I know it is late notice but May has been a busy month for all of us…

So, next Tuesday night, May 24th, we’ve decided to do a Flash Mob at El Salto in Chesterton.  We are planning on 15 to 30.  Let’s surprise them and have at least that many.

Also, I would like some ideas for June and July.  Remember this is not a Dave or Nate vehicle, it is about the community.  We’ve had 2 plus great years.  We are looking for the next step.  We’d love to hear your thoughts.

So, get ready for a late May Cinco Celebration at El Salto in Chesterton May 24th at 7 pm, but we all know there’ll be a Daver #PreTweetUp will be around 6pm.  Got any questions, a give away, just email us or hit up dave@nwitweetup.com  

We hope to see you there…

NWiT

Here in the #NWiTweetup world headquarters we are bit slow and way behind. Oh, I could offer up a ton of excuses like:

1. Finn has been out of town
2. Daver have been way busy with new clients & out of town
3. the weather has really been crappy
4. Richard – he really has not done anything to blamed for lately, but I will just so he does not get to comfortable

Well, we are getting caught up and so that time has come once again for Northwest Indiana to come together and hold our monthly #NWiTweetup. The April #NWiTweetup will be at…

*click the pic for the map

Here are the vitals":

• When – Wednesday April 27th from 630 to 830PM
• Where  – SMASH MOUTH BURGERS & PIZZA
                    764 E US Rte 30 
                    Schererville, IN 46375  – Route 30 & Cline Ave
• What – it is a tweetup, a meetup, networking and some serious sharing of ideas
• more what – it is pizza and burgers, Might, I add some damn fine pizza and burgers
• Why – cause you like taking the online offline

If you need more information just hit him up @DaveWoodson , call him at (219)872-8000 or you can email him at dave@nwitweetup.com

We look forward to seeing you all there, and we are working on a May NWiTweetup with a few places in mind, but if you have a suggestion. We would love to hear about them.

Dave

A huge thank you to all of those that came out to the #NWiTweetup. We had a lot of new faces there and a huge faction from @ValpoLife & @PortageLife. They took some video. So, hopefully we will see that soon.

Pikks Tavern – thank you for the great food, the drink specials and the always above expectations service. If you have never had lunch or dinner at Pikks. What are you waiting for? It is a bright spot in Northwest Indiana dining.

Jay Fields @JAFields – WOW, what a great selection of wines you and Indiana Wholesale Wine and Liquor set up for us. It was great to finally meet you in person, and like your title says you are a wine expert for sure. Anytime you another one of those please let us know. We did have a  few requests for the wine list so here it is

Some of those wines are restaurant only. Godfathers on rt 30 has the
following:
Astoria Prosecco
Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc
Amphora Chardonnay
Amphora Pinot Noir
Apothic
Torlasco Moscato D’asti

I, personally, ran the wine rack and they were all great.You will not be disappointed. I can assure you of that.

@Cartronix – What a great giveaway selection. If you missed this tweetup. You missed it a car stereo, radar detector, remote starter, cell phone accessories, and I know I am missing one, but it was above and beyond. Thanks Eric and the great guys over @Cartonix. If you need home or auto audio. You need to see @Cartronix, and for AT&T for cell and otherwise. If you would like to you can like their Facebook page.

@eatatSmash – for giving every person there a $5 gift card and for giving us a place to meet next month in Lake County. They are truly some of the best pizza I ever had and it is New York Style and to me that is the best thing to ever come out of New York is that flat crust style of pizza and the mini-brisket burger. OK, I am hungry time for lunch, and you can like their Facebook page here.

Also, I want to thank @okynemedialab for the great swag bag, that Scott Swinford got almost all of it. I took the glass.. So, if you need a wedding dj in Indiana or Chicago. I’d go with these guys.

Really, I want to thank all of you for making this such a great monthly event. It was great to see so many new faces and even some of the old ones.  If you have any thoughts or ideas for future upcoming events please let us know..

Thank you

Dave

I am going to make it simple and easy for all of us. I am going to do the Who, the What, the Why, the Where, the When and maybe a How.

Who – like who should come, if you are reading this and came over from Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or even just happen to find us. Then you should come to a #nwitweetup.

What – we are a group of people, from all across NW Indiana, south burbs of Chicago and even SW Michigan. We use all forms of social media, we have engaged online and this is one of our chances to take it offline.

Why – It is fun, entertaining, you may learn some new social or web skill, meet a new face or just take the online offline with some great food, good drinks and some spectacular socializing.

Where – this month we are at Pikks Tavern in the basement, the address is 62 Lincolnway in beautiful downtown Valparaiso, (you can see it from the street) with parking where ever you can find it.

When – Wednesday, March 23rd @ 630 to 9.

How – with Fun, come meet those that interest you, make you mad, make you laugh or just come and watch. Bring business cards as I have already been told there are going to be some giveaways from Cartronix, northwest Indiana’s leading AT&T and Directv dealer, a wine sampling from @JAFields (more on him later) and maybe a few others. If you would like to give something away contact me Dave.

