Summer is getting hot, let’s Refresh Miami

June 22nd, 2009 by Davide Di Cillo

Join our growing tech community this Wednesday for the June edition of Refresh Miami. This month our meeting will be held in Coconut Grove at the Academy of Arts & Minds.

If you are interested in speaking or sponsoring this month event, please contact us at info@refreshmiami.org

RSVP on Facebook
When:
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Where:
Academy of Arts & Minds
3138 Commodore Plaza
Miami, FL

Directions:
From the North
raveling south on US-1, turn left at SW 32nd Avenue.
Turn left onto Grand Avenue and right onto Commodore Plaza.

From the South
Traveling north on US-1, turn right at Grand Avenue (one light past LeJeune Road, SW 42nd Avenue).
Turn right onto Commodore Plaza.

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May 27th: Refresh and Reboot!

May 26th, 2009 by Alex de Carvalho

Come join us for an evening of learning, discovery, and socializing as we “Refresh and Reboot” for another year of new media innovation in South Florida. We look forward to hearing about the stuff you’re working on at our meetup this Wednesday, May 27th.

David Bisset - @dimensionmedia will present on how to build a social network using WordPress and BuddyPress, which has recently been released. David specializes in website strategy and design and is an expert on WordPress and WordPress Multi-User platforms.

We will also talk about the other new media and tech events in South Florida, and you will have the opportunity to introduce your meetup or event in two-minutes or less.

There will be food, wine, beer, sodas, and other snacks and refreshments. Please make sure you RSVP at the facebook page. Find out more about RefreshMiami. We will be meeting at 7:30pm, at:

Brikolodge
3301 NE 1st Ave Unit L207
Miami, FL

Directions for getting to Brikolodge:
Brikolodge is in the Midtown4 building, on the south side of the building (follow the signs). Midtown 4 itself is at the southeast corner of NE 33rd street and NE 1st Avenue. There is plenty of parking along the street, and several garages a block or two away (next to target or the other stores on S Miami Ave).

Upcoming New Media Events

It’s a busy month! Featured events include:

Lisa Sparks and Alex de Carvalho will speak about using E-Mail and Social Media for Business Success on May 27, 4-7pm, Hyatt Coral Gables, 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables. RSVP here, the cost is free.

Miami Drupal Training, May 27-29.

This Saturday, May 30th, join over 200 other local techies as we learn from local and non-local experts on developing for the facebook platform.  Facebook, Intel, and Infinimedia are proud to host the second ever Facebook Developer Garage in South Florida.  Topics will include integrating Facebook Connect, Facebook Connect on iPhone, building your fan page, Social Gaming, and more. See Facebook Miami for more details and the speaker’s lineup. The event is at capacity, please arrive early to ensure your seating.

LaidOffCamp Miami: on Saturday, June 6, 2009 a gathering of job-seekers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and startups will meet at the Miami Beach Convention Center for South Florida’s first community-driven conference for creative employment. Don’t miss this event!

Second #pizzatweetup June 8th, 7pm at The Sicilian Oven Lighthouse Point. Free pizza when you buy a drink!

Social Media Club South Florida June 9th, 7-10pm, is holding an outstanding meetup: “Creative Community Engagement and Engaging Creative Communities”. We will be joined by a panel of artists and bloggers, including Steve Roitstein of the Palo latin-jazz band, Maria Lemus, creative writer, Carlos Miller, photographer, Onajide Shabaka, artist, and Irina Patterson, art event entertainer. Denise Jacobs will lead the panel, and later we’ll dance to the tunes of Palo music! Please RSVP here.

Coffee & Social Media meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month in Naples. Next meeting is June 9th, 8am at Bad Ass Coffee. Email cyndee@c2-com.com or (239)571-3174 for more information.

FPRA Treasure Coast Annual Media Conference June 12th, Stuart. This year’s topic is “Successful Media Strategies”.

Mobile Monday Miami on June 15th, in conjunction with the Mobile Commerce Americas conference

Miami Herald tweetup, June 16th (@miamiherald, @heraldsports). Time and location TBD.

The AWC hosts “Social Media - Challenge or Opportunity?” on Thu, Jun 18, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM at the Havana Club. In a few short years, online communications have changed dramatically. From blogging to Facebook to Twitter, more and more people are participating in the conversation online. For continued effective communication, using these tools is not optional, it’s required … or is it? Join Murray Izzenwasser and Alex de Carvalho for a lively discussion at the outstanding Havana Club, at no charge!

