There are two events in the next two weeks that may be of interest to local social networkers. The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest is hosting a dinner panel on "Two Degrees of Separation – How Social Network Technology is Connecting Us for Money, Jobs, and Love" next Wednesday evening, October 19, at the Bellevue Hyatt. The panelists include
- Mike Flynn, Publisher of the Puget Sound Business Journal (moderator)
- Konstantin Guericke, Co-Founder, LinkedIn
- Elizabeth Lane Lawley, PhD, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Bill Bryant, CEO, Mobile Operandi
I’ve been a LinkedIn node for nearly a year now, and have found it to be one of the more useful social networking services I’ve explored, so I am interested to hear what Konstantin has to say. I am always interested in what Liz Lawley has to say; she is one of my favorite people — and favorite bloggers — and she knows more about social computing than anyone else I know [socially]. I have to admit I had not heard of Bill Bryant or Mobile Operandi before, but given the careful planning done by the organizers of this event, I’m sure he will round out the panel effectively.
Another local opportunity to learn more about a [locally-based] social networking service will be provided this Friday morning, October 14, at the Northwest Entrepreneur Network Venture Breakfast (also held at the Bellevue Hyatt). Jim Crabbe, CEO of Konnects, will talk about a business-oriented social networking service that includes special features of benefit to membership organizations at the NWEN 5-Minute Forum. [The 5-Minute Forum immediately precedes the main presentation at a Venture Breakfast, which this month features John Nesheim, who will talk about "The Power of ‘Unfair Advantage’".]
MITEF and NWEN events traditionally offer excellent opportunities for social networking in the physical world; it will be interesting and fun to learn about and discuss online social networking in these "offline" settings … which I acknowledge are not actually in Seattle itself, but within one degree of separation.