#NWITweetup » NWI Tweetups

October 2011 #NWITweetup – Cornucopia Coffee Company

finn — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 21:15:54 +0000

As Daver and I started to talk about the user feedback and how we’re shaping up Tweetups going into this season, we started talking about our favorite places and events. This first place he said was, “Cornucopia Coffee Company. They had Gumball Head, wonderful architecture, great food and a PA system so I can be heard. And we spent so much time running around and preparing for the speakers that I didn’t get to enjoy it. Let’s go there. I want to really, really enjoy the place.”

Well, other than his reasonings for the PA system, I thought he was dead on.

Cornucopia Coffee Company has been the place I’ve rooted for this year. With an ambiance immersed in classic roots & rock music and open spacies, brick walls, high ceilings, restored wood floors, wonderful views of Lincolnway and great folks flooding in an out, CCC was designed to be part of the downtown community.

I haven’t been there enough this year. And that’s a shame. I was thinking about that last night while I was attending the concert and auction for local charity 500 Turkeys last Friday night. It was one of those evenings that was filled with enough good people that it gave you hope for the rest of the race. And there might not have been a better place to host such an event as Cornucopia.

And if you can’t appreciate that, well, you really shouldn’t be in Social Media.

To give you a little more, I got the opportunity to interview Rich Halstead, co-owner of Cornucopia Coffee Company before last year’s event. He’s a kindred spirit; a student of all the great lessons learned from the Woodstock generation. It’s a wonder I don’t ask to rent out the back couch after hours so I could live there. The Gumball Head doesn’t hurt.

Here’s a question from that interview:

Could you please describe what it took to make Cornucopia Coffee Company a reality?

We began studying the business on a concert trip to Seattle in 2001. It was something we were interested in and what better place to start?

Shortly afterwards we met Tony Dreyfuss from Metropolis Coffee in Chicago and became friends. He was micro-roaster of the year in 2007, and was also honored with best latte in Chicago the same year. Tony’s small batch artisan roasting is 2nd to none, and the coffee, quality and dedication to product is incredible. For instance, fair trade and sustainability are important to all of us, and he and his team were in east Africa several months ago, visiting farms and co-ops, and buying product to export to the roastery.

We began construction on our building in 2008, and 14 months later were ready to open. We restored the building by removing upwards of 2500 pounds of plaster to expose the original brick, and 4200 pounds of flooring to expose the original 1903 maple floor, which we refinished. Any damaged areas of the floor were laced with vintage Notre Dame basketball court flooring that we acquired from one of our acquaintances. The circa 1910 espresso bar is from a bar in Kouts that went out of business after a small fire. Our tin ceiling is also completely original from 1903, and we integrated parts of it into the design of the bar, and stage platform.

Make Sure You Join Us!

We’re keeping it nice and loose and enjoyable. And if you want to have a specific beer there, let us know in advance so we can get it scheduled. So far, we’ve had a request for Guinness.

Otherwise, bring your sense of good times. As for me, you’ll probably be able to find me on Cornucopia’s patio enjoying a brisk October evening in downtown Valparaiso.

October 2011 #NWITweetup – Cornucopia Coffee Company Quickfacts

Time: DaverTweetup – 6:30pm. Tweetup – 7pm.
Date: October 19, 2011
Place: Cornucopia Coffee Company. 210 E. Lincolnway. Valparaiso, IN.
Specials: Sampler specials. Food Specials. Drink Specials

Map to Cornucopia Coffee Company

View Larger Map

Photo Image: Cornucopia Coffee Company Facebook Page

Social Media Day 2011 – Old Chicago (Night Event Only)

finn — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:13:34 +0000

Hey, guys,

First, the Sad News

We talked it over and we decided that we wanted to do the lunch thing, well, right. We didn’t want it to be haphazard. We want people to get the most bang for their buck so for now, we’ll be postponing the celebration until the end of September. That will give us time to get our heads together and do it up proper.

A Big, “Thank You,” Goes Out to Those Who Were Willing to Speak on Social Media Day.

When we set up the lunch in September, we’d love to have you come out and speak for us on that day!

Now, For the Good News

We will be meeting up at Old Chicago – and old favorite of #NWIDrinkup – on Social Media Day, June 30th, 2011 @ 7pm CST. No frills, no specials. Just good times and great friends. I think I can vouch for Carter, Gosser & Daver when I say that we’re ready for a couple of light, free-flowing, fun formats. Sometimes we spend so much time planning events that we don’t get to enjoy them. Personally, I haven’t seen much of anyone this year so I’m looking forward to meeting up and seeing how everyone is doing. Seeing how people are doing with their career moves, job changes, moves, house sales, broken noses (Hi, Rahsaan) and the like.