KickStartz Weekend 2009 will held June 18-20, 2009 at DeVry
University in Miramar Florida. KickStartz is an intense 3 day event bringing techies, designers, marketers, and business folks together to create businesses, projects, and work through their ideas! Idea submissions will be presented in an “Elevator Pitch” format to the attendees. The attendees will vote the ideas down to 10 or so finalists. The attendees will then be broken out into teams and will literally create these businesses over the duration of the event.

Friday, June 19, 10am, the Naples Daily News Press Conference and Media Tour, Naples, Florida. Collier County’s only local daily newspaper will move into its new $95 million multi-media facility in September. Media and communications professionals in South Florida are encouraged to attend this personal first-look at their new facility in Naples hosted by publisher Chris Doyle. Critics call it the “last newspaper press to be built in America.” Contact PRACC for more info.

More events:

“The Glitter of Twitter & Social Media” at SFIMA, June 11th

Miami Ruby Brigade Meetup June 15th

RefreshMiami June Meetup June 24th

South Florida iPhone Meetup Group TBA

Check Doterati’s site for many events in Orlando

PRSA PRVille June 18-20, Jacksonville

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Refresh May 2009 - Building a social network

May 21st, 2009 by Brian Breslin

Our next meetup is going to be May 27th 2009 at 7:30PM. David Bisset (@dimensionmedia) will be presenting on how to build a social network using Buddypress and WordpressMU.

So if you’ve ever considered setting up your own social network, please make sure you RSVP for this event. Space is limited as always, so let us know.

RSVP on Facebook
When: Wednesday May 27, 2009
7:30PM-9:30PM
Where: Brikolodge
3301 NE 1st Ave Unit L207
Miami, FL
(305) 403-9747
Directions for getting to Brikolodge:
Brikolodge is in the Midtown4 building, on the south side of the building (follow the signs). Midtown 4 itself is at the southeast corner of NE 33rd street and NE 1st Avenue. There is plenty of parking along the street, and several garages a block or two away (next to target or the other stores on S Miami Ave).

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Refresh 3 year anniversary - April 29, 2009

April 7th, 2009 by Brian Breslin

Come join us for the third anniversary of RefreshMiami! We will be celebrating on April 29, 2009 at 7:30PM at the new Brikolodge.

Over a hundred and people have attended each of the past three RefreshMiami meetups and we’re expecting even more next Wednesday for the party. So if you haven’t attended yet, this is a great opportunity to meet the community.

There will be food, wine, beer, sodas, and other snacks and refreshments. We will also be joined by a local band! So bring a friend with you, but make sure you RSVP at the facebook page.

RefreshMiami events are free thanks to the generosity of these awesome sponsors!

Brikolodge
3301 NE 1st Ave Unit L207
Miami, FL
(305) 403-9747
Directions for getting to Brikolodge:
Brikolodge is in the Midtown4 building, on the south side of the building (follow the signs). Midtown 4 itself is at the southeast corner of NE 33rd street and NE 1st Avenue. There is plenty of parking along the street, and several garages a block or two away (next to target or the other stores on S Miami Ave).

Map to Brikolodge

Date:
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Time:
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:
Brikolodge
Street:
3301 NE 1st Ave Unit L207
City/Town:
Miami, FL

There will be food, wine, beer, sodas, and other snacks and refreshments. So bring a friend with you, but make sure you RSVP at the facebook page.

Our sponsors deserve a round of applause; our meetup would not be possible without them. Please have a chat with them — Sunir and Rayanne from Freshbooks, who are flying in from Toronto!, Murray from Starmark, and Teresa from Florida on the Cheap — they’re the nicest people.

Content Inline

FreshBooks is the leader in online invoicing for freelancers, consultants, and agencies. You know the most important time to be professional is when asking your client for money. FreshBooks helps you save time and get paid faster by tracking time and expenses, creating professional looking invoices, and collecting payment online by credit card or PayPal. Sign up today with the coupon code refreshmiami3 and save $20. Offer valid until July 1, 2009.

Content Inline

Starmark International is a full-service integrated marketing communications agency that specializes in the seamless integration of multiple marketing disciplines, including advertising, public relations, interactive services, branding, direct response and custom media. The agency’s additional capabilities include strategic consulting, research, media planning and buying, as well as relationship and channel marketing services.

