Novell Vibe Outreach Event - Boston

As many of you know, I create content for a living.

More simply put, I write stuff and people pay me to do so. I’m also a social media trainer, guest speaker and event organizer. To that end, I keep an event calendar over at WithJeff.com and schedule dozens of speaking gigs and training sessions each year all over the United States.

In my role as content creator and event organizer, I’ve put together numerous Tweetups. These have included events for Nissan, Society of Professional Journalists, Egg-Nog Fanatics, the audience of NomX3 and even Ford Motor Company. But recently, I jumped up a level and was honored to be able to merge a few of my skills at an event for Novell - it was what I like to call a Focus Group Tweetup.

The invitation-only event (tweaking the literal definition of a Tweetup with its exclusive nature) brought together 16 technology, community, social and business professionals to talk about a software product. I planned the event at the amazing Brasserie Jo in Boston - and I will tell anyone who will listen that it’s as close as you can get to dining in Paris without flying 3000 miles.

So, right off the bat I had upped the ante. Here are some photos from the night, some facts about the discussion, a link to the product if you want to try it out, and my evaluation of how things went. If you’ve ever wanted to organize a Tweetup, anyone can do it. You just need some organizational skills and the energy to pull it off.

I expect to be doing similar events in Salt Lake City and Austin, TX over the next month or so, and will be doing a few Ice Cream Tweetups over the summer in Boston. Just follow me on twitter if you’d like to be sure not to miss those Tweetups.

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Novell Vibe Cloud Outreach Tweetup - Boston, MA - April 25, 2010

The food was amazing - a Prix Fixe menu prepared with four courses and select beverages from Brasserie Jo.

The guest speaker for the evening was the talented Doug Haslam. He talked about community and collaboration - two of the facets that the Novell team is trying to foster with their Vibe Cloud product.

The Novell team was on hand to discuss how to use Vibe Cloud and to answer questions from various social media luminaries. Essentially, Vibe Cloud is real-time social collaboration made enterprise-secure.

Here are some shots of the evening...

The list of attendees included...

Doug Haslam

http://twitter.com/dough

http://doughaslam.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/doughaslam

David Karp

http://twitter.com/limeduck

http://www.limeduck.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/dkarp

Steve Garfield

http://twitter.com/stevegarfield

http://stevegarfield.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegarfield

Meg Fowler

http://twitter.com/megfowler

http://megfowler.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/megfowler

Bobbie Carlton

http://twitter.com/bobbiec

http://www.carltonprmarketing.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbiecarlton

Ellen Rossano

http://twitter.com/ellenrossano

http://ellenrossano.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenrossano

Shwen Gwee

http://twitter.com/shwen

http://www.med20.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/shwen

Todd Van Hoosear

http://twitter.com/#!/vanhoosear

http://itsfreshground.com/about/todd-van-hoosear/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/vanhoosear

Christine Major

http://twitter.com/cmajor

http://www.christinemajor.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemajor

Stephen Dill

http://twitter.com/srdill

http://stephendill.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/srdill

Cappy Popp

http://twitter.com/cappypopp

http://www.thoughtlabs.com/about-thought-labs/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/cappy

In all, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and the event met or exceeded the goals we set at the beginning.

Have you ever attended an exclusive Tweetup? What are you thoughts about how businesses might start using this meeting model going forward?

Dinner at Jean Georges Steakhouse - Las Vegas - at Aria Hotel

Food is near and dear to my heart. I've been through times and situations where I wasn't allowed to eat solid food for six weeks and times when I was on a liquid diet for months. But I've also been feted at the most luxurious restaurants on earth and have dined on food that still makes me sigh orgasmically.

With that preface in mind, the meal I had last week in Las Vegas was top-notch and as memorable as any other on record. Here's the situation...

I was in Las Vegas on business and my friend Kevin Palmer sent me a message. It implied that Kevin had set me up with either the folks at Caesar's or Aria Hotel and they were going to take care of me. Being a skeptical human, I wasn't sure whether I should believe Kevin and thought nothing of his note until I got a Twitter update from @arialv.