I hope you can make it out. Daver’s buying everyone a round because he needs the mojo (hi, Daver). Just Kidding

Winner of the “Pick the Venue. Win Some Dinner,” is Chris Hedges. Chris, Daver will be buying you dinner. He might expect a little goodnight kiss afterwards so be on alert (jk).

Scheduling Monthly Events & Activites – Take 2

And come this fall we’ll have a new schedule set of events and activities. We won’t try to put it all into one event like we did last season. Blame me. Daver was the one who wanted to split them up more. I’ll take the blame on that.

Thank you, guys, for letting us know.

#NWITweetup Social Media Day 2011 QuickFacts

Date: June 30th, 2011
Time: 7PM CST
Venue: Old Chicago, Hobart / Merrillville, IN
Venue Address:
740 E 81st Street
Merrillville, IN 46410

Questions: Contact Finn @ finn[@]nwitweetup.com or twitter.com/natfinn
Map to Old Chicago:

View Larger Map

Photo Credit: Copyright Old Chicago. Hope they don’t get mad at us for using it to promote them.

Wanna Hang Out on Social Media Day, 2011?

finn — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:54:04 +0000

So, typically speaking, June 30th is recognized as Social Media Day. All around the world people will be organizing meetups, tweetups & other 2.0 events in order to celebrate the success and splendor that is Social Media. Power users, casual users, business users and those who don’t like to admit they tweet all come together, put down their smart phones and hang out face-to-face.

Last year, we celebrated Social Media day at Pepe’s in Valpo. Here’s a video from the day:

Why did we celebrate it at Pepes? Because that’s where I eat on Wednesdays. This year, we want the place where we celebrate to be picked in a similar fashion.

Pick the Venue! Win Some Dinner!

Over the next few days we’ll be asking people how & where they want to celebrate Social Media Day. We’ll be tweeting it, blogging it, throwing it up on Facebook, and emailing people. We’ll listen to any and all comers. The winner gets their meal paid for by #NWITweetup (unless you are the venue owner -then Dave’s tipping double!). On May 31st, we’ll take those suggestions and start contacting venue owners and then a couple days after that, we’ll let you know the venue(s) and who won! And from there, we’ll get on the specials.

So, plan NOW! Please. Pretty Please. You know, if you want to

Thank you for you time. Hope to see you there!

Sincerely

Finn @ NWITweetup
Photo Credit: Andrea Knapp via Flickr

El Salto–Chesterton

Dave — Thu, 19 May 2011 17:25:42 +0000

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

Smashmouth Burgers & Pizza

Dave — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:15:10 +0000

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

Finn has been out of town

Daver have been way busy with new clients & out of town

the weather has really been crappy

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



The March 23 #NWiTweetup Recap

Dave — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:07:40 +0000

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

The March #NWiTweetup

Dave — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:54:36 +0000

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

February 2011 #NWITweetup Lake Co. – Service Doctor / U Cook

finn — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 01:42:56 +0000

This Northwest Indiana winter has been every bit as brutal as any that the Region’s oldest inhabitants can recall. As bad as 2008. As bad as 1967….

So Rick Gosser – Officer of #NWITweetup Lake County – has cooked up an event that will help you warm up this winter…

If you can brave the frigid temps and the brutal winds, he’ll get you a home-cooked meal by a professional chef, complete with good drink and fireside dining. All for FREE.

On Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 fro 6:30-9pm, #NWITweetup will be hosted by Service Doctor in Merrillville (Hobart), IN.

What Is Service Doctor?

Service Doctor is a premier, full service residential & commercial modeling company. The have a spacious, full-sized show room with on-site examples of their work. What makes their space especially unique is the immaculate, full-service kitchen and event hosting center room where they hold their U Cook Culinary School.

During #NWITweetup Lake County, U Cook’s Head Chef John Rooney will be personally on hand to tantalize our taste buds with some of his favorite recipes and dishes. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the evening.

Who is Chef John Rooney?

Here’s a short list of his credentials:

Graduate of Culinary Institute of America (New York)

Executive Chef for a leading National hotel chain

Executive Chef at Sand Creek County Club in Chesterton, Indiana

Opened “The Culinary Connection”

Holds both Silver and Bronze ACF medals

“I Want to Go But I Don’t Know How to Use Twitter.”

