting prior to posting, where as Retweet New does not give you an editing capabilities. How important is it to have a tweet that has been edited to include your comments? You could easily attribute to the tweeter in a new post or hit the reply button and respond. At the same time, Retweeting the whole tweet without editing would simplify the process of tracking the depth and influence of that particular tweet. Is this truly a question of preference or does either one have an upperhand that we are unaware of?

Highlights Of The Year: Presenter Series January - April 2011

“A piece from the social media masterminds”


As part of TweetUp Kalamazoo tradition of networking and learning from one another about social media, we secured several avid social media users from various industries to share with us a piece of their social media mastermind. The presenter series came about as a way Watch the video recaps online on Facebook or at www.vimeo.com/tweetupkzoo.

JanuaryCelebration! Cinema - Jeremy Bronson

Jeremy Bronson (@jbrons) is the e-marketing coordinator at Celebration! Cinema. He previously worked at the DeltaPlex Arena in Grand Rapids, where he currently resides, and the Graduate Library in Ann Arbor. When he’s not maintaining Facebook pages or designing websites he enjoys watching movies (go figure), visiting Lake Michigan, skiing, Michigan football, and photography.

February SmashBurger - Bisera Urdarevik

Bisera Urdarevik (@BiseraU), owner of Lush Gourmet Foods (@lushgourmet), is a senior at Kendall College in Chicago completing her bachelor’s in Food & Beverage management. In October 2010, she began her internship with Venture Foods Inc. and has been managing both SmashBurger and The Wine Loft’s social media outlets. Her interests include cooking, baking, entertaining, traveling, reading and snowboarding.

March Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan - Shannon Paul

ShannonPaul (@shannonpaul) is the social media manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. She writes about social media for business on her blog called VeryOfficialBlog.com. Most recently Shannon was recruited to manage social media for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan where she oversees the use of social media throughout the enterprise. Her previous experience includes managing social media for the online division of PEAK6, a privately held financial services company, and creating the first social media strategy for the NHL Detroit Red Wings.

AprilPure Michigan - Stanford Smith

Stanford Smith (@pushingsocial) is vice president of marketing at Fluency Media, a full-service interactive agency, and blogs at PushingSocial.com. Stan has worked with clients including The State of Michigan, Quiznos, the Detroit CVB, and other prominent organizations. When he is not blogging or playing with his boys, he is fishing for the mythical 10 pound bass in Southeast Michigan lakes.

http://www.vimeo.com/tweetupkzoo

tweetup kalamazoo annual report 2011

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