LunaWeb » livingston

Memphis Entrepreneurs Draw National Attention

lunaweb — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:23:52 +0000

The Memphis entrepreneurial community has been drawing some high-profile attention recently, fueled by several recent events put on by everyone with the LaunchMemphis group.

The first event to give Memphis some much-deserved national attention was the LaunchMemphis TechFuel night featuring Business Week writer, Yahoo! TechTicker host, and blogger, Sarah Lacy. Sarah, being a Memphis native, was already familiar with the local business climate. After interacting with a full host of entrepreneurs during the stop on her User Generated Book Tour, Sarah wrote an epic blog post about what Memphis is doing right.

The Geoff Livingston tweetup on the 22nd was the second event to spawn great press from a better source. Geoff, author of Now is Gone and top ranked PR blog The Buzz Bin, met with a group of Memphis entrepreneurs and Social Media proponents at Quetzal cafe, where he got to know several members of the business community, and shared some great conversations everyone there. Afterwards, The Buzz Bin interviewed LunaWeb President and LaunchMemphis co-founder, Dave Barger, about the future of entrepreneurial Memphis and Social Media. You can see the post here.

If you missed Sarah and Geoff, there’s still more on the horizon in Social Media. Upcoming on the calendar is the Social Media Breakfast on October 1. As well as Barcamp Memphis on November 7-8

It’s an exciting time to be a Memphian! Let’s keep up the good work and continue to make Memphis great.

Geoff Livingston Creates Buzz in Memphis

lunaweb — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:15:57 +0000

Memphis was visited by its second high-profile blogger within a week’s time, and most of us are still reeling from the good vibes and exciting conversations these events created.

Monday night, Geoff Livingston, author of Now is Gone and his PR blog, “The Buzz Bin,” met for a tweetup at Quetzal cafe in downtown Memphis. Attendees included everyone from seasoned Social Media veterans, to several fresh faces looking to see what the web has to offer their business.

Despite the excitement surrounding Geoff’s attendance, the evening took on a very relaxed tone as the crowd mixed through the room networking, finding familiar faces, and engaging the featured guest in conversations about the state of the blogosphere and the benefits of Social Media for business.

As the evening progressed, the tweetup culminated in a Geoff becoming the centerpiece of a group discussion, moderated by LunaWeb’s Dave Barger, where an eager group shared their ideas and questions about Social Media, while the Washington D.C. based PR and blogging guru addressed each topic, drawing from his own experience for examples and anecdotes.

The event was a huge success for LaunchMemphis and a great experience for all of the attendees. Upcoming on the Social Media horizon is the Socia Media Breakfast on October 1st at the Crescent Club. The breakfast is open to everyone! See details on the Meetup page.

LaunchMemphis Rocks Social Media in September

lunaweb — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:35:22 +0000

September is poised to be a HUGE month for the Social Media and Tech community in Memphis! Within the next two weeks, Launch Memphis is putting Memphis on the map by hosting three major events featuring innovation and online celebrity.

First on the agenda will be the Sarah Lacy TechFuel event on September 18. The high-profile blogger and author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0 is returning to her hometown of Memphis on her way through her User Generated Book Tour. This will be a great night for bloggers, techies, and anyone just looking to network and learn. Best thing is… it’s free.

On the 22nd, just four days after Sarah hits Memphis, Geoff Livingston stops by for a night with the Memphis locals. Geoff is one of the premier “blogging gurus” on the web and the author of Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs. He has also received some well deserved praise from the likes of the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post for his work in Social Media.

Last, but most assuredly not least, is the Innovators Luncheon with the Leadership Academy on September 25th at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. The theme is “Innovators,” and will feature a panel discussion by some of Memphis’ most established and promising entrepreneurs.

You can get details and RSVP information on all these events on the Launch Memphis site.

This is also a great time to get involved in the planning process for Barcamp Memphis! The un-conference is set to be held on November 8th, but planning meetings have already been underway. There are chances to make your voice heard by suggesting speakers, topics, and, of course, getting your name out there by donating to the all-important swag arsenal. Visit the Barcamp Memphis wiki to get involved!