Updated 8/25/2011

Thursday[8/25] MemTech Lunch | MemphisSMC | Memphis PHP
Friday[8/26]
Saturday[8/27] Web Dev Workshop – MidSouth TechCorner

Monday[8/29]
Tuesday[8/30] Tech Coffee
Wednesday[8/31] Memphis Tech Cocktail by Launch Memphis
Thursday[9/1] Tech Lunch WordPress Memphis (September 1)
Friday[9/2]
Saturday[9/3] MidSouth TechCorner

Monday[9/5] Holiday – Labor Day
Tuesday[9/6] Tech Coffee
Wednesday[9/7] Social Expedition Breakfast
Thursday[9/8]
Friday[9/9]
Saturday[9/10] MidSouth TechCorner

Calendars Consulted (you should bookmark these):
MidSouth Tech Corner
This is a hub of a few meetups of many different kinds, and is itself a very interesting meetup on Saturday afternoons.

LaunchMemphis Calendar
Contemporary entrepreneurship got it’s kickstart with grassroots of LaunchMemphis. This calendar features LaunchMemphis and associated events.

Have a calendar that should be shared here? Let us know.

Wow. (Photo Credit: Kirk Sunley)

Then suddenly we looked at our watches and it was May! No idea how that happened, but we definitely owe y’all these GREAT interviews Dave recorded while he was at South by Southwest in March. But first, a few service announcements…

As most of you in the Memphis area are MORE than well aware, the weather has just been dreadful. Between the tornados and the rain and the flooding, it’s hard to know what to expect next. Goodness knows the Weather Channel can’t always be counted on, so we’re crowd-sourcing the weather! If you’re on Twitter, follow the hashtag #MemStorm, and/or @MemStorm to get the realtime updates from the most reliable weathermen out there – the people actually in the weather. Post your own weather updates, too! If you’re not on Twitter, just go to Memstorm.com (mobile-optimized site). Most of all, stay safe!

On the topic of mobile devices and how they can keep you informed – come to MobileCamp on Saturday! All the final details are falling into place, so check out MobileCampMemphis.com for all the latest updates and to get your tickets!

Now, on to the interviews! First up we’ve got fellow SXSW attendee, Anastasia Wiley, who’ll give us a briefing on FOMO, or “Fear of Missing Out.” Then Dave Bisceglia’s will tell us all about a new mobile game called TapCity. And we gotta say, it sounds awesome. It’s a social, augmented-reality city building game! So take Foursquare, Layar, and Age of Empires, throw ‘em in a blender and BAM. TapCity. Sadly for Android users, it’s only available on Apple devices right now, but they promise to have an Android version soon!

Next up is Aaron Banister, one of the founders of Locaii, who will tell us why you should choose this location-based service over any others. Then, Dave runs friend-of-the-show Elizabeth Cawein, from the Memphis Music Foundation, who will remind us (as if we needed reminding) just how awesome Memphis music is. Even the people in Austin think so.

Lastly, don’t forget about the Social Expedition Breakfast tomorrow, May 4th. RSVP here and bring something to Show and Tell!

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

And that idea is this: “Collaborative Consumption describes the rapid explosion in swapping, sharing, bartering, trading and renting being reinvented through the latest technologies.” Basically, the social world has created an opportunity for expansion, collaboration, and efficiency. Last week, we were discussing some movies (The Social Network) and TV shows (Six Feet Under) at the office, and decided to just swap out titles out amongst each other, rather than renting them elsewhere. Ultimately, collaborative consumption magnifies “what’s mine is yours.”

That said, you should try it out. Here are some sites ready for you to consume, collaboratively:

Need a car ride? http://www.zipcar.com/

Random stuff? http://www.freecycle.org/

Place to stay? http://www.airbnb.com/

Non-bank money? http://uk.zopa.com/ZopaWeb/

So what do you think about it? Let us know. Pass your ideas our way, and let’s hang out next month!

And a HUGE congratulations to everyone who contributed to the 48 Hour Launch. You are helping to move Memphis forward, and you deserve a good rest after all your hard work. We’ll be very excited to check back in with you on the evening of May 7 for the 48 Launch Reunion.

In other tech news, Google Goggles is one sweet app. Even more exciting, since the Android Market is finally online, that link for the Goggles app will actually take you to a site where you can buy and install it! Also on Android, Honeycomb has been released. It’s the new Android platform specifically designed for tablets, and at least one, the Motorola Xoom, will be available on February 24. Can’t wait to try it.

If you are also just the sort of person who get’s excited about tablets and apps, check out the Memphis Tech Lunch every Wednesday, 11:30am at Panera Bread on Poplar near Perkins. Follow Brian Swanson on Twitter for the updates.

Maybe WordPress is more your style, though, in which case definitely look into Beth Sanders’s WordPress Meetup group. The meet once a month at Republic, and at this past meeting, they packed the house!

