Social Media Expedition » stories

Geeks and Newbies Unite at SocialCamp Memphis

LunaWeb — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:41:31 +0000

This weekend, geeks, newbies, techies, programmers, entrepreneurs, and social media practitioners all descended on the Memphis College of Art to take part in Memphis’ very first SocialCamp. Social Media Expedition sponsored this event, aimed at providing a common environment where people from all levels of expertise can interact and learn about Social Media in the same space.

The day was filled with home run presentations, great food, and a big crowd of extremely fun people. By the end of the day, we had registered well over 100 SocialCamp attendees and even trended as the #1 topic on Twitter.

There was something for everyone to learn, with topics ranging from introductory 101 presentations, to meaty, uber-advanced discussions. We saw several traditional presentations, as well as panels, core conversation groups, and quite a few spontaneous discussions.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and helped make this all happen. The planners and volunteers put a lot of time into putting SocialCamp together, and we couldn’t have asked for a better crowd to attend. We also had a bunch of wonderful sponsors aside from the Social Media Expedition. Please go and check them out on the SocialCamp Memphis site.

If you were able to attend, leave a comment to let us know what you thought of the conference. We plan on bringing more things like this to Memphis, and keeping our city on the Social Media map. Next on the horizon, we have our monthly Social Media Expedition breakfast on April 1st at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. There will be more details posted on the Meetup site.

Here’s an ongoing list of blog write-ups from the event:

The post "Geeks and Newbies Unite at SocialCamp Memphis" by lunaweb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Inauguration Expedition

lalunablanca — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:46:12 +0000

This Saturday, we were lucky to listen to firsthand accounts of the recent inauguration from two very unique perspectives. The Expedition was joined at Caritas Village by Civil Rights activist Georgia King, and local businessman Harry Brown, who were both present at the inauguration.

Caritas Village, which is centered around the idea of racial reconciliation, proved to be the ideal setting to hear the stories that arose out of this unifying ceremony. Expedition members and community residents gathered round the pair in an upstairs room to share an intimate conversation about hope, unity, and the role both of these play in creating a more positive future.

"Mother King," who played a significant role in the American Civil Rights movement from a young age, was able to share inspiring anecdotes about her early efforts to help register black voters, and her part in the march on Washington. Her experience and commitment to Civil Rights earned her a place near the front of the inauguration audience, and a chance to watch history happen from up close.

Harry Brown spoke strongly of the unity of the crowd. His spot near the Washington Monument was not as close to the ceremony as Mother King’s, but the sense of excitement, unity, and connection with his fellow onlookers was not diminished by distance. The cheering and enthusiasm of the crowd impacted him strongly, and he was kind enough to share his coverage of the event that helped illustrate the emotions that were running through the group of onlookers.

Those of us who were able to meet with these two and hear their stories personally, left feeling inspired, and a little more hopeful for our nation’s future. Below we have posted videos of our conversations for all to see. Thank you for letting us sharing with you.

The post "Inauguration Expedition" by lunaweb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Inauguration Stories

lalunablanca — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:26:47 +0000

Regardless of political leanings, there have been moments throughout our brief history as a nation that have connected us in an extraordinary way. Thanks to a profound amount of media coverage, many of us were able to view such an event during the recent presidential inauguration ceremony. However, despite the bond that several of us felt that day, there is something to be said for the irreplaceable experience of physically sharing an event.

Many Americans were able to stand together in Washington D.C. for a symbolic and communal moment, that they were lucky enough to witness first-hand. Memphis, had it’s share of representatives gather at the capitol that day, and the Social Media Expedition is organizing a way to enable them to share, document, and preserve their stories for the rest of us.

Saturday at 4:30 at Caritas Village in Memphis, a town hall styled gathering will be held. Various families and individuals who witnessed the inauguration will be there to answer questions and share their stories from the event. Expedition members are invited to be there to give web 2.0 coverage from this meeting through photos, video, and audio. More importantly we encourage you to come listen to the stories and ask questions of your own. See the Facebook event for details and RSVP.

The post "Inauguration Stories" by lunaweb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.