Content Inline

Miami Florida on the Cheap and Ft. Lauderdale on the Cheap: Looking for free things to do in Miami, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Pembroke Pines and the rest of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties? Want to know where kids eat free? Or just looking for things to do this weekend? At Miami and Fort Lauderdale on the Cheap, you’ll find out how to live the good life for less with coupons, discounts and deals delivered right to your inbox.

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Refresh Meetup March 2009

March 14th, 2009 by Brian Breslin

Come join us and the coolest people in the South Florida technology community for Refresh Miami’s March meetup.

Date:
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Time:
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:
Kelley Roy Gallery
Street:
50 NE 29th ST

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=60325252560

Please RSVP on facebook for the event if you plan on attending. As always, there will be free beer and pizza. So bring a friend and come meet over 100 other south florida techies.

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February Events Calendar

February 13th, 2009 by Brian Breslin

Just a quick reminder that there are a lot of exciting activities going on this month in Miami. TechWeek Miami 2009 is going to be an exciting one this year.  BarcampMiami will be on Sunday February 22 from 11AM-5PM at Anokha in Coconut Grove.

So if you haven’t registered already, you should hurry up. Over 500 people are already registered and planning on making it there.  Registration is here: http://www.refreshmiami.org/registration and information about the event can be found here: http://www.refreshmiami.org.  If you are coming, make sure you buy your lunch ticket in advance so we have enough food for everyone.  Lunch tickets can be purchased here.

After Barcamp we will be having a Geek Dinner. Space is very limited for this event, but it will be held at 7PM Sunday February 22nd after barcamp is over. RSVP now by heading over here: http://geekdinnermiami09.eventbrite.com/ The price for the dinner will be in the $25-30 range (not including tip/tax). Should be a great event as we already have over 30 people RSVPd.

Next up that week is the Future of Web Apps conference. This is being held at the Adrienne Arsht Center February 23-24. Use code F0WA/BCM for $95 off the ticket price!

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January 2009 Refresh

January 21st, 2009 by Brian Breslin

Hey Folks,

Our next meetup is going to be held January 28th at 7:30PM at Brikolodge.  Here is the event on facebook please RSVP there if you are interested in attending.

Our speakers this month will be :
Quynn Pham
Denise Jacobs
Mark Reznik
Matthew Lally

Time and Place
Date:
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Time:
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:
Street:
250 NW 23rd St
City/Town:
Miami, FL

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December Holiday Refresh

December 15th, 2008 by Brian Breslin

Hey folks, we’re a bit late on updating the blog, but wanted you to know that this week (December 17) we will be having our last Refresh of the year.

There will be some exciting prizes being given out by Obopay, and great discussions from several of our community members who will be presenting (only 2 this time, and they will be announced the day of).

This month we are doing a BYOB/open source approach to refreshments again, so please bring whatever you’d like to drink yourself, and if you’d like to bring some to share, that would be excellent.

The event starts at 730, and is located at Brikolodge (Miami’s Coworking center) on the 2nd floor (#204) of the wynwood lofts building. 250 NW 23rd St Miami, FL

We’ve got a google map here for ya: brikolodge directions.

The event is posted up on Facebook here.

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November Meetup and a primer on RefreshMiami

November 19th, 2008 by Alex de Carvalho

November meetup.

Just a quick word to update you on our upcoming meetups. Our next one is tonight, November 19th, 2008, at 7:30PM at Brikolodge. Please RSVP on facebook.

December meetup and party.

How did this year fly by so quickly? Whether it was a great year or a so-so year for you, it’s time to celebrate! Please RSVP on Facebook for our December 17th meetup.

Who participates in RefreshMiami?

RefreshMiami is a volunteer-based community of over 500 new media professionals in the South Florida area, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe counties. Refresh members include local professionals, startups, freelancers, and students who work in or are interested in new media, the internet, technology, social media, and design. From the CEO to the intern, from the venture capitalist to the startup, from the programmer to the artist, Refreshers are a diverse set of skilled and passionate people.

How much does membership cost?

Participation and membership in RefreshMiami is free. Be sure to join our group on LinkedIn, GoogleGroups, or Facebook to get updates on our upcoming meetups.

What are RefreshMiami meetups like?