Lastly, get excited for MobileCamp Memphis on May 7. Why a mobile camp? Well we will tell you why here!

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

We’ve given this  start-up a lot of attention in recent weeks, but rightfully so. Our February Breakfast guest was Aaron Prather, CEO of stiQRd and QR Code know-it-all. When we last spoke to him for our Social Expedition podcast, his team was preparing for 48 Hour Launch. If you missed the podcast, StiQRd is a location-based check-in service (like Foursquare or Gowalla), but it’s unique characteristic is in the program’s marriage of QR codes and GPS location. Fresh, and sleep-deprived, from the LaunchMemphis weekend, he spoke to us this morning about their latest developments and educated us more thoroughly about the virtual loyalty program that is expected to be out of beta test and in an app store near you by April. But don’t miss out on the fun until then – you can apply to be a tester now. stiQRd has been received with a resounding “awesome!” and will have at least ten venues on board by the end of the month (they’re basically already there). Become a fan, follow them on Twitter, and sign-up for beta testing. Still not convinced? Since launching their social platforms last week, they’ve collected 82 Facebook fans and 123 Twitter followers. Their website has collected 551 unique site visitors with 989 unique page views. Support this start-up, and your tech community!

There was a lot of interest in WordPress at the breakfast, but we had our favorite WordPress-er Beth Sanders there to educate us when we broke out into roundtable discussion. If you haven’t checked out her monthly MeetUp, please do so. In fact, they’re meeting this Thursday night (Feb. 3) at 6:00PM at Republic Coffee. (Psst… if you check in there on foursquare, you can get a free cup of their coffee of the day). Free coffee and knowledge? I dare you to pass it up.

If you couldn’t make it, make sure to put the following events on your calendar. And, please, come next time – we love your smiling faces!

MobileCampMemphis: May 7, EmergeMemphis – Start planning your presentations now!

IgniteMemphis 2: As soon as we have this date nailed down, we’ll let you know. Just know that it’s soon, and it’s awesome, so you should come. Presenters will have exactly 5 minutes to impart a little information about just  about anything. You can check out Ignite Memphis 1 footage at ignitememphis.com.

Aaron trying to scan something or other with his phone.

Coming to an app-store near you: StiQRd! Founded right here in snowy (at least for today) Memphis, Tennessee, StiQRd is a location-based check-in service (like Foursquare or Gowalla), but it’s unique characteristic is in the program’s marriage of QR codes and GPS location. Aaron Prather, the CEO, is the real expert though, so we’ll let him explain it more fully to you when you listen in.

If the StiQRd concept really strikes you, then you even have a chance to help push the program into reality! The team is taking the app to Launch Memphis’s 48 Hour Launch next weekend. If you have some talent to lend to this or another project, or if you have your own great enterprising idea, this event is definitely worth the small entrance fee. You’ll make some great connections, get some hard work done, and maybe even find yourself partner in a start-up. Check it out!

In other news, Ashton Kutcher can be both attractive and a geek, Dave patently refuses to update his iPad, and the nation is ditching physical Starbuck’s cards for a mobile phone version. Drive Safe.ly or Drive Reply might save your life, but if you must text and drive, at least go Dave’s route and use the voice recognition feature on your phone. Hint: on Android, install Google’s Voice Search app to utilize the fantastic voice recognition software for searching the web and your phone.

Lastly, MLK Day 2011 has gone, but learning about civil rights is always important, so check out LunaWeb’s Mid-South Civil Rights Trek on Scvngr. Read this post about it over on the LW blog, too! Perhaps don’t get started on the trek tonight, though. It’s looking like a good night to stay off the icy roads and dig into some chili.

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

As many of you know, LaunchMemphis held the first ever IgniteMemphis event on Tuesday, October 12, and if we may be so bold, was quite a success. The event went so well in fact, that LaunchMemphis is already setting up meetings to plan for the next one, which may be in February or March.

In preparation for an IgniteMemphis revival, we set up the live podcast and encouraged folks to call in with feedback. We’re always interested to hear what people liked, and especially what they didn’t, so we can improve the next one. One thing we have already learned to do differently for next time is to announce the feedback podcast at the event, instead of trying to contact people afterwards. LaunchMemphis founder Eric Mathews called in, but unfortunately, the word didn’t seem to get out to the general public.

The three of us did have a great chance to break down some key points of the presentation though, including our favorite presentations, and how the event ties in with the mission of LaunchMemphis. It’s all about making things happen in this city, and Ignite was (and will be) a great way for anyone to find out how they can contribute to the thriving entrepreneurial and cultural spirit of Memphis.

To listen to the podcast on BlogTalkRadio, find it here.

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

As we sat back and watched our Twitter stream flood with #fakebrogan, we started to wonder about the motives behind the tweets. Hysterical as they were, was that the whole point? To be funny? Or were people expressing a greater sentiment about the event or Brogan himself?

