Planet Manola: Social Media Edition

Random news, commentary and photographs. Updated at least once every menstrual cycle, if not more frequently. If you are easily offended, do not read on!

Even in the hot, sticky and rainy doldrums of South Florida summer, life goes on and gets creative!

FIESTA! A CELEBRATION OF LIFE! MARCH 30

In collaboration with Life is Art, my Fiesta Movement bad-ass driver Brad Schenck is celebrating his birthday in socially conscious style with a fundraiser for ECOMB at the lovely Upper East Side Gardens. A $5 suggested donation gets you in to enjoy some drinks, artist exhibits, tunes and even mini-golf!

Since I'm finally off my crutches, I hope to use them as a putt. Learn more about the event here.

DETAILS
Saturday May 30th
7pm - 12am
Upper East Side Gardens
7244 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, Florida

LAID OFF CAMP, JUNE 6







The first ever Miami-edition of LaidOffCamp, featuring FreelanceCamp, will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center:

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.

If you've never been to a camp style event, here's what it's like: it's a gathering of people who specialize in a particular field and some of them make presentations followed by question-and-answer sessions. Everyone networks and typically meets up afterward for some socializing.

This is NOT a formal, suit-and-tie corporate style convention. On the contrary! A limited number of slots are available, which presenters fill on a first-come, first-serve basis, so no one knows until the morning of the event who will actually be making presentations. It's an unconference. It's all about sharing. And everyone contributes -- not just presenters.

You don't have to be actually laid off to benefit from attending this event.

Yours truly may make a presentation about "How Blogging Can Help You Find Writing Gigs," or something like that.

DETAILS
Saturday, June 6
9 am - 2pm
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, Florida

Registration is FREE and includes breakfast. A catered lunch will be available at an additional modest fee. Register at Eventbrite.

SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB SOUTH FLORIDA, JUNE 9

Social Media Club South Florida has put together a panel of Miami creatives, including yours truly. The other panelists are some great Miamians I know and admire: Steve Roitstein, musician (gopalo.com), Onajide Shabaka, artist (miamiartexchange.com), Carlos Miller, photographer (carlosmiller.com) and Irina Patterson, events (mylifeandart.typepad.com). This month's topic is “Creative Community Engagement and Engaging Creative Communities.”

The meetup runs from 7 to 9 PM. We'll start speaking at 7:30 PM, sharp (not Cuban time) for about an hour and half. Afterwards, we'll enjoy the music of Steve's Afro-Cuban funk band, PALO!

Social Media Club gatherings usually consist of a presentation followed by networking and socializing. If you're a newbie to social media, or a curious business owner, keep in mind these events are for everyone -- not just for professionals already working in a social media-related job:

Social Media Club South Florida is being organized for the purpose of sharing best practices, establishing ethics and standards, and promoting media literacy around the emerging area of Social Media.

Please come, ask questions and share ideas!

DETAILS
Tuesday, June 6
7 - 9pm (followed by performance)
Transit Lounge
729 SW 1st Avenue
Miami, Florida

Please RSVP on Eventbrite (FREE) You can connect with Social Media Club South Florida on the social networking site of your choice: Facebook group, Twitter as well as LinkedIn.