It said that Aria would like to speak with me privately about having a meal at one of the signature, on-site restaurants....Jean Georges Steakhouse.

Aria and I traded a few emails and it was decided. I would dine at Jean Georges with a friend and I would be the guest of Aria Hotel.

WHAT?! That's right. As guest of the hotel I could order anything I wanted and my only obligation was to enjoy myself. Well, I did that all right.

With Kristina and Reggie and Taron waiting on us (I took my friend Derek Wilmot to dinner as an objective observer), we experienced all five, six or seven stars Jean Georges had to offer. We started with wine.

Beginning with wine at the table (see photos above of handwritten note from Reggie for what we had), we chose the tasting menu and set ourselves up for a treat. Here's that menu...

And here are the photos of each dish...

From start to finish - even with a post-meal tour of the kitchen - I was impressed. The service was impeccable, the food was divine, the preparation was perfect. If there was one thing I took issue with, it was that the Filet Mignon was too large after sampling so many delightful dishes before it.

Is there a verdict? Sure. This place is fantastic. From the moment we walked in, I felt appreciated and respected. The food was great and the pairings of wine were perfect.

I welcome the opportunity to try other Aria Hotel restaurants the next time I'm in Vegas, but I'll be sure to make one of my meals at Jean Georges.

Next thing I've got to do is get my co-host on NomX3 to come with me so we can do a show at this place.

OtterBox Cases

You've heard me sing the praises of OtterBox products in the past, but I'm always wary about brands becoming complacent in their processes after they've realized success. This isn't the case (pun intended) with this case manufacturer.

I first discovered them a few years ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and every since I've been buying them to protect my electronic devices. They also have outdoor equipment cases and sleeves for sale, but I usually focus on the phone cases.

Thanks to the folks at OtterBox, I now have a shipment of new phone cases to test out. Here are some photos of the box that showed up on my doorstep and here is what I've found...

By the way, I tested these all on the iPhone 4.

The Impact, Commuter and Defender Series each have a specific role in the company's line - buy only what you need.

Impact is for the least obtrusive amount of protection. It has a silicone outer shell and a screen protector film. That's it. Simple, but enough to keep your phone from daily bumps and dings.

Commuter is a bit more. It's the standard case design a lot of companies are selling for the iPhone. A hard shell wraps around the phone and covers the back and sides. There is a silicone sleeve that keeps the case grippy and adds impact absorption. It also has a screen protector film. Better than the Impact, but still not really enough to let you skip your phone across the pavement without worry.

The Defender is the mac daddy. And it's what I choose every time. The case has built-in screen and camera hole protection, a full hard shell that snaps together at multiple points, and a silicone wrap sleeve with port covers and doors. I have actually skipped my phone across a granite bathroom floor with no damage. I've also dropped the phone a few times and it's still in great shape. You can't even see the dings on the case...that's cool.

So what's the damage when it comes to price? Pretty standard. While the Defender will set you back $50 and comes in eight colors, you can go for less with Commuter at $35 and one color (black), or the Impact at $20 and five colors.

What do I say? You already know. If you don't have a case for your phone, get one. And if you aren't like the purists who maintain that a phone doesn't warrant a cover, then go for one of these. They're made well and protect your phone from pretty much everything you can throw at them.

*I would like to test a waterproof case for the phone, but the only one I've used so far is the Magellan ToughCase and that's a GPS receiver and charger case. A totally different beast. I just hear so many stories of iPhones turning into iPhlushes when people drop them in a toilet, that a waterproof case is likely going to grow in demand.

You can find more details at OtterBox.

The convergence of green + design + emotion

The convergence of green + design + emotion

What defines “great design?”  I love Paola Antonelli’s response to this question.   She advises:

“Think as if this object were not on earth? Would you miss it? The moment an object seems like a necessity or a good addition to the world, that usually works” (as an indicator of good design) - Paola Antonelli

Now what about defining green design?

READ the rest of this post at the link above. Shared graciously by John Bergdoll.