We surveyed seven of the big proponents of the hashtag to ask them what motivated the onslaught of humorous jabs at the social media “guru.” When asked why they got involved in the tweets, not a single respondent reported any kind of ill will toward Chris Brogan. They weren’t even concerned with the message of his talk. Instead, 43 percent said they disliked the way the event was promoted and 57 percent said they dislike social media seminars across the board. What they mostly (71 percent) agreed on, though, was that they didn’t really have strong feelings about the event one way or another — they were just having fun. The ignition tweet was “MemphisFlyer: Saturation is key. From FB statuses to Tweets, you need to constantly remind people of your existence via interruption. #fakebrogan.” Here’s the stream of #fakebrogan tweets.

It’s interesting that it wasn’t really ire or passion that inspired such a long-running chain of hashtag tweets. It seems plain and simple humor is still the strongest tool for virality that exists on the web.

A few photos from this morning’s talk.

If you weren’t able to attend this morning, check out the audio of Brogan’s talk. (you can listen with the player below or download it.)

So, what’s your take on the #fakebrogan tweets?

First, Dave tells us about his friend Mari (@MariSmith) who recently discovered that her Facebook privacy settings were causing her some problems. She sent out a tweet about the situation, which involved some trolls she’d blocked from her personal profile making comments on a Fan page she manages. Because she had them blocked from her individual privacy dashboard, she wasn’t able to see them trolling on the Fan page and had to be alerted by another user who could see the comments. It’s an odd loophole and certainly not the only one in the Swiss cheese of Facebook settings.

Continuing on our Facebook tangent, we talk about the upcoming jargon changes that will have users “liking” businesses or products that have Fan pages as opposed to becoming fans of them. Some studies suggest it will be better for businesses, but those studies are based on the likelihood of a user to “like” something within Facebook as the function currently exists. Once it means something else, those numbers will probably dwindle.

We chat for a minute about Memphis’ recent application to become a Google Fiber city — more than 1,100 communities applied. If the city were selected, Dave suggested it would be a great opportunity for business community to upgrade their own machines and give older computers to families who may be without.

Our guest this week is Justin McGregor, the webmaster at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Like many of our guests that title doesn’t really do him justice; he’s a renaissance man who wears about a million hats for the college.

He talks to us about his work with social in promoting the college and connecting students, which mostly finds him on Facebook and YouTube. (With just a little bit of Twitter thrown into the mix.) He discusses cross-platform uses for content, event promotion and coverage and the ins and outs of Southwest’s Web 2.0 strategy. We also picked his brain on the Facebook changes, and his recent decision to draw more distinction between his audiences on Twitter and Facebook.

You can meet Justin at TribeCamp on April 24 at Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering. He’ll be presenting on digital photography and something else from his bag of tricks and talents yet to be determined. If you’re interested in speaking (or attending) TribeCamp, head over to TribeCamp.com to register and take advantage of our early bird discount and give us a shout with your presentation ideas.

And don’t forget to RSVP for next week’s Social Expedition breakfast featuring Rod Kirby, who will talk to us about “The Four Pillars of Blogging Success.”

Download the podcast here, listen with the player below, or click the iTunes logo to subscribe.

Students in the MILE program are juniors and seniors at the University of Memphis, but it’s the seniors who have spearheaded this effort, under the direction of Leadership Memphis alumnus Austin Baker. The idea, Baker said, is to turn the city’s “bashers” into ambassadors. To remind the citizens of Memphis that we have a rich, abundant and cultural place to call home. To inspire people to fall in love with the Bluff City all over again.

The main event of the campaign happens in April, as more than 90 Memphis-area businesses will be asked to host events citywide in celebration of three themes over the course of a weekend. On Thursday, April 8, the theme is favorite music; on Friday, April 9, it’s favorite food day; and on Saturday, April 10 it’s what you love about Memphis. The idea is to get your co-workers, family members and friends involved in your neighborhood or your office by hosting your own gatherings and events under the themes. Suggestions for ways to celebrate can be found at SpiritofMemphis.org.

Friday’s rally was the kick-off to the campaign, bringing out leaders from across the city to share what they love about living in Memphis. From events like Memphis in May or Live at the Garden to amenities like the zoo or intangibles like the community spirit, our philanthropic heart or our small-town feel, the list of reasons to love living here seemed endless.

Despite a slight change in schedule – the rally had to be postponed due to our blanket of ice and snow last week – the ballroom was full on Friday, of people and spirit for the movement of positivity growing throughout Memphis. One notable face was missing from the crowd, as Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton was unable to make an appearance at the rally. He did, however, send his thoughts in a letter that Austin Baker shared with the attendees. Wharton’s closing comment resonated: Let’s make the pep rally for Memphis a year-round event.