Well, apparently Zagat picked up the speed on officially rating the DC spots. And upon a checkin at one of my most frequented watering holes, Bens Next Door, I received the coveted Zagat foodie badge.

Which Checkins helped me achieve the Zagat Foodie Badge?

You eat the best from hot dogs to haute cuisine. That’s 5 checkins at Zagat Rated spots!

I would help everyone, but I have no idea which other 4 spots helped me achieve this badge. But perhaps a search of Foursquare for Zagat tags will give users an opportunity to scout locations to help them achieve the badge.

In other news, a search of “Zagat DC foodie badge” brings up my previous post on the subject. Yeah me!

Tired of paying an arm and a leg just to network with your peers and learn about social media.  This Thursday,at Bar Dupont during Happy Hour (5:30 -8) I Heart Social Media DC is hosting it’s first event.  It’s free to attend!  The only cost is if you’d like to get something to eat or drink.  Special guests include PBS, NextJen Communications, and DBC PR + New Media. Visit www.iheartsocialmediadc.com to RSVP and find out more details!

Follow @socialmediadc for up-to-date social media and event news!

Photo Credit: Metromix DC

The event was a whos-who of familiar faces and a few new ones. In attendance were Shireen Mitchell (@Digitalsista) and Andy Carvin (@acarvin) along with Amanda Littlejohn of Mopwater PR (@AmandaMogul) , James Walker of PrPrescriptions (@jaywalk1), Jeff Sonderman of TBD.com, DC’s newest and freshest news content provider (@jeffsonderman)  and members of PatchMedia and Hotpads.com

Photo Credit: Metromix DC {Photog Nakeva (center) & DigitalSista (right) with guest}

Photo Credit: Metromix DC {Alex Howard- left, Andy Carvin- center, Kate Gardiner-right}

Photo Credit: Metromix DC {Gia Parker with Amanda Littlejohn}

Photo Credit: James Walker's Facebook page

Later, I saw that Hotpads.com had been featured in the Washington Post Express article on DC Week. The five year old start-up is ready to hire for the next phase of business. HotPads is a real-estate search engine reaching major cities like Atlanta, and Washington. The site gives statistics on the neighborhoods and gives potential roomates an opportunity to find one another. Kewl feature. I’ve already passed it on.

Drinks flowed freely and wings were served. The bar ran out of Pinot Noir, which disappointed DC returnee, Phylencia Taylor of Shine Beauty Culture (@shinebeauty). We chatted for a minute about her return to DC and about our blogs. She’s recently expanded her focus to cultural issues and events.

I also met contacts from upstart Patch Media. Daniel Kelly, the engaging Regional Director, assured me that I would hear about Patch in the next few months. Patch is designed to be a smaller community news network, aimed as smaller cities, such as Silver Spring or Bethesda apart from the entire Washington, DC region. A check of their website, however, showed concentration in four states to date: New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts. Each state has nearly 10 local outlets, like Calabasas in California, and Glen Cove in New York. I’ll keep my eye open. But my question is, will Patch cover my community?

Photo Credit: Metromix DC {The Patch Regional Representative, Center}

I also spied Frank and Jen from the #dcweek team. Frank is prepping for TechCocktail event. I will be in attendance. TechCocktail follows  my presentation and interactive session Thursday Social Media for NonTraditional Users. Register here.

Gia Parker, Jen & Frank + Rob Pegoraro

(About MediaBistro.com)

Mediabistro.com is a Web site that publishes various blogs and job listings for journalists. The site was founded in 1993 by Laurel Touby as “a gathering place for professionals in journalism, publishing and other media-related industries in New York City

I first learned of the event from a friend a few weeks ago. While I won’t be able to attend the festival, I sure do wish I could grab that Rock star badge. Here’s a pic:

Not the flashiest of badges, but it would be great to earn it!