Or, if you are one of those that doesn’t really want to learn but want to check out U Cook, by all means come on out!

So, you want to learn how to use Twitter but don’t know how to ask? We’ll have computers, projectors and good people on hand to show you how to get started. Find Daver, Finn, Gosser or anyone else who looks like they’re using their phone to tweet, and we’ll be happy to take time out to get you going!

February 2011 #NWITweetup Lake County QuickFacts

Date - Tuesday, February 8th, 2011.
Time – 6:30pm pretweetup. 7pm – Chef John Rooney
Place – Service Doctor / U Cook. 5150 US Hwy 30. Merrillville, IN 46410
Events -Culinary Session with Chef John. Give Aways. Announcements.
Gifts -TBD

Maps to Service Doctor / U Cook

NOTE: It’s on the north side of the road, just east of Clay. St. across from Cardinal Fitness. Westbound travelers: there’s a little turnoff on E. US 30 so you can cross and enter. The building sits perpendicular to the road (north/south on the east/west US 30). The office is on the east side of the building, somewhat towards the back.

View Larger Map

We look forward to seeing you there!

Note: The event is free, so is the food & drink. We will have a donation box out (our idea, not Service Doctor) just to show our appreciation. If you choose to donate – beautiful. If you don’t – beautiful.

January 2011 #NWITweetup #2 – Pass Times w/ Erik Deckers

finn — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:44:01 +0000

What do

@natfinn
@davewoodson
@emc440
@ktatgenhorst
@allynpaul
@gossersales
MR. & Mrs. @digitoll
@teambrummett

& the cameraman from The Times of Northwest Indiana have in common

It’s hard to say but it’s somewhere between

“Loyal for braving the lake effect snow to make it out toe January 2011 #NWITweetup #1″

or

“Don’t have enough sense to stay off the roads during a blizzard?”

Either way, thanks so much for making it out! Not quite what was planned, but the conversations were lively.

January 2011 #NWITweetup #3. Pass Times – Valparaiso, IN. Speaker: Erik Deckers

Speaking about brilliant and somewhere between loyal and crazy, we’re still running January 2011 #NWITweetup #2 at Pass Times on January 18th, with coveted guest speaker, Erik Deckers.

Who is Erik Deckers?

Daver and I have met Erik numerous times over the years both via Twitter and through events such as Blog Indiana and Indiana Rebar Camp. A gifted, writer who is a true success story in New Media, Erik is co-founder of Pro Blog Service – a professional content writing service whose clients include the Indiana Department of Tourism.

Here’s how I summarized Erik Deckers during Blog Indiana’s BIN 2010:

Co-Founder of Pro Blog Service

Blogger for Indiana Department of Tourism

Gifted Speaker

Newspaper Humor Columnist

Social Media Consultant

Quick with a joke

Come January 25th, Erik’s first book is scheduled to hit the shelves. Titled “Brand Yourself,” Erik co-wrote the work with fellow Social Media standout Kyle Lacy (“Twitter Marketing for Dummies.”).

During his #NWITweetup presentation, “How to Brand Yourself in 2011,” Erik will be sharing his experience regarding the successes and failues that he’s endured during his career path. The presentation is assured to be perfect for small & medium-sized businesses as well as for those who are looking to stand out and succeed in their respective careers.

Looking forward to seeing Erik. You’ll really be able to identify with what he said. And come Hell, high water or many, many inches of snow, we’ll be able to soak in his wisdom.

Do you have any questions for Erik before he begins? Let us Know?

(note: Finn’s affiliate link. He’s poor. Help a starving artist out )

NWITweetup Community Takes Home More Serious Hardware from 2nd Indiana Social Media Summit

finn — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:46:39 +0000

Hey, guys,

In case you ducked in time and missed our recent promotional blitz, the #NWITweetup community once again took home some serious hardware at the 2nd Indiana Social Media Summit down in Indianapolis. With two upset victories, the #NWITweetup community showed our force in the state when we work together. And, once again, the rest of the state stood up and took notice.

Victory #1, Nicest Social Media Peep: Richard Orelup

In a textbook case of irony, Richard Orelup politely knocked out a reputable field to take home the trophy for the Nicest Social Media Peep of the 2nd Indiana Social Media Summit.

As for the most PC tweet I could quote, Orelup thanked the community:

“…thanks, and I’ve come to really appreciate the group we have up here as it’s got a great bond, supportive, and open.”