Consumer Experiences

[EDITED for clarity - re: Jeffrey Cutler and confusion of Jeff Cutler™brand]

In the past week, I have been a consumer no fewer than a dozen times amassing $2000+ in purchases and a wealth of experiences. Today, I'm going to share just three of those experiences. Two that totaled $1600 and one that cost me nothing.

First up, Sullivan Tire.

My little car was misbehaving. A little squeak in the front end, some exhaust noise, a whine in the belt area, and tires that were skating all over the road. So I reached out to Sullivan Tire via Twitter and there was a hiccup. I wrote about this on my social media blog, but won't hammer it anymore. Suffice it to say that cell phone and Internet coverage in this country is woefully inadequate for a population interested in remaining connected at all times.

So after reaching out to Sullivan Tire, I set up an appointment in minutes. The store in Nashua was able to fit me in with short notice and was confident they could fix, adjust and repair the shortcomings of my little xA. They succeeded.

What? You want more detail? OK. $1120 later (after being told it could be as much as $1300), I got a car back that runs like a top, makes no noise, feels safe, and has since transported me in relative comfort about 1000 miles.

I'm pleased and I'm telling my friends and readers. If your auto shop doesn't treat you respectfully, explain their processes to your satisfaction, and doesn't fix your car...go somewhere else. And if you have a Sullivan Tire nearby, give them a shot.

Next on the docket, Scooters Go Green.

OK, ok, ok. This post is mostly about vehicles. Two that physically transport me and one that transports my content online and over the Internet. But they're still viable businesses that interacted with me and provided a service. So, let's continue.

In the case of Scooters Go Green, I ride a scooter when I'm not in my car. My scooter was damaged by a hit and run driver a year ago and I recently received restitution from the organization that I approached for repairs. As the agreement I signed with them dictates, I can't say who they are. But common sense would say that anyone who likes to remain safe, stay away from the front of buses in the greater Boston area.

So, damaged scooter was still rideable but wonky. And the shop where I bought the scooter in RI went out of business (not fully, but they're not as accessible for repairs as they once were). When I got the check from the damagers I went to SGG and provided them a list of repairs and adjustments I wanted done.

SEAMLESS! They replaced my tires, headlight assembly, oil, filter, gear oil, air filter, spark plug, cleaned the carb, test rode it and handed it to me last night. It rides as if it were new. And the best part is the price.

When I spoke with Steve at SGG, he estimated the time it would take and I know how much some other shops charge for certain labor, so I thought I was looking at $700 or so. Not even close. The final bill was just shy of $500.

That's two wins in two tries this week. I'm smiling now just thinking about taking a ride later.

Finally, have you heard of YouTube?

You would think - correctly - that most Google properties are locked down tight and reaching a human at these entities is impossible. In most cases you're correct. But what I was trying to do was secure my brand and my name on YouTube. I have had an account for years, but was not able in 2007 when I opened my YouTube account, to get the jeffcutler username. It seemed that another person had squatted on it. That's frowned upon, but isn't exactly against all terms of service for the video sharing site.

What is against the rules is trademark infringement. As you might have seen in January, I began steps to trademark my name because I felt there was a bit of confusion in the social media sphere in Boston. A guy named Jeffrey Cutler [new] had a family tie with a non-profit in Boston and was asked to come in and speak with them. Some people on staff contacted me thinking I was going to be presenting to them and therein began the confusion. [end new] was getting training gigs with clients who may have mistaken him for me. In one instance, he went to train an organization that then called me after he was done. It seemed that they needed some more complete training.

I didn't want to be confused with a guy working for a PR firm who was blogging about sneakers "all-white kicks" as they're called. And further, I wanted to continue to build my brand across the properties most visible in the general population. YouTube fit that model.

So, after filling out a bunch of forms I got an email granting me my username. Now I have to move all my videos over (or probably just start populating the correct site with all my subsequent videos) to further my brand awareness.

YouTube wins for that one.

And there we have a happy trifecta of customer service wins. Not every day that you can say that's happened. How about you? What have you had happen lately that you want to share. Jet me an email and I'll give you access to post here on the Test Lab. It's a site all about reviews and experiences.

Thanks for reading.