I really think I covered it all, if not I am sure someone will tell me. We all hope to see you there, if you come looking to meet someone new or to network with – you will.

Dave

I want to thank Chatelle Flannery for inviting me to come down to Indy’s MBO Conference (Masters of Business Online) If you don’t know Chantelle, she is a graduate of Valparaiso High School and co-author of Coporate Blogging for Dummies. Er, guys like me and a few others that I won’t mention. Plus, the really cool news is that she will be speaking along side someone else at the November #NWiTweetup on the 11/11/10 in Golden’s Boiler Room in Valparaiso.

Again, I hear the chant of “Free Beer”, but what should really draw most of us is Chantelle and that other guy. I say that, especially after catching her presentation at Indy’s MBO Conference. I know, at times, I really come off as a know it all, and after sitting through her presentation and beginning to the read the book. I have come to learn that I have a ways to go. Good news, so do a lot of other people.

Here are a couple of my take-a-ways from her presentation:

1. Google wants you to succeed so they give you free tools
2. Keywords – help get you indexed properly
3. Promote – where – EVERYWHERE
4. Remember, your blog is your company voice
5. Engage – consumers want to know that they have been heard

The trouble with Indy’s MBO is that there is so much good information that it is hard to hit all the presentations, but I did a good run down on the ones that I hit over at DaveWoodson. So, if you are a small to large business in NW Indiana, I think you should start planning ahead for 2011,and attend it will be worth your while. You will learn how to generate a higher quality lead online while reducing your ROI.

In the meantime, Chantelle will be here with some guy, on the 11th where I am sure she will share her vast knowledge on blogging,  The bad news, is that no one else from MBO will be, unless they want to make the trek up from Indy.

Seriously, NW Indiana plan ahead – it is well worth your time and it will a profound affect your online marketing.

Dave

Oh, that other guy will be none other than Doug Karr. We all know and love Doug, some more than other. He was here with us in February on a night that they should have stayed home.

Oh, I completely forgot to mention that all of this wonderfulness is being sponsored and hosted by Golden Technologies, with offices in NW Indiana and SW Florida. A map for directions and other information can be found here.

Of all the special guests that we have planned for the #NWiTweetup, I think I am the most excited about Harrison. I met Harrison a few years back at ReVerb Chicago event, think TED with a real estate/marketing focus.  We talked, exchanged ideas and then we collaborated and brought the first RebarCamp to Indiana. He has helped me with his guidance, introductions and the Power of the RT.

Here is the video of the 5 Questions, thanks to the power of DropBox * and Harrison’s fine video editing.

I think it goes without saying that…

1. I am not all the good at interviewing people, but I am trying
2. I need to be better prepared.

But, prepared we are for the #NWiTweetup this Thursday Night at Crown Brewing in Crown Point, IN sponsored by Around Crown Point, for more information and a map to the venue checkout our video announcement of the October #NWiTweetup

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Dave @davewoodson

Social Media Day NWIndiana

We are really doing this last minute – I know

Here is the line up so far:

• June 30, 2010
• 11:30 to 1pm Pepe’s in Valparaiso, IN
• several local Social Media Leaders will speak
• We will discuss the #nwitweetup to help it grow to foster more community and business involvement

We want anyone and everyone there that can come.  It will be a great time of community, networking and business.

In the coming days and weeks, we will be looking for more involvement and direction on which way you want to take the monthly Tweetups.  Please do not be bashful, this is Social Media, where we take the online offline.

We, also, hope to be able livestream the even on ustream, we will post the link as we get closer.

Dave

We are still working out the details for Social Media Day whether it is going to be a lunch or a after hours extravaganza.  We would like to get a few more businesses there and then have some great learning sessions and some of the best networking in NW Indiana.

So stay tuned for more details and there is going to be one great low-lite reel on this very special episode of #NWiTweetup Video Recap

Social Media Day June 30th, Pepe’s In Valparaiso, Social Media Luncheon more details coming soon

and for the record, I know the sound is off on this I am working on it.

Stay tuned

Are you ready to get your steak on? Can you say red-light green-light? Man, I can just hear the steak sizzle now.

Any questions, just let us know
you can find us Twitter @natfinn @davewoodson @nwitweetup

D

for those that showed up to the Albanese Candy Factory and the flash mobbed Zao’s Island where I did spin a kid out for blocking.

Gaucho’s Brazilian Steakhouse (red light/green light), Martini bar and lounge. Are you ready to get your steak on?

June 15th, from 7 to 9pm(official) and we all know that there will be a pretweetup and an aftertweetup

See you then

D

pay attention we talk fast, but here are the details

• May 15th @ 2pm – Self-guided tours
• Albanese Candy Factory (tween Valpo & Merrillville on US30)
• after we are done – we are going to mob Zao’s Island
• Tours are free, but if you buy candy you will need $$$
• handicap accessible