Archive for August, 2006

TechSocial Ultimate Frisbee Web 2.0 style

August 30th, 2006
  • Wednesday Aug 30, 6 - 7:15 pm
  • North end of Grant park between Monroe and Jackson and Lakeshore and Columbia - map
  • Free, just show up to play
  • Skill optional, frisbees provided

Join a bunch of web 2.0, software, startup, and consulting people to play Ultimate Frisbee in the Park. We play most Wednesdays, and you don’t even need to know how to play to show up. Usually between 6 and 12 people play a few games.

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nextChicago web2.0 meetup at Red Lion Pub

August 29th, 2006
  • August 29th, 7:00 pm
  • Red Lion Pub for drinks
  • Free, try to RSVP at nextChicago.org

The tech folks, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists of nextChicago will be congregating once again on Tuesday, August 29th at 7:00pm. This time we’ll be getting together at Red Lion Pub, on 2446 N. Lincoln Avenue, a great English pub. Rumor has it the place is haunted, which means we could consider it a community service project as well – teaching the dead about all things Web 2.0.

nextChicago is a fun way to connect both socially and professionally with young people who have a stake in future of tech and new media in Chicago. Participants generally have less than ten years experience and we especially welcome recent graduates who are just starting their careers.

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Bootstrapping Meeting: Direct Marketing free seminar

August 28th, 2006

Direct Marketing is a direct communication to a customer or business that is designed to generate a response in the form of an order, a request for further information, or a visit to a store or other place of business. (Also called Direct Response Advertising)

This month’s seminar will deal with direct marketing.

You’ll learn what is or is not legal to send via email and fax, how to save money in direct mail campaigns, and what works - or fails - in direct mail, fax, email, and integrated campaigns.

Direct marketing differs from general marketing in that the result of a promotion is measurable in terms of response. Direct marketing is also largely dependent upon the use of customer files and lists. Direct marketing is utilized by virtually every type of business and organization. However, the primary users are magazine publishers, catalog houses, political campaign organizations and financial institutions.

E-mail and Internet marketing may be attracting buzz, but there are still strong incentives to send printed messages directly to customers whom you select. Direct mail gives you complete control over who sees your marketing, in contrast to advertising in print, online-mail, Web sites, or television.

For small businesses, where sales leads and customer contact information so often fall through the cracks, being able to market pinpointed prospects with postcards, flyers, catalogs, or personalized notes is a terrific opportunity. A well-crafted, road-tested direct mail package represents a cost-effective sales cycle all on its own, including advertising message, presentation, special offer, call to action and, ultimately, deal closer.

If you take the time to do it right, direct marketing can generate gratifying and measurable results.

As you establish and build your brand awareness among your key audiences, direct marketing provides you with the opportunity to ask these key audiences to DO something.

Direct marketing, in one form or another, is part of all our lives. It’s used by just about every business and non-profit. on church bulletins and utility bills, menus left under doors, coupon ads in newspapers and magazines, inserts with your bills-even the ads on back of grocery receipts and matchbooks. And, almost all direct marketing can be done better.

Come prepared to ask questions because all meetings are interactive.

2006 schedule:

September 25Â Strategic Alliances / Strategic Partnerships
October 30Â Â Â Â Â Â Distribution channels
November 27Â Â Financing a Company “What are your options”

Detailed directions to the Rice Campus:

The campus is just North of Butterfield Road (Rt 56) and a half-mile East of Naperville Road. You can take East-West toll road (I-88) West to the Naperville Road exit. Go North on Naperville Road to Butterfield Road (Rt 56) and turn right [East]. Turn left [North] at East Loop Road, the first stoplight on Butterfield Road. The IIT building is a short distance ahead on your right.

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TechCoffee #10

August 28th, 2006
  • Mon. Aug 28, 6-8am at Caribou Coffee at Lake/LaSalle.
  • Location: Caribou Coffee (Northwest corner Lake/La Salle)
  • Read more and RSVP at: http://TechCoffee.com

Every Monday morning this summer, open source hackers meet somewhere in downtown Chicago and work on the projects that interest them. It can reduce your temptation to just loaf around and read Slashdot.

All developers and technologists are welcome: Pythonizers, Rubyists, Perl Mongers, PHPimps, and Javanauts are welcome. Even Lispers, Schemers, OCamlists, Haskellians, Eiffelers, HyperTalkers, and Stegosauruses (COBOL programmers), too. :-)

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Perl Users’ Group

August 24th, 2006
  • Logging and BerkeleyDB
  • Thurs, Aug 24 7-9pm
  • Performics 180 N. La Salle, 12th Floor Chicago, IL
  • chi.pm.org/meetings

If you are planning on attending this meeting, please RSVP to joshua.mcadams-at-gmail-dot-com

Mike Fragassi will be talking about “Perl Logging Practices”.

