So, I finally made it out to one of these meetups. Organized primarily by Brett Petersel, the event was way cool. Just as I expected really. There was probably around 350 people, free drinks, awesome tech talk, and enough IQ to put the MENSA to shame.
Surprisingly, most of the people with whom I spoke were also first-timers. I thought I was going to be the only one.
I intentionally did not bring biz cards as I’m trying to promote some “green-ness.” I tried taking photographs with my phone in the hopes I’d just be able to tag and archive, but need a macro lense. In fact, I’ll probably write about it later.
NextWeb is not like the other meetups. It was more like a concert – I know Webster Hall, duh.
Mostly, the stage was run by folks who we already know, but I want to give some props to a few lesser-knowns: Eyebees and Angelwish.org.
Angelwish.org
This is a non-profit who has a heart for children infected with HIV. They events
The presentation was really short. So, not much to say about what they talked about, but that it was heart-touching. I’m glad to see there’s more to the tech scene than trying create the next great thing.
(angelwish.org to learn more)
Eyebees
Essentially, Eyebees project let’s you see every live being on your site at any given time. Which given the real-time stats market, this is nothing new, but they give it a new spin. In the spirit of Web 2.0, these stats are transparent to others using the site as well – with a splash of serendipity.
So, as a participant, you’re able to connect with others who are “buzzing” about a site that you’re on and talk with them about the content they’re looking at.
For instance, say you’re reading an article about a politician, and you see other visitors buzzing about the article and you see them move to another article. You could follow them if it’s to a topic in which you’re interested.
Frankly, I thought it was a little too-cutesy for my clients’ purposes, but I can see some usefulness. I’m going to give a whirl in a day or so and see what it’s all about.
(Eyebees.com for their beta)