To date, the Bonnaroo Foursquare page has about 14 tips of things to do or not miss at the festival. These tips include who not to miss in the Other Tent – acts like Blues Traveler and They Might Be Giants. There’s also a Solar Stage and Planet Roo – Earth friendly exhibits, and when you want to take a break from the music, there is a seated, air-conditioned movie theater open 24 hours !  Did I mention Yoga? Or the What Stage featuring Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band.  Cool, Cool.

Plus, Atlanta based SweetWater Brewery is hosting a Scavenger Hunt during the festival and offering a limited edition t-shirt to the first 100 people to check in at each of the designated spots and then reporting to the Representative in the Brooers Festival. (Sounds like a lot of work, but somebody will do it). For more info on that fun in the sun, click HERE. SweetWater will be tweeting live from Bonnaroo so be sure to follow them at @sweetwaterbrew

In my research for this event, I also learned that there was an Atlanta Foursquare specific website. That’s cool.  I wonder is there a DC page too. I’ll report later.

We were all equal when every single person walked around the same alley to the magical scene presented by shinyheart ventures and istrategylabs , co-produced by the pinkline project and major sponsor, Palantir.

DC Week kicked off with a plethora of audio/visual stimuli including DJ Harry Hotter accompanied by live congo player, Tom Pipkin, hip hop dancing by Urban Artistry dance troupe and an energetic performance by hip hop soul funk rock band, Paradise Movement from York, PA.

I caught a pic of one of Paradise Movement’s (@ParadiseMov ) frontmen, Ralph Real with Rapper Oddisee

(check out some more of Oddisee’s work HERE)

Magical performances weren’t relegated to the Long View Gallery, live acoustic sets were produced by Nico Laget of Asahra Music, establishing  a nice calm mood outside in the party plaza. The acoustic sets featured Peter Muldoon on guitar, Nico Laget on flute and Lulu Fall, vocalist. DC favorite Deborah Bond topped off the night!

I spent some time exploring  the interactive social media activities in the gallery, and escaped the growing heat to the cool night air where I happened to catch Lulu. The artist, who recently performed in London, shared renditions of Sade and Amel Larrieux classics. I walked out of the bustle of the Gallery into the alley to here melodies mixing  the elements of the atmosphere to hear her transport me to another place.

If the sounds didn’t move attendees, maybe other visuals stimuli like flamer throwers or the chance to walk on stilts, live graffiti painting on a huge canvas, or performance art did.  Dance Afire Productions captivated the crowd with electric  pyrotechnic dance.

But the Opening Party of the Districts unique technology week didn’t leave out the very inspiration for the multi-day interactive festival; social media played a large part in the celebration. You could: take a new picture for your Facebook page, or you could play an android and iphone application game PlayFlamingGoDC from stickybits.com The game was spread throughout the gallery and the outdoor space. Kinda cool.People took pics with famingos the whole night. Seeing that I’m #teamblackberry, I couldn’t participate in the application based game, but the pictures were fun no less.  Here’s my pic.

Then there was the performance art. Imagine 7-10 people dressed in black, each carrying a cellular phone, walking like drones around a large silver satellite replica. They scream social media obscenities, so to speak like “Happy Birthday Dad, I’m in jail” and conducting other social fouls like talking too loud in public spaces.

I had the chance to met and speak with David Worn, manager of Palantir ‘s DC office. Palantir was a major sponsor of the evening. I took a pic of David and the women he was talking to, interrupting their conversation, because I recognized his jacket. Palantir is the author of Analyzethe.us a home of digital data for citizen information. The site can tell you about government spending. Worn describes Palantir’s work as “bringing the Silicon Valley ethos to the District.”

The party crowd was steady throughout the night. Planners expected about 2000 people. The crowd peaked around 10:30pm. Lots of people walked around with cameras to record the sights and sounds. I’m sure the better conversations took place outside. The gallery became a sweatbox early, and remained so. But it was a draw with the dancers, drummer, DJ, beer, and interactive social media art.

DC Week seriously blasted off with an unforgettable night of conversation, music, and film.  Fashion and art met technology, music and ideas. If the opening party is any indication of the festival’s reach and intent, then it’s sure to be one to make a mark on the city and the world.

