This entry was posted March 25th, 2009 and has 1 comment.
Last night, I headed down to the second Outlet Baltimore event, this time held at Dougherty’s on W. Chase St. While I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself or say hi to everyone, I did talk to a bunch of cool, interesting people. For those that don’t know, Outlet Baltimore is basically a monthly event for people involved in tech/new media/Twitter in Baltimore to get together, have a few drinks, and meet each other in real life.
It’s a very interesting and sometimes awkward phenomenon to meet someone you follow on Twitter for the first time. When they tell you their name, you’re like, “Yeah, I know who you are. I also know what you ate for lunch today, what music you like, and that you have 3 cats.” But of course, I just said, “Hi, I’m Chris.”
But honestly, Outlet is a really cool event and one worth checking out. It gave me a chance to meet and talk with people who are interested in a lot of the same things I am. Hopefully events like this will continue to develop the community that exist online into one that exists in the real world.
Online social networks are great and very important, but they’re a lot more valuable and fun when they also extend to the real world. I highly recommend getting yourself out to the next Outlet Baltimore. If you do, make sure you say hi.
Posted in Baltimore
This entry was posted March 11th, 2009 and has 4 comments.
I love March Madness. The NCAA tournament is the most competitive and fun to watch event in sports. Also, spring training is now in full force, which means opening day is just around the corner. This really is the best time of year for sports.
It’s no surprise then that big name companies want to be involved with the NCAA Tournament. CBS Sports really impressed me last year with their March Madness coverage. You could stream every game online and the online commercial breaks were well done with video ads corresponding to the player’s skin and companion banners. While I’m sure CBS will have coverage again this year, the first marketing message I received about the tournament was not from CBS Sports, but from Miller Lite and Facebook.
Miller Lite emailed me on Monday to announce their new March Madness Bracket Challenge. Selection Sunday isn’t until this upcoming Sunday, but I guess they wanted to get a jump on all those other requests you’ll get to fill out brackets. Here’s how the ML/FB Bracket Challenge looks and works:
Continue reading Facebook and Miller Lite Launch 2009 Bracket Challenge
Posted in marketing, sports
This entry was posted March 11th, 2009 and has no nomments.
I’ve been having a tough time writing this week and just have not been feeling extraordinarily creative. Sometimes, all you need is a beer and some conversation with a good friend to pull you out of that rut.
I just got back from a happy hour with Mike where we spent a lot of time discussing ideas for a proposal we’re working on together. The ideas were flowing and I’m really excited about what we came up with.
Tonight just reminded me how important it is to surround yourself with motivated, creative and fun people. So, to my question. Who makes you more creative? Who challenges you to come up with better ideas? Surround yourself with more people like that. Or instead, spend more time with the creative people you already know.
Posted in marketing
This entry was posted March 2nd, 2009 and has no nomments.
Yesterday as I was getting ready to leave New York and return home to Baltimore, I checked my email to find a disturbing email from Megabus. It simply said,
“Dear Megabus customer,
Please be advised that the trip listed below has been canceled due to winter weather. We apologize for any inconvenience and would like to emphasize that this decision was made with concern to the safety of our passengers and operators. Please contact 1-877-GO2-MEGA to change your reservation or receive a refund.”
Obviously, canceling my bus was a huge inconvenience to me. I immediately called the number, hoping they might be able to help me find an alternative means of getting home. But instead of getting a customer service rep on the phone, Megabus had a generic voicemail message stating that due to the inclement weather they could not answer any phone calls.
Continue reading Megabus and the Worst Customer Service Experience of My Life
Posted in business
