Central Ohio Network

Thanks to our awesome sponsors Small Business Marketing Unleashed and Matt Lydy Photography the experiment that was www.thecentralohionetwork.com is now located on its own server.

Click here to be taken to www.thecentralohionetwork.com

All of our great bloggers and post will be found there!

Thank you for visiting and we hope to see you at our new cyber home (side note: The fine Realtors at Minister Realty’s Central Ohio REO Group helped us find and move in to our new home!)

Jennifer & Matt, The Central Ohio Network will always be grateful! Thank you!

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Then all I have to say is that you are missing out on a unique networking opportunity.

Well, okay, I have more to say.

In truth, Startup Weekend Columbus is NOT a networking event. If all you’re going to do is come and hand out your business card, well then Startup Weekend Columbus is not for you. Because Startup Weekend is about CREATING something. Over the weekend we will create products to launch and companies to start. But most of all we will create community.

In fact, the community is already being created. Check out this amazing post where about half of the registered participants have introduced themselves to the community. And just last Friday, I created a private wiki for participants to interact and brainstorm ideas. In just a few days, six ideas have already been posted. And people are putting in their contact information into the Directory. I’d love to show the page to you, but access is reserved only for participants.

So what other “networking” event in Columbus provides the unique COMMUNITY building of Startup Weekend Columbus? Other than PodCampOhio, there are none that I am aware of.

Are you ready to sign up yet? We’d love to have you. But if you can’t make it, we won’t hold it against you, because we know that giving up a weekend in summer to put in some hard work is a hard thing to do. Plus, we’re all about building community, so we’ll welcome you even if you can’t make it.

One final note, for SWC participants and startup enthusiasts in general, Columbus’ first Startup Drinks event will be June 25 at the Surly Girl Saloon. Drinks will start at 6 PM, and the first round of appetizers will be provided by Jones Insight. While the event is free, please RSVP so as to give the organizer an idea of how many people will attend.

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Rocky wrote about Twitter. He even mentioned a few Central Ohio folks that are on Twitter. But he only skimmed the surface of those in Columbus that Twitter. Want to see some Columbus folks interact on Twitter? Checkout this Columbus Twitterers page. It was set up by Zappos (back story on my blog the270.com). The site also tracks public mentions for Columbus and other Central Ohio keywords. So on one page, you can gauge the pulse of the city at that particular moment in time. It’s a neat and addicting site, and if you want to network with other Columbus Twitterers, send me your twitter user name (I am @wyliemac) and I’ll add you to the list, so long as you live in the Central Ohio area.

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The Central Ohio Network is now sporting professional logo. Many thanks to Cindy Smith of Quickdraw Designs for this fantastic design.

Now you can tell that it IS a buckeye in the middle!

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I would like to take a few moments to express my gratitude to the great daddy’s in Central Ohio. Love your kids and your family today, cook out, play football, but mostly take the day off from “work” and let them know why you are the best dad!

Here is a great post from our contributor Don Ryan at “Take Two.”

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I originally posted this information on my personal blog but it bears repeating here. WOSU Public Media is collaborating with Life Care Alliance and the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) on a project to help provide DTV converters to low income seniors in the Central Ohio Area. The staff at WOSU Public Media have requested that we all blog about this project and share it with our contacts in our social networks.

Here are the particulars: As many of you already know we will make the transition to digital television early next year. Here in the Central Ohio area, we have many low income seniors and persons with disabilities who do not and can not afford cable television much less purchase a digital converter box for the television they use. This is important because television is the one place where people living on a fixed income can get important news and information. Here is where you come in:

You can help provide a converter box for a senior by going to the dtv2009.gov web site and requesting coupons for the converter boxes. When you get to the on-line form, check under TV service that *All or some of the TV’s in my house subscribe to one or more pay services. When you receive the coupons (it may take up to two months, so time is of the essence) you can drop them off at WOSU Public Media at 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210.

WOSU will purchase the converter boxes and provide them to Lifecare Alliance and COAAA. Their volunteers will distribute the converters and install them. The volunteers will receive training on how to install the boxes and are best suited to this job because they already have a relationship with the people they serve.

All you had to do is what you’re already doing, connecting and networking on the internet. Only this time, you networking will have major benefits to others. Feel free to share this information with everyone you know. Blog it, copy it, email it, talk about it, just do it. Let’s show these three wonderful organizations what social networkers in Central Ohio can do. Oh, and let me know how you spread the word.

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I am happier then a dog getting its belly rubbed to announce that Lara Kretler (@larak on Twitter) has also joined the complement of bloggers here at The Central Ohio Network!

Lara Kretler is an account director at Fahlgren Mortine with 17 years of hands-on, high-impact public relations experience. During her career, she has worked at national public relations firms in New York City and led North American External Relations for The Iams Company, a division of Proctor and Gamble. While with Iams, Lara managed several global agencies and led marketing communications programs for all of the company’s pet brands.

An avid social Internet user since 1994, Lara began building online communities in 1998, some of which are still in existence 10 years later. She’s had a personal blog since 2001 and blogs about PR and social media, travel and Columbus restaurants. While at Iams, she worked with digital and PR agencies to pioneer an early online reputation management program using blogs and Internet discussion boards to find and reach company allies and advocates.

At Fahlgren Mortine, Lara leads several national accounts and provides strategic counsel, national media relations and social media strategy and support to other client service teams. She’d be glad to connect with you via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or her blog.

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Mary Wehrle

 I am pleased as punch to annouce that Mary Wehrle (@merrycricket for you Twitter Heads out there) is now blogging on The Central Ohio Network as our first female blogger. Mary has been kind enough to offer the female perspective about social networking and connecting here in Columbus!

Merry says she is the perpetual student and is currently working on helping orginize PodCamp Ohio. She is also an experienced social services program manager and has worked with great groups such as Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio and YWCA of Columbus.

Please help me welcome Merry to The Central Ohio Network!

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Calling all Podcasters, Bloggers, Vloggers, Twitterites, Facebook Junkies, and anyone else hooked on social media, listen up! Ohio Podcamp is just weeks away!

PodCamp Ohio

PodCamp Ohio will be held at the ITT Technical Institute in Hilliard, Ohio on June 28, 2008 from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM..

So what exactly is Podcamp Ohio?

According to Angelo Mandato, one of the lead organizers, Podcamp Ohio is an “unconference” that helps connect people interested in blogging, social networks, podcasting and new media to learn, share, and grow their new media skills.

There will be something for everyone from the person who has never heard of the term blog, to the most experienced podcasters and vloggers.  ITT offers many break out rooms to hold various sessions through out the day.

Each session, excluding the opening and closing session, will provide multiple rooms of various topics where attendees can learn and discuss podcasting, new media, blogging, social networking and other related topics.

If you are looking to enter the new media fray, then Podcamp Ohio is definitely an event you should plan on attending!!!

Oh by the way, did I mention that registration is FREE?!?!?

Find out more information by going to Podcamp Ohio registration page!

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Welcome to Friday and the start of the Memorial Day weekend. 

While this is a nice long weekend, I ask you to take time this weekend to fly the American Flag in memory of those who gave their lives in defense of this great country. Also, find a local ceremony that honors those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. 

 I know that I will be cooking on the grill this weekend and enjoying time with family and friends.  Be good, be safe and come back to see us on Tuesday.    

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