See a full calendar of DC Week activities here. And sign your mother, aunt, or other non-traditional users up for my presentation on the Digital Divide. www.smntu.eventbrite.com {It’s free in DC on Thursday at MLK Library.}

It’s up to parents and concerned friends to impart the importance of Internet Safety to their kids. Beyond bullying, we’re talking about an Internet generation that will have a long timeline or trail following them beyond the initial post into their professional pursuits. Your reputation is all you have.

*

COX Communications’ 5th National Teen Summit on Internet Safety Addressing Cyberbullying, Sexting and Impact of Social Media on Long-Term Digital Reputation

Hosted by Children’s Advocate John Walsh, Cox Will Mark the 5th Anniversary of the Pioneering Online Safety Event With its First Video Stream on the Internet

I was hoping to explore Gowalla the way I am Foursquare, but alas. I can’t play that game.

And I was hoping to use Pegshot, a twitter/ twitpic,  kinda yelpish, foursquare for the upcoming digital capital week #dcweek/ @dcweek. Posting video directly to my blog. But alas, until a magic Apple Fairy gifts me the technology tools to make my mobile blogging life easier, I’m stuck with overactive thumbs on a Blackberry and my WordPress app.

Read Mashable’s 5 Essential Tools for the Mobile Journalist

In the end, the question is, when will Blackberry apps keep up with iPhone/Droid. Sadly, I don’t think it will. What will I do. I’m not fully ready for a conversion.

A Lifestyle Law (TM) Specialist

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Kendell Kelly for over a decade now. Her intellect is matched by few and she seems to have really hit her stride with Lifestyle Law (TM), a mixture of legal issues that incorporate our technology driven world, social media, entertainment, and business.

In support of Kendell Kelly’s Law in A Digital World, I’m posting a message she sent out to her community. If you like what you read, then RSVP HERE for LAW IN DIGITAL WORLD EVENTS: http://lawindigitalworld.eventbrite.com/

When I first heard of DCWeek, I immediately went to the schedule to see what type of legal activities were listed. There were none. As a Lifestyle LawyerTM and strategist specializing in the intellectual property, social and new media this was like an 800lb gorilla in a room. Like it or not the law is helping (and sometimes hindering) our digital development. The idea of not addressing the pitfalls and providing meaningful dialog on how to overcome them did not seem right to me so Law in a Digital World was born in to DCWeek. My goal is to provide free (or close to free) access to basic information relative to digital media law to as many people as possible. The Law in a Digital events are listed below and you can RSVP here: http://lawindigitalworld.eventbrite.com/

Hopefully, you will be able to attend some of the wonderful events (law or otherwise) going on during DCWeek and make sure to tell a friend!!!!

PANELS

Can I Tweet That? A Discussion of User-Generated Content and the Law (Social Media Users)

Since the authors of blogs and similar other social media (e.g. Twitter, video-blogging) are their own authors publishing their own content, they face the same legal claims as newspapers and other traditional media. However, the scope and source of these claims may be vastly different (and in some ways, broader) than those faced by traditional media.
This seminar will investigate explore the complexities tensions between content creators and the content distributors of user-generated content. It will give internet users a practical understanding of guidelines to use while interacting on social media networks, like MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter and others and how to ensure their original content is safe from legal implications.

“Social Media Law: Online Libel, Online Copyright and Online Fun with Legal Issues.” (Practitioners and Creators)

Just because it’s easy to access and copy, doesn’t make it “fair” game for your “use.”
This discussion will mainly identify how to properly use and protect copyright material, including the concept of fair use. It will also cover privacy policies, terms and conditions, opt-out and opt-in agreements, as well as understanding third party content under the Digital Millennial Copyright Act (DMCA) and how new media potentially exposes social media hosts, bloggers, content-sharing sites etc. to claims of copyright infringement, defamation, and all sorts of other liabilities arising from improper conduct of third party content creators.