Our meetings are an informal gathering of local professionals, startups, freelancers, and students who work in or are interested in . We get together on the last Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm. At 8pm, we have three companies or individuals present their topic, which may be a demo, a concept, an idea, an insight, or something they are working on. The presentations run for 10 minutes each followed by a 5 minute discussion. After the presentations are done, we network over food and drinks at the location or at a nearby bar. Generally, between 60 to 100 people come to RefreshMiami meetups.

If you would you like to present or demo something, let Brian or Alex know and we’ll set you up.

Great! Can my company host or sponsor a meetup?

We have generally held our meetups at Brikolodge, the University of Miami School of Communication, and Yahoo! Latin Americas.

Hosting requires inviting us to use your facility for a meetup on the last Wednesday of the month. We would prefer that the location is in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale and can hold abut 100 people. Generally the host sponsors the event with food and refreshments and drinks.

If you cannot host RefreshMiami but would like to sponsor us, we will hold the meetup in your name at Brikolodge.

If you would like to host or sponsor one of our meetups, please contact Brian or Alex.

I can’t host or sponsor RefreshMiami; how else can I support the community?

There are lots of ways to give back to your community. If you appreciate the meetups, the easiest way to help is to talk about Refresh to your friends and colleagues, to blog and Twitter about Refresh, and to bring a friend to a meetup.

Got a particular skill you’d like to donate, like web design or programming? Please contact Brian or Alex and we’ll put it to good use … and give you full credit.

I would like to market my product/service to RefreshMiami members.

We ask you to refrain on marketing and advertising your wares to Refreshers. In other words, RefreshMiami is a place to feed, not feed off of.

Getting updates about RefreshMiami and other South Florida new media and tech events.

The best way to get updates is to join one of our groups, on LinkedIn, GoogleGroups, or Facebook. We generally send out one email per month that looks like this, with information about most web and new media events in South Florida. The Google Groups is also a place to hold discussions with other members.

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October Refresh Miami Meetup - October 29, 2008

October 27th, 2008 by Brian Breslin

Hey folks,

Quick heads up for those of you not on the google group or the other mailing lists. The next meetup is this coming wednesday October 29,2008 at 7:30PM. Space is limited so please show up early and make sure you RSVP.

RefreshMiami meetup on October 29th at Yahoo! Hispanic Americas.

Our next meetup is next Wednesday, October 29th, 2008, at 7:30PM at Yahoo! Hispanic Americas (1 Alhambra PLAZA, Coral Gables, FL 33134 8th floor). Please RSVP on facebook.

This month’s speakers: Alex de Carvalho, Michael Montgomery, and Adam Singer.

“The dream had vanished. Unfortunately the lifestyle remained” —Gapingvoid. The question is, how do you create new opportunities for yourself? Alex de Carvalho presents five steps to personal branding online and will lead a discussion on best practices for online reputation management. He is the co-founder of StartPR, which provides self-service tools for brand monitoring online. He blogs on social media at alexdc.org and Twitters @alexdc.

Michael Montgomery will discuss Microformats:

If you’ve never heard of microformats
…and are tired of re-doing everything at every new “social” site.

If you’ve heard of microformats
…but don’t use them in your sites.
…or don’t know how.

What are microformats?

Designed for humans first and machines second, microformats are a set of simple, open data formats built upon existing and widely adopted standards.

So… “Markup, only better”
And… “Social websites, with less work”

“Microformats make it easy for you or anyone to share and reuse data in your webpages and content elsewhere — for example, to populate an address book, browse social relationships, share reviews, tag content or publish and discover events.” —Chris Messina

Michael blogs at michaelmontgomery.net and Twitters @montgomery. His company is Montgomery Studios.

Adam Singer will present on a social media marketing campaign he created for Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company, where more than 1,500 bloggers signed up for a “java beta test”. Incorporating feedback from the blogosphere, Joffrey’s then went on to produce a crowdsourced blend of java aptly named Coffee 2.0.

He will run through the highlights of the campaign, why bloggers were buzzing (literally and figuratively) and speak on the power of niche marketing in social media.

Adam is director of digital strategy for Pierson Grant Public Relations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He blogs on social media, marketing, PR and creating buzz on the web at TheFutureBuzz.com. He Twitters @adamsinger. He’s also an electronic musician and a lover of anything web/tech related.

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