Victory #2, Most Influential Dude: Dave Woodson

In a strong show of force, #NWITweetup’s co-Director, Dave Woodson, took home the hardware as the state’s Most Influential Dude.

How impressive was the win? He knocked out a field that included past and future #NWITweetup speakers:

Past #NWITweetup Speakers:

Douglas Karr – I had mixed emotions on this (President of DK New Media. Co-Author of Corporate Blogging for Dummies)

Robby Slaughter (co-Founder of Slaughter Development. Author of Failure: The Secret to Success)

Upcoming #NWITweetup speakers:

Erik Deckers (co-founder of Pro Blog Service. Co-Auther of “Brand Yourself” – to be released January 25, 2010)

Kyle Lacy (co-founder of BrandSwag. Author of “Twitter Marketing for Dummies.” Co-author of “Brand Yourself.”)

A thank you to everyone who helped vote for our community members and spread the word about our little group in The Region.

What’s up Next:

As we stated in the most recent video, we’re going to be doing a couple #NWITweetups a month a little while. One of the biggest pieces of feedback was travel, so we’re going to try to accomodate. We’ll be done one at the beginning of the month in Lake County and one at the end of the month in Porter County. The first one in Lake County will on January 11, 2011 at Northwoods in St. John. The second one will be in Valparaiso. The date appears to be the 18th. We should be able to confirm the second date next week.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Let us know!

(photos credit: Indiana Social Media Summit on Picassa)

January 2011 #NWITweetup #1 – Northwoods Dining & Lounge

finn — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 01:35:48 +0000

We’ve been taking in #NWINdiana’s feedback throughout the year regarding #NWITweetups. We’ve done our best to accomodate as many of the requests as we could. One of the bigger requests we heard was to have more #NWITweetups closer to peoples homes and that, believe it or not, not everybody lives in Valparaiso.

After seeing the wonderful October event at Crown Brewing in Crown Point, IN – hosted by Allyn Hane & Blue Suit Media with speaker Harrison Painter, we decide that it’s best to start taking the Tweetups to the people.

Starting in January 2011, We will start having 2 #NWITweetups a month. The first #NWITweetup will typically be held at the beginning of the month in Lake County, Indiana. We will be spending our Thought Leader session (7pm-7:30pm) introducing Twitter and social media to beginners. The second #NWITweetup will be in the back half of the month in Porter County, Indiana. The thought leader session will continue to focus on intermediate users.

January 2011 #NWITweeutp #1 – Northwoods Dining and Lounge. St. Johns, IN.

The first #NWITweetup will take place on January 11, 2011 from 6:30pm-9pm at Northwoods Dining & Lounge in St. Johns, IN. Specials and prizes to be announced.

PreTweetup: 6:30pm
Thought Leader Session (7pm-7:30pm): An Introduction to Twitter by Dave Woodson & Nat Finn
Networking: 7:30pm-9pm
Prizes: 8pm
AfterTweetup: 9pm+
Map to Northwoods:

View Larger Map

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact Rick Gosser at rick @ nwitweetup.com

December 2010 #NWITweetup – Inmans Fun & Party Center

finn — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:53:50 +0000

The 2010 Holiday installment of #NWITweetup, we decided to go back to an old favorite: Inmans Fun & Family Center.

For those who attended the holiday party last year, you’ll be able to enjoy a lot of the same goodness as was set up last year. Bring your friends, your family and your desire to laugh because we’re filling the venue with some great stocking stuffer holiday fun times:

Free Bowling

Free Bowling Shoe Rental

Special games w/ prizes including 9-pin bowling (knock down 9 pins on your first throw of a frame and get a strike and red pin bowling (get a strike when the red pin is in the pyramid and get extra points).

Daver, Carter , Gosser & Co. are hustling about Northwest Indiana getting special gifts to hand out for winners as well as a few stocking stuffers.

December 2010 #NWITweetup Quickfacts

Date: December 8th, 2010
Venue: Inmans
Address: 3201 Evans Ave. Valparaiso, IN 46383-6938
Time: 6:30pm-9pm
Specials:

Free Bowling

Free Shoe Rental

Games & Prizes

Drink Specials

Map to Inmans:

View Larger Map

Want to Get in on the #NWITweetup action?

Then show up! All you need to do is attend. We’ll acclimate you properly!

Businesses wanting to participate…

Contact dave@nwitweetup.com or finn@nwitweetup.com and we’ll get you in on the action.

Questions?

Once again, email dave@nwitweetup.com or finn@nwitweetup.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!