Jonathan Rockway will also be giving a presentation titled “An Introduction to Berkeley DB”.

For questions about this or any other upcoming meeting, please email Andy Lester at andy@petdance.com.

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TechSocial Ultimate Frisbee Web 2.0 style

August 23rd, 2006
  • Wednesday Aug 16, 6 - 7:15 pm
  • North end of Grant park between Monroe and Jackson and Lakeshore and Columbia - map
  • Free, just show up to play
  • Skill optional, frisbees provided

Join a bunch of web 2.0, software, startup, and consulting people to play Ultimate Frisbee in the Park. We play most Wednesdays, and you don’t even need to know how to play to show up. Usually between 6 and 8 people play one 45 min to 1 hour long game.

It’s exhaustingly awesome! Just show up.

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CoWorking Chicago informal work-up

August 22nd, 2006

I’ve spoken with many of you about our idea of creating a workspace where entrepreneurs, hackers, and tech geeks, can consistently meet and get work done together. Something like this, for Chicago.

We’re currently are looking for a permanent physical space. In the mean time, we can meet up regularly at coffee shops.

CoWorking is going to throw an informal working session Tuesday Aug. 22 from noon to 5pm at Argo Tea on Randolph and State. You show up and work in an environment of other tech geeks and entrepreneurs. It’s a community and productive thing, combined.

Place a yellow post it note on your laptop monitor so others can recognize you as a co-working person.

This is short notice, but Keith had to work tomorrow and we thought some of you might enjoy each others’ company and productive energies.
-Jonathan

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Mobile Monday: Mobile Web 2.0 + Neuros Demo

August 21st, 2006
  • Mobile Web 2.0 - who put the mobile in it? how? and why is it important?
  • August 21st, 6:00 PM
  • ThoughtWorks: Suite 600 (6th floor) 651 W Washiington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661
  • Pizza and pop will be served, rsvp with number attending to kiran [aT] momochicago [.] com

Neal Ford is our guest speaker for this Mobile Monday. Neal is the author of many books - Developing with Delphi: Object-Oriented Techniques, JBuilder 3 Unleashed, Art of Java Web Development, and The 2006 No Fluff, Just Stuff Anthology. He is also an internationally acclaimed speaker, having spoken at numerous developers conferences worldwide - you might have heard him more rexently at the NFJS series.

We are also going to have a sneak preview of the Neuros OSD platform. (first MoMo to demo this worldwide and probably one of the first previews of the Neuros ever!). Neuros is a TI/Linux multimedia platform that uses open source applications, and is community supported.

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Chicago GNU/Linux Users Group

August 19th, 2006

We have been having regular meetings for four years now. We generally meet about once every other week. During our meetings, we have at least two presentations. The gatherings are as much a social event as they are a technical venue. Our meetings are structured and very democratic in nature. The agenda for each meeting are open to be edited by all of our members.

The Institute of Design is located at 350 North LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago, on the southwest corner of LaSalle and Kinzie streets, just north of the Chicago River, between the Merchandise Mart and the old “Traffic Court” building.

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TechSocial Ultimate Frisbee Web 2.0 style

August 16th, 2006

* Wednesday Aug 16, 6 - 7:15 pm
* North end of Grant park between Monroe and Jackson and Lakeshore and Columbia - map
* Free, just show up to play
* Skill optional, frisbees provided

Join a bunch of web 2.0, software, startup, and consulting people to play Ultimate Frisbee in the Park. We play most Wednesdays, and you don’t even need to know how to play to show up. Usually between 6 and 8 people play one 45 min to 1 hour long game.

It’s exhaustingly awesome! Email me today if you’re going to show up ( JAW [at] TechSocial.com ).

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PHP Users Group

August 16th, 2006
  • Wed. August 16, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
  • Info.com 150 N Michigan Ave, Suite 2800
  • Pizza and refreshments are typically served
  • chiphpug.php.net
  • Contact: Richard Lynch, 773-252-8914, chiphpug@l-i-e.com

All are welcome. Php beginners and experts will benefit. Php and related technologies such as mysql, postgresql, gd, ming, etc. are discussed.
Formal meetings are the third Wednesday @ 6 pm of each month at the Info.com location. They host a social event on the first Saturday at 1 pm at Uncommon Ground (3800 Clark)

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