LUNCH N’ LAW™ Sessions

What is Protectable? A Practical Intellectual Property Basics Discussion

Many people give away or allow their intellectual property to be infringed upon simply because they have no idea what can be protected.
This Lunch N’ Law™ session will provide an overview of the different forms of intellectual property protection, from copyright to patent, afforded to creators working in social media and other digital media. Participants will learn the basics of each type of protection, registration and monitoring. To keep it interesting, after the basics are taught real world examples will be examined and discussed while playing “Spot the IP.”

Developing a IP Plan that Protects Your Digital Media

Understanding what you can protect is the beginning step of protecting your intellectual property, but then what?
Digital and social media can create complex problems for how creative works are used (and reused) while respecting the rights of creators and owners. As you begin to collaborate and create with others, these issues compound and it is hard to control subsequent dissemination and use of your work. This Lunch N’ Law™ session builds on the Intellectual Property Basics Discussion providing you with tangible starting point to: Keep track of your intellectual property and license agreements relative to your intellectual property; Monitor and catch any infringing uses of your intellectual property; Maintain consistency of your brand when marketing for yourself and others; and Prepare contingencies and processes in case your rights are infringed.

DISH N’ DINE™ Session

Marketing Social Media to Professional Service Providers (PSPs)

Are you a professional service provider (attorney, accountant, etc) who would like to use social media to attract new clients? Are you a social media marketer or creator who would like to add PSPs to your roster? Are you a developer who recognizes the wide-open niche of PSPs in social media?
Whether you are an accountant, corporation, digital strategist, developer or an attorney, this Dish and Dine™ session is for you. The Dish and Dine™ will briefly overview how the Digital Media Copyright Act, the Federal Trade Commission blogger regulations, Opt-In, Opt Out email marketing initiatives and other emerging legal issues with social media relate specifically to PSPs. Then attendees will work together to overcome them!

** We would love to see this event sponsored so that more people can participate with little to no cost. If that interests you, please purchase a sponsor ticket or send organizer an email at: KendellEsq@KendellKelly.com **

I’ll be desk bound, but I’m happy to tune into this media summit, which is sure to be informative and motivational. I wonder what the atmosphere will be like in the place.  Mashable has encouraged all viewers to use social media to share the ideas that will emerge from the event.

Catch the Mashable Media Summit 2010 on Mashable.com on June 8th from 10 am EST to 5:30 pm EST. For event details, please check out: http://mashable.com/media-summit/

Twitter: On Twitter using the #mashablesummit tag.

In doing so, they’ve introduced me to more new social media.  I love it.

The Mashable Media Summit will be hosted by Shira Lazar and feature presentations from thought leaders in the fields of:

Location (Dennis Crowley, Co-Founder of Foursquare)
Acting (Edward Norton, award-winning actor)
Government (Alec Ross, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Senior Advisor for Innovation)
Health (Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent at CNN)
Branding (Chris Bruzzo, Starbucks Coffee Company)
Social & Digital Media (Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable.com)
Research (Duncan Watts, Principal Research Scientist at Yahoo!)
Online Video (Ricky Van Veen, CEO and Co-Founder, Notional and College Humor)
Social & Digital Media (Adam Ostrow, Editor-in-Chief of Mashable.com)
Comedy (Baratunde Thurston, Web Editor at The Onion)
Music (Josh Charles, singer/songwriter/pianist)
Hospitality (Brian Simpson, Roger Smith Hotel)
Sports (Len Berman, That’s Sports)
Online Media (KC Estenson, SVP & General Manager at CNN.com)
Non-profits (Wendy Harman, Social Media Manager at American Red Cross)
Digital Media (Peter Kafka, Senior Editor at All Things Digital)
Design (Scott Belsky, CEO & Founder of Behance)
Records (Dan Rollman, President at URDB World Records)
Causing a Scene (Charlie Todd, Founder of Improv Everywhere)
Mobile (Christy Wyatt, Corporate VP of Software & Services Product Management, Motorola Mobile Devices)